Even the ethereal sun felt suffocated by the brazen red spear. Arrogantly glinting its bloodied body under its light.
Without remorse, it flickered left and right under the unrelenting grip of its maddened wielder.
Even if it grew tired... and wished to stop, it knew its wielder... Hinomiki Sarura, would never halt.
So... it moved under the glorious rage she bathed it in while shinning under the cowering sun and severed and teared apart everything.
Her feet rippled as she trampled over the blood spilled by her and flickered away... to do even more.
Even the spear shivered under her gaze, the thick coat of warm blood failing helplessly to grant some warmth to its icy coldness.
Not hindered or disgusted in the least by the blood dripping down her chin and onto her clothes, she killed and killed.
She believed this blood to be the only way... for that which drenched her to be able to ease and extinguish the fire endlessly torturing her from within, but... maybe in her ignorance or in stubbornness? She didn't even realize that she had chosen fuel to evaporate her seething pain.
'Scream... your pain soothes him and me! Bleed... your blood cleanses me from my misery. And die... for your death can help me remake him.' Bathing in blood and continuing to chase after more of these scummy monkeys, Hinomi smiled... along with him... he who existed only within her.
***
Seilo sighed in relief seeing the monkeys scattering away in search for Ferrin, having no actual clue where he had vanished too.
Seeing the road had cleared up, Seilo motioned towards the others to follow along and dragged Aoci from the hand.
As she reached the clothing shop's glass door, she took a quick glance around to make sure nobody besides the one she wanted was sneaking along before firming her heart along with what she had in mind.
'The building is pretty intact, hopefully no monkey bothered with opening the door and just ignored it.' Aoci gulped, fearing that if they encountered the monkeys hidden inside the buildings and not chasing Ferrin, they would probably attack them on first sight.
Seilo resolutely gazed on while pushing the door gently and quickly sneaking inside from the tiny gap.
Her hand moved in the air, edging the others to follow suit. Which all of them did readily, despite not having any clue of why they were coming here, not even Ano.
The group timidly and wearily walked past the receptionist desk, tagging along Seilo who ignored everything and kept staring at the stairs right in front leading to the 2nd floor.
"Why are we heading up? Why did we even entre here in the first place?" Ano peeked from behind Ficko, at Seilo's back.
"He's at the roof." Seilo didn't turn around, her steps hastening if anything.
"How... do you know?" Ano's brows tighened, her squinted eyes flashing worriedly. 'Something's off about her.' Ano unconsciously tightened her grip on Ficko's hand. Causing the latter to turn back and smile gently.
'The air... isn't so pungent.' A smile creeped atop Paul's face, his eyes calmly gazing up at the roof, 'Is it hope? That smells so nice?'
Their nimble steps walked gently through the stairs and without any hesitation stepped onto the next. Even if their were monkeys, the group had more then made sure that not even a mouse would hear them draw near.
"Is he... really there?" Ano asked, her eyes affixed at Seilo, whose hand froze on the knob, waiting to throw wide the door and step outside at the roof.
Seilo turned back her head and gazed straight inside Ano's eyes, causing them to quiver, "He is, believe me."
'Yea... something's off! Things feel too... easy.' Ano smiled, her head gently moved up and down.
Seeing her expression, Seilo's lips stretched apart. Her's eyes flickered gently as she rotated her hand and walked outside.
Her feet froze immediately after, her widened eyes piercing straight through the empty roof and landing upon the human Ferrin, sitting quietly on the ground with Aria's head on his lap. His hand moved slowly, gently caressing Aria's face.
'No, no way! She__' Aria's feet moved before her thoughts could reach their conclusion. As desperately she dashed, even more quickly she halted on his gaze landing upon her.
"You made it! I knew you would understand." Ferrin sighed in relief, his eyes turned moist as they slid away from Seilo and fell upon Paul, "Do something!"
Seilo's heart, which had almost frozen in fright, pumped again, reddening her pale cheeks, 'Thank God!'
Paul gulped, his eyes trembled as his looked straight into his pupils. He knew if Aria hadn't been in his lap, he would've slammed his head on the ground and start begging.
He swallowed back the saliva secreting at double pace and walked forward, he didn't had the heart nor the guts to spit out the bitter truth right now, 'Oi, oi! How do you want me to treat her without my equipment anyways, huh?'
He sighed while squatting down next to him and started doing what he could with himself only.
His fingers gripped Aria's wrist as the only priority, feeling the gentle beat, allowing his own heart to breath, he sighed in relief. His hand moved past her ears and onto her head-injury.
He directly nodded his head seeing her condition and glanced at Ferrin, "Wait here! I will go search for an emergency kit. Don't worry, her condition isn't severe!"
Ferrin's eyes slowly lit up like a dazzling star, he opened his mouth but the thank you couldn't get out of his stuffy throat. Without knowing what to do, his head just moved down on its own, his lips gently glued themselves on Aria's forehead.
The slightly metallic taste of blood on his lips slowly washed away along with the tears streaming down his lips.
Paul didn't hear it but he didn't need to either, for he knew, the boy was screaming silently and madly, his tears of gratitude meant more than just a thank you to him.
He smiled and dashed off. The girls, who had been eavesdropping, right on his heels.
They skimmed through the entire 3rd floor in less then 5 minutes before heading down, since they had only been searching the walls, they quickly spotted the emergency kit and dashed above.
Without waiting for even a second, Paul opened the kit and grabbed the bandage. Without applying anything, he bandaged Aria's hand which had been bleeding constantly.
Only afterwards did he go for her other injuries, as he was wrapping her up, he couldn't help but wonder, 'Just how much blood has she lost in the last few days? It's frightening just imagining it.' As he gazed at her ears, his eyes squeezed slightly, 'Definitely... a lost cause.'
***
"M-My lord! Th-The Giant! He's, he has been trapped!" The Dwarf's body suddenly materialised behind the Genius from thin air, his tiny feet touching the ground in horror and respect of he, who stood ahead.
"Hoho! Finally! That took longer than I expected!" The Genius held his chin while nodding, his aloof eyes dimming down slightly, lost in his thoughts... or schemes.
"Ex-expected? My lord, I... I don't understand!" The Dwarf's eyes lifted from the ground, sneakily peeking at the Genius's solid, straight back.
"Hahaha! That Giant didn't had the brains to contend against those guardians." The Genius turned his head slightly, his mocking snake like pupils piercing straight inside the Dwarf's eyes. Causing him to gulp while getting drenched in his sweat.
"I... I don't understand." The Dwarf's ears throbbed from the sound of his own heart, a splitting headache drilled straight inside his head, dragger along with the Genius's piercing gaze.
"Hahahahaha! I like honest men like you, that's why I choose to let you live in the first place!" A chuckle seeped out of the Genius's lips.
His gentle laugh caused the Dwarf's eyes to widen in dread and surprise, "Ba-back then... For... for such a simple reason? I... I had always been plagued by the word why since that day, but, I never found out why? I can't believe... it was just for this!" The Dwarf's incredulous eyes wandered atop the Genius's face, hoping to find any trace of this being a joke, but in the end... he could only gulp down his spit, "You are... beyond me!"
"Hahaha!" The Genius burst out into hysterical laughter, his hands busy clenching his stomach and covering his face.
"Truly, truly amazed I am!" The Genius calmed his nerves and clapped in marvel.
The Dwarf kept on gazing at he Genius with eyes that quivered gently in horror and fear, 'I have not seen... a more frightening creature!' Even though he kept swallowing it back, the Dwarf's saliva kept generating at a rapid pace, not emptying his mouth.
The Genius chuckled seeing the look on the Dwarf's face, his gaze cold and aloof, he didn't need any telepathy to guess his thoughts... his wits were more than enough.
"Anyhow, this world... this reality... this nightmare, like anything else, it will crumble apart as well. That Giant's death is just a means towards it. I have no interest in him or his life. I am a spectator, and I interfere in those lives alone... who manage to intrigue me." The Genius's long, slender finger pointed forward, resting atop Ferrin, "Like him!"
"...So you are going to let that Giant die?" The Dwarf gulped nervously.
"Haha!" The Genius gazed back at the Dwarf, his icy eyes hovering atop his face, "Why do you seek the answer of everything at once? Have patience... and everything shall unveil itself."
The Dwarf sighed while gazing at the ground, 'All of that occurred... for him to let me live... simply because I was honest? No! Because he liked my honesty, so if I hadn't been honest, no, no! If he didn't like my honesty, then I would've also been dead!' The Dwarf's body shivered helplessly, this creature that stood before he, even though he showed no desire to harm him, he still oozed off a malice, the likes of which he had never even imagined.
He knew even of he gave it his all, his body, right now, would fail to rise up.
Fear... he brought that gift to him and it was the type of which... he could never forget.
The Dwarf made a futile attempt of emptying his overflowing mouth yet again and gazed forward, "Wha-What do you wish to do with him next?"
The Genius clasped his hands behind his back and muttered something which the Dwarf failed to grasp before saying out loud, "Henceforth, the game needs not pawns who have served their purpose!"