Chapter 19 - CHAPTER NINETEEN: The Reawakening

KENSHII barely knew Miss Hanaka. The only thing that I knew about her was that she was a great mother to Kana and a kind neighbor to the whole village. We'd been only together during our travel toward here, yet the way she cared for me and Daku was as if we were her children as well. For a guy like me with a family complex, it filled the empty slot within me—the one longing for a mother's love.My eyes gaped as I stared at the lifeless body of Miss Hanaka. The two bandits who held her earlier already dropped her to the ground where she bathed with her own blood. Kana screamed nonstop, wailing and calling for her mother, hoping that her cries would wake her up.On the contrary, Daku was speechless after he yelled Miss Hanaka's name earlier. His head was down and both of his hands were clenched into a fist. I looked at him, worried, that he might actually do something reckless this time—something way more dangerous than earlier."Devastated?" the man asked, diverting my attention from Daku to him. The claymore was once more rested on his shoulder, held by his left arm, while his right gripped the orb he was referring to earlier. The orb sent ominous energy off of it while glowing faintly in purple. Its color was so intense that it looked pitch black. "Let's get this over with. I still have an artifact to retrieve."The man raised his right hand holding the orb close to his mouth and swallowed the sphere as if it was a fruit. It was quite a struggle on his part and I could tell he had a hard time swallowing it because I could clearly hear his throat make a noise.The man jabbed his claymore into the soil as support when his body started to waiver. He grabbed his chest where his heart was and made indistinct grunts as if he was hurting. His pawns watched him with widened eyes and creased foreheads. Even Kana stopped screaming just to watch how the man slowly suffered from his own actions.Those muffled grunts shifted into more vivid noises of agony. He was in pain, we could see it. And we could also see how his body emanated this ominous aura of purple resembling smoke escaping from a heated body. There was only one word that I could describe him—evil. Whatever he did to himself, it changed him into something dark. Something demonic. And I had a bad feeling about this."Daku, let's—"I was cut short when Daku suddenly disappeared from my side. I quickly searched for him and saw him carrying Kana instead of the bandits. Speaking of them, they were dead and I didn't know how Daku managed to do that in just a second. Also, this was my first time seeing him make his entire body glow in green. I only saw him glowed his hands but not his entire body. Did he learn it from Thelah? His head was still down and he still reeked of murderous intent.Daku once again disappeared and reappeared back to his original spot. Finally, I caught a glimpse of his eyes and they were glowing in green. It scared me—literally. Is this normal for Healers like him? All I could do now was question and wonder but also be scared and prepared for the worst."Yes!" the man celebrated as he tried to get up straight after writhing in pain earlier. He was now different—way more different. His appearance didn't change but his power spiked tenfold. I could sense it. The orb might have enhanced his body and power. This was undoubtedly bad. Really bad. "I never felt this much power before! HAHAHA! I'm unstoppable!"The man glanced at us, grinning confidently because of his immense power. I knew what was going to happen and I would never like it. We couldn't win this. This was a one-sided fight."Shall we continue?" the man invited and for some stupid reason, Daku acknowledged the invitation and launched himself toward the enemy. Daku delivered a fist but the man blocked it effortlessly with one hand. Despite our distance, I could feel the impact of the attack. "Too slow and too weak."The man held tightly to Daku's hand and threw him to the nearest burning structure. I wanted to call for him. Shout his name. But it seemed like my throat lost its ability to make a sound. I just stared at where Daku landed which was now covered in dust and soot.Fortunately, Daku survived the offensive as he walked outside the wrecked structure and into the clearing. The grazes and cuts he received from the debris were individually close until all of them disappeared as if they never existed in the first place."You must be a Healer?" the man guessed while prepping his weapon for a true battle. "This would be easy."Daku engaged first for the second time and looked like he learned from his previous actions earlier because he kept himself out of the man's reach but still managed to land a hit. Of course, this was nothing for the enemy. With his enhanced strength, a mere punch and kicks were nothing bad a tickle for him.But this didn't stop Daku. He continued to deliver a succession of attacks to the enemy even though his barely scratching him. I wanted to help. But what could I do to help? I only had basic boosting spells with me and if Daku's reinforced strength was barely doing damage, how much more my swordskills? I was not like my father.If there was something I could do now, that was to watch and see how this one would go. Although I already had a clean guess that would not turn out good. At least, with that kind of enemy. Let's just hope Daku can hold until the effect ends. Or will there be an end?"Mister Kenshi, what is happening to Mister Daku?" Kana inquired as held on my pants like a scared little girl. Her once mourning face was now mixed with worry and fear.I never got to answer Kana's question because even I didn't know what was happening to Daku. But one thing was certain, his rage fueled this kind of power and I bet he was losing control of it.The fight between the two seemed like a theatrical performance. Whenever Daku received a cut or a wound, his healing magic would instantly erase it as if it never existed in the first place. The enemy was doing good as well. With his enhanced state, Daku's offensives were nothing."Got ya!" the enemy celebrated as he found an opening, gripping Daku's face like it was a mere ball."DAKU!" My call was futile but something happened that was beyond my thinking - I found my body dashing towards them. I could hear Kana's voice calling out for me as I moved away from her but my feet wouldn't listen. It was as if my instinct took over my body and was telling me to save Daku.I enchanted myself with Vigor, a strength-boosting magic, glowing my entire body in crimson red. I tightly grasped the hilt of my sword and pulled it to gain a force. When I was a meter away from the enemy, I swung my sword at him only to be deflected by his bare arm. And I could say that his body was as sturdy as the rock when my weapon shattered into pieces."Trying to intervene?" he asked as he quickly grasped my throat. I struggled to breathe but my eyes were locked on him. "I'll deal with you later once I'm done with your friend."I took a quick glance at Daku before I realized that I was flying away from them. The next thing I knew was the intense pain in my back after it hit the first nearby house. I endured the pain for I had thought it would only happen once. But I was wrong. He threw me so hard that three more walls hit my back. The last wall withstood my impact but not my body. I gasped and coughed out blood as I dropped to the ground.My vision started to get blurry and my body screamed in pain. My head was telling me to just give up and rest but I couldn't. I needed to save Daku. Despite my impaired vision, I could still see how Daku was smashed onto the ground head-first by the enemy. Punches after punches. Daku received every attack like a sparring dummy. The impact of each punch sent dust from where Daku was being tortured implying that the force was significant."Ple-Please, st-stop," I whispered. That was all I could do. My body was so weak that even my voice was barely audible. I wish I could just be like my father."STOP!" Kana cried. Kana ran towards the enemy and I wanted to stop her. But my frail body wouldn't listen. I felt frustrated and helpless. "Stop hurting Mister Daku!""You'll have your turn, you pest!" the man roared, delivering a slap to the little girl. Kana was sent flying because of how strong the slap was and that fueled my rage within me.I was brimming with rage and anger that my body suddenly felt light. The blurry vision I had earlier dissipated along with the pain. I knew that it was the adrenaline that was responsible for this bodily response but I felt something else. Like something was trying to get out of me.I ignored this feeling and focused on going after Kana. When I reached her, I immediately checked for her pulse. I heaved a relieving breath when I found out that she was alive. She was just unconscious."Rest here a bit. I'll go save, Daku," I whispered and fixed my gaze on the enemy.The enemy finally took a break from breaking Daku's body. I couldn't recognize his face or how damaged it was. This very scene made me want to rip this man's body into pieces. I want to shred him into bits.I grasped my broken sword tightly as I watched the man lift his claymore into the air. A sign that he would stab Daku with it to his death. But I wouldn't let him.I used Swift Magic on myself and dashed toward the enemy. For the second time, he blocked but with mockery plastered on his face."What could a broken sword do to me, idiot?" he asked."Slit your throat," I responded and before I knew it, a bright white light enveloped my body.While the light persisted, images of nature appeared before my eyes: fire, thunder, waves, tornadoes, forest, icebergs, a golden light, and finally, a quiet nothingness engulfed with darkness. I didn't know what those images were trying to say but a thought came into mind.When the light was gone, I took it as an opportunity to attack the enemy while he was caught off guard by the shimmer. Using the Vigor Magic in effect, I delivered a punch into the enemy's gut, sending him flying away from me and Daku's unconscious body. But he quickly regained his balance and managed to land on both feet."What did you just do back there, young man?" the man asked, fuming with anger and irritation."Let's find out."Following the thought earlier, I pointed my left hand at him hoping that it would work. And to my surprise, a brown magic circle appeared before it. Several large roots sprouted beneath the man's feet and entangled themselves with him, immobilizing him."HOW?! YOU'RE A SWORDSMAN!" the enemy protested. "Wait. Is this what they called the Reawakening?"Reawakening? I heard that term before. It's a rare phenomenon where an awakened person receives a second awakening. Is this really what happened to me?"Maybe," I responded. The brown magic circle disappeared but my arm remained in its position. "Extreme Magic: Pillar of Hell."As I chanted those words, a red fiery magic circle appeared beneath the enemy. His brows furrowed and his eyes widened in shock as he watched the magic circle under him. Not long after, a blazing pillar of destructive fire erupted from the magic circle, devouring the body of the enemy. His scream of agony was cut short when his body instantly turned into ash by the flame. The magic continued for a minute before it slowly vanished.And that was when my vision suddenly turned black.