Why…What truly happened that day?
Why was my sister lured into the forest, and why were our parents killed in such a manner?
Ash felt his mind drift into an empty void that kept spinning wildly. He felt sick with a bitter aftertaste of alcohol lingering on his tongue. His body felt heavy and was unresponsive. He knew he was asleep, but he could not wake up.
"The answers you seek, I can give."
An unknown voice had called out from within his mind. It felt angelic. There was grace and charm, but something felt off about its timing. As the voice spoke, he felt something grab his neck. It wrapped around tightly, with slender fingers digging into the back of his neck. The palms of the unknown hand were cold, yet he could feel them press against his Adam's apple with a powerful force.
"All you need to do is make a wish. A wish that shall grant you anything you desire. Love, vengeance, knowledge; I shall give you anything you dare to ask of me." The voice called out once more, and then the grip around his neck tightened. He tried to move his hands, but he did not respond. His air was being restricted, and his head felt light.
A wish…? Why would I need to make a wish?
Memories of the past came flowing into his mind as if his life were flashing before his eyes. The good, the bad, the boring—they all came flooding into his mind and stopped just as he met Cherry, the mysterious crimson-haired girl who stole his heart upon their first meeting. His life had been renewed from the single day he had spent with her. The mundane life he lived with his sister within the small town was brought to a close.
She had opened his eyes to a new world, one filled with people with powers and concepts he had always dismissed as mere fantasy from his sister's beloved tales. The stories of old, the ones his late parents had once spoken of, there were real. Maybe that is why the reality of Cherry introducing the concepts of powers was not all that strange to him. However, that same reality had shown him that his feelings for Cherry were artificially created. The love he felt towards her was nothing but a lie that she controlled through her actions. It made him sick. He wanted to hate her. He wanted his wasted feelings returned. His heart ache.
But he still wanted to know her more. That moment when he saw her beautifully crafted facade fade into a more grounded side that seemed guarded, he felt something more natural stir within him. She looked like a girl whose purpose lay solely tethered by loose strings tied around another's fingers. She acted as if she had wanted to break free but could not.
Ash felt a warm, wet drip splash down onto his face. The hands that once constricted his breathing had loosened their grip. They rested on his neck, trembling, as a soft sobbing could be heard.
"I want to change…" a familiar voice called out, one that belonged to Cherry. Its tone lacked its usual charm.
Cherry, what is she?
As the air returned to his body, he felt his heart pound. Feeling turned to his body, and he felt something heavy on top of him. Several droplets of liquid fell onto his face as the hands that tried to choke the life out of him wrapped around his back. A soft face brushed against his, which was cold and wet.
"A girl of a bastard existence." The angelic voice from before called out. "Her fate…well, to put it simply, is convoluted. A child of mine is destined to take her life because of being framed by a parental figure whose existence is unholy."
So I can make a wish to save her?
"Shall you make that wish, I shall grant it. Disappointing as it is to waste a powerful tool at your disposal; if you desire it, I will help you."
Then, I wish to save her from that fate.
"Even if you don't believe in fate?" The voice questioned Ash as if reading his memories.
I will prove that there is no such thing as fate.
A long moment of silence followed his statement before the voice returned with a disappointed tone. "Lip service blaring with overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer. But I shall grant you your wish. Though," The voice paused for dramatic effect before speaking in a low tone, deprived of its once angelic form. "As pity for a being, you wish for a wish using the wrong head, such as another man close to you. Heed my warning: You will face the harsh reality of hell you humans call life. A hell that not even God themselves could have foresaw being created by the beings that once worshiped them in wooden huts, baring fear towards tomorrow." A devilish laughter followed as a painful warmth shot through his body.
A cold, almost icy metallic object clamped around his neck. An echoing sound of chains filled his mind as he felt something snake around his body. The heavy object that had once sat on top of him jumped off with enough force to knock the air out of his lungs.
"Now then, boy, how will you set out in this world? Shall you die a death so pathic for a woman who fails to see you for anything more than a food source, or will you overcome those trials and free me from the hell you humans created?"
In an instant, all the pain Ash had felt had disappeared as if they had been nothing more than a dream. He jolted up from his sleep, his skin drenched in sweat and his face sticky from dried tears that were not his own. Once again, the bitter taste of alcohol filled his mouth as a faint smell of burning filled his nostrils. A surge of blood rushed through his body, causing him to feel slightly lightheaded.
A sharp pain jolted him out of nowhere from the back of his neck. As he reached up to rub his neck, he felt something unfamiliar bush against his hand. He touched around his neck to feel a metal object clamped around it. Next to his bed was an empty glass he usually filled with water the night before in case he got thirsty throughout the night. Bringing it towards his face, he stared into the faint reflection of his neck. Nothing was there, but he could feel it as he touched around. As he tried to put the glass down, his hand brushed against something else, something that made a metallic noise that rubbed against itself. He grabbed it, like the object around his neck, it was invisible. In his hands, he felt small links that interlink. Assuming the invisible chains were linked to something, he gave them a powerful yank.
"Ooof!"
There was a heavy thud that echoed throughout the silent room. A painful shock ran through Ash's head as he turned towards the source of the sound. He saw Cherry, face first, on the ground, slowly trying to get up. She rubbed a spot on her forehead with teary eyes. Ash's jaw dropped as her appearance was completely different from yesterday's.
Her hair, similar to how it was just before they got to the tavern, was glowing a crimson red that gradient from a deeper red from the roots to a light, more fiery-like red at the ends. Atop her head were a pair of fox ears that twitched and lowered while she rubbed her head. On her back was a crimson fluffy fox-like tail that held a spectral appearance that was almost completely see-through.
Ash rubbed his eyes a few times to see if his eyes were deceiving him. Then, seeing that they were not, he thought his drinking last night was to blame.
"You can see them, can't you?" Cherry spoke, looking at him with harsh eyes. Her tone was devoid of all the charm it once had.
"See what?" Ash tried to understand what she was asking. He assumed that her appearance was a simple trick of his mind. He gave her a warm smile that was rebutted with a sharp tongue.
"Don't play stupid! The ears, tail, and the color of my hair. You can see it all, can't you?" Her tail shot up as she spoke. Ash could not help but think that her ears and tail robbed her anger of any kind of seriousness it was supposed to have. She let out a low growl as she turned her head, trying to hide a slight blush. "You called me a fox yesterday." She muttered with a pout. "You've known since the start."
"Known what?" Ash started to believe his eyes after seeing how Cherry was reacting. The world over the past few days had been full of surprises. It would be a fool's errand to deny them now. "I called you a fox because you tried to assume I thought you were a runt. And the way you acted reminded me of a fox, in a way."
Cherry turned back to face Ash. Seeing the truth in his statement, Cherry's tail relaxed a little. But she was not fully content with that answer. Ash, being able to see her true form, confused her. Sure, she let it slip yesterday, but only her hair changed. Now, he was able to see everything.
"Great…now the gig is blown, I guess…" Cherry stood up and tried to head towards the door of the small house. As she came close to it, an invisible force stopped her. Ash felt his neck move forward in her direction. "What the hell…?" She turned back to Ash, who was rubbing his neck.
Ash could tell that her eyes flickered with curiosity. Upon closer inspection, he could see slight red streaks along her face. Cherry then hid her face with her hair and glared at Ash.
"Were you crying?" Ash asked with a smile.
"You just had to ask…" Her muffled voice traveled faintly through the room. "A better question is, were you dreaming of me?"
Ash could feel his face redden as he looked away. Cherry let out a smug sound as she successfully redirected the conversation towards him.
"So what if I did?" Ash had to be careful with his thoughts. He did not know how or when she read his mind, but there was something that he did not want her to find out.
"Like how I can control your emotions and actions?"
Ash felt his body stiffen. He knew that he was an idiot for thinking about hiding it, but she found out too quickly.
"You mention it in your dream. You realized that the feelings that you felt for me were artificial. While it hurts to be found out so easily like that, especially after a day, it was bound to happen." She spoke in a longing tone as if there was loneliness in her heart.
"So you can also read my dreams? How creepy." Ash responded naturally. He could tell the words hit Cherry in a sore spot as her tail drooped. "Wait, was that you-"
"Hush…" Cherry's fox ears twitched, and she turned towards the door.
Several heavy pounds banged on the door, each rattling the door with a creaking noise.
"ASH! ASHLEY! The person on the other side shouted furiously.
"Alder!" Ash recognized the voice and shouted. "I'll be right there-" Before Ash could finish, the door flew open, revealing a fiery landscape and a man covered in blood and ebony-colored ooze that stained his clothes. The smell of burning wood filled the room as a dense black smoke flooded in. An intense heat followed as Alder looked at both Ash and Cherry. There was a strange backhanded glare that sent a chill down Ash's spine, forcing him to bite his tongue and take a step back as Alder moved towards the fireplace with haste. Cherry separated herself from the two as she watched from the doorway. Ash felt a strange force pull him towards her.
He resisted that force and faced Alder. "Why, what's going on?" Seeing the town outside burning was not something Ash had been expecting to see after waking up. Not to mention Alder coming back as if he were just in a deadly fisticuffs match. His knuckles were bloody, and the skin was torn, revealing the white of his bones. He dug through the ashes of Ash's fireplace and pulled out a small box locked with a digital number lock.
"Where is Ashley?" He spoke, failing to hide his voice's anger as he punched numbers into the box.
"I have not seen her since yesterday. I was told that she had stayed the night at the tavern."
Alder's hands suddenly stopped as Ash heard an audible gulp come from him. As the box opened, Alder's hands clenched tightly, a trail of blood dripping between the gaps of his fingers as his nails dug into his hand. "So the whole time the town was burning, you were cozy up in here with some girl!"
"Don't try to deflect your guilt onto Ash," Cherry spoke up, causing Alder to turn back. His eyes are fierce, but Cherry still approaches and points her finger at him. "That guy from the city was staying at the tavern, right? If so, why are you mad? There is still a chance at hope."
Alder clicked his tongue and grabbed the item that was in the box. It was a futuristic pistol with a sleek metal base and a neon blue light that lined the barrel. It was rather chunky and seemed to lack a magazine holder. On the base were small etchings of Markrove and Lorry, the familiar names of his late parents. He gripped the pistol tightly and turned to face Cherry, who was now standing next to Ash, with a distant look on her face.
"I hope you are right, missy. Anything could help, even if that chance is near zero." Alder spoke, his tone slightly relaxed. "Ash, and his guest, we are leaving. Everyone besides those at the tavern had already evacuated. If the lil missy's prediction is correct, then those at the tavern should be fine." Alder then headed towards the door. "I'll explain along the way. It's too dangerous to stay here." Alder then left the room and Ash, confused, tried to hurry after him, but Cherry grabbed his arm.
"Things are dire." She muttered. "His mind is a mess of anger, fear, and guilt. I would suggest you stay behind me once we leave this building. Otherwise, those things might kill you."
"What things!?"
"Zombies or that's what he thinks of them. But even he thinks they might just be more than that. Just be careful. If you wish to follow him, then I will follow you, or if you like, I could guide you away from the town myself."
"Sorry," Ash looked at Cherry's face. There was a twisted, murderous glare that seemed almost out of character for her. But given all the secrets she had been hiding from him, he wanted to proceed with caution.
Cherry's face quickly changed after looking at Ash. "Fine, let's go meet up with him."