61 Together alone (1/2)
Part 1
”Wha... What do you mean...?”
[I mean... I checked your memories... You were trying really hard to make her go into a different tunnel from yours...]
”That's... That's because I wanted some time alone to access your memories...”
[Oh... I see... Also, why were you trying so hard to get me to combine with you even though she seemed so against it?]
”That's because I thought you would have useful information...”
[Right, right... And why did you sent that blond guy to comfort her instead of going yourself...?]
”Because they both looked like they were still at bad odds... So I assumed they could use some time to patch things up...”
[...]
”W- What are you trying to say...?”
[Oh nothing it's just... You seemed to be trying really hard to create some distance between the two of you lately... You ignored her when she was down, you went against her decision and you even tried to push other people to be by her side...]
”... That's not...”
[Could it be... You're getting tired of her...?]
”What!? No, of course not! She's my family! We have been taking care of each other ever since we started this journey! Every day! Every hour... Always... By her side...”
[...]
”Always... Together...”
[Oh... I see...]
”What...?”
[You didn't want to run away from her... You just wanted to win at something!]
”What are you talking about...?”
[I mean, she's the younger sister right? It should be your job to protect her, but looking back at your history together, she's kind of doing everything isn't she?]
”Tha- That's not true!! I help as well!!”
[Yeah, but from a safe spot, always away from any danger... She's the one who's risking her life every day to keep everyone safe.]
”...”
[Ah, yes... I can see in your mind... It was the night that Marcus kid showed up... He just pummeled her into the ground as if she was a pile of trash, and you just stood there watching without being able to do a thing...]
”...”
[But then... She managed to get away and got an arrow on her chest... She was about to die... The great Evlin, the invincible Evlin was about to die... Until you came...]
”...”
[Your voice reached out for her... When nobody else could... You saved her life, when nobody else could...]
”...”
[You were, honestly happy about that, weren't you? You finally got the chance to save your sister after she did all the hard work for so long... In fact, you were almost glad she was stabbed, weren't you?]
”That's not true!!”
[But that wasn't enough... You wanted more... You wanted to keep that feeling of ”I can do things nobody else can...”, right? That's why you were so ready to fight to combine with me... You were afraid somebody else would steal another victory that could be yours... And the reason you wanted to separate from your sister, its because you wanted to prove you don't need her!]
”Shut up! None of that is true!!”
[Really? Then why didn't you help her when she was feeling down after she fell from her flying attempt? Why did you send the blond man, the one who she had the worst history with, to talk to her? Why did you ignore her when she reached out for you a while ago...?]
”Shut up!! Shut up!!!”
[You wanted her to stay weak... You wanted her to fail again so she would still need you... You wanted to get another chance to be her light at her darkest moment!]
”I SAID SHUT UP!!!”
Ashley turned her arm into a whip and used it to knock a massive bolder against the wall, breaking it into pieces.
”You don't know me!! You may have seen my memories but you don't know a thing about me!! I love my sister, and I would do anything to help her!! I would never abandon her for some selfish reason like that!!!”
[Is that so...?]
”Arf... Arf...”
[Ah, sorry, my bad... I just couldn't resist!]
”Huh...? What...?”
[I just wanted to tease you a little bit! It seemed like you were under a lot of stress and kept holding yourself back!]
”What...?”
[Look at your arm...]
”...?”
Ashley stopped for a moment and stared at the giant whip coming out of her arm. It felt like it was using much more power than the vines from before, much stronger.
[You know why you are so bad at magic? You think too much...]
”...?”
[You need to stop trying to see every detail of every situation and just go with the flow... Demons are creatures that feed off from painful feelings... The more anger and frustration you feel, the more power my body will absorb, and the more energy our magic will have.]
”Painful feelings...?”
[See that large rock over there? Cut it in half!]
”That one? But... How?”
[Make a leaf-blade with your hand.]
Ashley focused and did as Drya told her. Her fingers started to combine and a leaf was formed.
[Now focus... Dive inside your feelings... Think about all your past suffering... Think about your brother that took the magic talent you always wanted... Think about the monster that killed your parents when you were just a kid... Think about all the times you almost got killed after you started traveling with your sister...]
The leaf on Ashley's arm kept growing more and more and becoming even sharper.
[Do not think, just do it! Throw away all logic and feel the power! Your pain gives you power! And your power makes you unstoppable!!]
Ashley swung her leaf-blade and sliced the bolder in half.
[Don't stop!! Keep it going!!]
She continued to swing her blade again and again until nothing of the boulder remained.
”Arf... Arf... This... This is...”
[Power! Your power!! Power to be the hero of your own story!]
”... My... Power...”
[Now come on! Your sister needs us! Let's show you how much you grew!]
”Yeah... Yeah!! My sister needs me!! Let's go Drya!!”
Part 2
Ashley continued advancing into the tunnel and finally reached the dryad garden. A beautiful place inside the mountain covered in the most wonderful tones of green Ashley had ever seen. The grass, the vines, the trees, everything felt like a paradise.
”This is your home...?”
[Demons don't have homes... We find a place that we enjoy and make it more comfortable to hang out on... Say hi to your new friends!]
Ashley turned around and noticed a group of dryads resting by a pond. They were enjoying an opening in the mountain that allowed a little bit of sunlight to enter.