55 Chapter 14: Harvest Moons 5 (1/2)

When I opened my eyes

I dropped to the ground like magnet.

My body pivots on instinct and broke my fall, crouching on three's,

wind bursted around me.

I have no idea if I gained power or not.

I don't particularly feel anything different.

I turned my focus at the sky where the sinister glow of fire is seen simmering, lighting the night heavens.

The orchard is on fire.

I can smell the burning of terra lingering in the air,

the minute tremors of the ground that tells me the battle is still on-going,

I raced towards the said place in a hurry.

Somehow my jumps are higher and my feet are faster, like a weightless sensation, I was but dashing through the place in an unbelievable speed.

But I can't brood how I could, I need to go where Aeron is.

Soon, I reached the field farms.

I looked around and saw everything burning.

Ahead of me were people watching hopelessly as the scorching flames dances around, destroying their years of hardwork and livelihood before them.

As I look around, it was then that I just noticed that my hair is black.

I can't let anyone see me, is what I thought but then I remembered how my fear of being rejected had held me back far too long, like a captive.

I walked forward.

Swallowed the knot in my throat and headed to the crowd of people.

One step taken after the other,

Some people turned to me.

I saw how they look at me.

I focused my eyesight ahead and just went on walking forward as they made way for me in utter silence.

Through the quiet and shocked crowd and towards the fire ahead of me, I stepped in, feeling the scorching heat as it begin to wrap around me.

But I wasn't burning,

Not even the clothes I wear.

Further and further I went,

till I was out of sight.

Deep in to the flames,

and towards the middle of the fields.

Soon, I was surrounded by the fires.

Everywhere I look is burning

With black smoke hovering above.

I remembered what it all looked like just this afternoon...

The once colorful fields where workers, farmers, and its landlords were working in harmony.

Even soldiers of different nation were once here earlier,

the entire place was buzzing with activity.

It was a busy yet lovely Harvest day.

So many smiles and laughters.

Everyone was nice to me....

But now... I wonder if it could still stay the same.

Not a single person from the crowd of people tried to stop me when I walked to these fields of flames.

Not even any single one from them seemed worried for me, like they used to when I was working with them earlier this day.

If anything else, they looked rather baffled and terrified at the same time.

I wonder, has my eyes turned red along with my hair turning black?

Giving me the image of my shadowed reflection?

An apparently real dark magus.

I closed my eyes and I can recognize my weary heartbeat,

If they hate me,

So be it.

I will protect them still.

I stretched both my hands open wide,

feeling how the wave of heat embrace me.

and took one deep breath.

In one exhale,

I opened my eyes.

And like blowing off a candlelight, the heat vanishes.

Slowly, the extinguishment of fire spreads outward from where I stood,

leaving nothing but the oxidates and coal black grounds where it once danced on.

Soon it even reaches around the farthest fields and towards the margins where it scorched right in front of the crowd of people.

Far and wide, the fire fades off everywhere

until the only light left were the silver and golden beams of moonlight from the two round moons,

leaving me in the open, standing on the vast field of ashes and ruin.

The surprised reactions of the people left the atmosphere silent and drowning.

Not a sense of peace,

just this growing unsettling dense ambiance of doubts.

I opened my eyes and looked at them.

Their parted lips lock close and they all began to step away, slowly and almost uniformly.

”A dark magus...”

Is what I only heard clear.

The rest where bitter glares

mixed with confusion.

My heart sank.

So I just veered my eyes away.

”I'm just glad you're all safe” I uttered.

There was not a single response heard.

Until...

”It's her... she caused these...”

A growing murmur amongst the crowd.

”She's cursing us...”

”But isn't she—?”

”It's making sense now...”

”But why? We did nothing wrong to her...”

”That's just the way dark magus are...”

So many whispers....

I crunched both my fist tight on each of my side.

And just shut my senses off from them and focused to the direction to where the orchards are seen.

With the stagnant ambiance,

the sounds of chaos emerged out from the silence.

My twin needs me...

••▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅••

I scurried off and ran as fast as I could,

but then I reached it just after few seconds of starting my run.

It seems I really have become nimble.

I focused to where my brother is and saw him hurled across the orchards, breaking through the palisades of fruit bearing trees.

”Aeron!”

The monster hastily launched itself towards where my brother is and wrapped both its claws tight around each of my brother's arm, picking him up to meet its eye level.

It's jaws opened seeming to grin wide, showing its huge teeth that looks disturbingly similar to that of a human.

A silver celestial-looking scythe that dropped from Aeron's grasp suddenly lit and turned back into human.

”Eriol...” I murmured, watching him as he quickly spin in place in a split second,

a charge of wind gathered to his feet,

Squarely lands one kick to the face of the monster,

and the blow bursted in a huge implosion

shooting off the monster away like rocket.

Off it dashed across the orchards,

It clears all the trees along it's way

skidding and skipping in a bounce as it covered more distance,

further and further...

barrel rolled some more...

And then slowly comes into a halt.

A cloud of dust spreads out around and covered our view of it.

Eriol is unexpectedly strong.

I hurried to my brother's side.

”Aeron!” I held him up to my lap.

Eriol darted me a look, wide eyed. ”Aerra?!?”

Aeron wearily opened his right eye, ”Aerra...”

I studied him, his hair is covered in dirt. His face is far stained with tar and soot with dried blood and cuts. An open gash by his left eyebrow still bleeds like rolling tears, staining his cheeks and his already-blood-soaked coat.

I can see a bone dislocated under his skin by his collarbone, swollen and bruised.

Looking at him is like looking at flickering light of a dying candle.

Oh how long has he tried to contain that dæmon....

”My twin brother...” I murmured low in a congested cry, running my hand lightly over his hair.

He raised his hand like a wobbly gel reaching for my face, ”Your h-hair... and... y-your... eyes!” he hem and hawed, eyes gazing all over me. So much wounds all over his hands. ”Is it r-eally... you?”

”Silly, who else could I be?” I muttered in a weak smile.

I can sense his energy and magic fitful. He really is exhausted. How long has he been fighting, I wonder.

”Let's get you out of here” I tried to help him up but he mildly pushed me off.

”The p-people... will get... hurt... the mon-ster... must be taken... care of...” Aeron began to stand up on his feet again but he slides back down to his knees, hopelessly.

My brother is strong but Aide is right, he still lacks more training and experience.

Right now, his magic is all over the place. There's no focus, no restraint, like a leakage. He's using it up haphazardly.

I can sense it.

No...

more like...

I can see it.

He's sparking here and there like a dysfunctional live wire.

He can't seem to discipline and direct it at will unlike...

I side-glanced Eriol who stood beside us watching.

Unlike, Eriol.

Right now, his envelopes him faintly in a very stable and serene form.

”I'll take care of it. You go back with her and rest. You'll die out here...” Eriol says in a sigh

”Shut up...” Aeron grumbled, fists clenching against the soil.

I can see his jaws tightening.

He's frustrated.

”I will... protect... the people I... care about.” he uttered under his ragged breath.

”If you die out here, there would be no one to protect them next time. Like they say, 'live to hunt another day!' I can handle things from here.” Eriol retorted, getting on his one knee. ”Besides, do you really want to die in front of your sister?”

Aeron hid his eyes in the shadows, head bowed down in bitter silence.

”And you— black haired Aerra,” he looks at me. ”Take him away from him and just—”

I looked pass his shoulder and saw the daemon from afar with ragging yellow eyes and clouds of breath coming from its mouth.

It's charging towards us

and the grounds are quaking as if a stampede is afoot.

Eriol sighs, ”Just don't do anything rash and stay put!”

And then he turned about, facing the dæmon while it came towards him ragingly,

I watch and studied the dæmon as Eriol began to lunge an attack at it.

His hands morphed into a crooked blade,

Hacking and slicing at it

But the dæmon is formidable.

It seems like he's only scratching against a resilient metal.

The dæmon doesn't even get wounded from any of his attempts to stab it.

I stood up.

”No, stay here...” Aeron grabbed my wrist.

I looked down where he sat and saw him looking at me directly in my eyes.

”That dæmon... how did this happen?” I asked Aeron as he grunts a breath.

He stretched his arm and pointed, ”Look closer at ...its chest...”

I turned and studied the monster and realized

Something was different on it's chest.

A melted figure of a human face, bulging out from it is seen.

with a nose, up turned

and mouth gaping wide open as if it was screaming.

A man is incorporated by its chest!!!

I gasped.

”It's the... r-real Mr. Roderick...” Aeron stated.

My lips parted open, unsure what to say or ask.

”Scias told me himself... Mr. Roderick was turning... so he killed him not just to take his image...”

”And you believe him?” I turned to Aeron.