Chapter 253 - Vol. 4 - 52

Sinneah

Sinneah was at a loss. At no point had she expected Ash to say what she had to her, but she did, and that created the woman's present struggle. 

... What do I do?  She wondered as she recalled the desperation present on Ash's face as she'd told her the situation she was facing. 

She glanced over at Keiko, remembering what Ash had said. 

What a nightmare that must be, she thought, as Keiko looked over at her and smiled, waving a hand shyly at her.  How brave. 

Still, despite the dramatic nature of their circumstances, the simple fact was that Sinneah didn't want to part with a single one of those eyes. For the sole reason that they were all, she had left of her father. 

If she gave one to Ash, and then somehow lost the other, that would be it. Sinneah would have nothing left of him but her memories, and just the possibility of that hurt to think about. 

"How does it feel to have your favorite weapon back?" Keiko asked Yumi. The group was currently in the middle of a very cramped, crowded space where humans who lived in this city were walking in and out, aimlessly to Sinneah's eyes. The area was loud with the chatters of everyone around them and so hot that Sinneah found herself sweating. 

"Good," Yumi replied with a smile, and Sinneah's eyes naturally went to her. "I appreciate you letting me borrow your sword, and I must say, it is certainly well-crafted, but... Yes," Yumi looked at her polearm. "The naginata was the first weapon I learned how to use, and the one I've spent most of my time perfecting my skills with. I am glad to have it back." 

"I'm happy for you," Keiko told her. "Maybe we can practice a little later with them." 

"If you feel up to it, I wouldn't mind showing off a little. I do so enjoy how you used to look up at me with such wonder, remember?" 

"W-What?" Keiko asked, blushing a little. 

"Don't think I didn't notice, dear," Yumi winked at her. "Every time I so much as swung this thing you'd watch in awe. It was quite an ego boost, honestly." 

"I-I just..." 

Yumi just grinned a bit as Keiko struggled to respond. 

Sinneah didn't quite understand what they were talking about, but if she got frustrated every time that happened out here, she'd never stop. At a point, she'd simply decided that she'd either learn things at her own pace or that someday, she'd return to the mountains and live on the grass, as she had been doing before. 

And yet, she knew that it wouldn't be the same as, no matter what, she'd never get to sleep on her father's scales again or see the skies the way he'd let her. 

Sinneah was a dragon, but, apparently, not enough of one for that.

At a point, someone held a strange pink flask in front of her, and Sinneah looked up. Keiko was holding something out, looking at her with a kind smile. 

"Hm?" Sinneah raised a brow. 

"Want some water?" Keiko asked. 

"There is water in this?" Sinneah asked, looking down into it. 

"Yeah!" Keiko nodded. "It's a flavored bottle or something. You put water in it and it makes it taste like juice." 

"What strange magic." 

"Apparently it isn't magic," Keiko chuckled. "Want some?" 

Curious, Sinnneah nodded and sipped some of the liquid inside. 

Mm... Sweet.  With that thought, she took another sip, and Keiko giggled. 

"Sorry, you just looked like you had a lot on your mind," Keiko told her. 

"I did?" 

"Yeah," Keiko nodded. "You know," she said, "it's good to ask questions if you're curious about anything. I'm pretty sure we'd all help you if you let us know you needed something." 

"... Hm." 

Sinneah wasn't sure how to take that.  Is it that simple?  She wondered, looking around.  Are all humans like this?  She wondered as she caught several people giving her, and really, her entire group looks that she wouldn't call kind, even with her limited knowledge. 

Still, if Keiko was being truthful, she felt that maybe it would be smart to take her up on that. She was, after all, new to all of this. Maybe Keiko would have an enlightening perspective to share. 

"Can I speak with you then?" Sinneah asked. 

"Huh? Yeah, yeah, come on, let's go somewhere quieter," Keiko answered, looking like she hadn't expected that, but it seemed she was still willing to speak with Sinneah. The two of them left that place and walked out onto the street, standing at a corner that only had a few guards nearby. Here, Keiko tilted her head. 

"So, what's up?" Keiko asked. 

Sinneah took a deep breath. 

"Ash said something to me before she left," Sinneah stated. "She said that you were..." 

It grossed her out just thinking about it. 

"... Going through something terrible, and that... Well..." Even bringing up the eyes she was holding in those drawers felt like betraying Gurron's memory. "She told me she needed something I have." 

"Hm?" Keiko looked at her questioningly. "Um, I can't imagine what she asked for, but..." Keiko shrugged. "At the end of the day, if it's yours, it's your choice to give it to her or not. No one can force you, so, yes. Do you feel like you could give it to her?" 

"..." Sinneah looked away. "I don't know." 

"Ohhh... Well..." And, then, Keiko froze. 

"... Hm?" Sinneah looked at her with confusion. "Keiko?" 

"O-Oh, no, Ash didn't ask you for... No, no, no!" Keiko waved her hands back and forth. "Don't listen to her, it's okay!" 

"... What?" Sinneah asked. 

"She asked you to tear your eyes out, didn't she!?" Keiko looked back at her with tears springing up in her eyes. "I-It's okay! You don't have to do that just cause you're a dragon, we'll find another way, alright?" 

"..." Sinneah blinked. She stared at the shorter girl for a bit. "No, she didn't ask for that at all." 

"H-Huh?" Keiko sniffled. "Oh. Uhm... Then, anyway, uh, I-I dunno... If you want to give that stuff to her then, go ahead, or don't. It's your choice." 

Sinneah sighed then, as the two began walking back where they were. 

Well, I know it is my choice. I would like to know what the right choice to make is. 

---

Ash

As soon as Ash saw that reflection of herself, she knew she wanted no part of that. 

It's probably an Illusion spell, where's the motherfucker doing that, huh!?  She looked around.  Come on, bird, thing, or whatever, just fly down here so I can kill you already! 

"Scared of a little girl, huh?" A voice asked behind her, and Ash stopped. 

"..." With wide eyes, Ash slowly turned around. 

That younger version of her was standing there, looking at her apathetically. 

"What a pussy," the little girl said. 

"..." Ash blinked. Then, wordlessly, she raised her sword and tried to slash through the girl's body. 

Her sword passed straight through her though, and Ash was left with a little girl smirking back at her as her weapon did nothing. 

"Wooow," she said. "Is that all you've got after training for so long?" 

Again, without speaking at all, Ash raised her right hand. Closing her eyes, she let her connection to Magia form a spear of light in her palm. Then, she opened her eyes and threw it forward at her. 

The beam of light passed through the girl and landed on the ground, causing it to explode and sending dirt flying through the air. 

Some of which got in Ash's eyes. 

"Agh, fuck!" She cried out. 

"All those levels and still pathetic as fuuuuuck~" 

"Shut up already!" Ash hissed through gritted teeth as the little girl shrugged in front of her. "Hey!" She turned around and shouted into the air. "Whoever is casting this weird fucking spell, just come out!" 

"Yeah!" Little-Ash ran up beside her, yelling into the trees. "Show yourself you creep!" 

"..." In a very, very short amount of time, this girl had made Ash so angry that her knuckles cracked as she clenched her left hand around her sword's hilt. 

"What? I'm just trying to help." 

"Fuck off." 

Disregarding her, Ash continued walking forward. 

Flower, flower, flower, where the hell are you?  She wondered, wanting to find the damned thing and leave as soon as she could. 

However, soon, she remembered what Tyl had said.  Right!  She thought.  If you spend too much time in this place, it fucks with your senses. Maybe I should... 

When she turned around to leave and take a break, however, she ran into a problem she should have anticipated but hadn't thought about. Mostly because she'd underestimated how confusing the Mist Realm was going to be. 

"... How the hell do I get back outside?" She muttered. 

"I dunno," the little girl replied, shrugging. 

She could, of course, see a few trees that looked vaguely familiar, but as she walked back over to them, she found that the path back looked nothing like it had leading up to this place. Whereas before, it had been somewhat like a natural corridor, now, all she could see were strange bushes blocking the way. 

Yeah, that's wonderful. 

Putting that aside, however, Ash decided that, if she couldn't find a way back, the least she could do was make sure she had one of those flowers in her possession before she tried to make a real effort out of leaving this place. 

One thing at a time,  she told herself. Just... Take it one step at a time. 

She turned around then and flinched when she nearly ran into herself. Little-Ash laughed when she saw her reaction. 

"Stop that." 

"Stop what?" She asked. 

"That." 

"That what?" 

"I swear I am going to-" 

But, then, she heard something else and stopped. 

It sounded like a kind of low clicking noise, but just loud enough to be noticeable. It was coming from the east, and Ash took a deep breath as it began growing louder, echoing from beyond the trees. 

Okay, calm down. Ash thought.  Probably nothing but a low-level monster. Let's kill it, and keep walking through this place to try to find that flower, and once I'm done, maybe, I can... 

But, when she saw the creature that was approaching, Ash's jaw hit the ground. 

"Crcrcrcrcr," a pair of mandibles clicked against each other. The monster was a giant, grasshopper-like creature with the hands of a lizard, and glowing blue eyes just like the bird from before, looking straight at Ash. 

Level 80

MP: 500/500

"..." Ash nodded to herself. 

Alright.. Fine.