Chapter 571 Light Always Shines

Keng slammed against the tree. The air knocked out of him as he looked up. There was no one looking down at him. He groaned, pushing himself away from the tree. The wind and rain whipped in his face as lightning cracked across the sky. The trees rustled as Keng thought of his next steps.

'Well, she answered me.' Keng started up the hill. 'That means I'll do it the other way.' His body shifted into the large Fox. He ran up the hill, tails whipping behind him as he reached the top. Lily had disappeared. 'This is her Soul world. She could be anywhere.' Lightning struck near him, spooking Keng. Keng jumped in the air, landing feet away from his spot as he looked at the sky.

'Teenage angst.' Keng thought. His eyes shimmered and the white coat of his fur shimmered. Second Sun wrapped around his body, encasing him in the night sky as Keng pushed his energy around him.

Five tails was no easy feat for a Fox Spirit. Keng knew this much. With each tail, grew more possibilities and pushed his abilities further than before. His energy detection could easily reach miles in every direction. Due to his early mastery of Energy Detection with his senses, he could only do this when he was standing still.

The range quickly flew across the Soul-scape. Keng's eyes glossed over with energy as he began to take in the information. Everything in this place pinged with Lily's energy. He quickly snuffed out irrelevant information, quickly blocking out plants and animals as he came across them. Keng swept quite a ways until he finally felt her. Lily lit up as a one-hundred percent match directly to his north-east point.

His eyes opened as thunder cracked. Lightning cracked down at Keng. Keng bolted away, ignoring the lightning as it diverted to hitting a tree. He ran after Lily. His Energy detection grew smaller, but with his speed, he would get to her before she could do anything more to him.

'She knows I'll come for her.' Keng thought. 'That means I'll need to quickly get through all of the traps she's planted.' Trees uprooted themselves and flung themselves straight for Keng. Keng leapt, twisting his body and landing on the other side with ease. Lightning bolts fired at him as he darted side to side. Keng's tails slammed onto the ground, propelling him into the air as he rushed forward.

The earth and sky fought against him as dodged and deflected what he could. A bolt of lightning slammed into him, sending him into the ground. The ground shattered around him, pushing trees over to the side. Keng groaned, lightning burning his back as his healing kicked in.

Keng pushed himself up and continued running. If Lily or that shadow creature was going to stop him from getting to her, he would try harder. His body moved faster, blurring as he darted through the trees.

'She might be able to keep track of me, but can she keep up?' Keng wondered. Lightning bolts fired at the fast Keng, missing him as he continued his search for Lily.

Keng eventually felt the ping of Lily. She was running. 'Of course, she is.' Keng thought as he quickly blurred past her, turning. The sky rumbled as bolts of lightning fired at him. Lily noticed the large star Fox in front of her and whipped her arm out. Sounds of discordant noises of weather flew at him as his tails wrapped around him.

[Slow, Paralyzation and Energy Drain have been afflicted on you.]

'Cure: Paralyzation.' Keng ordered. His body shimmered and he could feel the stiffness disappear. 'Even if you slowed me, I can still get to you before you can escape.' Keng's eyes went right as his tails unfurled around him. He darted straight for Lily, shifting back into his humanoid form.

Lily turned, extending her hand out as more discordant sounds flew at him. Keng lifted a shield up, watching the sound waves slam into the shield. Lily might've been strong, but she was still around the cusp of high C-rank for as young as she is. Keng knew this was due to her innate talent backed by the blessing of Tear'a and Rox'su.

"Stay away!" Lily shouted, darting through the forest. She took advantage of his line of sight. The tree's would play tricks on him or at least that's what she thought. Keng appeared next to her in an instant, an annoyed look on his face. She never thought he'd be the one to give her that face, ever.

"Stop playing games, Doubt." Keng addressed the shadow next to her. "You may be always with us, but don't think you can take one of Saviors." The shadow cracked a large smile.

"What're you going to do about it?" Lily asked. The two of them slid, passing trees as the slick grass moved them in the same direction. They watched each other. "You're still slowed and your Energy is draining. I'm pretty sure you didn't think I had that in me, did you?" The two of them slid to a stop. The shadow dancing around Lily as wind wrapped around her arms.

'It looks like wind, but it isn't.' Keng observed. 'Even in Doubt, you're still amazing…' Light swirled around his hands as the two stood, waiting for the other to make the first attack. 'Show me the Savior Job.'

[Job: Savior]

[Rank: Leader]

[Job Specific Skills:

Detect Curse, Identify Curse, Remove Curse*, Cure: Ailment]

[Magic: Light]

[Detect Curse has been used.]

Keng's eyes scanned Lily. Doubt wasn't a curse. It was something always existing. Keng would need to do something quick about this.

Lily dashed forward, unable to wait for Keng to make the first move. Doubt had taken a hold of her and was going to do whatever it took to push him away. She didn't want him in her space anymore. The rain picked up as a flute appeared in her hands. It began to whistle loudly as she swung at Keng.

Keng darted backwards, quickly firing a bolt of light at Lily. The flute's vibrations created a shield, blocking the light. Lily continued to strike at him, anger bubbling bit by bit. Keng moved backwards, dodging left and right and ducking to avoid the crying notes of the flute.

Lily was acting rash and not at all herself. She was desperately screaming for Keng to disappear. Keng's hand flew out, catching the blow of the flute. The two energies rippled, slicing Keng's hand as the rest of the energy cut his face and armor. He kept silent as he held the flute in his hand.

"Let! Go!" Lily shouted. The flute continued to explode with energy, shredding his hand, face and chest away. She desperately tried to pull the flute out of his hand. She looked at his face. He was angry but sad. In that split second, his other hand flew at her. Lily screamed, squeezing her eyes shut.

The sound of his hand plunged into something.

'Am I dead?' Lily thought. She was too scared to look. The darkness scared her. It made her feel even more exhausted and homesick. The storm died down, leaving the gray clouds. It was silent for awhile, but then she felt it. A warm embrace wrapping around her. The shadow of Doubt extinguished into pure Light. It burned so brightly behind her, she turned and opened her eyes to look.

It was her. She stood there, enveloped in silver light. A darkness which she hadn't even known about was disappearing. The shadows of the forest projected themselves away from the light.

"Light shall always shine." Keng softly spoke. He hugged Lily tight as he looked directly at the light. "Even in light there is darkness. One with the other. Always." Lily could hear herself crying. She reached up and felt the tears falling.

'I'm not crying.' Lily thought. She glanced at the other version of herself. It was her as a child. She turned and pulled herself out of Keng's arm. She squatted down and looked at herself. A small child crying.

"It's okay." Lily comforted herself. She began to pat her back like her brothers and parents would do. "It'll all be okay."

"What if we can't do it?" Little Lily asked. "What if we fail?" Keng pulled his hand back and stood straight. His job was done. "What will they think of us?" Little Lily looked up at the older Lily. They both were crying and older Lily, the real Lily, didn't know what to say. She couldn't find the words but let out a sigh and shrugged.

"Who knows?" Lily answered. She looked up, little Lily following. They both stared at the leaves and the gray clouds that poked from the roof of the trees. "We will always ask that question. Everyday it's the same question… But I think the only way to find out is to actually do something about it."

Lily looked at herself. She wiped her younger self's tears and smiled.

"You're still crying…" Little Lily pointed. She reached up and wiped the tears and they both smiled at each other. "Will we really be okay? Will we get to go home?"

"We'll go home together." Lily nodded. She stood up and turned to look for Keng. He wasn't there anymore. "And I think we have to do something here first."

"What's that?" Little Lily asked.