I waved away Trina before she woke Lavender up in her excitement for treasure, and I rested my head on hers. I looked out at the water rolling into the beach and then back out again. The sight mellowed me, but my anger was still fresh, boiling below the surface as I closed my eyes.
Chapter 22: The Echoing Heart Beat of Memories
As Lavender lay against me, I was pretty sure that two hours had passed, but the sun hadn't moved. Someone must have frozen this place in time or in between it. At least it wasn't overly hot or cold.
I must have awoken Lavender as I turned to examine the jungle because I felt her stir beside me. Her head lifted from my lap, where I had laid her, and she looked into my eyes. There was still some torment in them, but she did seem a bit better.
"How are you feeling?" I speak the words gently, not wanting to bring back memories of earlier.
Those hallucinations caused by the bottle and demon had done severe psychological damage, and it was my fault. If I hadn't been so careless and just opened the bottle myself instead of letting Lavender near it. I tried to continue to berate myself silently, but Lavender must have read my expression and grabbed my hand.
"It's not your fault. I'm ok," but Lavender's voice shook as she spoke the last two words, and I felt it through her hand.
"I swear to you, I'll make that bastard pay for this. I can't undo what happened, but I swear I will try with all my power to never let it happen again," I pulled her close as I finished.
Suddenly, I burst with light. Lavender stepped back in surprise, but the light faded just as quick as it came. The light left me with two new alerts in red, plastered across my HUD.
WARNING
PERSONAL RESTRICTION IMPOSED
Your resolve against demons gives you and Involved, or higher party members added Magical and Physical Resistance to demon attacks. This also gives you a new stat that will be available at level 15.
That was pretty cool, and it didn't feel like a restriction, but it would only help in the future. Well, let's see what the second screen is. Last time, I received a new skill, which gave me a greater chance of finding magical items. So far, I felt like I had got just as much as I usually would. I sighed.
"Are you ok, Dave? Why did you just light up?" I could see her peering at me through the windows.
"Well, every time I say something heroic, I get a new restriction and then a new skill. I don't think I can just start spouting heroic, though. I SWEAR TO BE INVINCIBLE FOREVER!"
When nothing happened, Lavender started to laugh. I felt a bit disappointed, but I didn't really expect it to work. While Lavender continued to laugh, I closed the screen and let out a "Holy Shit" under my breath.
WARNING
PERSONAL RESTRICTION HIDDEN SKILLS UNLOCK
DEMON BRINGER: In the presence of demons, LIGHT BLADE will increase in size, but in this form, the blade only affects demons. A non-demonic creature struck by DEMON BRINGER receives no damage. Consumes 10 MANA per/min.
DEMON HUNTER: In the presence of demons, DEMON BRINGER will erupt with golden cleansing flames, and all stats with temporarily be boost against demons. Consumes 7 MANA per/min.
HEROIC GRACE: Remove any adverse magical effects or side effects from a party member. This ability has a 24-hour cooldown period between uses.
"What's wrong? Did you get a bad skill? I'd be happy with whatever skill I," Lavender cut off as I grabbed her to pull her close.
My damn eyes got misty, and my voice became choked as I put my hand to her cheek. I looked into her eyes and spoke before I let emotions take me over.
"HEROIC GRACE activate."
My hand started to glow with a soft green light. It spread from my hand to Lavender's cheek and soon covered her body. Her eyes closed, and she spread her arms to the sides.
Like the thump of a heart, black waves left Lavender's body in every direction. Lavender let out a soft moan, and her arms fell to her sides. The light left her, and she sagged against me, breathing hard. After a moment, I ran my hands through her hair, and she looked up at me, smiling with tears in her eyes.
"You never stop, do you?" She asked with a more playful smile.
"Stop? Stop what?" I questioned in confusion.
"Bringing the light to every dark place you touch, but this is... I can't remember anything that happened when that demon had me. I know he had me, but everything past that is blank like it never happened. Thank you so much."
She turned her head up to mine and kissed me. Lavender's warm, soft lips expunged every thought from my mind. The kiss wasn't long, but I felt eternity in that kiss. Then something shifted, on a cosmic level.
THUMP, THUMP
Serina laid on an operating table beside me. Nurses and doctors are hooking us up to the machine that would connect us to Reborn. My parents had said this was the only way I would have a life.
THUMP, THUMP
Serina stretches her thirteen-year-old hand to me, and I grabbed it. Both of us had caught a deadly new virus with no hope for a cure. My parents had tried everything to save me, but nothing had worked until a friend of theirs had suggested Reborn.
THUMP, THUMP
After my parents had agreed, I got to spend time in the facilities while they did tests on me. That's where I met Serina, just like me, with no hope of survival. We spent countless hours talking about our new lives and the things we would do together once we got there.
THUMP, THUMP
As we held hands as we both promised to have fun together in the new world. Our parents stood outside of the room, watching us sink from the world of mortals into the realm of gods. The New World was not what we thought, though.
THUMP, THUMP
Until I was able to help Serina become the god, Destiny, we always started apart. Other jealous patrons and gods always used that against me, and she would get hurt or die. The Faceless God changed that when he took me as his patron.
THUMP, THUMP
I bolstered Serina to a Goddess and was almost to my twentieth win when a fateful choice let the cruel child god Fate finally win. My all my progress was reset, and I was forced to live that hell he created while he traped Serina and their other supportive gods. This brings me back to here and now as my vision starts to come back, as I put my had to my head.
Lavender was in front of me with her arms crossed, standing a step back, still smiling.
"Did you remember something?" Lavender asked playfully.
"Everything, so many lives lived with you and the others," As I said this, I stepped forwards and kissed her again.
It was longer this time, and I knew it was her. As our lips parted, I could see the spark in the back of her eyes that only Reborn had. We both smiled as we stepped back and an alert popped in the top left corner, but I ignored it.
"I would love to sit and talk about this, but I think we should get out of here first," I say while turning to the jungle.
"I know," Lavender gave me a squeeze on the arm as she walked forward.
We both entered the jungle-like biome and soon found something like a trail that seemed to lead us away from the water. We ran into three demon snakes and two demon birds, but it felt like we were being watched the entire time. After awhile we found a clearing with a small pool and a fifteen-foot waterfall.
We both went to the water's edge and drank deeply from it. Neither of us had food since Tilly carried it last time, but we managed to find some edible fruits along the way. Now, the water was all we needed.
Lavender took her beat-up slip-on's off and dunked her blistered feet into the water. I slowly let my scratched and bloody feet into the water with a hiss. I had no shirt or shoes, and I have several welts from insects on my shirtless back and chest.
"This is nice. It might even be fun if we were prepared, or both had some shoes," Lavender cut off to scratch a small lump on her arm.
"This water feels good, but one thing has been on my mind. What do we tell the others? And do I keep calling you Lavender or Serina?" I que
stioned her as we soak our feet.
"That's a good question. I can't say right now but, I'm not jealous, as long as you treat us all the same, and Lavender will do for now."
I stared at her blankly. What the hell was she talking about? She isn't insinuating what I think she is, is she? My mind clalculated everything that I had gotten back, but I still seemed to be missing some of the finer points of my past lives. I guess the NPC Lavender held more reservation on this subject then Serina did, bonus!
Lavender blushes only a little, and she smiles at me. Just smiled, like she didn't just drop that giant polygamy bomb onto me. Then she just sat back and smiles some more.
I smack my hand to my face to lean over the water, and Lavender's cute laughter fills the clearing, but then I feel it. It was closer than it has ever been since we entered the jungle. I put my hand on Lavender's arm, and she stops laughing.
A shadow blocks out the sun above us, and we both lookup. I have to put my hand up to my eyes to see what is blocking most of the light, and I freeze. Six angry eyes of a Demon tiger stare down at us.
Chapter 23: Lumimoss And The Six-Eyed Beast
The demon leapt for us, and I pulled Lavender into the water. Both of us plunged into the cool water as the beast sailed over our heads. We swan into the middle of the pool as the demon tiger began to pace around the water edge.
"Where did that thing come from?" Lavender asked as we tread water.
"I think it has been following us. Didn't you feel like someone watched us as we traveled?" I questioned as the tiger kept all of its six eyes on us.
"I did feel something, but I thought it was just my mind playing tricks on me."
"Well, I don't think we can get out of the water to fight it, and your fire magic isn't going to work well from the water. How deep do you think this is?"
In response to my question, Lavender took a deep breath and then slid below the surface. I watched the tiger pace with a look of hunger in its eyes. Soon, Lavender broke the surface of the water, gasping for air.
"Follow me," was all she said before taking another breath and diving back underwater.
I took a deep breath and then followed. The water was clear, and I could see a tunnel five meters from the surface. Lavender swan into the tunnel, and I followed. My breath was starting to run out, but the tunnel went up after two meters.
When I broke through the water, clearing my eyes. Lavender was already out of the water and offering me a hand out. I gladly took the offered hand, and soon, Lavender pulled me into a small cave area. Luminescent moss grew along the cave walls and shed some light for us to see.
The cave wasn't large, but at the end of it was an opening. We could see more moss lighting it, and we both walked towards it. Neither of us spoke as we walked into the dimly lit tunnel.
After twenty minutes of walking, the tunnel opened up to a large and more well-lit cave. As we walked in, we both gasped when we noticed the ceiling.
What we had started calling Lumimoss covered the entire roof of the dome-shaped cave. Both of us wondered in, still amazed at the display above. When we reached the center of the room, I noticed something.
There was a design rising in stone from the floor. On closer inspection, it looked to be a magic circle of some kind. As I examine it, I start to remember something. I had seen things similar before, but nothing identical. I turned to Lavender to ask her, but she had already been opening her mouth to talk.
"This is a spell that was stored; depending on what kind of magic it is, one of us could learn it."
"How do we know what type of spell it is, and how do you learn it?" I asked as I was still studying the elaborate miniature monoliths and patterns inside the circle.
"I don't know much myself, but I think you stand in the middle and then put your hands down on the two starting points," Lavender pointed to the two ends near the center, as she explained.
"You should try it," I prompted her.
"No, No, No, you try first. You don't have any actual magic, just skills."
Lavender wasn't wrong, but I still felt like she would better use it as the mage. Still hesitant, I stepped forward to the center of the strange circle. Instead of being marked in the ground like the traditional ones I had memories of, the line raised and made thin stone lines.
"So, I just touch these to point, and that's all? None of that, I implore the spirits to lend their power, mumbo jumbo?" I joke as I weave my way to the center.
Lavender nods her head but gives me a good eye roll for my rudeness. Combined with her soaking... wait a minute. I almost trip because of Lavender's perfectly dry dress. I put my hand down on somethings to stabilize myself. I looked down to see my hands on the two ends of the circle.
Nothing happened.
"Phewph, well, I'm not the mage, so this is a good thing if you can get it," I breathed as I stepped out and over the circle.
I walked over to Lavender and put my hand to her side, feeling her dress. She almost jumped back, but I smiled at her, and she relaxed. Then I realized I wasn't wet either. I must be starting to get tired. I wasn't sure how long we took to get here from the beach or how long we were there.
"Your turn, beautiful."
Lavender leaned in and kissed me on the cheek before turning to weave her way to the center. Her lips left a warm and bubbly feeling with me as I watched her go. When Lavender stepped into the center, she turned to me and smiled, putting both hands down on the ends of the spell circle.
The rock line all shifted slightly, sending small chips of stone and dust falling. Then it started moving towards her, the end looking like her hands sucked the whole thing up. Soon, the entire magical stone circle had absorbed into Lavender, and she stood up straight, smiling even brighter.
Her gaze went blank, and for a short moment, she stood like a beautiful expressionless statue. Her eyes returned to normal, and she ran to me, throwing her arms around my neck. I wrapped her up in my embrace, then pulled back, staring down into Lavender's eyes.
"So, how was it?"
"It's hard to describe the feeling of the magic pouring into me. I gained EARTH MANIPULATION. It says I can now mold and control earth."
I let out a long yawn above Lavender's head.
"That's amazing, but I'm starting to get tired. Maybe try to close up the two cave entrances, and we can take a nap. I don't have any idea how long we have been here."
Lavender looked up to me, nodding, seeing the exhaustion in my eyes, so we walked to the supposed way out. She put her hands out, and Lavender took on a strained look. The grating sound of stone on stone filled the chamber, the grinding noise bouncing around the dome.
It didn't take that long, but I held my fingers in Lavender's ears right away so she could finish. That damn sound cut through me, and I dreaded the next one. After we finished blocking the other entrance, we found an excellent place to sit down.
It was a concave part of one of the outside dome walls, and I leaned back enough to be comfortable on the smooth stone. Lavender lay on her side, with her head and purple hair covering her face. I stared at her, wondering why I didn't sense her right away. Soon, that thought became lost as my eyes became heavy, and I drifted off under the weight of them.
"Dave!"
Lavender shook me awake, and I could hear the reason for my abrupt awakening. Loud scratching was coming from the exit we had blocked off. The same one we had planned on using to escape out.
"Shit," I cursed, standing up. "We should get ready to fight this thing, grab your gauntlet out and go hide behind a rock you can move around easily and stay out of sight."
"But what about you?"
"I'll be fine. I have DEMON BRINGER, and the demon, not knowing where you are, will keep it on guard. If you blast it away when it gets close to your spot and then run to another spot, you should be safe while I draw its attention."
Lavender agreed with me, and the scratching was getting more clear to hear. She ran to a large rock as I went to the middle. I
activated LIGHT BLADE, and the white light blade formed in my hand.
I turned towards the now chipping door, and I couldn't see Lavender, which was good. As a claw broke through the stone barrier, the blade of light in my hand grew to two meters long and tripled its blade size. The demon tiger smashed the wall down and stepped out, glaring at me.
Saliva dripped from the open mouth of the orange tiger, covered in black stripes that crawled on its back. It's three tails swished as four angry eyes stared me down, and the other two seemed to be looking for something. I wasn't going to give it time to think.
"DEMON HUNTER," I spoke, and three golden rings appear on my forearms.
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