And then, a pair of strange humans enter the glade. “My, who is this other guy?” The female one speaks.
“Can we kill him?” The male asks.
She replies, “Do me a favor and don’t. I need him.”
“Whatever.” The female one doesn’t sound too happy.
Ion whispers, “Should I turn invisible already?”
“Not yet. Once I’m gone, then you should.”
“What are you two talking about?” Ohan asks.
“Nothing.” She steps forth. “Let me introduce him. This man over here is Ion, a Shadow. He’ll be your tutor.”
Tereahn is pissed. “Tutor, eh? What are we, children?”
“The Titan is hunting you. I can teach you a thing or two about it while we’re still safe.”
“Not interested.” Ohan is admiring her own claws.
“Sounds troublesome,” Tereahn is yawning.
“Listen!” She raises her voice. “I’m leaving now, and I need you two to obey him, okay? I’ll make you two suffer if you can’t do it!”
“Yeah, yeah. Just go already!” Ohan shoos.
“Do it now,” she whispers to Ion.
Ion Cloaks himself, and the devil girl disappears, attending to other errands. After all, she has the past and the future people to work with.
Ohan’s face takes a sudden turn, looking very eager to play now. “So, where are you, friend～?”
Shivers run down Ion’s spine. “Somewhere here. Will you listen to me? I just might show myself if you’re willing to sit tight.”
“Why should we?” Tereahn demands.
“Because you most likely want to live, right? And to survive, you want to know what the Titan is capable of.”
“Perhaps.”
Ion circles around them. Ohan looks like an eager, playful cat who’s ready to tear Ion apart the moment she finds him.
“You’ll live, and I and my friends won’t disturb you ever again. You see, the Titan will find you, no matter what, so either you go now and fight it without any knowledge, or you listen to me, and you’ll at least know how to fight it. Deal?”
“It’s a deal—if I can rip off your arm.”
“I want the other!” Ohan follows up.
The hell is wrong with these two!? Ion sweats. “I’m sorry, but I don’t have spare arms, so I have to decline. I wonder if you can battle the Titan without my knowledge...”
Tereahn is growling, and Ohan is pouting. ““Mean.””
Are they twins? “Eh, I’m just trying to help you out, you know.”
Tereahn says, “Fine. We’ll listen to you, and we won’t do anything harmful to you—mental torture excluded.”
“Why must you—no, nevermind. Do we have a deal?”
They answer in unison, ““Apparently.””
Ion sighs out of relief. “Good. I’ll show myself now.”
***
It’s getting dark, and Louir is waiting for Ti to come out. The last light of the day is disappearing. Recalling her timeline, Ti overslept back then, so she reasons she’ll do it again. She also remembers Ion accidentally saw Ti’s no-no zone. Louir’s brow twitches as she thinks about it.
Once the sunset is gone, Ti hurries out of the building, clearly in a panic. She looks for Louir, and upon sighting her, Ti lets out a long sigh. She then trots over.
“Thank you for waiting...! I thought you’d leave me behind for failing to come back in time!”
“I’m not as evil as that. I love wolves, and I’ll always do so.”
Ti’s eyes are moist, sparkling. She is mesmerized by Louir. Wrong, Louir hasn’t used her powers on Ti to make her a puppet. It’s Ti’s free will speaking. “I’m happy!”
“Good.” Louir asks for a favor, “You saw the other me, right? She’s in danger, which means that I’m too. I need to eliminate the threat before she gets caught in the trap. You can accompany me, if you wish.”
Ti replies like she was enthusiastic about it. “I definitely will!”
“Good girl. Now, let’s get going. The place is nearby.”
“Do you want a ride?”
“No need. The village isn’t far, and I don’t dare to treat you like a horse. You’re a Wolf, after all.”
Ti’s heart is racing out of joy. She is like a pet. “Hehe!”
Ti shapeshifts anyway, walking beside Louir in her huge Wolf form. They’re using a path that keeps them hidden from Lou and the past Ion. There is a small hill in the between, so Lou shouldn’t be able to spot them.
“How old are you?” Louir asks. Ti doesn’t look older than fifteen.
“Seventeen!”
“No way...”
“Huh? What is it?”
“You look fifteen.”
“Eh, really?”
“Don’t worry. I’d rather look young than old.”
“Well, I do get that, but it’s still embarrassing!”
“And is the fur coat part of you?”
“Umm, yeah. In fact, it can’t be taken off, as it’s always stuck to my back. It’s the same for everyone. But of course, it can be opened like any coat, so it doesn’t make copulating impossible.”
“Uh-huh.” Louir never expected her question would lead to such a reply. “The village is over there, by the way.” She is pointing at a light some distance away.
“Ah, I see it. What’s the deal?”
“Armored humans and Elementalists are waiting for the other me. They want to capture and kill her—me, actually.”
“Why? Don’t you want to save the world?”
“I do. But they won’t believe me no matter how hard I try. I’ll explain the whole story later today, if you wish.”
“Yes!”
“Great. Now, I just need to get rid of those imbeciles.”
“Let me do it! I want to save the world too!”
“You say that, but you don’t really know what it means to protect this world from the threat I know.”
“You’ll explain it later, won’t you? I’ll make sure I get it right, and then, I’ll understand why those humans must die.”
“Are you sure?”
“I am.”
“In that case, kill the humans that won’t try to hide. Leave the harmless ones alive. They’ll be needed later.” It’s true. If this timeline becomes the perfect one, they’ll need an army. Humans, animals, everything will be corrupted by the Void, just so that the threat on the other side can be defeated.
“I understand! Can I go?”
“Sure.”
With that, she dashes towards the village. Since it’s dark, no one sees her coming until she is within the vicinity. Her face is serene, but her intentions are brutal. She is half animal, thus her character.
A woman starts screaming when she sees Ti emerge from the dark of night, rushing past her. The woman faints on the spot.
The unsuspecting guards are caught by surprise as Ti lacerates the first one she can get her claws on. The iron plating does nothing to protect them from the sharpness of her natural weapons. It takes a few seconds for the others to understand the danger.
“What the...!?”
“Kill it!”
The humans armed with swords and shields try to attack her, but it’s not Ti’s blood that is spilled, but theirs. She swipes two guards, swiftly tearing them apart. She then lunges at the remaining man with her fangs, crushing him in her mouth.
The villagers are panicking. Some try hiding in their homes, some try escaping into the woods, and a few children climb into barrels. Elementalists of the Order are picking on the situation slowly, but since they’re located on the other side of the village behind a building, they can’t answer to the threat immediately.
“What in the King’s name!?”
“A Wolf!?”
“Take it down! It has slain our men!”
The Elementalists launch Living Weapon projectiles at Ti. For a brief moment, fear overwhelms her. She’s never seen Elementi powers in play, and now that those hum
ans are hurling such at her, she’s stricken with terror.
However, some violet barrier blocks the Elementi spells, protecting her from certain death. She can’t tell what it is, but it inspires courage within her. Using the opportunity, she lunges at the closest Elementalist, making use of her fangs. Human blood is sprayed, and a trail of it follows the body as it’s hurled over a building.
The others try summoning Living Weapons that resemble swords and spears. While they’re still calling forth the powers of the Elementi, Ti lacerates three of them. However, one with a spear of Metal Elementi manages to stab her side.
She is enraged by it. Ti bites off his torso, and as she is driven by fury, she actually swallows him. Only a few remain, all of them cowering in fear. They start fleeing, but the enraged Ti won’t let that happen. She lunges at the first one she can catch, eating him alive. The remaining two Elementalists meet a similar end. Ti hunts them down, brutally clawing their backs to kill them.
She lifts the other body with her mouth, launching it midair, only to swallow it upon falling. She smells the air after that, and she can sense a newcomer. She turns to look at her, and to her surprise, it’s Lou, horror showing on her face as she peeks from a corner.
Ti bows, showing her respect. She won’t attack her, knowing that she’s Louir’s second body. And now that she’s done her part, she returns to Louir with haste, bleeding. It hinders her, but she needs to go back. She wants to see Louir. Louir can do something about it, can’t she? She is kind and resourceful.
I want to go back to her...!
With that thought in her mind, she strides as fast as she can with the wound. It’s dark, so she needs to be careful with the trees. Headbutting a birch may prove fatal when moving at such speed. And once she is at the location where Louir saw her off, she looks for her desperately.
“Louir! Where are you!?”
“Here...!” Her voice can be heard nearby. Apparently, she is coming from the direction of the village.
Ti dashes towards Louir, meeting up with her. “Louir!”
“Calm down. Are you okay?”
“Not really, ugh.” She faces her side at Louir. “It hurts.”
“Oh, I, I’m sorry.”
“No, don’t worry about it. It’ll heal, right?”
“Not without mending it. Can you shapeshift? I know how to tend to a girl, but a Wolf is a mystery.”
“I can!” She does it at once, changing her appearance. Her childish figure is lying prone on the ground, a bad wound in her side.
“That doesn’t look good. We’ll need medicine. You can’t walk, can you?”
“I did come here...”
“But it made the wound worse. I’ll just carry you, okay?”
“Okay.”
Louir picks her up, carrying Ti in her arms. She can see in the dark better than a human, thanks to the Void, and thus she runs for it, heading to her hideout. The other Lou and Ion have already departed, so they should be safe.
***
Once in the hideout, Louir lay Ti on her bed. “Stay there.” She searches for medicinal herbs she’s stored in every little house of hers. As soon as she finds them, she mixes them with water to make a green, sticky substance.
“This might hurt a little.” She places the medicine in the wound.
“I feel... odd.” Instead of crying in pain, Ti seems to be falling asleep.
Louir’s heart starts pounding. “What kind of a Living Weapon struck you? What color was it?”
“Eh... gray.”
“Like metal?”
“Yes...”
Metal Elementi is extremely deadly. Upon wounding, the Living Weapons of Metal leave behind tiny particles that usually mix with the blood, and once they find their way to the heart through the blood vessels, death is unavoidable. Louir cannot use Life Elementi anymore, and the Void cannot heal without corrupting.
“I think... I want to... sleep.”
An awkward smile spreads on Louir’s face. “Please, don’t sleep.”
“But I want to...”
She can’t quite understand it, but a single tear is shed, streaming down her face. She can’t remember the last time she’s shed a tear. There is no method to stop the Metal particles. She can only hope her heart can take it. Even the Life Elementi wouldn’t guarantee her survival.
“Please, fight it.”
“...” Ti’s chest moves up and down, very slowly, and it’s getting worse by the moment.
“Please.”
She doesn’t make it. She won’t make it. Ti’s face is pale, and her body is turning cold. Although her condition is bad, Ti looks very serene. Louir feels guilty. She shouldn’t have let her go alone. She did save Ti from the Elementi attacks, but she didn’t see the spear coming. She can only blame herself.
She loves wolves, but within one day, she’s killed one male and sent a female to her death.
“I’m sorry.” Her apology is the last thing Ti hears.
***
Louir carries Ti’s body in her arms, taking her outside. She’ll look for a place where moonlight showers the earth. The raven is still hiding somewhere nearby, communicating with Louir.
Do not bury her.
Louir finds the raven’s words stinging her. Shut up. I want to give her a proper burial.
And I am serious. You should not bury her.
And why’s that!? Do you think I’ll let you turn her into a Demoni?
No, I will not turn her.
Louir climbs up a hill. Even if you say that, I’m not gonna leave her body out here for the scavengers.
No scavenger will touch her for decades.
How do you know that?
Put her down somewhere. You will see then.
Louir doesn’t like the idea, but laying her down for a moment won’t desecrate the body, so she complies in the end.
This better not be a joke of some kind.
Just watch her for a little while.
Louir does that, and she waits a few minutes, sitting in the dark of night as a cold breeze brushes her. After the short while, she decides to wait ten minutes since nothing is happening. Yet nothing.
I’m burying her.
Do not.
Why!?
She is ready soon.
For what?
To abandon her human body.
Louir tries to make heads and tails out of that, but knowing that the raven is a deity, she can only trust it. She begins to pray that something good will happen. The false hope taking root in her heart drives her to wait for half an hour.
In the end, her hope proves to be true. The blue light of shapeshifting consumes Ti’s body, and before she even knows it, there’s a huge wolf in front of her, breathing. The wound is gone, but she is asleep.
A second miracle happens, which is another tear. She’s never felt as happy as she’s now. She’s shed two tears today, and she reasons they must be the last. After all, there’s nothing that can surprise her anymore. She brushes Ti’s fur gently, careful as to not wake her up.
I’ll never let you die ever again. Louir thinks to herself.
See? Poer Haems Wolves have two bodies. They have to die twice before you can call them dead. If the Wolf body dies, human lingers on, and vice versa. However, she cannot take the form of a human anymore. That part of her is dead now.
Louir makes up her mind to protect Ti for the rest of her existence.
***
Ion’s quality of life has decreased. The two Dragoni Priests are crazy. He doesn’t even know where to start, but in short, they’re plain insane. They talk like psychopaths, they behave like weirdos, and they sure as hell love to raze whatever they can find.
And right now, Ion is trying to get them out of a village they happened to find during the ‘lessons’ Ion has been carrying out. And yes, it’s a bloodbath, not a peaceful visit.
“Can we please go somewhere else? You’ve already destroyed three houses, butchered over thirty humans, and who-knows-what-else!”
“Calm down～!” Ohan replies with a seductive voice.
“No way!”
Tereahn speaks up as he beheads a crying woman. “Your lessons are useful, but they are way too long and boring. We need to relax a little.”
“You call this relaxing!?” Ion is troubled.
Suddenly, Ohan’s eyes start gleaming oddly, gazing at Ion. Shivers run down his spine, for something really weird is about to happen, he reasons. Ohan is the worst of the two, and whatever she has in her mind, Ion can imagine he won’t like it.
And once Ion notices she’s drooling, he feels like his body is in danger. “Uh, why are you looking at me like that?”
She starts walking towards him. “I think Mister Ion will like it...”
“W-what!?” He’s genuinely afraid.
Ohan jumps at him, seizing him by the shoulders, her tongue dangling in a very lewd way. Ion’s heart is racing out of fear. Should he Teleport? Should he Cloak? Before he even knows it, Ohan is licking his neck, making Ion’s hairs stand on the edge.
“J-just wha—!?”
“Shush.”
Slowly, her tongue finds its way up to his jaw. When she bites Ion’s ear playfully, he Teleports out of reflex, fearing something truly unspeakable may happen if he doesn’t escape.
Ohan, who is left empty-handed, looks around, and when she spots Ion, she starts trotting to him. “Don’t go～!”
“Nope! If you come any closer, I’ll turn invisible!”
Ohan stops. “Pleaase～!”
“No. I’m creeped out.”
She pouts. “It’s fun～!”
“I’m not finding it fun!”
“Should I help you out, Ohan?” Tereahn asks.
“Ion is a meanie.”
“Then shall we catch him?”
“Tee-hee! I’m coming for you, Ion～!”
Ion makes up his mind to make sure they’ll die by the Titan’s hand, and fast.
***
Louir is waiting for Ti to wake up. She sits beside her, leaning against the warm fur. She’s been there for an hour since the shapeshift. The raven has kept some company, but for the most part, Louir has remained silent. No matter how long it takes, she’ll stay there to see her wake up.
The moonlight illuminates Ti’s fur, making her look magical, even majestic. And when the rays of moonlight happen to shine directly upon Ti’s eyes, she squints.
Apocalyptic Life (Era Series Book 2) Page 19