Death's Mercy
"What did you say?"
Ever since Asahi and I reunited, it's been nothing but surprises between us. I discovered that I had a past life and that Master had been deceiving me.
He was also surprised by the lies, and now he seems to be surprised by my hallucinations.
Or maybe he knows something, and that is why he's curious like that.
"What? You mean my hallucinations?"
I repeated the last thing I said because that was the one with the most question marks in it.
I even wish to know why they appear to me.
"Yes, that, explain what you mean by hallucinations?"
"Uhh! Like I said, I sometimes hear a voice in my head, and lately when I sleep, I dream of a samurai sitting in a white space..."
When I said that, it took longer to finish saying the last word, like I was realizing something.
Dreams are often vague, and when you wake up, you forget about 90% of them; yet, I remember everything that happens in my dreams.
Maybe it wasn't a dream, but a premonition.
Now that I think about it, dreams don't talk to you during the day.
Suddenly, Asahi wore a concerned expression, the kind he hid but could be discerned from his speech and demeanor.
"I see..."
"Is something the matter? Do you maybe know something?"
Seeing his face aroused some suspicion that he might know something; otherwise, he wouldn't be like that.
"Nothing..."
He said, while he stood up from the chair. He then looked at me with cheerful eyes, but his demeanour was still not very cheerful.
Alas, I was oblivious and took it as it was being served.
"Let's go outside..."
"Huh, to do what?"
"You'll see."
"Hmm?"
Now I noticed that something was off. He didn't answer and just walked away, heading for the outside like he wanted us to.
☆
Now we were outside the house. We stood in a small open field around the house, about half the size of a football field.
Around the field were some trees and bushes.
"Hey! Are you going to explain why we were outside?"
"Just to confirm... Can you explain in detail what the hallucinations were about?"
"Well, it started yesterday before we met in the forest..."
I wanted to know what we were doing outside the house and even get him to reveal his intentions. Obviously, telling him what he wanted to know was the fastest way to get him to explain why we were outside, and also the reason behind his demeanor.
So I told him everything from start to finish, beginning with how it started yesterday when I heard the voice, to this morning when I dreamt of the samurai.
"So the first hallucination you had was when you heard a voice warning you about danger, and immediately you attacked?"
"Yes."
"And this morning you dreamt of the same samurai who warned you?"
"Exactly... Do you know something?"
"I wouldn't say I know something, but I do have a hunch on what it could be. What I can tell you, though, is that those aren't hallucinations."
"..."
Before I could even ask about this hunch of his, press him to tell me about it, and get him to reveal the true nature of the thing I was seeing, if it was not hallucinations, he stared intently at me and said, "You are going to spar with me."
"Huh?"
I didn't understand his motives for wanting to spar, and there was no wavering in his voice.
I said in a snide voice, with my hand scratching the side of my head, not taking him seriously when he said that, but he continued to speak, now belittling me.
"You must be joking, right?"
"What, are you a chicken?"
The mocking tone in his words pissed me the hell off; however, even though my face responded, I remained logical and calm.
"Of course I'm scared, who in their right mind would agree to fight a spirit bearer..."
"No time for whining!"
A shot of light came straight in my face. No incantation, no magic circle, I didn't even hear him say anything besides No time for whining, before he fired that shot at me.
I dodge to the side just by tilting my head a little to the left.
The shot he fired exploded behind me. Trees came crashing down in its path.
I stared at him, sweat building up on my face, and my eyes wide open. His hand was in front, and he removed it, saying, "Nice..."
That's all he said. Nice. It's nice to have a resilient prey; it's nice to give chase.
It was all nice for him to see me dodge the attack, but his smile could be misunderstood as being sadistic.
When I turned my head to look at the damage, there was a big hole in the point of impact.
"Are you crazy?!"
"Come on, we're just getting started."
"If we're getting started, then why open with a big attack like that?"
He prepared to attack again. There was no time to wonder why the sudden outrage and intent to fight.
He fired another shot of light. This time, they came in a barrage of great numbers.
I dodged the first three that came directly from the front.
I slide out of the way, I turn my body sideways, and for the last one, it was low enough for me to do a backflip.
I wasn't trying to show off. It was reflexive in anticipation of the next attack. I didn't have a sword either to defend myself with, so dodging was all I could do.
For the next barrage of light shots, they chased me as I ran across the field, trying to circle him to get close.
"How am I supposed to fight without a weapon? No fair."
I said that while circling him.
He stopped firing straight shots, which created an opportunity to get closer, and I took it.
I ran straight at him in the hopes of seizing my victory. When I looked upon his face, he didn't look frightened that he was about to get beaten up, nor did he show any faltering.
He even smiled at me.
I sensed something was amiss about the perfectly laid route to victory he offered me.
It was too good to resist and yet too dangerous to go in lightly, but I was already in it.
The moment he smiled at me, I glanced to the sides through the corner of my eyes. When I saw there was nothing, I immediately lifted my head, and there I saw a great number of spears coming down. I couldn't sense them until they began to move.
I hit the brakes and stopped right then and there, jumped out of the line of fire, and landed to the side, where I rolled until I stopped in a kneeling pose.
The light spears sounded heavy and powerful due to the impact they made and the sound they produced.
Dust filled the air around him, and in my mind, I was thinking that I could use this smokescreen to attack him, but I stayed low for a bit and observed him.
His attacks are powerful, but they are still slower than I am, so evading them is no problem. However...
When I was busy thinking about how his attacks are slower than my speed, another shot of light was fired, but it came out of the dust from a distance far from me.
The problem is that I cannot detect their mana, so I'll have to rely on my senses and instinct. Luckily for me, it appears he also cannot detect my location.
A rock came flying at him, but he dodged it with ease. However, the rock was thrown by me, and I took the second he used to dodge the rock to get behind him.
"Got you."
You could feel the confidence in my voice. I threw the stone so that he dodged backward, where I'd be waiting for him.
I am faster than him and his attacks, so it was an easy thing to do.
Since I didn't have a sword or any other weapon, I used my fists to deliver the final blow.
"...Ahh."
When I punched him on the back, my fists went through, and then Asahi began to dissipate into nothing.
It would appear that what I punched was actually an afterimage of some sort.
I thought that I was the one baiting him towards my next attack, but I was the one being baited. While I was still surprised by his afterimage dissolving into the air, I sensed a presence from behind.
"No, you don't."
It turns out that I wasn't the one baiting him into my next attack, but the other way around. I gasp and turn my head in the direction of the voice, along with my left hook to sweep him across the face.
He dodged low and hit me with a light shot to the stomach. The point of impact felt warm and painful at the same time, but wasn't lethal.
It just destroyed my clothes and caused me to jump back.
"How did that feel?"
He asked, his voice full of joy, as if he were happy about the whole ordeal, and yet his whole demeanor still did not align with his entire facade.
But I was focused on not getting hit anymore that I didn't notice.
The dust dissipated, and now we stared at each other, standing on opposite sides.
I placed my hand on the point of impact on my belly. The damage I suffered from that light shot was a mere scratch with nothing but a sign of burnt wounding. Although it did rip the shirt I was wearing.
The damage was no more than tripping and falling on a gravel path, and the pain was bearable.
"Actually, not that bad..."
I said while feeling the wound with my hand. It kinda surprises me because of the different damage on two spots.
I thought I would be minced meat by now.
"So, feel any different? Anything stirring up inside of you?"
Yeah. My rage.
"Are you still not going to explain yourself? And what's with this damage? Did you reduce the power of your attacks?"
He looked at me with a smug expression and said, "I took your advice and started small. It would be inconvenient to have you die."
"If you want me dead, then use the same power as before. Don't underestimate me."
"You know... You're right."
So it's going to take more than that to get a reaction. Asahi thought, with his eyes peering deep at Krai.
With this thought, he revealed that there was a reaction from Krai he wanted to see, but it seems that the margin of damage is low, or the danger factor is not strong enough to get the reaction he seeks.
"Ryu, I didn't want to take it this far, but you leave me no choice."
His words were chilling and unfriendly at the least.
The moment of rest from our sparring match came to an end, and my execution continued.
"..."
I didn't have any words to respond. Besides, there wasn't anything to respond to. What he said was a statement that did not require an answer.
He got into a stance and position I recently witnessed inside the house, the pose to summon Rita.
"Summoning magic. Rita."
"Are you serious!" I said, covering my eyes from the blinding light emitted by Rita.
"Know that it doesn't bring me joy to cause you such pain, but... If you don't take it seriously. You'll die."
His words were cold and chilling.
These were the words of a serious man. There was no hint of hesitation, but pure determination.
The worst that could happen is if he loses a limb, which I can heal no problem.
Asahi was in his head, busy contemplating the possible outcomes and the solution for them, and they all included Krai getting hurt.
I can't see!
While I was naïvely thinking that Asahi might be joking with me, I managed to steal a glance from the blinding light, and all I saw was Rita standing alone.
It made me wonder where he could be and why I didn't sense his movements.
"...Ahh!"
I felt a sharp stinging pain from behind.
A pain I knew very well. The sharp stinging pain of a knife breaking through my skin, digging deep into my body, a pain I remember from my past life.
That's what the stinging pain I felt reminded me of, and I had just regained my memories, too.
It was cruel of him to make me relive a trauma that caused our deaths.
I forget about the blinding light and turn my focus to the pain. This time, the attack he used on me was not a scratch, but a lethal one that would get me killed.
It was an unexpected attack.
I feel the blood with my hand, warm and wet. Yes, it is the same texture and temperature as in my past life.
Even with all the mana in this world, blood is still blood no matter where you go.
I see Asahi holding a sword made of light and realize that the wound matches the exact shape of his sword.
I stare at him with disbelief.
He really is trying to kill me, but why? Friends who have just reunited shouldn't seek to kill each other.
At first, I thought he was kidding around and only wanted to show off his strength, but maybe I was wrong.
"Are you really trying to kill me?!"
"Rita, prepare Cross Ray..."
I couldn't believe my eyes and ears, he really is trying to kill. He's trying to kill me.
He's busy there preparing to kill me with spirit magic.
I haven't recovered from last night, and I haven't been able to get closer to him, plus this pain makes it difficult to think.
He's really going to kill me.
When he spoke to Rita about preparing their finishing blow, it made me remember how I was hopelessly outmatched.
Two serial killers are ganging up on me. One was distracting me while the other delivered the killing attack. This was the same scenario, just this time it involved different people and methods.
All hope was gone, not because I was outmatched, but because remembering that feeling of helplessness from the past had made me numb.
I couldn't move, and I was in pain.
Out in the sky, a big cross of light was finishing its build-up.
I looked upon it as it came crashing down on me. I stood motionless, gazing at it, waiting to be crushed or burned.
I didn't know what its power was, and I couldn't counter it because of my numb body.
Even though he is my long-time best friend, the thought of him pulling the attack back was not even in my mind. I had already accepted that he was serious.
It was really hopeless to struggle any further.
Death really doesn't have mercy, I thought.
Something stirred inside of me, like a heartbeat giving life to something.
I closed my eyes and waited. I still couldn't believe this whole situation with Asahi right now.
I waited and waited, but the cross never reached me.
I curiously opened my eyes, and in front of me I saw a samurai.
It turns out that while I closed my eyes waiting for death, black and white mist formed in front, and from it emerged the samurai.
He then proceeded to draw the black katana on his waist, cutting the cross in half, causing it to dissipate into light particles.
I was in awe, and so was Asahi, but for him it was mixed with a hint of happiness and surprise.
"My hunch was right..." He spoke quietly. "Yes!!"
Then he screamed with joy and raised his hands to the sky.
His goal was accomplished.
Before us stood a guardian spirit.
