Aiku - The Little Azure Knight.

II - Crimson Tear

Aiku runs into the woods. With a confused mind, he pants as his body is desperate to survive. He runs in a straight path, as if he knows that the answers he seeks lies somewhere deep in the forest. After the blast from his dagger left a massive hole in the forest, Aiku heard several monstrous roars from different places of the forest. He didn't have much strength left to run, but he sure wanted to live. "Where's that stupid dagger when you need it?!" He muttered. He stretched his palms like he did earlier. But this time, the blade can't seem to find it's way back to him. "Great..." Aiku rolled his eyes. Aiku stopped suddenly, as he saw a huge eerie figure in the corner of his eyes. "C'mon.. c'mon... c'mon" he stretches his palm for a couple of times. But nothing happened. He felt a gush of wind above him. And after a second, a powerful slicing blast cut through the trees above him. He covered his head. Just like any scared boy would do. "Founnnddd youuuu." Said an earthly female voice. Aiku looked at where the voice was coming from. He saw a female body with a body of a spider as it's lower half. He looked closer and saw dead bodies through it's translucent body. "What are you?" Asked Aiku. "I am Euchari. Devourerrr of soulsss! It's been long since I've seen one... A very appetizing smell. Full of lifffee..." Euchari showed Aiku a very familiar red petal, and licks it with her black long tongue. "A fragment petal!" Shouted Aiku. "Oooh. Isss that how you calll itt?" Aiku knew he needed to take it. But with out his dagger or any weapon, he's not even sure if he can make it out her sight alive. "You look soooo desssperate. Why not take ittt?" Euchari hissed. Aiku was hesitant to move a muscle. He doesn't have an idea what to do. How to fight, or even how to be brave. He looked at his left palm as if he was expecting something to be there. He closed his eyes, and breathed in. I need you right now. He whispered in the back of his mind. "Do you knowww that the tasstiesst soull to eattt... Is a soull fulll of will, yet full of fearrr. A soulll that beliievess annd hoppess, yet full of douubbtt. A soull thattt thinkkss it lovvesss, butt is sellfishhh" She walks slowly towards Aiku. "A hypocrite souulllll... It hasss a verrryyy unique tasstttee...". He felt her words starting to get through him. He opened his eyes and shouted. "Crimson Tear!"... But nothing happened. He fixed his eyes to the creature stares in horror. The momentum of hope Aiku was trying to build crumbled seconds. "And youuuu chillddd. You arree nothinggg speciall. Jusstt a booyy whoo thinksss he couldd bravvee. But is fulll of feeaarrr." Euchari licks the tip of lips. "Trust me. I don't taste good." Aiku said. "Let me beeee, the judge of ittt." She raises her hand, and it shifted to a scythe-like blade. She dropped her lethal arm towards Aiku, and went for the kill. Aiku flinched, and heard a shout from the woods. "Crimson Tear!" Said a female voice. A huge pink explosion covered his line of sight. "AUUUUUUGGHHHHH!" Screamed the foul beast. When Aiku opened his eyes, he saw a girl standing in front of him. The girl wears a blue scarf around her neck. She has a long hair up to her lower back, and her black eyes looked very calm. "I guess you dropped your dagger earlier." She said. "Who are you?" Aiku asked. "I don't know. But for now, we need to get that petal from that beast." She points at half-woman, half-spider. She stretches her right palm and the dagger flew towards her. "Here you go." The girl said, giving him his dagger. "How did you?..."
"I don't know. I heard a big booooom. Then it just appeared on my hand." The girl said in a dull tone. "I heard you shout what was written on the blade, so I guess it's yours." She added. "MY FAAACCCCCEEEEE!!!" Screamed someone from a distance. Both looked towards the Euchari and her half burned face. "YOU'LLL PAYYY FOR THISSSS!!!"
"Brace yourself." Said the girl to Aiku. "She stretched her right arms and her palm glowed. A red metal ball appeared on her hand, and threw it straight to the woman's face. And while the creature was aching, Aiku charged and screamed in a high-pitched cracking voice. "AaaAUuuUGGGHHH!!". Even Euchari was disturbed by his scream. The creature turned it's head to Aiku, "Pathetic!" she shouted. But it didn't stop Aiku. Euchari swung it's blade hands to Aiku. He slides underneath it's eight legged body, and slashes it's stomach. As soon as he got his feet back up the ground, he heard a huge Thonk. The floating sphere hit the back of the creature's head with a blow and flew back to the air. "ENOUGGHH!!" Screamed the creature. Euchari inhaled, her chest pumped, and let out a purple liquid from it's mouth. Aiku docked but he felt it hit his left shoulder. "Auggghh!" Aiku shouted in pain. He looked at the spot where he got hit, and saw his left shoulders started to swell and change it's color. As he watches in horror. Euchari charged her scythe like arms towards Aiku. "DIEEEE you useless child!!" He felt the poison burning, and climbing up to his mouth. He lost grip of his dagger. "Crimson Hail!" He heard the girl shout. The sphere that looked nothing deadly dissolved into tiny bits in the air, and each morphed into icicles. Euchari flinched, and watched in horror as the sharp and deadly snow faces towards her direction. "Wait. How come there's two? This is totally unfair!" The ice run towards Euchari and touches her face, her body, legs, piercing holes in every part of her body "You bitch! You never said you can-..." The witch's voice faded away in the sound of the blizzard. Aiku couldn't believe what he just saw. Yet, he doesn't know of he'll be amused because they finally beat the beast. Or will he panic? A fragment petal appeared from where Euchari was standing. He tried to grab it as the poison burns, scattering up to his face at the moment. The girl looked like she was racing against him for the petal. But instead, she grabs his arms and looked him at the eye. "Are you okay?" She asks. We need to go! Come here!" She grabbed Aiku's shoulder's on her back, and together they dragged his paralyzed left body. Aiku looked at right palm, and saw the petal safe in his grasp. "I'm Airah by the way. Don't die yet okay?" The girl said. "Airah... I'm Aiku... I guess." Aiku felt a weight in his throat, and slowly blacked out.

***

Aiku opens his eyes. He sees the moon glistening largely in front of him, reflecting beautifully on the floor. He was amazed at first, but when he fixed his eyes below his feet and saw that he was standing on water. He panicked and looked around. "Hello?" He shouted. "Airah?... Was it Airah?.." He asked himself. "Airah! Where are you!", "Calm down. You are safe here. Trust me, you wouldn't want her in this place." Said a familiar voice. "It's you! Help me! We got attacked by this giant spider woman-"
"I know." The voice cuts Aiku. "I saw everything. If it wasn't for Airah, you would have lost your soul for good."
"Airah... Where is she?! And where am I?"
"Trust me, you're safe here. Airah is... saving you."
"What do you mean?"
"This place is just temporary. Only few souls have been here. And I didn't expect you to be back so early."
"I've been here before?"
"Maybe. Depends on how you remember."
"Don't play with me!" Aiku shouted.
"Hush now child. Forgive me if I sounded impish. Truth is, memories are very dangerous in this world. The more you know, the more your scent will be attractive."
"Attractive?"
"You can say appetizing in the likes of Euchari."
Aiku makes a scared face. "I see..."
"That is why, I can't say anything now. We have to be patient this time."
"This time? What do you mean?"
"You need to be calm. I know you feel jaded already but, the blue sky will shine on you again. You just have to... be strong..." The voice sounded like her hope just faded.
"How can I be strong?" Aiku asked willingly.
"Be friends with Airah. I think she will be of good help. And please, stay away from this place... You can't keep coming back here."
"What is this place anyways?"
The moon paused for a moment. "That is a topic for another day child. Right now, you need to-"
"AIKU!" Shouted a familiar voice. "HELP! I need you!"
"AIRAH?!" Aiku shouted back.
"Wake up now child. She needs you."
Aiku felt a familiar burning sensation on his left face. He flinched. And after a blink, he woke up in the woods.
"AIKU!" Airah screamed. He looked to his left and saw Airah hurling her sphere around at the dozen of distorted creatures. Aiku felt a tingling in right hand and stretches his palm. His dagger came flying from the dark shadows of the forest, and back into his right grip. Despite his withering left half, he used all of his strength to throw the blade with his surviving right arm. His dagger buried it's blade in one of the creatures behind Airah. "Crimson Tear!" He shouted. A pink blast covered a huge radius around the creature. Airah was swallowed by the light for a moment, but it left her unharmed. Airah looked around, and for a moment, they were safe.
"How long was I out?" Aiku asked.
"Actually, I thought you were dead."
"Oh..." Aiku smirked. "AUGH!"
"You're shoulder!" Airah shouted.
Aiku looked over his left arm, and saw large black silky thorns coming out of his skin.