Fearless

Chapter 24

Kiara was standing in a forest with no clue how she had gotten there. The sun shone brightly on her, and despite just fighting against Amaymon her body seemed to have no sign of any previous strain or injury. Around her a few different Chuchi flew around, some small, some large.

She felt at peace.

"Fuck. Am I dead or something?" She asked, the only response she got was the soft buzzing of a bee Chuchi flying past her. Looking around, it seemed all the Chuchi were flying in a certain direction, excitement buzzing around her as they moved past.

Curious, Kiara started walking in the direction they were going, pushing past a few ferns to reveal a clearing, a crystal clear lake laying peacefully in front of her. Though the lake wasn't what caught most of her attention. There was a man kneeling not too far in front of her with a butterfly Chuchi drinking nectar from a flower he was holding. The butterfly soon flew away and he stood up, looking over at Kiara.

When their eyes met Kiara realized that the man wasn't human. His eyes were a solid gold. He had no pupil or iris. Studying the man in front of her, Kiara took in every detail. His hair was long— reaching to just past his shoulders— and was a deep crimson color, and his features were sharp yet soft at the same time. He had a warm smile on his face and he walked up to her, towering at least a foot over her.

"Hello, Kiara. I've been wanting to meet with you for a while." He said, his voice reflecting the same warmth his smile had held.

"Who are you?" Kiara asked, reaching up to her necklace ready to fight if she needed to.

"There's no need for you to summon your sword, dear. I bear no ill will towards you." He smiled and placed a hand on Kiara's head, "You asked who I was, correct, by many humans, I am called Pythius the Deceiver." The man said.

"Pythius The Deceiver?" Kiara repeated. As in the demon known to be violent and lead humans into webs of lies that become their downfalls? She narrowed her eyes and took a step back, "How do I know you're telling the truth when you're the demon of Deception?"

He sighed, "I guess you could say my reputation is my greatest deception. I wanted to be left alone so I planted that lie into the minds of those who knew of me."

"Alright. Then... why am I here?"

"The Chuchi informed me of what was happening in the forest. I have found this place to be calming and healing, so I figured this would be a good time to meet with you, so I summoned your consciousness to have a conversation."

"Meet with me? How do you know me?"

Pythius smiled, "How do I know you? Well, I guess in terms of your human relations, I would be considered your Grandfather, your mother, Aliyah, was my dear daughter."

"Grandfather?" Kiara repeated. "Wait, Aliyah? As in Hoshino Aliyah?"

"Yes. I do recall her taking her mothers surname."

"So, it was my mom who sealed away Irajah— my dad— in Ghenna. But... why? I mean, weren't they close enough to like, have a child? Like. Do the do, Frickle frackle?"

Pythius frowned, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. "He had played her for a fool, and used her to become stronger, or I guess to create a being who would help him obtain his goal of ruling Assiah himself. That demon had ambitions, and was well on his way but he made one mistake. He made an enemy of my Aliyah."

Kiara was quiet for a second, processing what she had just been told. Honestly, she wasn't entirely convinced what was happening to her was real. This man in front of her claimed to her her grandfather, her mom was none other than the Arc Knight, Hoshino Aliyah, who had sacrificed herself to seal Irajah away in Ghenna.

"Unfortunately I will have to end our meeting. Brining you and keeping you here is draining the little energy you have after that battle. I will be on contact, but if you ever need to talk, the Chuchi are wonderful messengers." He smiled and soon the forest and the lake melted away.

The next thing she knew, Kiara was blinking her eyes open, wincing slightly at the bright light hitting her eyes and a ache in her chest and her brain was still reeling from what she had just learned. She tried to sit up, only to grunt and lay back down, most of her injuries had healed, but it seemed like her muscles were still sore and stiff from lack of movement. Slowly, she moved to sit up once again, this time managing to sit upright.

"Oh, you're awake." Someone said and Kiara looked at the bed beside her, seeing Konekomaru sitting in it with a book placed open in his lap. "How're you feeling?"

"Bad." Kiara said. "But I'll live."

"I'm glad. Everyone was worried about you, especially Bon. He refused to leave the room the first night you were here. Uh, I didn't know you two were dating."

"Hm? I guess Bon told you didn't he?" Kiara laughed, silently regretting it as her ribs started to hurt, "Well, as of now only you and Izumo know, we haven't exactly made it public. Anyways, where is everyone?"

"Oh, right, you wouldn't know. Let me fill you in." For the next couple minutes, Kiara listened as Konekomaru recounted what had happened once they left the forest. Apparently Rin had been consumed by his flames and the Paladin showed up and upon seeing Rin he took him to the Vatican, and there was a high chance of Rin being killed— unless the others were able to repair Kurikara— Rin's sword.

"Damn. If only I had woken up sooner. I would of joined them." Kiara sighed.

"You're not surprised?" Konekomaru asked, "About Rin?"

Kiara looked at him, she had forgotten that the others had just found out about him since she had known ever since the amusement park mission. "I guess? But what does it matter who his dad is? I mean, he's still Rin. He's still the dumbass who risks his life and runs after demon kings to keep others safe, isn't he?"

"It's bigger than that! He's been a demon the whole time we've known him... and he tricked us. He can't be trusted, just like any other demon! He's... he's a monster!"

Kiara knew Konekomaru was talking out of fear— the air was thick with just his fear alone, but still, what he said hurt her a bit. She was reminded of her time back in the orphanage, when she was considered a monster by everyone who entered. She narrowed her eyes, "He's a monster, huh? Do you judge everybody by who their dad is?"

"What, of course not!"

"Then why Rin?"

"Rin's different." Konekomaru went silent and Kiara looked at him, an angered expression on her face.

"No. He's not." Kiara said, moving and draping her legs over the side of her bed. "And if you can't see that, then you have a lot of rethinking to to." She stood up, her legs protesting at the sudden weight being put on them.

"Wait Kiara! You should be resting!" Konekomaru exclaimed.

"I've rested enough, and I refuse to stay in the same room as someone so narrow-minded" With that, she walked out of the room and headed to her dorm. While walking through the hallway, she let out a sigh, "Well, Rin's secret has been exposed. I guess it's my turn next, huh?"