Chapter 4

・Colliding Emotions ・

Athena felt the vibrant woosh of the wind brush through her hair as she stepped out onto the desolate streets of the village. Her eyes subconsciously locking to the amber, autumn leaves of the forest that fluttered past; pulled along by the tug of the open-air breeze upon no will of their own.

She looked down to the palms of her hands and chuckled, finding relatability within a leaf.

“What am I even doing…?” She muttered quietly, digging her head in her hands and rubbing her eyes, feeling the yank of the wind flutter the seams of her clothes as it pushed against her.

‘When did I choose to come here? When did I ask for any of this? I… I Didn’t. So why?’ Thought Athena.

‘Why send me here If I’m just going to be treated the same…?’

‘Just what for…?’

Athena let her head tilt back as she stared up into the endless void of sky above. Endorsing the feeling of emptiness that began to surround her as the taint tone of Nate’s voice lingered into her head.

“When it comes to demons—no human will be grateful for your existence.”

With each word that drifted through her mind, Athena felt the lingering presence of isolation sneak around her.

‘Maybe that rule, isn’t subject solely to demons…’ She thought, before suddenly, Athena’s eyes sharpened to attention upon the gruff voice of a man calling out to her.

“Heyy!” He yelled as Athena dropped her head down to him. Recognising his robust, girthy figure as the café owner from yesterday.

‘This is it—be angry with me. I don’t want a reason to like you.’

“What is it?” She asked in a calm, blank tone.

“Y—You smashed my window yesterday, then just ran off! What do you mean: ‘What is it?’”

“Sorry.” Muttered Athena, shifting her apathetic gaze to the dust ridden road.

The man sighed; quelling his anger as his mood simmered upon confrontation with her.

“Look—It’s okay.” He said, prompting Athena’s muddled gaze to shoot up, in his direction. His words hit her like a flurry of torrenting, icy water. That head pounding numbness that comes from a dunk in the bitter, gushing, Atlantic-like streams, stifled her train of thought.

“W- What, sorry?” She muttered, feeling the temple, straining, thump of chilly perplexion tormenting her.

“It’s not a huge deal, the window.”

“Huh—N- No, you should be angry at me. I- I broke your-”

“Look-” Said the man calmly. “-like I said, it isn’t a huge deal. I like trying to be the bigger person when it comes to situations like this. I was more so angry at how you ran away without saying anything to be honest.” He said with a giddy exhale, that leaned into a saddened expression as he continued.

“But—yesterday, you just looked so sorry the instant it happened. Something tells me you would have stayed back to help and apologise, had that boy not pulled you away, but—I understand, you just got swooped up in the moment.”

A gentle smile sprouted upon Athena’s face. “Yeah, he looked so pleased to go through a window for some reason.” She chuckled nervously.

“Yeah, you must have some strength on you.” Laughed the man.

Athena drooped forward into a soft sigh. “I—just got carried away, I’m sorry.” She said, her hair dripping over her eyes as she averted her gaze.

“It’s fine, I know what it’s like to get caught up in someone else’s emotions.”

Athena felt a cage of guilt form around her. “Someone else’s emotions…?” She said in a regretful whisper, tightening her shoulders against the narrowing steel bars of the cage.

“Nothin’.” Chuckled the man, glancing off into the distance for a second as his mind wavered. “Hey— uh, I’m Kole by the way, it’s nice to meet you, even if you shattered my window.” He laughed.

“I’m Athena…” She muttered, looking up at the man. He had a short stubble and appeared to be in his mid-thirties. His white vest was sprinkled with sawdust and other mucky debris that got caught in the cotton of his clothing.

“Well—Athena—I have some drinks I need to get rid of down at the café. Want to come down for one or two and chat for a bit? It’s on the house.”

Anxiety sprung up from within her as she hesitated to speak. “Uh… Um, Sure, okay.” She replied as they began to walk down the dusty road towards the café.

‘W- What was I so worried for? See, people can be nice—right? He—Isn’t just using me for something, is he?

. . .

‘I can trust this person, can’t I?’

. . .

“Y’know, Athena-” Said Kole, prompting her to jitter up out of her daydream. “If you don’t want to come, you don’t have to.”

The underlying sense of tense anxiousness in Athena’s eyes eased.

“N- No—I’d like to…” She muttered, prompting the alleviation of the tightening cages venomous grasp.

“Just checking.” Chuckled Kole as they stepped in through the open window onto the glazed wooden flooring, the soles of their shoes crunching down against the shattered shards of glass left over from the day prior.

“You like cider?” He shouted, making his way behind the counter of the oddly bare feeling café. Chairs were upturned, atop the tables, to make room for cleaning, some pushed to one corner of the room while arrays of boxes sat bunched up together in the other.

Athena pulled down one of said chairs from a table closest to the counter and collapsed into it with a sigh of relief. Taking a moment to relax in the comforting humid air, its warmth hugging her cold body with its the sizzling heat.

“Alcoholic?” She asked, staring into the cosy, golden glow of the sun that basked down upon the wooden café floor, revealing the lingering, silk-like trails of dust that floated through the air within its sultry rays of light.

“Yeah, it’s all we have left.”

“Then, sure. But—what happened? Yesterday, the menu was full.” Asked Athena as Kole tossed over a can of apple cider.

“Well… I’ll be honest with you.” Muttered Kole, as Athena caught the can in the palm of her hand with a dense clunk. “Due to this disease, I haven’t had many customers meaning I haven’t been able to pay off my debts so they’re starting to claim stuff from me, making the rounds weekly now. I just had to let off the waiter that served you yesterday, last night.”

Athena’s heart sunk. “Oh… I- I’m sorry.” Murmured Athena, glancing off as she felt herself strain under the piling weight of guilt that arched over her. “I- I was supposed to find an ingredient for the cure yesterday but… Ben-”

Kole let out a light chuckle, cutting Athena off. “tch—Come on, you don’t think that finding that ingredient, would magically turn business around in a single day, do you? Don’t just look for a reason to blame yourself.” Said Kole, taking a sip of cider.

“Oh, I guess…”

“What were you going to say before by the way? ‘but’ what? Sorry, I kinda cut you off.”

“Just, Benji…”

“Benji…? That boy from yesterday? What happened?”

“Nothing, he just got hurt saving me.”

“Oh, I had no idea… I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Said Athena sternly, finally cracking open the cider that had begun to condensate in her hands and taking an excessive drink, tightening her face as she felt its tangy cold texture slither down her throat.

“You sound upset that he saved you?” Asked Kole before a chuckle burst from him lips. “You good?!” He questioned in astonishment as he watched Athena down a good portion of the can.

-Bleh- Squirmed Athena with a wobbly exhale as she pulled the can from her mouth.

“You probably shouldn’t drink like that this early.” Said Kole; both brows raised.

“I think I’ll be fine.” Murmured Athena, wiping the cider residue from her mouth and looking down indecisively at the can.

“Anyway, what’s with you and Benji?” Inquired Kole.

Athena’s elated eyes sunk to a stern glare as the wind softened to a steady breeze and the café fell into a soft silence.

. . .

“He—said he was going to lead me to some- sort of—torture house.” Muttered Athena as an empty expression befell her.

“Tor-?” Stuttered Kole as he went to take a sip of his drink. An ominous atmosphere suddenly surrounded him as his eyes took to a stern, serious notion. “Don’t tell me he’s one of those cultists?”

“Cultists? What—do you mean?” Perked up Athena in a light questioning tone.

Kole sighed as he set his can aside.

“They live in the forest; their boss is a power fanatic. He wants to make the most of the commotion in the world right now to overrule the other kingdoms and factions by creating a group of immensely capable fighters and strategists. His methods for this however, are… unethical—to say the least.”

“And Benji was a part of this?”

“I couldn’t say but if you said torture… Y- You—said he told you?”

“He told me.” Nodded Athena.

“He—told you?” Muttered Kole, scratching the gruff of his sharp stubble.

“mhm.”

“He saved you at his own expense, then told you his intentions.”

“So?!” Snapped Athena. “He lied to me; he took me for granted. I don’t care if he saved me. What—are you on his side?!”

“Hey, hey. Look—I’m sorry… I’m sorry.” Murmured Kole, a slight hint of panic in his voice. “I- I’m not sure if it’s my place to say this but—I feel as if the boy had second thoughts, y’know.”

“I don’t know.”

“Don’t you believe that people can change and grow? He put himself in danger to protect you after all. Do you think someone who intended to put you in harm’s way would purposely harm themselves to save you, then reveal their intentions?”

Athena sat pondering to herself, watching the condensation slip down the side of the cold can as she held it with both hands between her thighs.

“Y’know—if that boy really is from the cult, they would have tortured him too.”

“huh?!”

The faint, sinister tingle of despair and regret plagued Athena with nausea.

‘Wait, don’t tell me… I-’

“He probably just didn’t want you to go through the same thing he did.”

“Y- You think?” Murmured out Athena.

‘D- Di- Did I-’

Athena began to shudder under the bitter weight that loomed over her shoulders.

“That’s what it sounds like to me.”

She felt gravity wrap its menacing embrace around her, squeezing the air from her lungs as a dark, gloomy shadow began to emerge from the seams in the floor.

‘I- really did that?’

The sharp, metronomic prodding of guilt stabbed away at her back as if someone were holding a spear to her spine, each jab igniting a torrent of regretful mistakes that encapsulated her existence.

‘I just ruined what could have been my first—genuine relationship…’

Athena put her hand to her heart, feeling the hair-raising graze of darkness on her skin, as she wished to fall into its cold, depthless despair and hide in its blackest black for all eternity, endorsing its brisk embrace upon her neck as she slowly eased herself into the abyss.

Falling through the thin air of the endless vacuum, she turned her head, and looking through the desolate blank space ahead, spotted the distinct shimmering of a silver, diamond ring, falling through the air with her, mere meters away.

‘What’s that doing here?’ Thought Athena. ‘That doesn’t belong here. What’s it doing?’

Suddenly, before she could process her thoughts any longer, the muffled distortion of a voice entered the void, garnering her raddled attention.

“Athena?” It called out. “Athena—Are you okay?” It asked again—before, all of a sudden, she snapped awake to Kole, who stared at her with an expression of extreme worry. “Athena? You’re starting to look a little pale. I told you, you shouldn’t drink like that, this early.”

Athena began to feel the tingle of the sun on her numb, guilt-ridden body. A complete sense of alienation from herself awoke within her as an unsettling spin of nausea vortexed through her body.

“I—think I need a minute.” Said Athena, rushing away, outside the café into the street, under the sun’s direct warmth and into some fresh air.

Kole sighed, standing up. “I’ll go get you a bucket.” He said, Athena being too distressed to hear him. “There’s always more to people—than you sometimes think. But you can’t blame a kid for thinking otherwise.” He muttered.

The desolate, dancing dust of the deteriorating village simmered atop the cobble stone road, lingering through the air as the wind brushed it down the lane. Athena’s distressed, tired gaze dropped to floor directly beneath her, her face veiled in the shadow cast down by her hair.

The perpetual silence of the town fell interrupted against the unnerved, perky tone of fiendish giggles that garnished the air in an incessant growing volume.

‘Where is that coming from?’ Wondered Athena, still face down to the floor, listening to its erratic volume of emotion.

‘That’s so strange… Where is it coming from?’

Athena pondered and pondered until… Finally! It hit her—It was so obvious how could she not have known!

Tilting her head back, up at the sky, Athena unleashed a despairful, cackling wail. Her mind overwhelmed by a bustle of swirling emotions, exploding in an array of anxious pandemonium.

“Aaah, that’s it. It’s me! I’m laughing!” She cried.

-HA – HA – HA – HA – HA - HA—HA-

Her eyes profusely poured shimmering streams of tears that glistened in the suns gaze like gems as they tumbled down her face. That manic upset of laughter became completely overwhelmed by her alienated sadness as she dropped to her knees in overbearing worthlessness, sobbing so hard the muscles in her eyes begun to ache.

“Uhhmm… Ex- cuse me… Miss?” Muttered an approaching individual from her right. Athena slackened her hunched neck as she tilted her head up to him.

It was a young boy, perhaps around the same age as Benji, he had long slick, dark brown hair that went halfway past his ears and a glowing, green earing, similar to that of Athena’s. He wore a verdant green cloak of sorts with a white undershirt, tight black pants with belts strapped around his leg and at his hip sat a sheathed sword in a matte black scabbard.

“Are you okay…?” He asked softly.

“Wh- Where am I…?” Questioned Athena, tears still running down her cheeks.

“Uh, Prude Village...”

“No… W- Where am I?”

“I- I’m sorry, I don’t understand…” He murmured tossing a nervous glance around, inside the café.

Athena chuckled pathetically. “Yeah, me neither.” She murmured, letting out a number of soft sniffles.

Suddenly, Kole rushed out the café, noticing the state Athena was in.

“Is everything okay?” He asked in a mild panic before turning to the boy. “Who are you? What happened?”

Jumping a little, the boy spoke. “My name’s Nectar, I’m looking for the local infirmary building?”

“It’s the far building at the end of the street.” Muttered Athena pointing at the large structure down the road.

“Thanks.” Said Nectar kindly, walking past the two of them towards the infirmary building.

“Here, there’s something I’d like to show you.” Said Kole as Nectar heard him help up the girl behind him, their voices slowly draining out in the silent ambient wind of the village the further away he got.

Nectar had his head set on the infirmary and his hand set on his sword as he steadily approached the front door, stopping mere-meters away before unsheathing his blade; the metal scraping against the inside of the scabbard with a heavy ‘shlinging’ sound. Then, pointing it forward at the now open door, he spoke.

“Benji Ceruno, you have been exiled from the Cult and sentenced to death.”

Benji glossed up at him. His face was depleted and tired. The world surrounding him turned black and white in his self-loathing presence.

“That’s fine. Just kill me.” He muttered.

“Huh?” Questioned Nectar with a squeak.

“Just kill me, Nectar. I don’t care.”

Nectar dropped his arm as his strength depleted him in shock.

“What do you mean, just kill you?”

“I just want to die; all I do is make people unhappy and let them down. Hugh, Silvia, Athena, My family…”

“Nectar…” Muttered Benji in an empty, ghost-like tone. “I—just want to die already.”

Nectar’s mood shifted from defeat to mild anger as he spoke to Benji.

“What do you mean, you just want to die? Th—This was my moment to prove myself…”

Benji stared forward, his eyes hollow, his skin pale. Death’s scythe hanging patiently at the brink of his neck.

“Why else would they send me on my first mission.” Muttered Nectar under his breath.

Each stood alone, an emptiness claimed their hearts as the rotation of the world fell to a halt against the pressure of their overwhelming goals and burdens.

“B- Benji… How can you give up…? Don’t you have someone you want to save? Wasn’t there a reason for your deviation. You deviated for someone… right?” Asked Nectar.

“Let me have my moment—Benji. He’s watching.”

Benji glanced around for a moment looking for ‘he’ before Nectar continued.

“That man is the only one who can help me, he’s the only one who can set things right. If you couldn’t save those you wished to save, the least you can do is allow me to save those I wish to. Let me prove myself. Let me have my moment.”

“You understand me… right?”

Benji dropped his gaze to the ground-

“Fight—Benji. Do it for me.”

-and hesitantly, his hand to his sword, resting at his left hip.

“Fight me, Benji!”

His grip strengthening around the handle.

“Fight me!”

Tighter and tighter.

“Fight-”

Bursting forward, Benji lunged as he ‘thwipped’ up his sword out its scabbard with his remaining left arm and swung it out through the air at Nectar who heaved himself back; the tip of the blade only just sneaking under his chin as a lick of sweat leapt from his brow.

“Th- That’s it!” He muttered as Benji stumbled forward, the scuffle of their shoes against the cobble echoed out in the brittle air before being smothered in the ferocious, metallic, ringing of their silver blades colliding as Benji readjusted himself and struck out at Nectar from his right to his left, powering down with all his weight.

The shadows of crows soared across the ground as they fluttered high upon the awareness raising ring of their swords. Their erratic, disturbed squawks polluted the world in their irritating squabbling tone.

Just then, Nectar flashed his fangs with a grin, sliding his right, back foot, behind him as Benji’s eyes widened upon the touch of wind smashing into his face and the trepidatious sensation of falling fluttered his heart.

‘Watch me.’

Benji felt his balance shift as his blade slid off Nectars and he felt the tight grasp of a hand squeezing the back of his head as he was thrust forward towards the hard ground.

‘Watch me.’

Tumbling onto the rigid road, Benji tried to spin himself around back up to fight, only to be halted in place by the menacing, pointy tip of Nectars blade as he pointed it down at him.

“Round 1 out of 3—Benji.” He said with an eager smile.

The crows continued their squawking melody in the distance as Nectar averted his gaze into the sky above them.

“Birds can go wherever they please. They can land in the yard of the highest security prison, scour the seas, glide above the clouds…” Nectar paused as his clothes shook in the gentle breeze.

“My father told me—'Be like a bird Nectar.’ ‘Fly high. See the sights. Do me proud but most importantly—do yourself proud. Fly higher than you ever thought you would. Than I ever thought you would.’ I want to do my father proud; I want to do everyone proud. I want to do myself proud.”

“So—Benji.” Said Nectar. “Start taking this seriously. And give me a fight that will let me prove myself… After all—He’s watching.”