Original Stories Fan Fiction / Fables/Fairytales Fan Fiction ❯ Revenge of the Descent ❯ Two - Three Years ( Chapter 2 )

It was barely past 10 P.M., and Kai was extremely exhausted. The girls had spent the entire day swimming at the beach and playing volleyball until Kai was finally able to shoo them all out and away from her home. She sighed, plopping down on the sofa in her living room. It was a relief to finally have an entire week of quiet, alone time for her. The girls, along with Florian and Eryk, had been assigned by Captain Skyler to hunt down a portion of the escaped orcs that had taken refuge close to Chi's home.

 

It took them a whole week simply to find the creatures, who disguised themselves as animals and hid behind shops and homes in a village in the very middle of the forest. After that, it took them another week to exterminate all of the little buggers. Once they'd been caught, they fled like crazy, causing their captors to have to search for them all over again.

 

I hate orcs, thought Kai, putting her arm over her eyes. They're always so pesky. She groaned in annoyance when she heard a knock at the door.

 

“Oh, hey Candis,” she muttered indifferently, letting the girl in then closing the door. “What're you doing here, again?” she asked, yawning widely as she sat down next to her friend on the sofa.

 

“Well, don't you remember what day tomorrow is?” Candis asked cunningly, an evil grin placed on her lips.

 

Kai quirked a brow, scratching the back of her head. After a few moments of thinking, she replied, “Nope. Probably nothing important, so you can go back home now. I need to get some sleep.”

 

Candis gaped, exclaiming, “Kai! Tomorrow's your twentieth birthday!” Kai's eyes widened, her mouth dropping.

 

“…Oh,” she said, her cheeks red with embarrassment. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she added, “Wow, it's been three whole years since we fought Gilead.”

 

Candis nodded in agreement, leaning back on the couch as she recalled their great victory. “Yeah, and look at us now.”

 

Candis's hair had grown at least two inches longer, though it still shined pure white. Her eyes had softened considerably, though, considering she and Eryk had finally admitted to liking one another.

 

Kai's hair had grown much longer, reaching her mid-back in the same brown color it was three years prior. She'd grown an inch or two taller, about half an inch from Candis's current height.

 

Chi was about 5'5” and had long, flowing russet brown hair. Her eyes held the same softness they always held, though she was slightly more mature and less hyper nowadays. She hadn't dated any males yet, though she currently had a crush that the other girls always teased her about. His name was Floyd, and he had short, black hair with mysterious blue eyes. He was a wizard and rather cocky for one, though Chi was fascinated by him all the same.

 

Feng remained the same, her hair flowing well past her lower back and her eyes as dormant as ever. She never showed any interest in the male species, nor the female species. She had however become more open with the group, talking much more than she used to and laughing instead of just chuckling to herself.

 

Florian was now engaged to the girl he met two years ago at his twentieth birthday, Kiri. The girls were all very surprised when they saw him walk back into his home with a girl as pretty as her, and they were even more surprised when he told them she was poor. He eventually answered her first request, sending the poor villagers money and clothing and food that they themselves could not afford.

 

Kiri appreciated it and somewhat softened towards him, as she was very hostile when she first met him. Of course, she originally thought he was like all the other rich boys she'd met: selfish and much too proud for their own good. Eventually, Florian had confessed his love for her and asked her to marry him.

 

The wedding itself was supposed to be held one month from this day, on the third of April. The girls had often visited Florian and his fiance, getting along quite well with the girl. She and Kai could have been mistaken for sisters if they'd looked alike, for their personalities matched almost completely.

 

“It's no wonder he's marrying her,” Candis once joked. “She's just like you, only blond.”

 

Kai laughed at the time, agreeing with Candis's words. But now that Florian was with Kiri, and Eryk with Candis, she felt a little alone. Of course, she could visit them, Chi, and Feng whenever she wanted; but her loneliness never went away.

 

She sighed, bringing herself back into reality. “Yes, we have changed a lot, haven't we?” she mumbled incoherently, more to herself than to her friend. Candis offered a small grin, sitting up straight on the sofa.

 

The two sat in silence for a few moments, Candis trying to think of a good conversational topic and Kai drifting off into sleep. Finally, Candis asked, “Have you heard from Guren lately?”

 

Kai snorted, shaking her head. Today also marked the day that she hadn't seen Guren for five and a half months. Ilias visited them often, considering them a few of his closest friends, and often he brought Skyler with him. But Guren hadn't visited or come with Ilias since September fifteenth of the previous year.

 

“No, and Ilias never talks about him anymore,” she added. “But why does it matter?” It's not like we've got some secret relationship, she thought bitterly.

 

Candis shrugged and acted as if she hadn't heard her friend's bitter thoughts, muttering, “Just curious.” She stayed an hour or so longer, the two girls chatting about nonsense until Candis decided she needed sleep too.

 

Kai told her she could stay, but she said it was better she didn't. “I've been feeling some weird vibes coming from the forest, so I'd better get back to my house before anything attacks the village,” she said, closing the door behind her.

 

 

Where am I?

 

Kai looked around to see that she was in the sky, floating on clouds. She smiled happily, standing up and walking across it to jump onto the next cloud. She laughed to herself as she leapt from cloud to cloud, until suddenly, she stopped.

 

She glanced up to see a familiar figure, only much younger than she remembered. She gasped, noticing the bright red hair and golden eyes that matched—“Guren!”

 

Guren turned slowly around, his eyes wide and innocent. He turned his head sideways, as if he didn't know who Kai was. She grinned, running towards him.

 

But as she got closer, he moved further away. Confused, she ran faster, only to find that each step she took, the further he moved away from her. “Wait, Guren!!”

 

Guren smiled apologetically, waving goodbye as he vanished into a gateway of darkness.

 

 

“SURPRISE!” Kai yelped as she jumped out of bed, startled to see that Feng, Chi, Candis, Eryk, Ilias, Skyler, and even Guren amongst many others, were huddled all around her bed. She shook her head to wake herself up, then blushed, as she was still in her night clothes.

 

“Wow,” she muttered abashedly, smiling at the group. “Thanks, guys.” She grinned, hugging her three companions and gradually climbing out of bed. “Well, it would have been nice if I got a forewarning,” she added, glaring at Candis.

 

Candis laughed, replying, “Well I'm sorry that visiting you wasn't enough of a hint.” She grinned and winked, jerking her head towards Guren. Kai blushed, remembering the dream she had with the younger Guren in it. That was so weird, she thought, mentally noting to talk to Candis about it later that night.

 

 

Kai's birthday party consisted of much dancing, swimming, eating, and drinking. Many of the party guests she only knew from passing them in the village or stopping by a shop to buy some supplies.

 

When the party was over, all but the four Elementalists and the rest of the usual gang went home, their stomachs filled and their needs satisfied.

 

Ilias sighed contentedly, leaning against Skyler as the rest of the group seated themselves around the bonfire. “Wonderful party, Kai,” he commented, glancing at the girl and smiling.

 

Kai shrugged. “I don't know what's so wonderful about it, it just means I'm getting older.” Laughter erupted from the rest of the group, dying down after a brief moment or so.

 

Frowning, Ilias decided it was time to tell the girls what they least wanted to hear. He detached himself from a pouting Skyler, sitting up profusely. “Actually,” he started, his frown only deepening. “We've spotted some strange air waves around Sayrin Village, just North of it. It's not very strong, though there's something… Something different about it. It's as if it's there, but not. It's hard to explain.” His brows knit together as he was very unhappy with his poor explanation. “Anyway, we have a hunch that it's Cassiel.” His eyes hardened as he spoke the name of his ill-fated sister.

 

Florian's eyebrows lifted up, his eyes slightly disbelieving. “Cassiel? I thought that Rika would have dealt with her by now,” he muttered casually.

 

Ilias smiled sadly, replying, “No, she hasn't. My sister was always convinced that if you can't get your way, the best way to get it is through revenge. I remember it all too clearly… One day, I heard her and father arguing in the hut. She huffed out after he scolded her, running through the forest to a secret place that I showed her when my father first married her mother.

 

“I was quite curious, so naturally, I followed her, and when I found where she was… She was saying many horrible things. Father wouldn't allow her to purchase a poisonous dagger, even though her mother had given her the money for it. She claimed that once she did get it, she'd gut him and cut out all his organs for telling her no. As you can see, she's a very violent person, and thinks that revenge is the best way to get even.” He sighed, rubbing his forehead in attempt to get rid of an oncoming headache.

 

Skyler looked at Ilias worriedly, setting a reassuring hand on the man's shoulder. “I know you just finished fighting off all those orcs,” he said, looking as contrite as he could. “But next week we need you to scout out the area and see if you find anyone or anything that has power emitting from it.”

 

Candis, Chi, and Kai groaned in annoyance. Feng rolled her eyes, and though she was as reluctant as the others, she agreed to Captain Skyler's request. The others protested, but after a while they realized they weren't going to win it no matter how hard they tried. Although very grudgingly, they gave in.

 

After a long while of pouting and thinking, Kai suggested her comrades stay the night. It was well past midnight, and they weren't all there to know what they were doing or for that matter, whose house they were returning to.

 

 

Kai woke up not an hour after she'd tried to go to sleep, hearing footsteps pass her door. She unwillingly got out of bed, putting her deep blue robe around her, and followed whoever was up out onto the second floor balcony. “What do you think you're doing?” she asked blearily, rubbing her eyes. “I told you that you could sleep downstairs if that would keep most of everyone's dreams and feelings away from you, so don't complain if that's what woke you up.”

 

Ilias chuckled, and Kai's eyes widened when she realized it wasn't Guren for once that had woken her up. “Oh, I'm sorry, I thought…”

 

Ilias waved a hand, brushing it off. “It's alright.” He sighed, his tired eyes gazing at the glistening ocean below. “It's just…” He grinned, glancing up at the girl. “I did want to speak with you about Guren.” Kai blushed lightly and wished she hadn't gotten up in the first place.

 

“Oh.” She stood next to Ilias and leaned on the railing. “What about him?” She looked to the side and attempted to seem uninterested.

 

Ilias sighed again. “He hasn't been his usual self lately,” he said quietly. “He's taken to locking himself in his quarters or taking long walks out into the forest. I've noticed he's been thinking a lot more than he used to, and I was wondering if you might have anything to do with it.” He cast a sideways glance at Kai, seeing her cheeks turn red.

 

“I don't think so,” she admitted truthfully. “I haven't seen nor talked to him for nearly half a year.” She sighed, running a hand through her wavy hair. “It shouldn't have anything to do with me anyway,” she added, her eyes looking slightly annoyed. “He wants to keep away from people and I understand that. But…” She shook her head, letting her sentence trail off.

 

Ilias nodded in understanding. “Yes, he does seem to be even less social than he used to be.” He looked away, his expression gloomy. “I'm worried about him,” he finally admitted, looking down onto the railing. “He's never acted this way. I noticed three years ago that you two had some sort of connection all your own, but now it's almost as if…” He hesitated, glancing forlornly at Kai. “It's as if he wants to break that connection.”

Kai frowned deeply, sighing as she looked down at the rolling waves. It shouldn't matter either way, she told herself. Why am I getting so worked up about it? And why is Ilias so worried about it? She turned around and left the balcony, leaving Ilias with no answer and to think all on his own.