White Fang Prophecy Ch. 2

Chapter 2 : Promises

    As the day went on, Kiche and Shiroki walked across the cold forest in the hopes of finding a way out. It was a quiet forest with only the occupying sounds of the autumn wind blowing across the valley of spruce trees. The flock of birds which were seen above was heading south and the mammals were collecting food for the winter.
    Noon came and they reached an abandoned human camp. Kiche went inside the tents first and grabbed out two hooded cloaks.
    “There’s nothing else to see inside…” Kiche stopped Shiroki before he entered the tent as well, “Look for any kind of food that we can bring along. We can’t stay so be quick.”
    Shiroki followed without a word. He understood that Kiche was not in the mood to talk and for years; he had always learned that “if his mother was either angry, sad or in any form of stress, he should just leave her for the time being” – those were the words Marc had told Shiroki. It took them all day to reach the outside and once the afternoon came, the gray forest then turned into maple red. They managed to reach the outside and saw a beautiful golden lake. Across the lake were the black mountains which could reach the cloudy skies. They soon saw a human male in a boat, fishing in the middle of the lake.
    “Hey!” Shiroki approached the shore, waving to the fisherman, “Over here!”
    “Honey, mind your manners.” requested Kiche but Shiroki could see under her hood were eyes of relief.
    “Oh, hello there!” the old man came ashore later as night fell, “Are you two lost?”
    “We-”
    “We kinda lost our way around…” added Kiche, “We wish to head north as soon as possible but the forest is dangerous at night.”
    “I’m surprised you came all the way here in one piece!” chuckled the old man, “Come aboard! I’ll show you to my house.”
    “Thank you so much!” Kiche expressed her gratitude.
    “It’s nothin’!” the old man said, “Now hop on aboard! Time’s wastin’!”
    Shiroki and Kiche then entered the boat and as soon as they were in, the old man pushed the boat away from the shore.
    “Whoa!” Shiroki saw glowing fish in the water as the boat moved across the lake, “Mama! Look in the water!”
    “Oh, that’s beautiful!” Kiche leaned by Shiroki and marveled along as they floated across the dark water, “I’ve never seen fish this kind since I was still young!”
    “Really!?” asked Shiroki.
    “Yes… And I’ve also seen other fishes like…” and Kiche went on until Shiroki was fast asleep.
   “You got quite a hyped kid there…” the old man began as he continued to row the boat.
   “Yeah…” began Kiche, “He’s growing up into a man just like his father.”
   “You two are beastmen, huh?” asked the old man and Kiche looked back at him in surprise.
    “H-how did you…?” Kiche snapped.
    “Ever since the kid boarded the boat, I noticed the wagging tail and twitching ears.” the old man smiled, “Doesn’t take a fool to notice.”
    Kiche looked away, getting ready for a surprise attack.
    “I’m not gonna kill you, don’t worry…” the old man sighed, “I’m an old man. It’s irrational for me to kill you two. I don’t even have a reason… hehe…”
    “I’m sorry that we made you go through with this.” Kiche apologized.
    “It’s nothin’, don’t worry!” the old man smiled, “There’s a cave which leads to the mountains up north. It’s quite cold so I’ll lend you my warmer, more rugged cloaks. Just rest up for the night at my place.”
    “Thank you…” said Kiche nervously, “I-I don’t know how I could repay you…”
    “You can give me your name.” the old man smiled.
    There was a brief pause as Kiche thought twice about giving her name.
    “It’s Kiche.” said the mother, “My little boy here’s Shiroki.”
    “You can call me Greg.” the old man said and they reached his cabin at last. There was a small river which was at the end of the Lake and next to it was the cabin, “Oh, we’re finally here.”
    The next day, Kiche and Shiroki left the cabin and went into the grassy fields. There was a path that leads to the mountains and Shiroki seemed to follow it but ran back playfully.
    “Thank you again…” Kiche bowed in gratitude while Shiroki was rolling on the green grass. The two were both wearing tougher cloaks which were made specifically for the cold.
    “I was planning to throw them away anyway.” chuckled the old man, “Don’t follow that path over there. Simply following the river would lead you to the cave beneath the mountains and will give you an easier route in crossing the mountains.”
    “Thank you so much…!” Kiche said one more time and left, “Shiro?”
    “Here!” Shiroki cheerfully came and followed his mother.
    “Take care, you two!” said the old man and went back inside his cabin and saw them leave through the window.
    Kiche and Shiroki followed the river just as what the old hermit had said and during their walk, Shiroki kept on playing along the shallow parts of the river, caught and released some fish, played hide-and-seek on the trees with Kiche and ran back and forth.
    They were nearing to the mountains and the temperature was slowly decreasing. The cold breeze blew past them but thanks to their new cloaks, they didn’t feel and breeze whatsoever. It was actually hot on their end. There were times that they had to remove their cloaks when they were sweating and put them back on when the cold temperature came to them.
    They then reached the parts where the cold reached them and they had to wear their cloaks. The two then kept on walking along the lake until they reached the cave.
    “We’re here!” Shiroki began when they found the cave later that day.
    “Just as he’d said…” Kiche sighed in relief.
    “Let’s go in, Mama!” Shiroki began and went in the cave.
    “Don’t go in alone!” Kiche called and summoned her staff. The top part of the staff then created an orb of yellow light and made the arctic blue cave look vibrant gold.
    “Mama! Look!” Shiroki pointed to the glowing ice crystals above, “They’re so pretty!”
    “They are…” Kiche saw them as well. They were like blue chandeliers dangling from above and they accompanied the light, revealing the insides of the cave. Kiche then dismissed her staff and they walked on. It wasn’t long until it was cold enough to see their breaths. The two then saw drawings on the wall which looked like they came from a tribe.
    “What are those, Mama?” asked Shiroki.
    “They’re like a story.” Kiche was positive that it came from the last tribe that went by since it was still fresh by a month at least by the way it was drawn and the warmth of the paint used.
    “Ooh! Ooh!” Shiroki became more interested, “Can you tell me? Please?”
    “Well,” began Kiche and saw drawings of beastmen hunting down and killing a number of humans in brutal ways, “th-their drawings are too hard for me to understand…”
    “Aww…” pouted Shiroki and they walked on.
    It was a silent walk as they reached up to the outside. The ground was all white and luckily for them, there was no snowstorm. Shiroki ran out and dived into the snow. He scooped enough to throw snowballs at Kiche and playfully repeated the process.
    “Hey!” Kiche squealed as Shiroki kept on throwing the balls of ice, “Shiro, stop it!”
    “Not if you catch me first-” Shiroki was then hit by a snowball five times bigger than his and was thrown to the ground.
    “That’ll teach you a thing or two…” Kiche then passed by and Shiroki got back up and stopped his little game.
    The two then walked on the snow that day and they climbed the piles of snowy earth to reach the top. Shiroki nearly fell off a few times but Kiche was there to help him retain balance. It was an icy wonderland which was as peaceful and quiet as it was lonesome and secluded.
    “Why aren’t we heading to the top?” asked Shiroki as he noticed that they were only staying on a leveled area. He saw the higher parts where now covered with the clouds.
    “I don’t think you nor can Mama be able to…” Kiche said and they continued walking, “We’re in a hurry, remember?”
    “Aw…” said Shiroki, “I wanted to see what’s on top…”
    “Maybe when you grow a little older, you can…” Kiche smiled, “Just stay strong and maybe, we can climb this mountain again…”
    “Promise?” asked Shiroki.
    “Only when you’re strong enough…” Kiche said, grinning.
    “It’s a promise then!” Shiroki said, grinning back.
    That afternoon, the snowstorm came and blew freezing wind. Once Kiche and Shiroki found a durable part of the mountain walls, Kiche summoned her staff and pointed it to the wall. Magic circles then flashed out and went to the wall’s surface. The wall then formed a hole and Kiche and Shiroki went inside. Once they were in, Shiroki saw a wide dome-shaped space. He then circled about and was amazed with what Kiche had done.
    “You did all this, mama!?” Shiroki asked and it echoed the room. He noticed that the strong wind outside the den echoed inside, making a hollow noise.
    “Yep!” nodded Kiche and then placed her staff in the middle of the room and made some incantations. Circles then appeared on the ring of the staff and flames came out, brightening the room. Shiroki was only getting more amazed the more Kiche used her spells.
    “Mama!” Shiroki began, “Can you teach me how to do that!? It’s so cool!”
    “Is it now?” asked Kiche, blushing, “Papa wanted me not to teach you these things but I think, now’s probably the time to do so…”
    And so, the afternoon went on where Kiche taught Shiroki various spells. There were times where Shiroki would summon gassy substances when he was originally trying to summon flames. In some occasions, the spells he used would backfire on him. It was truly a lively day and when night came, Kiche then decided to cook the fish Shiroki caught earlier by the river which were stored in her bag.
    “Come on!” Shiroki began in frustration as he was trying to summon a full magic circle but always ended up with a small spark of failure, “Gimme a circle!”
    “It takes time, dear…” Kiche then drew a circle of earth around the standing staff and the staff suddenly sank to the ground, leaving the burning tip exposed. Kiche then grabbed out two stakes, put each fish on each stake and placed them near the fire.
    “Please…” began Shiroki, “Come out, you stupid circle!”
    “Watch your mouth…!” Kiche began.
    “Sorry...” Shiroki said, “It’s just that it’s too hard!”
    “Just keep your cool, focus, and you’ll eventually learn the ropes.” concluded Kiche, strengthening the flames. It took a few minutes for the fish to cook properly and once the fish became harder and had made the essence of edibility, it was time.
    “Dinner’s ready!” Kiche said and the two shared their fishes.
    “I miss your roast…” Shiroki moaned, “Good thing, Papa’s not here. He’ll go ballistic if he sees this!”
    “He won’t know the meaning of the word once I see him!” Kiche added and the two laughed as the cold winds howled that night.
    “Mama?” Shiroki asked later after they have finished their fish, “Are we really going to see Papa again?”
    Kiche gulped as her heart became heavier.
    “H-he’s probably waiting for us somewhere already!” Kiche tried not to point out what that truly meant, “That’s why we have to stay strong and healthy so we can see him soon!”
    “Okay…” Shiroki then sighed, “I just miss him…”
    “Me too.” Kiche agreed and then looked outside, “I think, the wind’s died down a little…”
    “Really!?” Shiroki then crawled outside and noticed that there wasn’t any wind at all. He then gazed up and he made a big smile on what he saw above, “Mama! Take a look at this!”
    “It’s an aurora.” Kiche explained as she followed Shiroki outside, “They say that the souls of our ancestors go to the sky every night and reveal their spirits.”
    “Isn’t that kinda scary?” asked Shiroki.
    “Actually, no…” Kiche shook her head and the two sat along the snow and marveled on the brilliant light in the sky, “Humans say that it’s our planet’s Mana and the temperature up here’s the reason why the sky is like that but I would just rather believe that my Mama and my Papa are up there, watching over me…”
    “What were they like?” asked Shiroki.
    “I don’t really know…” Kiche shook her head, “They… died a short time after I was born…”
    “Aw…” Shiroki looked down in grief. But then Kiche rubbed his head.
    “It’s alright…” Kiche said, rubbing Shiroki’s grayish white hair, “You’re my only family…”
    “How about Papa?” asked Shiroki.
    “Him too…!” Kiche smiled and for the rest of the night, they gazed on the aurora sky until it was already time to settle in.
    The next day, they continued their journey and they finally reached the other side of the mountains. They saw a rope bridge which led to the green spruce forest and walked across it.
    “Shiro, don’t run!” Kiche immediately ordered and Shiroki stopped running.
    They walked across until they have reached the forest and Shiroki then ran around again. They went on and Kiche easily got rid of any wild beast they have encountered along the way. Shiroki seemed to notice that Kiche was calm and always focused on what she was doing. Knowing this, Shiroki was only proven wrong about her in the past - about her just being a mother who would just ruin his fun. Beneath all that murder of joy in the past, he obtained the understanding of the love she had shown to him all this time and that she always loved him dearly as his father did.
    Knowing this fully well, Shiroki slowly stopped going here and there and became more behaved as they journeyed on. There were times wherein Shiroki would advance only to gather herbs and berries for his mother. Although these berries were lethal, she placed them in her pocket and praised her son for his thoughtfulness.
    After all the walking, they then saw smoke nearby. Kiche felt relieved that there was a place to rest now and they have reached a town at dusk. Kiche and Shiroki tightened their hoods, successfully hiding their wolf-ish ears and tails as they entered the small town. The townspeople were bothered at first but then minded their own business afterwards. The two noticed that majority of the townspeople were packing up and left to the other end of the town.
    “Excuse me!?” Kiche asked a man who was placing his belongings in a cart, “What’s going on?”
    “We’re heading west.” replied the man, “Us folk heard about the Cherokees making a move and heading this way.”
    “What are Cherokees, Mama?” Shiroki asked.
    “Just a second, dear…” Kiche gently replied and then looked back at the man, “Here? Why?”
    “War’s waging on, miss!” replied the man, gathering more things, “You can stay in the inn over there in the next few blocks. Heard they’re stayin’.”
    “Okay, thank you!” Kiche nodded, grabbing Shiroki and headed to the building around the corner.
    “You take care now!” the man raised his voice, “… And may God have mercy on you…”
    “Hello?” Kiche came through the door of the inn, “I would like to use a room for the night please?”
    “Oh!” an old lady appeared on the counter, “I see we have a customer! Aren’t you leaving?”
    “W-we just came and we need a place to stay for the night.” Kiche replied.
    “Oh!” the old lady then was surprised, grabbing out a collection of keys, “You can choose any room then!”
    “Seriously ma’am?” asked Kiche in surprise.
    “You may be my last customer…” the old lady then approached her room behind the counter, “It’s free so enjoy your stay!”
    “Thank you so much, ma’am!” Kiche nodded in gratitude.
    “No need to fuss!” the old lady said kindly, “Keys are on the table. Good night!”
    As she gently closed the door, Kiche and Shiroki proceeded to the attic which was where the highest level a room could be. It was a wide space and a two-person bed was made. Shiroki jumped in, throwing away his cloak and felt the soft warmth of the cuddly pillows while Kiche looked through the windows and saw the townspeople leaving. She then folded her cloak on the table and folded Shiroki’s as well.
    “Why are they leaving, Mama?” asked Shiroki as he mutilated the bed by bouncing over it, over and over and over.
    “They’re moving away,” Kiche said, “because they don’t like it here anymore.”
    “But what about their houses?” asked Shiroki.
    “I think, it’s time for you to rest…” Kiche said, settling Shiroki down to bed, “Just have a light nap and I’ll look for something to eat.”
    “Aw…” Shiroki’s ears sunk, “I wanna bounce some more!”
    “You can bounce later,” Kiche added trying to be as gentle as possible, “so, just stay in bed and get some sleep. If you behave, I’ll cook something better than last night.”
    “Alright…” Shiroki pouted and then hid under the sheets.
    “That’s a good boy…” Kiche smiled and grabbed her cloak.
    “There’s a bakeshop on the other side of town…” said the old lady before Kiche went out, “You can find some bread there but since, you’re a beastwoman, you can just force it open.”
    “M-ma’am…!?” Kiche looked back in surprise.
    “I got my husband’s letter.” said the old lady, “He said that a beastwoman and her child might need a place to stay in…”
    “Was that man your…?” asked Kiche as she remembered the old man back in the lake.
    “We were divorced.” said the old lady.
    “Thank you so much!” Kiche nodded, in deep gratitude, “I’m really sorry for bothering you!”
    “It’s no big deal!” said the old lady, “Shouldn’t you be looking for food?”
    “Oh, right!” Kiche said, “Excuse me, then…”
    “Oh! And one more thing!” the old lady added and Kiche paused, “He said that a horde of beastmen went past his place last night. He said that you should be careful…”
    Kiche’s smile faded and she slowly exited the inn. Once she was out, she ran to the other side of the town, searching for the bakeshop.
    The sun started to set and the cold wind blew down from the mountains to the village. It was a cold night with the dark clouds covering the moon and stars. Shiroki was twisting and turning and his sleep until he suddenly fell off his bed.
    “Whoah!” Shiroki woke up that night, and noticed that it was already dark outside. He looked around and Kiche still hasn’t returned. He stood up as he rubbed his drowsy eyes and scoured the room but to no avail.
    “Mama?” Shiroki repeated as he searched the whole inn. He then went outside, not noticing the blood overflowing by the cashier, “MAAAMAAA!?”
    He called again and again around town but there was no reply. It was too quiet and the hollow wind occupied the dense silence.
    “GET DOWN!” Kiche fell from the building above Shiroki and covered him from the oncoming blast from behind. The blast nearly hit them but was successfully evaded.
    “Mama!” Shiroki raised his voice.
    “Shh!” Kiche shushed as they hid by an alley. She placed Shiroki by the boxes nearby and instructed, “DO NOT move away from that spot!”
    Shiroki nodded and Kiche left the alley and threw bolts of lightning to the enemy by the road. She evaded the other jets of flames and ice by making acrobatic maneuvers and countering with wind and lightning spells which shot out of her magic circle. Kiche then leaped to the group of spell-casting beastmen, summoning her staff and made a crushing bash on one enemy. She then thrust it to another who was on her left and before the third one would react, she made a powerful kick on his knee, snapping it into two and made a powerful chop on his neck.
    “Amateurs…” grunted Kiche as she thumbed through her hair as all the beastmen were out cold.
    “Bravo, Kiche!” Lucid came out, applauding, “You successfully survived against twenty beastmen without even killing one!”
    “I just wanted to prove that I’m not like you…” Kiche said, looking at her coldly.
    “A load of bull…” Lucid grinned, “You’re only avoiding killing to show your kid a good example!”
    “Where’s Marc!?” asked Kiche with an angered look.
    “Ooh!” Lucid smiled, “Onto business now, are we?”
    “Quit stalling and start talking!” Kiche then pointed her magic circle at the laughing Felician, “Where’s Marc!?”
    “Dead.” snapped Lucid and both Kiche and Shiroki’s eyes dilated, “I had to use the Cherokees’ untested weapon, he’s now in hell as we speak-”
    Without a word, Kiche summoned a barrage of random spells while Lucid swiftly ran for safety and hid behind a building. Before she reached the other end, Kiche appeared in front of her with the magic circle aimed right on Lucid’s face. A large explosion occurred and Lucid flew out of the smoke and still continued running with a burn on her arm.
    “Gotcha now…” Kiche muttered, aiming her circle on the retreating Lucid. Kiche landed to the middle of street and she had already gotten the fleeing Lucid on her sights.
    “Oh, really?” Lucid snapped her finger and a violet magic circle appeared under Kiche’s feet. She couldn’t move her body but she could still move her eyes. She noticed that there were two more Lycans who appeared before her. They were the two who Marc faced against and defeated earlier but they were now wearing bandages on the wounded parts of their body.
    “Hey there, Kichy-lady!” said the skinny Lycan, sniffing her neck, “My, you’re so stiff tonight!”
    “You’re like a statue of beauty!” said the handsome Lycan, “It’s such a shame that we’ll have to kill you…”
    “The hell with it!” Lucid hissed impatiently, “Fangs!”
    Purple claws then appeared on each of her hand. Each blade occupied her fingertips and it emitted a purple mist. She then slashed the air and then Kiche received slash wounds on her hip and shoulders at the same time. Kiche screamed while Lucid laughed.
    “Mama!” Shiroki came out of the shadows, bringing out his Fang and heading straight on to the two Lycans surrounding Kiche.
    “Don’t be a hero, kid!” the skinny Lycan raised his voice as he easily dodged Shiroki’s attack and then kicked him on the face.
    “Mama!” Shiroki called as he flew back.
    “Ugly little brat!” the handsome Lycan said with disgust, “Calling for his mama even though she’s having a worse situation as his!”
    ‘Shiroki!’ Kiche screamed in her thoughts as she was lacerated on every part of her paralyzed body. The circle seemed to be the reason why she was paralyzed and she could not dispel it.
    The two Lycans then released their fangs. The skinny Lycan summoned a dagger while the Adonis grabbed out two long hilts with large, thick square blades on top. They then gave the weak Shiroki cheap shots and Kiche could only hear her son’s suffering as she was enduring hers. All seemed doomed now on the two and Shiroki was nearing in losing consciousness as he was battered around into a pulp. Round and round he went, dancing like a ragdoll as he bled.
    “Ma… ma…” Shiroki muttered as all vision fades, he did not fear death for he did not have any clue yet about what death was or felt. So he merely feared in losing his mother, his family. He may receive all the pain but he always longed for the warmth of what his mother gave him. He was about to lose all of it. He did not want to be alone for he could not live alone. He could not survive by himself for there will be nothing to survive for. All of these things crossed his mind and they all summed up into one request, “Help me…!”
    “You’ve finally came to me.” Shiroki heard a young female voice. He woke up in the middle of a lake and then noticed an Eastern-looking shrine nearby and there were withered cherry blossom trees located around the lake. The place was shrouded in thin fog but he could still see the mountains over the horizon. He then noticed that he was standing on the water and fell off in surprise but didn’t sink. It was like, the water was solidified but he could still feel its cold wetness. He put his hand on the water and felt the cool and moist sensation on his fingertips.
    “Welcome, Shiroki…” Shiroki staggered back as he saw an adolescent girl in blue yukata. She had straight, long, ocean blue hair and had dragon-like ears, branding her a Dragoon. Her skin was white and she had dull blue snake-like eyes. She was also sporting a sheathed katana on her right, “I am Ryutsuki - the dragon of the lunatic seas.”
    “Wh-where am I?” asked Shiroki.
    “This is my domain.” explained Ryutsuki, “There will be time wherein I will summon you here for special reasons.”
    “Uh… huh…?” Shiroki nodded, trying to comprehend what Ryutsuki was saying.
    “You gained your Fang, right?” Ryutsuki asked after a brief pause.
    “Uh… huh…?” Shiroki nodded and noticed that he’s not holding it anymore, “W-where is it!?”
    “This is only in your mind.” said Ryutsuki, “In reality, you and your mother are on the verge of dying.”    
    “Huh!?” Shiroki then remembered that he was beaten up while Kiche was also being tortured.
    “You want to save your mother, correct?” asked Ryutsuki.
    “Yeah! Can you please help me, lady!? I need to save Mama!”
    “I won’t help you directly…”
    “Huh!?”
    “I am your Fang.”
    “Wh-what!?”
    “I am a part of the White Fang.” said Ryutsuki, “I and the others are one inside you.”
    “Wha…!?” Shiroki has his first experience of what it was like to have an information overload, “Others!?”
    “We cannot waste too much time.” Ryutsuki said calmly and then reached her hand at Shiroki, “Please, grab my hand. This will be a temporary truce where I will use my powers to help you.”
    “O… okay…” Shiroki then gently approached Ryutsuki and grabbed her left hand with his, “What now?”
    “Close your eyes…” Ryutsuki instructed and Shiroki did as he was told, “Now, imagine my hand being the hilt of your sword.”
    “Huh!?” Shiroki opened his eyes and saw Ryutsuki with her eyes closed.
    “Close your eyes…” repeated Ryutsuki and Shiroki did as he was told once more, “Imagine what you’re holding right now is a sword.”
    Shiroki delved into a deep trance. He felt that the place around him was disappearing and Ryutsuki’s arm becoming heavy.
    Back in reality, he two Lycans left the battered Shiroki but as they walked away, they felt a cold breeze. They looked back and they noticed Shiroki standing up and his left arm was consumed with whirling mist until the mist dispersed, revealing a katana with Eastern texts engraved on it. The blade was bluish silver and a small white dragon occupied the space behind the blade from top to bottom.
    “Ryutsuki…” Shiroki muttered as he opened his eyes which were glowing bright blue, facing the edge of the blade to the enemy, “Master of water and mist.”
    “What’s going on!?” asked the skinny Lycan.
    “He summoned another Fang!?” asked the Adonis.
    “You have to be kidding me!” Lucid looked upon Shiroki in shock and stopped persecuting Kiche.
    “Shiroki…” Kiche began and fell as the magic circle under her faded.
    “Kill him!” demanded Lucid and the two Lycans attacked Shiroki.
    “Kiri-kire…” Shiroki whispered and in a split second, he was now behind the charging pair. Blood then came spilling out from their shoulders and their bandages were torn apart as they fell hard into the concrete, “Too easy…”
    “Useless dogs!” Lucid then summoned her magic circle and shot out balls of fire but before the flames could even touch him, he went two long steps to he left in a blink of an eye, evading the attack, “Tch!
    “I’m gonna kill our Mama then!” Lucid headed for Kiche, her claws igniting black purple flames. Shiroki then reappeared in front of Kiche and Lucid smiled, strengthening her pace, “Psyche!”
    Shiroki swung his katana and blocked her claws. With one arm, he pushed her away and she flew back thirty feet. As Lucid landed on her feet, she noticed Shiroki slowly raising his katana, emitting a blue aura around him.
    “First, you slaughter innocent people in the village…” Shiroki said with his blue eyes cold, “Then, you killed my master’s father and this…”
    “You don’t sound like that kid a few minutes ago.” said Lucid as she was breathing heavily, “WHO ARE YOU!?”
    “A spirit who will punish you for your misdeeds…” Shiroki then looked at her with cold eyes, “And the penalty for your actions is… A painful death…”
    “Rah!” grunted the enraged Lucid and ran straight towards him.
    “Umizahebi no Kiba!” grunted Shiroki as a blue magic circle came before him. He swung his blade down, bashing the circle and a snake-shaped body of water came slithering out rapidly before him and headed to Lucid. The snake then sank beneath the concrete floor, fissuring under the streets and then jumped out and sank its fangs on Lucid’s heart. She screeched in pain and was sent crashing to the floor as the blood came gushing out like a fountain.
    “You do not deserve to live in this world.” Shiroki laid his cold blue eyes upon Lucid who was still screeching in pain, “It’s better for you to just fade away…”
    Lucid continued screaming as she squirmed around in pain, trying to get rid of the snake but to no avail, she soon stopped moving as the blood on her chest stopped gushing out.
    “Rest in peace…” Shiroki said coldly, jerking his sword in the air, wiping off the water and the blade transfigured back into his normal dagger. The dagger then now had a blue orb in one part of the triangle. Shiroki fainted and was breathing heavily, only to realize that it was all over.
    “It’s snowing…?” Kiche woke up and realized that powders of snow came floating down gently. She saw Shiroki on the floor, shivering. She ignored her wounds and ran towards her son, “SHIROKI!!!”
    As she ran, she noticed that the three were beaten badly as if it was from a work of an ace swordsman. She saw the motionless Lucid on the other end but all this didn’t seem to bother Kiche from her concern for Shiroki’s safety. She wasn’t sure whether Shiroki was dead or alive. She already had lost her husband. With Shiroki gone, she wouldn’t know how to live herself. Most mothers wouldn’t.
    “Mama…?” Shiroki opened his eyes and realized that his mother embraced him.
    “You’re alive!” Kiche had burst into tears, “I’m so sorry you had to go through that!”
    “Mama…?” Shiroki cried as well, “I was so scared…”
    “It’s okay-”
    “Don’t leave! I don’t want you to leave me!” begged Shiroki as he buried his face into his mother’s robe.
    “It’s alright Shiroki…” Kiche muttered gently as the snow continued to fall, “I will never leave you… I promise.”