Chapter 31.1: A Mother's Love(?)
Aethon, Kirkcour Woods.
11:35 pm, 17th Banem 1092.
Ruumble!
The earth trembled as over two hundred pairs of hooves thundered out of the surrounding forests into the deserted town. The moonlight shone on the small army and revealed them to be a force of 104 centaurs, of which 100 were composed of the Longma tribe. Darian, Larsial, and Shadow rode just behind Kashi who led the centaur contingent.
As they approached the town, Kashi's brows furrowed. Thick, acrid smells of smoke and rot blew into his nose, and the daeben was overcome by a horrid premonition. Fearing the worst, Kashi spurred Drixlia into a hard gallop and raced to the town. The rest of the army picked up on the daeben's unease and subsequently increased their pace.
Within a matter of minutes, Kashi reached the town gates, or rather what was left of them, and the sight that greeted him caused something primal within him to awaken from its slumber. The daeben's lips were tightly pressed together as he looked at the 'scarecrows' that adorned the broken gates.
The scarecrows were fashioned by impaling branches through centaurs and raising them several feet above the ground. The branches, some big, some small, positioned the centaurs' limbs in humiliating positions like strings of abandoned puppets. And judging by the open-eyed despair and anguish in most of the centaurs' eyes, they had died a slow, painful death, devoid of honor.
Kashi's eyes were grim as Darian, Shadow, Larsial, and Agamios joined his side. Without looking at any of them, the daeben asked in a dark tone, "Have any of you learned telekinesis?" The deafening silence that followed answered his question. "I see," Kashi muttered and dismounted.
The daeben took slow, purposeful steps to one of the scarecrows. Kashi looked up at the tear-soaked, anguished filled eyes of the female centaur and followed her gaze to see a little colt a few meters away in a similarly humiliating position. The daeben could tell from the severity of the gashes around the punctured parts of her body that the mare had fought till her last breath to free herself and save her child. Unfortunately, not only had she failed, she'd been forced to watch her son slowly bleed out in front of her.
How the colt must have cried. How he must have wept. How did the mother feel seeing the despair take over her son's eyes?
Boom!
Larsial paled as Kashi smashed the branches that held up the centaur mother with a single punch. The corpse lost its support and dropped toward the daeben. Larsial, convinced Kashi was too overcome with rage to notice his surroundings, opened her mouth to warn Kashi to move out of the way.
Bam!
Larsial's mouth remained open as she watched a massive surge of ki gush out of the daeben in the shape of a dragon's clawed hand and catch the corpse. 'You can do that?' Larsial looked at the daeben in awe and shock as the ki hand gently placed the body on the earth.
Kashi, at the moment, did not care in the least what the others thought about him. The centaur mother's eyes arrested his gaze and dredged up old memories Suzuki had buried deep within. Those eyes. They were the same as that time in the fire. The desperation of a mother willing to do whatever it took to save her child no matter how futile it seemed.
The only difference was that this mother failed to save her child. She never got to experience the relief of seeing her child escape to safety.
Kashi sighed as he crouched next to the centaur and gently closed her eyes. "You can rest now. I promise I will find those responsible and make them pay," he promised as much to the centauress as it was to the monster raging within him. The fire in his soul seemed satisfied by this answer as the heat in his chest slowly calmed.
Kashi shook his head in resignation. Suzuki's relationship with his mother was a complicated sore spot that would not be healed for many years to come. Even Kashi himself who could be said to share the same brain as Suzuki could not explain the psychological hold she had over the young man. Was it hate or love that bound them or more likely a complicated mixture of both? Only a psychologist could answer that question now.
The sound of footsteps to his side drew Kashi out of his thoughts, and he looked up to see the grim-faced Darian and Agamios. The Longma tribe centaurs followed Kashi's lead and began to cut down their brethren and gently place them on the earth. Kashi looked at Darian and asked, "Why have their bodies been left like this for so long?"
Darian's jaw trembled with grief and guilt. "We did try sending parties out to give them a proper burial, but every party we sent was beset by the monster army. It would be lucky if one out ten survived the attack. We also could not afford to send the full army as that would leave our own homes vulnerable to the enemy."
Kashi frowned. "How many days has it been since this village was destroyed?"
"Four days," Darian replied.
The daeben's brows furrowed even more at his answer. "Four days? So they have the power to wipe out an entire village. Why haven't they wiped out the rest?" Kashi felt like he had begun to pull on the end of this mystery rope. "How long have your villages been under siege?"
"Just under six months now," Darian replied. "Initially, the attacks were limited to skirmishes between our hunting parties and a few loose blights. The situation only escalated to what you see now in the past few weeks. Tonight was the first time we'd experienced a push on this scale that seemed intent on wiping us all out."
Kashi thought about it and wondered aloud. "If the enemy decided to wipe you all out today, why did he split up his forces rather than attack each settlement with the full army?" He looked at Darian with curiosity, "Does it have something to do with why no army was sent to your village?"
Darian's pupils dilated as his heart skipped a beat. "Of course! Why did we not think of this!?" The agitated centaur cursed the high heavens for his foolishness.
Kashi, unable to follow, asked, "What are you talking about?"
Darian shook his head. "Kashi-dono, you must have noticed that the placement of our villages takes the formation of a spear if looked at from above."
Kashi nodded. He had indeed taken note of that very fact from the very first moment Darian mapped out the location of the villages. It seemed just like he thought, it did play a vital role. The only question now was what?
"The formation was passed down to us by our god several centuries ago to protect us from external forces," Darian revealed. "It is capable of producing incomparable power on the level of gods in desperate situations. Naturally, there are several restrictions in its actual use, but the fact remains that the power exists if one knows how to use it." Darian gripped his spear as he watched the Longma tribe go about their work. "There are two vital points on the formation. The speartip, which is the topmost tribe, and the handle, which is the bottom tribe."
"For several centuries, the Longma tribe occupied the spear tip," Agamios stated. "We are the strongest tribe, so it made the most sense for us to hold this position."
Darian nodded. "The village located at the spear tip also got a natural boost to their strength, so it only made sense for the Longma tribe to reside there. Unfortunately, their numbers began to decline after centuries of defending the centaur tribe from external forces. Someone had to switch with them or risk the extinction of our strongest tribe."
"The tribe that was chosen was the Aethon tribe." Kashi clarified. "But how does this explain why the Lymar tribe has not been attacked?"
"Because the moment the Aethon tribe switched with the Longma tribe was the moment our enemies realized that the land itself was what made the Longma tribe so strong," Agamios replied. "I'm sure that a few centuries later, the Aethon tribe would have looked just like us. The land's strength is not just a blessing, but also a curse."
"What!? Is this true!?" Darian shouted, stunned by the revelation. "Doesn't that mean you were like us? Why does no one know about this?"
Agamios shook his head. "The chiefs of your villages are aware of this truth. But think about it? What would happen if our enemies knew for a fact they could become like us by staying in that land?"
"Exactly what is happening right now," Kashi replied and looked at Darian. "You said the spear tip is for offense. Then what's your tribe's purpose?"
"Our place in the formation is the last bastion of defense," Darian replied. "In a situation where the spearhead has been shattered, we provide a place to hide out the storm until we can rebuild."
Kashi's brow rose. "How does that work?"
"You did not notice because you were with me Kashi-dono, but our village is hidden in a mirage that is near impossible to penetrate unless you know the right process," Darian explained.
Kashi shook his head. "The greatest strength of an illusion lies in no one knowing it is an illusion. The moment an illusion is exposed as such, it's only a matter of time before it is exposed." Kashi gritted his teeth. "I remember your father did not want anyone leaving the village during this period?"
Darian nodded. "Yes, why?"
Kashi sighed. "Old ginger is truly the spiciest no matter the world." At Darian's confused expression, Kashi explained, "Your father saw the enemy's endgame long ago and was trying his best to prevent it from happening. The enemy has been searching for the last village to obtain the entire formation. Unfortunately, he/she could never find your village because your hunters were always ensured they weren't followed on their way home. Furthermore, as you said, no one would realize where the illusion started and ended just by randomly walking into the forest."
Kashi shook his head as he looked in the direction of Lymar village. "But what happens when a mass exodus of centaurs are headed in the same direction?"
Darian's face turned white as a sheet as he whispered, "It will be too easy to track a large group back to our village."
Kashi frowned. "I had initially thought we would have a few days to prepare and stake out the enemy camp before we attacked, but if my hunch is correct, the enemy's main force is already on its way to Lymar village. As for the illusion, I'm certain they already have a way to break it." Kashi looked at both centaurs and said, "I still don't know what the enemy's overarching motive is, but for now we can infer they are at the very least interested in your village's formation and derive joy in tormenting the weak."
Agamios folded his arms and frowned. He looked at the daeben and asked, "So, what do you propose we do now?"
"The plan hasn't changed," Kashi replied. "We lead a strike force against their headquarters and take out the entire army by destroying the source of the blight. The only difference is we'll be doing that tonight. We have to believe in our comrades to hold the fort while we complete the mission."
Agamios nodded. "I understand."
"That is indeed the best course of action right now," Darian concurred.
"But first," Kashi said as he looked at the corpses on the ground. "We must send these brave centaurs off to the circle." Kashi, Darian, and Agamios joined Shadow and Larsial in assisting the rest of the Longma tribe to build several funeral pyres for the corpses.
Thirty minutes later, Kashi solemnly stood in front of dozens of funeral pyres with Ferulic's Bow in hand. He took out Rosario's brush and drew a flaming rune on the bow. The daeben notched an arrow, whose head burst into flames as soon as it was strung. He looked at the centaurs and his companions, then at the funeral pyres. "Aethir guide your paths. May Alure welcome you with open arms, and grant you happier lives in the next life."
Whoosh!
The centaurs present watched the arrow as it slowly flew in the air, a small light in the darkness of night and despair. There was always hope in the world, no matter how dark it may seem. And all that hope needed was a spark, a catalyst, and it would set the world aflame with bright light.
"Go Suzu, mother will be alright."
Kashi's jaw was tightly set as the flames, and acrid smoke once again dredged up those desperate eyes. Only, this time, rather than relief, the eyes held hatred and blame. The final words she said. The words Suzuki never heard but could make out. The words he would that would haunt him for life.
The words that destroyed Suzuki Mato.
"This is all your fault."
A/N: Hey guys! I know updates have been spotty recently, but that's because I've been hard at work at editing Parallel Vol.1 for publishing on hardcover and paperback. And... Good News! It's finally been completed for both! Soon you'll be able to have Parallel Vol.1 on your bookshelf. It's been a wild ride, and I appreciate everyone who has helped me in any way, be it on Patron, by helping to proofread, or just offering moral support, and of course, let's not forget those who read here on Wattpad. Your continued support is what kept me motivated during these times.
I'm aiming for a 4th January release as there is some tax stuff I need to get at my bank (thank you amazon) in order to release on Amazon. Until then, however, updates will be coming fast as my plate is finally free!
Whooohooo!!!
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