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A Spirit Bomb, a sudden explosion that gave no time to escape. In the center of the raging flames, Zele was certain of his victory. The spiritual power of Altinea had been turned into a destructive blast that scorched everything around them, except Zele, his robe also made with the power of Altinea imbued in it, so the flames did not touch him. Everything else was consumed though. That was the secret power of Spirit Bombs.
「Good bye, Altinea and Grado! I’ve won! I’m stronger than you!」
He screamed with raw emotion. Winning against Grado, that had been Zele’s lifelong goal, his only way to stop feeling inferior, after having convinced himself he was. Now he had a chance to confront his brother, and he was still strong, and for a moment he feared he would never reach his goal, but Zele had emerged victorious. That brought him more joy than anything else in the world.
「No, you lost.」
The onrush of joy had lowered his guard. Humans could not resist spiritual power, Zele took that for a fact. But that conviction would be his downfall. Spirits, a gentle race that always lived near humans. Sometimes helping each other out, sometimes just as companions, but always with kindness. The power of a bond formed with one would never vanish.
Grado’s voice sounded clear, and his arm appeared from between the flames. A moment later, the dagger grasped within sliced Zele’s throat.
「Ghah…ahh…」
Zele tried raising his voice, but no proper words formed, his frenzied eyes focused on his killer. A complex shaped pattern was on the arm that reached for Zele’s throat, shining in a red, more brightly than the flames surrounding them. It was proof of Altinea’s Divine Protection, granted to Grado.
Seeing that arm, completely untouched by the flames, Zele understood. It was Altinea’s wish to protect Grado. A Spirit’s Divine Protection. In the cultures that revered spirits, that held a special meaning.
Grado and Zele both had received it when they became priests, representing and defending their hometown. Receiving it meant taking an oath, vowing to protect their deity until their final breath, always remaining by her side and caring for everything she needed.
In exchange, the enshrined spirit would bless the village. In the Sky Denizens’ instance, Altinea was a spirit of storms. She would keep torrential rains and gales away, maintaining a calm weather. Thanks to that, the village had abundant harvests, leading them to honor and respect Altinea, as well as the two priests.
But that also highlighted the differences between the two brothers, the older superior at everything, the younger being just average. Everything else was exactly the same for the two, so their disparity became all the more poignant.
In the end, the two fell in love with the same person, and a rift was born between them. If there had been just some other thing that differentiated them, things might have gone differently. But only ruin awaited them. One day, Chimera Clauzen attacked their hometown, trying to capture their deity Altinea. Zele, who had vowed to protect her, chose to betray them instead.
All to differentiate himself from his older brother, and to take Altinea away from him. Afterwards Grado left, casting away his kindness and focusing on retrieving the love of his life, ignoring the pleas from the survivors to stay. Whenever he heard rumors of the presence of his enemy, he would rush to them, taking any information from them and their life.
His mind slowly drowned in hatred, unable to comprehend mercy or kindness. Everything lost its color, he could only identify others as enemies or not enemies, and he killed his enemies like a machine.
But there was one thing that survived in Grado’s heart after all of that, his love for Altinea. Thanks to those feelings, the Spirit’s Divine Blessing reacted. When Grado was faced with so much danger, even without him knowing it, the mark had started to glow.
On the other hand, Zele had used the abundant knowledge of spirits he gained in his hometown to force Altinea’s power to become his own. A village like theirs had a strong bond with spirits, and a wealth of knowledge too. Zele developed ways to use spiritual energy with the most efficiency, and it was no exaggeration to say that at least eighty percent of Chimera Clauzen’s technology had been made possible thanks to him.
Then those had been turned into weapons and armor, increasing Chimera’s power many times over. The Spirit Bomb was also made by him. Chimera Clauzen recognized his achievements, and he quickly rose through the ranks, eventually becoming one of their heads.
On top of that, Chimera Clauzen’s members would constantly bring him spirits, and with each that became a sacrifice, Zele’s knowledge expanded. It was unlikely there was another person alive with the same amount of spirit knowledge as Zele. But the world did not run only on knowledge. There were emotions as well.
At some point, Zele noticed the glow vanished from the Diving Protection. He assumed that was because Altinea no longer lived as a sentient being. But now, only after seeing Grado’s arm with the mark shining brightly through the flames, he realized his mistake.
There was a way to survive a spirit bomb that didn’t involve wearing protective gear made from the same spirit. Something Chimera Clauzen had not noticed, and had no way of noticing. The mark of a bond between human and spirit, a Spirit’s Divine Protection. In a fight between one who cast away those bonds, and one who held onto them, they became the deciding factor.
Once the spiritual power was used up, the flames vanished like they were never there. The surroundings that had been illuminated red turned black, only barely illuminated by the starry script.
Under that dim light, only a dull sound was heard, that of Zele’s body hitting the ground. Blood spewing from his throat, and his eyes looking up and turning glassy even before he hit the ground.
Grado stood beside him, still holding onto the bloodied dagger as he slowly uttered some words. They were too quiet for anyone else to hear them, more fragile than a muttering, less hopeful than a prayer. A burial chant from their hometown.
His face devoid of anger, hatred, happiness, or sadness, Grado pointed his crossbow to Zele’s chest and pulled the trigger. Then used the little power he still had, he produced blue flames. They started like small embers, but slowly grew in size and power.
Grado turned around and left, heading back to the town engulfed in blue flames. But he did not get far. A loud thud disturbed the night’s silence. Grado’s body collapsed on the ground.
「So…this is it…」
Grado’s body had been pushed beyond its limits. He had used the forbidden spell for longer than it was intended, consuming his own life to extend its duration. His body barely moved as he wished, and he could merely turn himself over with his waning strength.
「I can’t…see the stars…anymore…」
Grado tried searching for the constellations he used to look at with Altinea, but his glasses had been shattered and the sky was just a blurry dark mess. He closed his eyes.
With nothing to see, the whistle of the wind against his ear became more obvious. His body felt leaden, too heavy to move, and his consciousness felt distant, like it had been buried deep underground.
There was nothing left to do, he had accomplished his goal. Grado had always envisioned this end, so he just let go of everything, his consciousness. And then he heard it.
‘…’
A faint voice gently caressed Grado’s ear. It was barely audible, like an ephemeral voice that would stop any moment. But Grado’s eyes snapped open, searching with his hazy eyes for the owner of that voice he held so dear. He could not forget or mistake that voice, Altinea’s.
「Altinea…I finally…found you.」
He found her standing next to his arm with the mark of her blessing. Through his cracked and blurry glasses, she looked exactly how he remembered her, and his voice sounded heartfully relieved.
「Ah…I see…you have always…been with me…」
Altinea knelt down, holding onto his arm with a smile. Grado looked at her, at her eyes, and began muttering words, as if trying to recoup all the time together they had lost.
「You were…so close…and I didn’t notice… Ah right, these glasses, I guess I can’t…use them anymore.」
Forcing a smile, he somehow managed to move his arm, taking off his glasses. With nothing bothering his eyes anymore, he nodded softly as he looked at Altinea.
「…Aw, they’re broken. Even though…you chose them for me. But now…I can see you again… It’s all good now, I know you’re here now…and I’ll never let you out of my sight.」
He stuttered constantly, and his gaze wavered a bit, but then focused on Altinea again.
「We should…go buy new ones…together… You can…choose one for me…again…」
Grado smiled, slightly embarrassed, and slowly closed his eyes.
All sounds vanished, and his body stopped moving him. Having crossed the limits of a human, of his life, and his abilities, Grado’s body turned to dust, getting carried away by the gentle breeze. All that remained were his burned clothes, bloodied dagger, and the shattered glasses.
That marked the end of one story, the blue flames eventually fading away as well, and darkness returned everywhere. At the same time, through some magical coincidence, the sound of wind against the rocks nearby produced a soft whistling sound, like that of a gentle lullaby, or a funeral march, which continued throughout the night.
