Chronicles of The Omniverse Archived Naseni: Naseni Forest

as written by Sentry

Junwei had been a second away from attacking the woman, himself, before Achaeos was flung back, and the woman vanished. With a growl he grit his teeth and tightened his fists, but in the end he did as Kinaro asked. He wasn't normally one to do as someone requested.

Even so, he rushed off toward the kitsune, parting the brush to catch eye of him.

"Swordsman. Do you live?"
 
as written by Script

A medley of shimmering lights hovered around Achaeos where he had fallen, broken branches and flattened bushes marking his flight through the foliage. The kitsune's robe had been torn by the impacts, and been burned through, a charred hole opening onto his chest. The flesh was bright red, burned, and an erratic pattern trailed away from it following the path of the electricity that had torn through his body.

His eyes were closed, but his chest continued to rise and fall with shallow breaths. His face seemed almost peaceful. The lights - now more clearly apparent as spirits - clustered around him as though out of worry.

Back in the clearing, Seiji looked up at Kinaro with a nod, though there were tears forming in his eyes. He blinked them back, grimacing and pushing himself up - first to one knee, then to his feet. "I'm okay," he said, his voice barely more than a whisper. "I am." It seemed as though he were speaking more to make himself believe it than Kinaro, "But you're wrong. Whatever happened here, I was a part of it," his voice was heavy with a severity it had lacked since the two had met. It wasn't the same ominous tone as before, but rather one more filled with conviction. "I have a responsibility for what I unleashed, even unwittingly."

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to steady himself, and when he opened them they were set with determination. "So I have to help stop it. You're right about that."

The boy hesitated, his shoulders dropping slightly, "But I don't know how..."

Across from them, Nariko turned to face them. Her expression was unreadable. "Warn your people, child," she said, "War comes." Then, without another word, she broke into a run towards the edge of the clearing. In one instant she placed her foot down as a girl, the next a paw fell as a fox took her place. She shot out of view at inhuman speeds, leaving only a faint shimmering in her wake.
 
as written by Script

Almost an hour had passed since Seiji had unwittingly released a reborn Yumiko Nakajima from her tomb. In the aftermath of the event, Kinaro had gone on ahead to run back to Yan'Xin village and warn the people there of the potential threat. Drained and exhausted from the ordeal, Seiji was scarcely able to keep up the slow and weary pace that he and Junwei now cut through the forest.

Achaeos was slumped unceremoniously over Junwei's shoulder, still unconscious. His breathing was slow, but steady - there seemed to be no immediate risk to his life, despite the terrible burn in his chest, and upon closer inspection, in a branching pattern down the side of his body to his foot, where the electricity had arced through him. There was no doubt that the bolt of lightning would have killed a normal human instantly.

"The spirits are hurting."

Seiji's voice was quiet. It was the first time he'd spoken since Kinaro had left and they'd started walking, all of his previous energy entirely absent. "Their brethren are being twisted..." he went on, "because of her. Because of me. She's making everything wrong."
 
as written by Sentry

Soothing the worries of a child was not Junwei's best trait. He looked down at Seiji, the desolate expression making him uneasy. His frown deepened as he looked away. "You are not to blame. It is not our current worry. We need to keep going, Seiji. Find help."
 
as written by Script

"I am to blame, though," Seiji said, "At least partly. I should have listened to Achaeos."

Overhead, beyond the canopy of trees, the stars fell behind a covering of dark clouds. Rain began to fall, lightly at first, but soon it became a downpour. The trio were quickly soaked. Seiji pulled his coat tighter around himself, but the traditional garment was not designed to be waterproof and before long it was sodden. His hat drooped sadly over his head.

At their current pace, they were still near another hour away from Yan'Xin. It was difficult to believe that they'd sprinted the entire distance earlier in the night.

"Now he's hurt, and bad things are going to happen, and it's because I didn't stop and think. It's no good to pretend that it's not even a bit my fault. No matter what weirdness was going on in my head... I let it happen." He furrowed his brow, and after a few moments he lifted his head up to stare ahead with newfound determination. "So I have to find a way to fix it. That's my responsibility now. Even though I don't know how, or where to start. I have to!"
 
as written by Sentry

Though the rain only dampened their spirits, the moment Junwei saw a light in the boy's eyes again, he smiled. "Then perhaps we should pick up the pace," he told him, reaching down to pick up the back of his garment and carry him much like a football. His impressive size allowed him to stand straight and lift Achaeos off the ground, as well. Even with all this weight, his strength allowed him to move much faster than their original, sluggish pace.
 
as written by Script

Seiji yelped in protest as he was plucked from the ground and stowed under Junwei's arm, flailing his legs briefly before surrendering and allowing them to dangle.

"Paaah. Just because I have little legs doesn't mean you have to manhandle me!" He whined, sticking his tongue out at the large man and folding his arms in a pout. "This isn't very comfortable!"

After a moment, his eyes wandered across to Achaeos. "But I guess it's fine... we have to go fast, and I think my legs have turned traitor since I made them run all the way here."
 
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