The White Chronicle

Chapter 19 - Indestructible versus Unkillable

As Gil douses the fire, he heard a loud crash in the distance. He looks up and sees clouds darken above as if it was being guided by magic. Magic he is too familiar with. "Kislap and Kulog!" he thinks to himself that the two might be in danger.

As he runs toward the noise, he uses his magic to elevate the water as high as the buildings and douse the fire as he passes thru the streets below. Gil sees more dead people on the streets he passed - creatures of all races and ages are killed in a bloody massacre. Their bodies litter the street and the smells of iron fill his senses. Gil remembers his past – back when he was a just young merman.

A past filled with war and senseless violence. He remembers the faces of dead merman as he stands in the steps of the jaded palace. The king of the merman stands before him, his hands reaching high as he chants his powers to defeat his foes. The power of darkness envelops the king and the magic reaches out like tentacles. Grabbing each merman and other sea creatures; crushing and killing them just to absorb the souls and fuel his magic. Their blood litter the water around Gil and the king. The mermen panics and tried to swim away to escape the rampaging magic of the king. As the mermen began to disperse, the tentacles were swift and manage to kill them. Gil finally understands, the king snapped. This is no ritual to win the war; it is a sacrifice of a mad man! He thinks to himself.

Gil was grasped by fear. His legs were unable to move and all he knows is this is the end. Out of nowhere his commander swam in front of him and shielded him from the incoming tentacles. Clad in blue and yellow armor, he pushed Gil aside as he fights off the magic. "Gil! Fight not for the king but the people! This violence needs to end!" his commander shouts as slices the tentacles off with his sword.

Gil falls into the steps of the palace. Stumbling down and rolling. He was a scrawny little merman back then and he can be easily pushed by a strong current of water. The priestess catches Gil and swims him back to a safe place. "Gil! The king has lost it! There is no other way! We must stop his ritual or else all of us will die." Gil is still shaking from seeing the horrors of the king. Gil tries to swim back to his commander but the priestess pulls him back. The priestess hands Gil a parchment on his hands. She looks at Gil with fury in her eye "It is time Gil. The ritual must commence."

Gil remembers the horror but it is not the time to reminiscing. He needs to hurry.

Cracks of lightning and crash of thunder fill the empty streets as the siblings fight off their enemy. Gil runs fast as he can towards the sound and in an instant. The sound stopped for a while and then a loud boom was heard. Intense shaking filled the air with Kulog's fury.

When he reached the corner where the sound was coming from, he saw Kislap on the ground bloodied.

Kislap holds his chest and looked at Gil. Gil was to run towards him but Kislap shakes his head and instead points his finger to the other corner of the street. Gil looks in direction of Kislap's finger and there he sees Kulog coughing blood and a figure preparing to throw his spear.

Gil runs and leaps towards the figure and punches him in the face. His rage intensifies. He won't let anyone die this time. "I will save my friends this time!"

The blow was swift and powerful. As if Gil's rage manifests itself into his fist and gave him the strength to push the figure away. Sure enough, the figure's jaw was destroyed it lays there hanging on his face. Gil grabs a pouch from his belt and throws it Kulog's footing. "Open it! Eat it and give some to your brother! GO!"

Gil didn't have the time to explain but it was a pouch that Atlas gave to him back at the island. The tengu clan leader beat them up so bad that they got bruises all over their body. Back in their room, Atlas gave the pouch to Gil and told him to eat the berry inside. Once Gil swallowed the berry, it instantly healed his wounds. Atlas asked Gil to keep the pouch and only use it in times of need during their battle with Orochimaru but they never had that dire situation back then. Gil never did ask Atlas what the berries were named after but he is still grateful that this manages to save the lives of two guardians.