Omega Wars Chronicles

Chapter 83: Cowards

   Three days after the exile of Grei and Dunen's mother, little Grei sat alone in the rain while little Dunen stood within the house at side of the door, trying to muster the courage to call him. 
   "B-big brother, you shouldn't be sitting there. It's raining and you'll catch a cold" Dunen said.
    However, Grei ignores Dunen's words and continues sitting alone in the rain; Dunen's right hand slightly trembled with fear as she held her collar and shortly after that, Dunen ran into the rain and grabs hold of Grei's left arm with both of her hands.
   "Big brother, please, you can't afford to stay here!" Dunen said as she was dragging Grei, "Please, come in! Please!!"
   Minutes later Grei was covered in a blanket, sitting close to the hearth with a dead expression and with his irises glowing, Dunen stood behind him with a white bowl in her hands.
  "Big brother, i made tea to warm you up." Dunen said reluctantly as she stood at his side with the hot bowl of tea.
   Grei pays no heed to Dunen, prompting Dunen to place the bowl on the ground and walk in front of him.
  "Big brother…?" Dunen said as she squats to observe Grei, "Big brother-"
   "It burns." Grei cuts in which left Dunen a bit confused, "It burns so much. I stayed in the rain, hoping to quench the burning agony within me but even with the rain water…"
   "It still burns." Grei said while Dunen stared at him with a saddened demeanor, "I know i am supposed to be strong but i don't feel strong. It has been three days now; mother is gone and father is a drunken mess.
   It has been three days now and she is never coming back."
  "We are all we have left." Grei said as he lifts his glowing irises to look at Dunen while tears trickled down his face.
   At that moment, tears seeped across Dunen's cheeks and she embraced her brother while the two cried together.
    'I remember that moment. That was the last time i ever saw my older brother cry.'
   Current Dunen jolts up from unconsciousness and finds herself in the white leafed. Dunen looks around in confusion and sights other humans in the forest with her; some sat on the ground, some stood while some leaned against the trees.
   "Am… Am i dead?" Dunen asked within herself, "These people… Did they die with me?"
   "You're up." A masculine voice said.
   Dunen turns back and sees the person to be Kagi standing with crossed arms which added more to her confusion.
   "Kagi? You're here, too?" Dunen asked which made Kagi stare at her with a raised eyebrow, "Are we all dead?"
   "Sure, we all dead and we are in the land of the spirits." Kagi sarcastically said with a smile, "Wow, i can't believe i am breathing air. Do spirits breathe air?"
   "Knock it off, Kagi." A feminine voice said.
   Kagi turns back and caught sight of the person to be Lylin who happened to be leaning on a tree with crossed arms, leaving Dunen more confused.
  "Lylin?" Dunen said inwardly.
  "She is obviously confused with the entire situation especially since she offered to stay behind." Lylin said to Kagi.
   "You're not dead. None of us are… Yet." Lylin said to Dunen.
   "But i don't understand, Kagi said the regalan stone was damaged and in order for it to carry us, one of us must stay behind." Dunen said, "I offered to stay but if i am alive and the others are, then who stayed?"
   Lylin and Kagi stayed silent and they both stared at the ground.
   "Wait, where is Korul?" Dunen asked.
  Lylin and Kagi still remained silent, leading Dunen's eyes to widen in realization.
   "No…" Dunen said.
  "Dunen-"
  "No! No! No! No! No!" Dunen cuts in on Lylin while clutching the sides of her head and facing the ground, "I was suppose to be the one to stay behind! It was suppose to be me! I offered myself so that no one will die because of me! How could this happen?!"
   "Korul knocked you out and took your place." Kagi answered, "Isn't it obvious?"
   "No! No! He shouldn't have done that…" Dunen said, "He was much stronger than me. I'm not worth it. I'm not worth the sacrifice he made!"
  "You sure aren't." Kagi said.
   "That's enough." Lylin said to Kagi.
  "Oh, so you want to bark orders now?" Kagi asked as he glanced at Lylin with a raised eyebrow.
   "We shouldn't be disrespecting Korul's decision." Lylin replied, "He chose to sacrifice himself. Though i can't fully understand his reasons for doing that, but i respect him and the choice he made."
   "Well, he made the wrong one." Dunen said while gazing at the ground with her hands clutching the grass, "I am not worth his sacrifice. I will only drag everyone down. I will hold everyone back.
   He shouldn't have done it…!  He shouldn't have sacrifice himself in my stead!"
  As Dunen was complaining, Lylin scowled at her.
   "He shouldn't have done this…! HE SHOULDN'T HAVE DONE THIS AT ALL!" Dunen said with closed eyes as tears glowed out of them, "WHY DID HE HAVE TO THROW AWAY HIS LIFE FOR SOMEONE LIKE ME?! WHY DID HE-?!"
   Before Dunen could finish her question, Lylin swiftly ran towards Dunen and kicked her on the face which sent her rolling backwards and hitting her back on a tree, catching Kagi and the others off guard.
  "Lylin?" Kagi called in confusion.
   Lylin ignores Kagi, head towards Dunen's direction and stood in her front while Dunen was rubbing her right cheek. Dunen lifts her head and sees Lylin standing before her with a frowning demeanor.
    "On your feet." Lylin said.
   The confused Dunen stood on her feet, only to be met with a swift punch from Lylin across the face that made her fall on the ground.
  "On. Your. Feet." Lylin ordered while frowning.
   "Hold on, Lylin." A Tenplar male said, "Maybe you are-"
   The Tenplar male paused as Lylin glanced at him with a glare and shortly after that, Lylin returned her attention to Dunen.
   "I won't tell you again." Lylin said.
   As soon as Dunen stood on her feet, Lylin quickly responds with a round house kick that sent her into a twisting motion before falling on the ground. Dunen groaned in pain while others stared with the look of concern.
   "On. Your. Feet." Lylin said to Dunen.
   "Hold on, maybe this is going too far." Kagi said, "We really-"
   "Do not interfere!!!" Lylin cuts in.
   "On your feet!!" Lylin said to Dunen.
   Dunen reluctantly stood on her feet, only to be met with another punch across her face. Lylin quickly follows up her attack with a gut punch and a knee to the jaw and from there the sounds of Lylin beating the crap out of Dunen resonated while the others watched in confusion and horror. Dunen laid on the ground, battered while creaking in pain and panting for air. 
    "On. Your. Feet." Lylin said.
   A Graundar male swiftly stood in front of Lylin with a scowl.
   "Alright, Lylin, that's en-!"
  Lylin quickly interrupts the Graundar with a kick to the side of his neck which made his eyes pupilless and rendered him unconscious.
    "Do not interfere." Lylin said.
  Lylin returns her attention to the beaten Dunen and stared down at her.
   "On. Your. Feet!" Lylin said as she hurls her fist down at Dunen.
   Right before Lylin's fist could connect, Kagi showed up in her front and held her wrist.
   "That's enough." Kagi said.
   "Do. Not. Interfere." Lylin said with her irises glowing.
   "Or else what?" Kagi asked with his irises glowing, "Lylin take a look at what you are doing. You're beating the hell out of a battered and unwell person. Your hits are making a lot of sounds and giving away our position and on top of that, you just knocked out a comrade with a kick to the neck.
   What the hell has gotten into you? It's not like you to act like this."
   "She needs to learn and as for the one i knocked out, he simply got in my way." Lylin said, "Her problem isn't that she is weak, her problem is that Grei was too soft on her and because of that, it stunted her growth.
  Constantly wallowing in self pity and crying like a brat, like that's going to help anyone in this situation!"
   "And you think hitting her like this is going help?" Kagi asked.
   "If it will knock some senses into her, yes!" Lylin replied, "And you don't get to talk; after all, you were the who wanted to abandon her because you deemed her weak and worthless."
   "I could care less about her." Kagi replied, "I'm trying to point out how you are compromising everyone because you are letting your emotions take control, which is quite unlike you! You are a levelheaded person; seeing you act like this is just distasteful."
   "We all have limits. Now let go. Of my arm." Lylin said as her irises glowed.
   Kagi glared at Lylin for a while and released his grip. Lylin stared at Dunen for a moment (who happened to be on the ground, panting for air) and sighed
  "Dammit." Lylin said as she turned her back to walk away.
   Covering a few distance, Lylin paused and stared at the ground.
   "Dunen… Do you honestly believe any of us wanted him to sacrifice himself?" Lylin asked, "I for one didn't. I didn't want to see anyone sacrifice themselves, but with the situation that presented itself, we had no choice but to leave a comrade… A friend behind."
    "But i didn't ask him to do it! I made the decision to stay, he didn't have to take my place!" Dunen said.
   "You're right. He didn't have to take your place but he still did." Lylin said, "As i said earlier, i don't think I can understand his reasons for that but regardless, i respect him and his choice; after all, it's not something i can do.
    A warrior is expected to lay down his or her life for their friends, comrades, and the people they serve but i can't. I'm not that type of person. I have never been afraid of a fight but i am afraid of losing my own life in one.
   As the daughter of a healer, i thought i have seen too many deaths until i found myself in this stupid game, and seeing the amount of people that have died in it just frightens me because it could be my turn, too."
   "There is nothing wrong with feeling fear for your life, but if you are that afraid of dying then why did you join the academy?" Kagi asked.
   "I joined because it was expected of me." Lylin replied while still facing the ground, which brought confusion to Kagi, "As the oldest, it was expected of me to lead by example so that my younger twins can learn but look at where it got them! And on top of it, i can't even face death in the eye especially when i feel i am going to lose!"
   "Leading by example…" Dunen said as she recalls Grei's face, "Big brother… Come to think of it, the last time you cried was when you were six. You've bottled so much because you can't afford to show any weakness and all i do is to let you down."
    "I blame you and the hivelings for their deaths, Kagi." Lylin said while still facing the ground, "As i am speaking to you right now, the thoughts of running my fist through your heart still plays in my head; I feel so much rage towards you and the hivelings that i am struggling to keep under control, but in as much as i am angry at you and the hivelings, the person i am angry at the most is myself! If i hadn't followed that stupid expectation, they would have still been alive!
   There are a lot of deaths and emotions flying around and the last thing i need is someone whining and crying about how things didn't go their way."
   "But Korul's death could have been avoided. If i had just stayed behind then he would still be alive." Dunen said.
   "Tell me something, Dunen." Lylin said as she glanced at her, "When you wanted to stay, were you doing it to give others a fighting chance or were you doing it because you were looking for an excuse to end your miserable existence?"
    "Huh?" Dunen said in puzzlement.
   "I am no good to anyone. Grei is better off without me. I don't want to be a burden to anyone, anymore. Seems to me you wanted to die not because you wanted to stand your ground and give others a fighting chance but because you stupidly wanted to run from your pain by assuring yourself death is the only way to do it."
     Hearing what Lylin just said, Dunen's eyes widened.
   "I don't like how Korul sacrificed himself for us, but one of his finals words were 'I said i wasn't going to leave any of my comrades behind, i didn't say i won't be left behind'." Lylin said as she was walking towards Dunen, "Given how he was fighting against anyone being left behind, he truly wanted to save everyone, but you... You weren't truly after saving others; you were just selfishly trying to throw your life away."
    Lylin grabs Dunen by the collar and pulled her upclose.
   "You shell-brained moron! Did you honestly believe dying like that was the best way to deal with your problem?!" Lylin asked while scowling with glowing irises, "You were trying to end your life, disregarding how your brother, the one who has sacrificed so much for you might feel, all because you thought yourself a burden?! Is there any limit to how stupid you can be?!"
   "I... I..." Dunen said with her eyes still widened while trying to compose her words.
   "Throwing away your life like that just to end your misery is a cowardly way to do it!" Lylin said, "But i'm not one to speak about cowardice. I don't think any of us have the right to speak about cowardice. We are the ones running from a fight in order to preserve our lives and we were the ones debating who should stay and who should live on when none of us except you and Korul, could even offer up our own lives."
   Lylin released her grip from Dunen's collar, leaving her to sit on the ground while she (Lylin) turns her face away.
   "A warrior is expected to fight until the very end but i don't have that resolve." Lylin said, "When i am in a battle of life and death and i feel i am going to lose, instead of fighting to win, i fight to escape. I am unfit for the title of a warrior, but Korul wasn't.
    They say the best way to play a rigged or impossible game is not to play at all and that's we are trying to do in this red mist madness, but if you look at it, we can't keep running forever. Eventually we are going to have to stand our ground and fight even if it is against that thing and that's what frightens me the most..."
  "Looking at that thing is like looking at death itself." Lylin said while Kagi was seated and staring at the regalan stone, "I wonder how many of us will even survive this at all."
   "Dunen." Lylin called as she glanced at her, "A lot has been sacrificed for you, so it's time for you to show you are worth every sacrifice. Your brother, Korul, even the teammates that risked their safety for you during the academy's tasks."
   "But how?" Dunen asked, "How can i show it? I'm not-"
   "If you are going to keep insisting on how worthless you are, then i'm going to beat that worth into you!!" Lylin angrily cuts in, thereby catching Dunen off guard, "I'm not a softie like your brother and at this point, my strings are loosening!!"
   Lylin stared at Dunen for a while and sighed with closed eyes.
   "Prove yourself, Dunen." Lylin said, "Show why you are worth every sacrifice made. Prove it for your brother and Korul."
   "I think we should all prove why we are worth Korul's sacrifice." Lylin said, prompting the other humans to stare at her in puzzlement, "As i said before, we can't run forever, sooner or later we will be forced to stand our ground and fight especially with that creature, so it's best we come up with a plan."
   "Now that is something we can agree on." Kagi said with a smile, "We can't take them or that thing on without a plan, so we need to think of one fast. There is an unsettled score for the punch Korul threw, but right now i refuse to let it look like he sacrificed his life for a bunch of cowards."
   The words of Kagi made the other humans within the forest (except Dunen and Lylin) mutter amongst themselves which made Kagi grin devilishly while his upper face was overshadowed.
    "You know if you are against the idea, then i can leave you behind while the ones that want to fight can come with me." Kagi said, "But If those hivelings or that thing should arrive, how are you going to deal with it or better still, how are you going to escape? But i guess it will be good to leave you guys behind, right?"
   "NO!!" The other humans replied.
   "Good, then we have an agreement." Kagi said with a smile.
   Lylin walks towards Dunen and lent a helping hand for her to stand back on her feet and as soon as Dunen stood on her feet, Lylin gazed at Dunen's poisoned arm.
   "Does it still hurt?" Lylin asked.
    "Yes, it still does." Dunen answered.
    "I told Korul i could stall poison until the sand in the hourglass runs out, but now i am starting to have ideas on what i could do to remove it." Lylin said.
   "The hivelings will soon arrive, so it's best we go somewhere and prepare our plan." Lylin said to Kagi as she shifts her gaze to him.
   "No problem, just make sure you carry him along and heal him for what you did." Kagi replied with a smile as he points at the Graundar Lylin kicked earlier.
    The Graundar laid on the ground with his bottom raised and his eyes pupilless while speaking distortedly.
   "Oh... Sure." Lylin said with a blank, "I'll heal him and apologize for my actions."
    While Lylin and Kagi were discussing with each other, the Ripar male (the one shivering with fear in the previous chapter) smirked as his eyes momentarily transformed into that of a hiveling.