Blooming Vendetta

Chapter 8: Live As Freely As You Dream

"Ugh..." Sharp would groan as he opened his eyes. He would find himself in one of the Gods' temples, but couldn't quite tell which one at the moment. As he sat up in the bed, he looked around the room and found a moth woman sitting in the corner. She seemed to be knitting a small hat for someone.

It only took her a second to realize she was being stared at, and she smiles kindly at the alien. "Ah, good morning. I'm glad to see you awake." The white, fluffy moth woman says in a tender voice.

"So...it seems I'm in the Temple of Light?" Sharp asked as he hangs his legs off the bed.

"That's correct. Little Mabel brought you over, and I nursed you back to health. Be careful, okay? We don't want you to rush recovery." She says.

"I understand, but I'm fine now." He says, doing some stretches.

"Ah, how wonderful...~! Well, if that's the case, you're free to go then. Ah, and if you need anything in the temple, as for Mothra, that's me." She introduces herself, her name being a mix of moth, mother, and Martha.

Sharp only nods, and grabs his gun on the table before heading out to the main worship hall, where he found Mabel and the Goddess of Light, Klara. The Goddess was rather short, but had an ample bust despite her stature. She had light grey hair, bordering white, and crystal blue eyes. Above her head was a shining halo. At the moment, she was wearing a dress short that was designed like the flag of Sweden, her home and native land.

"You won't believe what happened next, Lady Klara...! When I took Sharpie to the rooftop, the big guy from before suddenly appears and knocked Sharpie out in a single punch! I managed to hold him off by distracting him, but Sharpie wasn't actually out, he just pretended to be so the big brute would turn around! So he shot him right in the back of the head and he flops on the ground! My heart was pounding!" Mabel recounted the tale of her execution day excitedly, as the Goddess would nod along with intrigue.

"I'm just happy that you're same, Mabel..." She says with a happy smile.

This made Mabel blush, as she touches her pointer fingers together in embarrassment. "Ehehe...~! Thank you, Lady Klara...!" She would giggle from the praise, as her attention turns to Sharp. "Ah, Sharpie! You're awake!" She would wave to her partner in crime as he walked up to them, and bowed to the Goddess. "Lady Klara, this is my friend, Sharpie!" She would introduce the two to each other.

Klara smiles at Sharp and returns his bow. "It's nice to meet you, sir... Thank you for looking after Mabel while she was away." She says.

Despite all the character development he had went through in the last few days, he only nodded. "I was just doing my job..." He says simply.

"Hehe..." Klara giggles softly, and holds his hands up gently. "If you ever need anything, like a place to stay, our gates are always open to you, sir." She offers him.

Sharp stares at her, his expression never changing. But inside, he was grateful, so he would say so. "Thank you." He nods.

The lack of facial changes made Klara a bit nervous, as she slowly lets go of his hands and bows. Mabel, however, could tell what he's thinking. "Don't worry, Lady Klara, that's just how he is! Deep down, he's really happy that you offered, right?" She flutters up to the taller man's shoulder and puts her arm around him, smiling cheekily.

"Yeah." He gives a short answer, and bows once again. "I should be going now. My mission isn't over yet." He says and turns around. Mabel would follow him around until they stood at the temple's gates.

"So...you're going to keep looking for Mr. Kheios?" Mabel asked as he walked.

"That's right." He answered, stopping at the gates. "I'm sorry for getting involved in your family affair. But perhaps it was for the best."

"Yeah... If you hadn't come to save me that first day, I might not have been able to come home at all..." Mabel says, and continues to fly next to him. "Are you...sure you don't want to take a rest for a bit? You been searching nonstop, you gotta be tired..."

Sharp turns his head to her, and pats her head in his big hands. "That won't be necessary. I only need three hours of rest." He says.

"That's not what I meant...!" Mabel pouts. "Maybe slow down and think for a bit... You've been looking for months now, and still haven't found a trace of him... What if he...?"

"No." Sharp cuts off her sentence. "He's still alive. And...he's feeling like himself. Which is all the more reason for me to find him as fast as possible." He tells her.

"Huh...? Do you mean you actually got into contact with him...?!" She asked.

"Well, he got into contact with me, to be more specific. But yes. We spoke briefly. So he's alive. I just need to find out where..."

As the two stood at the gates of the temple, the moonlight would shine brightly over them, coming out through the clouds. "Then...I want to say one more thing before you leave!" She says, as Sharp turns his head to her. "These are words that my mother used to say to me... I've always kept them close to my heart. She always told me...live as freely as you dream...!" Mabel recites her personal motto to the pale alien. "At first, I didn't quite understand what she meant... But now I know. No matter how much life tries to kick you down... To chew you up and spit you back out... Keep pushing ahead. Dream of the life you wish to live, and live until that dream becomes reality!"

As usual, his face didn't change at all, as he turns his head forward once again. Before he started walking, he would speak. "Those are wise words... Perhaps, one day, I will be able to..." He smiles, and begins to stride forward. As he walked, he extended his arm to his side, parallel to the ground, and gave Mabel a thumbs up.