Wait! I'm not a Demigod, I'm a Gamer!

Chapter 6: Story

"After...I died." The sound of the wind blowing through the trees is the only thing that fills the stunned atmosphere. Sam eyes are wide as saucers while a few tears escape Yuuya's eyes. Seeing him distressed, Sam quickly and gently holds Yuuya's face, trying to brush away the tears that kept falling nonstop. "Oh Yuuya, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you upset. Please don't cry!" Seeing him continue to cry and start to hiccup, Sam could only think of one solution. He pulls Yuuya into a warm embrace, holding the back of his head while rubbing soothing circles on his back. Yuuya eyes widen at the sudden affection and raises his arms up to hug Sam back, hiding his face in Sam's fixed shoulder. They stay in this position for awhile until Yuuya clears his throat, still holding Sam, and continues his explanation, careful not to reveal anything about Sakura. "One second, I was with my siblings, then I noticed a child was in danger so...I pushed them out of the way. B-But I got h-hit instead. Th-the last thi-ing I-I remember is-is feeling p-pain and-and my siblings crying out!" Yuuya cries towards the end, hating having to think back to that moment. The moment he felt Yuuya started to shake, Sam resumes rubbing his back and head, trying to provide as much comfort as he could. "Hey shhh. It's okay. It's alright. You're alright." Sam tried to console the poor fox beast-man. After a few more minutes, Yuuya gently releases Sam and push him away. Sam allowed him to and watched with concerned eyes as the poor fox beast-man rubbed his eyes to get rid of the last traces of sadness off his face. As he waits, Sam thinks, "Poor Yuuya. He must've had it tough. Not only did he wake up in an unknown place, he also clearly remembers a horrific past. I feel so bad, but this confirms it. He must be the hero from the prophecy. He looks like an unusual beast-man, can wield several magic types, contains massive strength, and he died! He must be the revived kitsune!"
Not wanting to overwhelm him, Sam gently puts his hand on Yuuya's shoulder, gaining his attention. "I'm sorry I asked a sensitive question. I didn't mean to make you feel bad." Yuuya's ears straighten up as he shakes his head, placing his hand over Sam's on his shoulder. "No it's okay. You didn't know. You were just wary of me which you have every right to. I'm a stranger." Sam squints his eyes for a second before a sudden thought crossed his mind. "Hey...Are you aware of the tension between all the races?" Yuuya looks at Sam with confused eyes. "What tension? Are there more than just beast-men and humans?" Sam's mouth drops at the questions, surprised at his ignorance and understands his kind personality now. "No wonder he helped me." Sam shakes his head and leads Yuuya to sit down next to another tree. Yuuya allows himself to be lead and stares at Sam curiously, waiting patiently. Sam moves to kneel in front of the fox beast-man and clears his throat, ready to give a long explanation. "Okay before I begin, how much of this world do you know?" Yuuya looks up in thought before replying, "Not much. I woke up in that field a couple of days ago. I didn't move far from there until I heard you scream. This is the farthest I've been from that field." Sam nods his head in clear understanding. "Okay good. Now I know where to start."
Sam sits more comfortably before beginning. "Alright. This world has five main races: humans, beast-men, elves, demons, and fairies. Each race rule a major part of land. Humans rule the east side of the country, beast-men live in the north, elves reside in the west, demons in the south, and fairies stay in the center." Yuuya nods his head occasionally, soaking up all the information. Seeing he still has his attention, Sam continues. "Right. Each race usually stays in their own land, never going into other races' land." Yuuya raises his hand as if he was in a classroom. "Wait, what do you mean they don't go into other territories? Is there some law forbidding it?" Sam smiles sadly and shakes his head. "Not exactly. Other races can travel into other lands, but it's not recommended." Yuuya tilts his head in confusion. "Is the travel dangerous? Do powerful monsters block roads or something?" Sam once again shakes his head. "No, I mean some roads are dangerous, but that's not the main issue. You see, all the races are afraid of each other or-or hate them." Yuuya frowns, his ears flatten down, but doesn't say a word. "Every race has strengths and weaknesses, weaknesses that they don't want exposed." Yuuya raises his hand once again. "But doesn't that mean that they should stick together to protect themselves and each other?" Sam smiles at the innocent question and nods his head in agreement. "Yeah, they should. In fact, they use to back when the kitsunes were around." This intrigues Yuuya. "Kitsunes? What are those? I thought you said there were only five races." Sam squints his eyes in puzzlement. "He doesn't know about kitsunes? Did he come before a time they were called that?" Putting those thoughts aside, Sam continues his explanation. "Yes, nowadays there are five main races. However, centuries ago there were six. The sixth being demigods. These demigods were either kitsunes or dragons. Everyone lived in peace." Dreading what's next, Yuuya asks anyway. "Lived? As if they used to in the past, but don't now? What happened?" Sam looks down in sadness. "Well the dragons wanted more. They wanted to enslave the other species. The kitsunes wouldn't allow it so they fought them. The kitsunes protected the other races against the dragons." Yuuya nods his head, feeling depressed as the story continues. "Did they win?" Sam shakes his head with a sorrow look. "No. The war lasted several centuries, but the kitsunes lost. Just when the dragons were gonna kill the very last one, that kitsune unleashed a powerful spell that gravely injured the remaining dragons. Sadly, the spell cost him his life." Yuuya continues to listen, but tears start to form in his eyes. "They died?" Sam nodded before continuing. "Yes, but thanks to him the other races were spared and given a chance to live in peace for awhile. But his sacrifice made the other races lose their confidence in themselves and in each other. Everyone just...went their own way." Yuuya frowns sadly at the thought that everyone gave up on each other. "That's really sad..." Sam bites his lip and looks at Yuuya. "Yeah. After so many years went by, everyone started turning on each other. Demons attacked the beast-men for territory, beast-men attacked humans for food, humans hunted elves to use them as slaves, it just keeps getting worse." Yuuya's eyes widen at the realization. "That's why he was so afraid of me. He thought I was gonna hurt him because he's a human and I'm a beast-man. Poor Sam." Yuuya gently takes Sam's hand, surprising him with the kind gesture. "I'm sorry I scared you. I didn't know. This doesn't change my opinion: I would never hurt you. You're my friend." Yuuya finishes with a warm smile. Sam blushes and returns the smile with his own. "Thank you. I'm glad we can be friends." They stare at each other for awhile before a loud grumbling sound interrupted them.