Raising up a Frost Demon Legacy (A DBZ Kuriza story)

Sacrifices Were Made

Kuriza POV:

I felt Solstice carry me to a lake nearby. She said she was going to wash this goop off me. Even with as careful as she was being, every muscle in my body ached and every bone felt like they were shattered. I also had difficulty breathing; my lungs were inflamed. I tried my best to keep my mind occupied with other thoughts, hoping to avoid the searing pain. Soon, Solstice reached the body of water and cautiously submerged me. She scraped off the gunk but I still felt its dastardly effects.

"How do you feel?" She worriedly asked me, laying me down to dry off from my bath.

"Uh uh." I responded with a shake of my head. My throat was severely scratchy so I couldn't talk. What pained me worse than all of this was the desperate look on her face. She was almost crying- something I've never seen her do.

"Think, Solstice! Think! I know! Gather up your energy and transform! Maybe it would go away." She snapped her fingers. I did as she directed, not quite used to my final form. My body was shrouded in a pinkish-purple aura as my horn on my head retracted and my bio armor shed right off. My body became more sleek and white. The aura faded away and I began to feel better.

"Did it work?" Solstice cocked her head and stared at me with a look I couldn't recognize. It was stronger than reverence though. Suddenly I collapsed to the ground and started writhing. The pain returned with a vengeance; it was so intense that it knocked me right out.

When my eyes fluttered open again, I was wrapped up in some thick covering made of leaves and something else. I saw Solstice on the other side of a roaring fire that illuminated a section of the night-fallen scenery. Her expression was grave and almost lifeless. She spotted me awakening and rushed to my side.

"Kuriza? Are you alright? Can you sit up?"

"Uh huh." I pulled myself up and sat by the fire.

"I made this for you. I need you to eat it. All of it. It'll help you heal faster." She instructed, handing me a crispy and thick piece of food. I instantly tore into it, tasting something sweet and savory. All the while, Solstice leered at the fire deep in thought.

Solstice POV:

I hoped Eclipse's advice worked. She never lied to me before. Every now and then, I glimpsed up at Kuriza to make sure he ate my sacrificial cure. I ensured that the rest of my tail was hidden from view so he didn't find out.

"Kuriza?" I called him.

Kuriza POV:

I just finished the last little bit of whatever Solstice fed me before she called my name. I glanced at her, her arms akimbo.

"Many sacrifices were made today."

"Like Ocarina and Breezy?"

"Yes. And..I..also contributed." I watched as she lowered her head. Then I noticed something horrible. Half her tail, the very tail she prized more than her own life, was gone. All that remained was a bloody stub. My jaw had dropped.

"Solstice! What happened to-" She shrank away from my question and I cut myself off. An uncomfortable silence loomed between us.

"I did it to save you. You see, while you were unconscious,  I recalled my sister telling me that Frost Demons have a secret ability to give strength to others by the consumption of their tails." She revealed sullenly.

"It'll grow back, right?" I asked.

"In time."

"I'm very sorry I caused this."

"What?"

"When I shielded you earlier. If I would've stayed put, you wouldn't be half tailless right now." I apologized. Before I knew it, Solstice appeared in front of me and clasped my hands in hers.

"I'm sort of glad you did that. Now I know I have something I prize more than my tail..." She murmured with a hint of red in her face.

"Me?"

"You." Our faces were inches from touching. My heart was beating faster and louder every second. It's like time slowed down to a halt. Her eyes appeared to outshine the fire, the suns around this planet, and the stars. My chest seemed to flutter and my body became jittery and tingly. What was this? Was it the slime from earlier making me unwell? Regardless, I almost didn't want this incredibly warm sensation enveloping me to stop.