The Alternate Universes

CHAPTER 5 - The Flower Of Agony

Lychee yawned, he was leaning on a tree, waiting for his friends to meet him there.
"Eyyooo!" Minko waved as she came with Potato and Koko. "Where's Oku and Dirt?" Lychee asked. "They're over there." Koko pointed at the figures from afar. Oku came back proudly with a fish, and an unimpressed Dirt "Caught this along the way"

All of them looked at him with a dead expression. "What?" Oku asked.

"Anyway-" Dirt said waving his hand "What now?"

"We could get resources!" Oku said raising his finger. "Its always resources with you," Lychee sighed, smiling regardless. "Lets go to that cave over there, we might find something." Minko said pointing at a cave that's not so far.

The team of six enter the cave and hit a crossroad. "Right or left-?" Koko asked. "Middle!" Lychee says, as if it was the smartest choice. He goes forward and hits the wall of the cave, passing out.

Koko dragged Lychee to the right cave and put him down on the side. "You do realize we have no tools, only weapons, right?" Lychee said, raising his eyebrow. All of them turned to him. Koko used her magic "You're supposed to be passed out right now, shut up-" She said, making him fall asleep. Oku used the wooden materials and stone materials they collected and made a makeshift pickaxe. "Here, Dirt!" He handed it to Dirt, who took it and went away to mine some of the ores on the wall.

He came back with a broken pickaxe, a sheepish smile and a few iron, which could be about 3 bars. "Worth a shot." Oku sighed. They went back out and realized it was already night. "Did we take that long?" Minko looked surprised. "Time goes fast," Koko laughed, smiling. "It's already late, lets head home, we might get attacked by monsters or something." Potato said, slight concern in her voice. The rest agreed and headed back to the village.

"Whoa, is there a festival?" Minko asks, as she looks in awe at the beautiful decorations and lighting of the village. "Probably, I don't remember what, though." Potato murmured. "Hi! Would you like to join us?" Someone asked them as they entered the village. "If its free food I say yes" Dirt grinned devilishly "Yeah, okay." Oku said as they headed to the middle of the village. They got some food and headed to a secluded place, the main place was too crowded. It was a small campfire place, a walking distance from the village. Oku put down his food and got some mushrooms and berries, Koko joined as well, which was nearby the place, then they came back and continued eating.

Lychee climbed the tree nearby and sat down on a fat branch, which could hold his weight. He continued eating there.

In the middle of them just hanging out and talking about life, something suddenly appeared on the campfire, it was floating on top of the campfire. It had black marks and holes, a milky white flesh and the face was covered with something.

"W-what h-ha-ve y-you... d-done..?" It spoke as if there were a thousand souls in it, speaking at the same time, different tones. Dirt looked closer and gasped.

The thing, floating on the campfire, was a human, the person was crying. "Oh my god, come down, we need to help yo-" Potato was cut off. "D-Do-n-n't.. T-to-ou-ch!" the person yelled. "B-But p-please.." The person started speaking in a normal, broken tone. "S-Save.. Y-Your-s-selve-s.." Then it fell and the grass under it began to wither and die. "K-King.. C-Cap-t-ture... N-No-w... U-upse-et.." Then it let out its final breath. It began to fade into ash and the grass it was once in seeped into a nearby flower. The flower let out screams of a thousand souls, and then it looks like wisps of some sort flew out of the flower.

"W-wHAT JUST HAPPENED?" Minko looked bewildered. "I have no fucking idea and- not gonna lie,- I'm scared shitless." Oku rubbed his temples. There was a loud thump from the tree. Lychee had fallen off the branch. A wisp went back into the flower though, only one.

Koko slowly went closer to the flower. She held it and hissed in pain. Everyone turned to her and saw her hand had black marks and holes. It was slowly crawling up her arm.

"Koko!" Dirt quickly went to her and tried healing her, but it wasn't working. "It's just a hunch but I think we should take her to the church." Oku suggested. "You and your ritual stuff.." Potato sighed, worried for Koko. "Its the only thing we can think of doing, for now." Dirt pointed out. "Lets just, try it." Dirt finished. They nodded and brought Koko there, by then the marks had already reached up her forearm.

They got to the church and the priest walked up to them. The church was lit with only candles, since everyone was outside. "What is it that you seek?" The priest asked. "Father, our friend is blighted with some kind of unholy affiliation." Oku said in a formal tone. The priest looked at Koko who had black marks and holes. "Ah.. I've seen this before. Please, follow me." He led them to a room with candles in the middle. "Please, go inside the circle of candles." He said smiling kindly at Koko "O-Okay.." She said, scared. "What if he's a scam?" Dirt whispered. "If Father is a scam I'm committing arson." Oku said. All of them whistled at his resolve.

The priest started speaking untelligible words. Koko started screaming. Potato went closer, Lychee grabbed her hand and pulled her. "But.." Potato looked so worried at Koko. "I'm sure its fine.." Lychee assured her. Potato watched worriedly. Koko suddenly stood up and ran at Minko. Minko screamed and grabbed the nearest person in fear, but Koko was stopped by a- forcefield..? "Minko- I'm gonna suffocate-" Dirt choked out. "Ah, sorry-" She quickly let go of Dirt.

Koko suddenly fell, and stopped moving. Potato stood up and looked at the priest. There was something that flew out of Koko, a black figure, a wisp, a soul.

"Brother, where are you? Can you hold my hand? I'm scared.."

"You must let go of this life, as much as it is cruel, you cannot cling forever" Oku whispered at the ghost as it flew out the window.

The priest gestured at Koko. Potato rushed to Koko and hugged her. "Are you okay?" Potato asked. "Y-Yeah." Koko said as she sat up a bit.

They looked and saw a black flower was left behind, the same flower that was there when the first victim of this, disease, died. But there wasn't only the flower, there was a child's body. Its a girl with ragged clothes her eyes were open and had no pupils. Blood and tears out of her eyes. She had black marks all over her. She stood up and grabbed the flower. Her corpse-like body movement was terrifying. She sat down and held the flower. The flower began to glow and the color from her hair began to die away. She was white, and a dead corpse now. She fell limp and the flower, now a fully healed and colorful flower was on the floor.

"I wasn't meant to be here for too long, I'm glad you stopped me.."

Oku blinked. "Did I do that?" He turned to the others, who shrugged.

They went to leave and thanked the Father for helping them, and for not charging any payment. They went home and because Koko was so insistent on getting the flower, she brought it with her, they decided to have the flower checked by a nearby merchant the following day.

However, mid-way going home Lychee spoke up. "Oh yeah guys I got a wither looking flower by the way from that person who died on the campfire place." Lychee said holding up a flower kept in a wet handkerchief. They all just stared at him, registering what he had just said. All of them started screaming about not to touch it. Lychee got water and put it on his hands and picked up the flower. The flower appeared to be trying to make him wither but instead it was just hissing. He then put it back.

"Water is immune to the effects of the flower," Lychee stated, the others gaping at him.

"W-Well.. That's nice to know, I guess..." Dirt said, itching his head.

After heading home, they kept the rose in a small closed vase. Koko has fun looking around at the colorful flower the girl dropped. Oku runs to his bed and begins praying. Minko just goes to sleep and Lychee just chills on his bed.

Its another day, tomorrow. Lychee breathed in and closed his eyes to sleep.