The Last Dainv

Chapter 301

Gale and Erin chased the whirlwind as it fled across the flat lands. The vortex of wind moved faster than he expected. However, it couldn't lose them, and because of that, it constantly looked back at them every few seconds to see if they were still following.

Entering a small forest, the trees here were thinner than most of the forest he encountered in this rift. From the gaps between the trees alone, he could see the other side.

The whirlwind didn't slow down, though. It kept moving through the trees, bringing destruction in its wake. Trees were ripped from the ground, roots and everything flying backwards towards Gale and Erin as they followed.

Phase defense activated at places where the branches and trunks met his body. Erin, on the other hand, erected ice shields with not even so much as an expression appearing on her face.

The chase continued through the forest, but Gale wasn't pushing himself to catch up. If he wanted to close the distance, he could. But that was never the point.

There was one thing he learned in the forest. If he wanted to make friends with the wildlife, he needed to keep his distance. Eventually, it would calm down. Chasing her too closely would make her even more wary of them.

Hunching up his shoulders as he ran, he did his best to make himself look smaller. Unfortunately, Erin wasn't playing along. She floated beside him at full height, posture straight, moving her legs as if she were running on the ground. Not exactly the kind of image that should be shown to a crying child who was running for her life.

Exiting the forest, they encountered a river about thirty metres wide. The water rushed past through the bank like rapids.

The whirlwind floated across the surface, running on the water. It reached the other side and kept running.

Gale jumped as his foot hit the edge of the land. Mid air, he saw a figure come at him. A slice of wind, thin and barely visible to his physical eyes. Phase defense activated immediately, allowing it to pass him, but not entirely, while Erin had floated upwards slightly to avoid the slice.

Pain shot through his chest where the slice of wind passed through. Phase Defense mitigated most of the damage, but the anti-phase property of the wind still allowed it to injure him.

Landing on the other side of the river, he kept running. Blood seeped through his shirt. It didn't matter.

It was then the whirlwind reached a flat land where the eyes couldn't see anything but mountains from afar. Based on the lowered visibility of the mountains beyond, they were far enough that they could see the atmosphere's haze.

The whirlwind stopped. The child inside looked left and right, then back at Gale, who had come up from behind.

When he arrived about twenty metres away, it started running again.

He followed without closing the distance. The whirlwind ran and ran across the flat land, and Gale maintained his pace behind it, softly following rather than chasing. As long as he could see a visual of the spirit, it was all fine.

The chase continued for what felt like hours, and the flat land seemed endless. Nowhere to go and nowhere to hide. At this point, Gale finally felt the fatigue building up on his legs. Something he hadn't felt since he became Awakened. Still, he didn't stop.

Reaching a single boulder on the flat land that was even taller than him, the child inside the whirlwind tripped.

The winds loosened. Grass, soil, and branches fell from the air as the vortex wobbled, losing its strength.

Gale slowly approached. Walking, instead of running. Each step was at a constant rhythm, showing no sudden movements.

"Child," Erin said from behind him. "The winds will damage you should the spirit attack."

He ignored the warning still. He knew full well what he was doing, and in knowing so, he kept walking forward.

The whirlwind stabilized slightly. The winds picked back up around the child to create a smaller vortex. Her green hair whipped around her face as her long dress did not fit her.

Slices of wind shot toward him.

Phase Defense activated across his body. The first slice passed through his arm, leaving a thin cut on his bicep. The second went through his thigh, drawing blood that soaked into his jeans. The third caught his flank, opening a gash along his ribs.

Yet his feet didn't stop walking as more slices of wind came at him.

His torso took two hits that left lines of red across his chest. His cheek split open from a slice that passed through his skull. His forearms were covered in thin cuts that stung in the cold air of Kair.

The blood ran down his body and dripped onto the grass. Run away, Gale. That's what he would've told himself if he were still the same boy who lived in that orphanage.

But a child was crying in front of him. All he wanted when he was alone in that orphanage was for an adult to come and read books with him as a sign of comfort.

What this child needed the most was softness.

And with one more step, he could clearly see her face, visible through the spinning debris. Green hair matted. Tears flowing down her cheeks. Snot from her nose that looked like it had been wiped so many times. Her small hands clenched as she tried to crawl backwards from him. Her eyes, wide and terrified, telling him not to hurt her.

He wouldn't, though.

Gale took another step. A slice of wind passed through his shoulder, leaving a cut that went deeper than the others.

Another step. Two more slices hit his legs. His pristine jeans had now become the ripped jeans he didn't like.

And in another step, the winds changed. Instead of slicing, it pushed him, threatening to blow him away.

Gale reached the edge of the whirlwind.

The wind howled around him as if a tornado was about to form, trying to lift him up to push himself away. The clothes that Rachel bought him were now torn, but she'll understand once he told her this story.

Crouching down to meet her eye to eye, making himself smaller, he reached for her slowly.

As she stared at him, he put his hands under her shoulders. Gently, he picked her up and lifted her to her feet.

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The wind picked up once more, but his stance didn't falter, nor did his hand let go of her.

Now that she was standing up, he pulled her closer, wrapped his arms around her small form, and slowly guided her head to gently press against his chest. When his free arm reached the back of her head, he patted her softly.

The wind slowed. Her shoulders trembled. Her arms wrapped around his chest, burying her face even deeper.

"There was once a chicken named Chicken Little that thought the sky was falling," Gale said. "Do you know what a chicken is?"

The spirit didn't answer.

"It's a bird, similar to the guardians," he said. "Because the sky was falling, the chicken went to her friends. The chicken first went to her friend named Henny Penny. Henny Penny immediately believed her friend and was even more scared than Chicken Little."

Gale gently continued patting her head as he told the story. "Then Chicken Little and Henny Penny went to their friend called Cocky Locky. Cocky Locky was so confident that the sky was falling that he suggested going to Ducky Lucky."

The spirit pushed against his chest to look up at him.

"And then when they reached Ducky Lucky, she said they were all being stupid and that they should go home. So then they had a debate on how the sky was falling," he said. "Do you know why the sky was falling?"

The spirit shook her head.

"That's what they wanted to find out. So they went to their smartest friend named Smarty Turkey," Gale said. "Smarty Turkey explained to them the concept of rain, wind, and clouds. And told them that there was no way to stop the rain, which is very unfortunate for Chicken Little."

Pulling her out of his embrace, he looked at her face and wiped the snot off her nose with his own sleeves and brushed her hair. At this point, the winds had completely stopped. The scenery had become serene and silent. Only his voice was audible.

What happened to Chicken Little and his friends? she asked.

"Chicken Little's mom got mad and told her and her friends that if they didn't go back home, they wouldn't get food if they came back wet from the rain," Gale said with a smile.

The spirit chuckled a little, but then stopped herself. She looked away from Gale, pretending she didn't just laugh.

"What's your name?"

Kair.

"Are you ok now, Kair?"

Kair nodded.

Gale took her hand and guided her towards an undamaged patch of grass near the boulder. He sat down cross-legged and gently placed her on his lap where she could lean back against his chest.

Erin floated down beside them, settling into her usual sitting position without saying anything.

The night sky stretched above them in all its glory. Without the whirlwind kicking up debris, the view was clear. Stars filled every corner of the darkness, some bright, some dim, some forming patterns that Gale didn't recognize.

He raised one hand and pointed at a star to their left. It was a yellowish one, slightly brighter than the ones around it. "Do you wanna hear the story of that star over there?"

It has a story?

"Of course. Many stars have their own stories," Gale said.

I wanna hear the story.

Gale smiled and spoke. "There was a short guy that lived over there, people with big feet and lived in the ground rather than above."

Kair watched the star he had pointed at.

"But it wasn't a dirty hole or anything like that. It was a really nice hole with a round door and windows and a fireplace. It was really warm too." Gale adjusted her position on his lap so she could see the sky better. "One day, this really old wizard with grey robes and everything came to his house and told him to take this ring to a volcano on the other side of the world."

Why a volcano? Kair asked.

"The volcano was a super volcano that could destroy the evil thing inside the ring that was made by a really mean bad guy a long time ago. If anyone wore it, they'd become evil too."

And then? And then? Kair's small hands gripped his arm that was wrapped around her waist.

"Of course the short guy didn't wanna go. He was living peacefully," Gale chuckled. "But the wizard said that if he didn't take the ring, everyone would be in danger."

Did he go? she asked.

"He did. But he didn't go alone. His best friend came with him because best friends don't let their friends walk into dangerous places by themselves," Gale said. "They also had a bunch of other friends who joined them along the way. A really cool ranger guy. An elf that was really pretty with big pointy ears. And an even shorter person that could smash a boulder like this in half."

Kair tapped on the boulder beside them. With just his hands?

Gale nodded slowly, then continued his story. "They walked for a really long time. Like, a really, really long time. Through forests and mountains and swamps and all sorts of terrible places. And there was this creepy guy who used to own the ring before the short guy got it. He followed them the whole way because he wanted his ring back."

Was the creepy guy evil?

"Kind of. He used to be normal, but the ring made him evil because that's what evil rings do." Gale laughed at his own joke, so did Kair. "Anyway, they finally reached the volcano after walking for what felt like forever. The short guy was exhausted, and the ring was getting heavier and heavier because the closer they got to the volcano, the more the evil inside it tried to stop him. But when he got to the edge of the volcano where he was supposed to throw the ring in, he didn't want to do it anymore."

Why not?

"Remember? Because the ring made people evil. So he wanted the ring for himself. And at the very end, right when he was supposed to destroy it and become a hero, he almost did give in to the evil."

Did he become a hero after?

"The short guy went home after that," Gale continued. "They celebrated him like a hero. He got so much food that he got really, really fat. And then his friends also ate as much as he did, and then they were scolded by the old wizard for being too lazy."

Why would the old wizard scold heroes? They should be able to do what they want.

"Just because you become a hero doesn't mean you are always right."

Kair looked down. I knew that.

Gale's hand reached up to her long green hair and ruffled it, causing her to pout. And then he pointed to another star, this one to their right, a bluish, twinkling one. "Do you want to hear another story?"

Kair nodded against his chest.

"There's a boy who lived in that star over there," Gale said. "He lived under the stairs in his aunt and uncle's house because they hated him and treated him like garbage."

Why did they hate him?

"Because his parents were warriors who fought against a really evil dark lord, and his aunt was jealous that she didn't have any special powers like his parents did. So she took out her jealousy on the boy by making him sleep in a closet and wear his cousin's old clothes that didn't fit. Those clothes were too big on him, just like your clothes right now."

That's mean. I'm growing into it.

Gale chuckled. "But one day, a really big guy showed up at their house and told the boy that he was actually a warrior too, just like his parents. And there was a special school for warriors where he could learn to fight and use his powers for the greater good."

Did he go?

"Of course he did. The closet under the stairs was so stuffy, he'd wanna go to anywhere, right?"

Right...

"At the warrior school, he made friends for the first time in his life. A boy who was so smart that he sounded kind of stupid and a girl who was stupid, but was really strong and had a good loving family."

Did that boy and girl become his friends?

"Not just friends. They became best friends and got into so much trouble together."

Kair laughed.

"So the reason why the boy went to that school in the first place was to train hard enough to get back at the evil dark lord. Every year at the warrior school, the boy had to fight against the dark lord or his followers in some way. It was like the dark lord just couldn't leave him alone like a stalker."

What's a stalker?

"Remember those evil dark shadow things chasing you?"

Those are stalkers?

"Very evil stalkers."

And then what happened?

"It took a really long time, and the boy even almost died, but then he came back to punch the evil dark lord in the face when the dark lord was trying to take over the world."

Why did he have to punch? He could have just cast something from far away and not get hurt. He almost died.

"Because he wanted to see the evil lord's face when he got punched in the face. Wouldn't you wanna see the evil person's face when they lose?"

Kair nodded vigorously. Did anything happen after?

"He grew up and had kids and lived a normal life with the girl he had been best friends with. Happily ever after once the dark lord was gone."

Why are there so many evil dark lords in your stories? she asked.

Gale looked down at her to meet her eyes. "Because that's what happens in a lot of worlds. Someone gets too powerful and decides they just wanna be evil to get everything they want while they don't care about others."

Kair's hands tightened on his arm again.

"Just like what's happening here in your world, right?" Gale asked, not expecting an answer, and of course, she didn't. "I came here to get rid of those bad things. Do you want to help me kill the evil dark lord in this land?"

I want to. I really want to. Kair said, trying her best not to let a tear drop. Her expression had a sense of determination that Gale could tell she'd been fighting for so long.

"Where do you think we should go first?" he asked.

Kulbran.