Falling Leaves 42 ??

  At the mountainside, Danya presses forward, her hair and eyes continue to flicker on and off. Her feet drag across the stone as a trail of blood follows her from her injuries.

  “Where the hell could she—” Danya stutters as she spots two bodies in the distance.

  “ARI!” She shouts, forcing herself to limp faster.

  The area continues to tremble as she loses her balance.

  “Ugh!” She grunts falling over. She turns her head to the flower in the distance.

  “Can this ‘Malika’ just wake up already?!”

  She heaves herself upright, continuing to stumble toward Ari.

  As she reaches her, she spots L’abeille’s body beside her.

  Holes perforate the corpse, blood vents from them, and the wound in her neck cascades purple.

  “Jeez—- you really didn’t hold back did you Ari,” Danya mutters.

  She drops to her knees, rolling Ari’s body over to face upwards. She pats her pockets.

  “C’mon—- C’mon—- it has to be here—-”

  She feels something hard underneath her ribbon belt.

  “There it is!” She yells.

  She puts her hand through it, grabbing the capsule.

  She yanks it out, the light blue liquid glowing.

  She pops the cap open, taking a chug.

  “BLAH!” Danya coughs falling over, some of the elixir spilling out, as the capsule falls on the ground.

  She clutches her neck as she writhes on the ground. Blue light erupts from her body, as blue particles stream off her.

  She coughs, saliva flying out of her mouth landing on her face.

  Her wounds start to close, her eyes and red burst shining a crimson.

  “AHHHUG!” She screeches as her body starts to tremble.

  The pressure from Sanguine being enhanced by the elixir blows the capsule backwards, causing more of the elixir to spill out.

  Her eyes roll back. She continues to scream as her voice changes, to one of a woman’s who sounds completely different from Danya.

  She roars as a pillar of crimson light fires into the air.

  ———————————-

  In a bush of small pink mushrooms, Soleli lies there, her body covered with burn marks. Blue blood streams from her wounds.

  Her eyelids flutter as she slowly opens her eyes. Her vision blurs at first. As it clears, she spots the pillar of red light in the far distance.

  “Wha—-” she mutters as the area trembles once more from the flower.

  She struggles to her feet, turning toward it. “Mothpèra, L’automne, where are you two?”

  She stumbles, catching her balance. “I need to be there for Malika’s awakening—-”

  She sprouts her wings. They glow a faint green as she lifts off the ground, soaring toward the giant flower.

  In the air, she glides past the broken refuge. Mothpéra’s body lies below her, unnoticed.

  “Mothpèra, please be okay—-” Soleli whispers to herself.

  She then passes the once-giant tree, now destroyed and split in half. Burning leaves continue to cascade down.

  She flies past L’automne’s body as Akuji lies beside her. “L’automne—- where are you?”

  She reaches the flower, hovering directly below it.

  She drops to her knees, bowing. “Malika, écoute-moi attentivement—- Le Démon écarlate est ici—-”

  (Malika, please heed my words—- The Scarlet Demon—she’s here—-)

  “Je ne voulais pas faire appel à vous—- Je voulais régler ?a moi-même—- mais j’ai vite compris que ce n’était pas à moi de m’en occuper—-”

  (I didn’t want to call on you—- I wanted to handle this myself—- but I soon realized this is not for me to deal with—-)

  “Notre s?ur—- Une s?ur grace à ton amour a été tuée par l’un des compagnons du démon. L’Abeille n’est plus—-”

  (Our sister—- A sister through your love has been slain by one of the demon’s comrades. L’Abeille is gone—-)

  Her voice begins to break. “S’il vous pla?t—-”

  The flower starts to tremble as the bud opens. Pink energy pours out, washing over Soleli.

  “M-Malika—-” Soleli whispers as the energy lifts her from her bow.

  The bud opens wider. A black silhouette tumbles out, landing in front of Soleli.

  The pink energy dissipates, revealing a woman with two large butterfly wings glowing pink, black patterns adorning them.

  Her hair is bright pink, long and wavy, fluttering from the pressure. Her skin is brown like copper. She wears a black cloak-like dress with pink streaks glowing across it, her thighs exposed at the bottom.

  Her antennae twitch as she opens her eyes. Her pupils glow a bright pink as she gazes down at Soleli.

  Soleli trembles. “M-m-m—-”

  Malika bends down, pressing her finger to Soleli’s lips before she can speak. “Quiet now—- you’ve done enough.”

  “Uh—-” Soleli hums to herself, her gaze dropping to the ground.

  Malika surveys the area—the once-beautiful refuge, the tree destroyed, most of the houses in ruins, the bodies of the spirits she salvaged littered everywhere.

  “This won’t do. This simply won’t do.”

  She places her hand atop Soleli’s head. They both instantly vanish, reappearing at the stump of the destroyed tree.

  The two arrive in front of Akuji and L’automne’s body.

  Soleli’s eyes widen. “L’AUTOMNE!” She screams rushing towards her.

  As she checks on her she looks into her face. “H-her eyes—- they’re blank—-”

  “She’s gone—-”

  Soleli turns to Akuji who’s still awake.

  “YOU! HOW DARE YOU—”

  “Soleli,” Malika interrupts calmly.

  Soleli whirls back to her. “Yes?!”

  “I’ll ask the questions. You stay back for now,” Malika says walking up to Akuji.

  “Tch—-” Akuji sucks his teeth. “And who are you supposed to be?”

  Malika looks down at him locking eyes with him.

  “Garde Royale Malika, and you? May I know the name of the man who killed one of my Belles?”

  Akuji scoffs trying to move his body. “I’m just a death spirit that’s all, a name isn’t necessary.”

  He starts to cough as blood erupts from his mouth.

  “Right—-” Malika mutters.

  A sound plays in his ear—*vvvvmmm*—a sound of chiming energy mixed with glass vibrating mid-air.

  “Huh?!” Akuji shouts, as someone suddenly grabs his neck.

  “ARG!” He grunts as he’s lifted in the air.

  A woman with a similar appearance to Malika, this time with red hair and a skimpy outfit, her wings blaze a deep red light, veins pulse through her head, as she grits her teeth.

  “YOU KILL MY BELLE, ONE OF MY OWN AND HAVE THE AUDACITY TO THINK YOU’RE TOO GOOD TO GIVE ME YOUR NAME?!”

  “GWAH!” Akuji chokes as the woman squeezes harder.

  He looks behind her as Malika stands there calm with a soft smile.

  “What the hell is going on here?! Where did she come from?!” Akuji thinks to himself.

  Soleli turns her attention back to L’automne, grabbing the blade lodged in her chest, pulling it out as blood drips off it.

  She crouches next to her, putting her hand on her face closing her eye.

  “Rest—-” she whispers looking back at the red-haired woman choking Akuji.

  The woman growls tightening her grip. Akuji continues to gasp for air, his eyes starting to fade.

  Peter behind them coughs as the sound of bone breaking continues.

  Malika’s antennae twitch. She turns around seeing Peter laid out on the ground, blood surrounding him as he’s covered in it.

  “And who is that?” She says.

  The red-haired woman turns back also facing him. “Grrrr—-” she growls.

  Soleli stands tossing Akuji’s blade to the ground. “That’s one of Ma Grandeur’s resurrections!” She shouts.

  Malika’s eyes widen as she turns to Soleli. “Wait—- Sachi and Ikigai were here?”

  Soleli nods. “Oui, they’re the ones who made us hunt down Le Démon écarlate!”

  Malika remains silent for a moment.

  As the sound returns—*vvvvmmm*.

  Another woman who’s similar to Malika appears in front of her like a ghost from thin air, this time with deep blue hair and blue wings, a robe covering only the top half of her body.

  Her stomach is exposed, as she wears a long blue dress.

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  Tears stream down her face. “Oh Sachi, Ikigai! Even in my slumber you still help me! Oh how I love you two!”

  She runs to Peter on the ground. She then crouches down grabbing him by the cheeks forcing him to look up at her.

  Tears drop on his face as his eyes are shut.

  “He’s—- he’s unconscious oh no—-!” The woman whimpers.

  She turns to Soleli. “Soleli darling, may you please heal this young spirit?”

  Soleli bows. “Yes, whatever you wish.”

  Soleli tries to summon her energy, as she can feel nothing course through her body.

  “No—- no—- no—-”

  “Damn it!” She shouts.

  Malika, the red-haired woman, and the blue-haired woman all face her.

  “B-Bois Maudits, Bois Maudits! It negated my—”

  Malika instantly appears in front of Soleli, her palm growing a bright pink.

  She places her hand atop Soleli’s head once more. Soleli’s body starts to glow as the feeling of pure emotions wash over her.

  “Auhhhh,” she moans.

  Energy starts to course through her body once more. Her face turns red.

  “Love—- this is Malika’s love—-” she mutters sticking her palm out.

  Her eyes and wings start to glow green, as mini butterflies made out of energy appear surrounding her.

  She points at Peter, as all of them swarm his body. They all land on his skin seeping inside his pores. Green light radiates from him, his wounds start to close, the sounds of his bones popping back into place fills the air.

  The blue-haired woman continues to hold his cheeks.

  “Delightful, Delightful!” She shouts.

  “Amor look! Look at what our precious Soleli is doing.”

  Malika nods. “I see Tristesse, I see—- she’s always been the useful one, hasn’t she?”

  “The exact reason I made her D’occasion.”

  The red-haired woman continues to choke Akuji as she spots a pillar of red light in the distance.

  “Oi, what’s over there!” She yells.

  Both Malika and Tristesse turn their attention to the red beam.

  “That has to be her—-” Soleli whispers softly.

  “So even Mothpèra has fallen, aww poor girl!” She says with a giant smile. A tear forms in her eye.

  The love Malika has given her is overwriting her emotions, the grief she wants to feel, the sadness and ache her heart wrenches in. She’s unable to express or feel.

  “Mothpèra I’m sorry! Hehe I’m sorry! Please know I loved you!” Soleli says with a grin.

  Tristesse lets go of Peter, his head dropping to the ground. She gasps covering her mouth. “Mothpèra?! My precious Mothpèra has been killed as well?!”

  She weeps. “No, why! Where’s L’abeille? At least tell me she’s still—”

  “No, sorry she’s been killed as well,” Soleli says with a smile still plastered on her face, tears run down dripping off her.

  Tristesse drops to her knees wrapping herself with her arms.

  “Mothpèra, L’abeille—-” she mutters, her voice breaking.

  Malika stares at the pillar smiling. “It’s her isn’t it—- Le Démon écarlate.”

  *Vvvvmmm*—the sound returns as another version of Malika appears, this time with bright yellow hair, her eyes yellow like sunshine.

  She floats in the air facing the beacon as she wears a black and yellow skirt with white ribbons wrapping her waist and her wrist.

  She wears high socks made out of the same material as a cocoon. Her wings shine bright yellow.

  “Oh how I’ve waited for this day! To finally see Le Démon écarlate face to face!”

  “To finally rid her of this world! I’m so excited!” She shouts out with a big smile.

  Malika claps her hands. *Vvvvmmm*—the sound appears once more as both Sadness and Rage disappear.

  Akuji drops to the ground, coughing, gasping for air.

  “Colère and Tristesse would be useless here. It’s better to have you, Joie.”

  Joie grins. “Oui—- I finally get to avenge Father.”

  She spins twirling in a dance. “I’ve waited so long for this day! We waited so long for this!”

  Soleli watches quietly, her tears continue to stream down her face.

  She turns her attention to the pillar.

  “I guess the prophecy is about to unfold—-” she thinks to herself.

  Back at the mountainside, the pillar of light starts to fade.

  *Thus saith Malika, Keeper of the Cursed Backwoods and Hand of the Daughters of the Star,* Soleli recites in her head.

  Danya stands still with her eyes closed, her hair glowing a brighter shade of crimson.

  *My word is blood and truth. Beware the woman clad in scarlet, with horns upon her brow, robed in the cloth of the midnight sky.*

  Her horns now longer, the tips glowing crimson, streaks reminiscent of cracks stained against them. Her armor now replaced with a cloak of pure shadows, streaks of dark energy flow off her.

  *From her flesh goeth forth a crimson radiance, and her breath is as the rot of the grave.*

  She huffs as steam radiates from her mouth, a grin with her fangs bearing contorts on her face.

  *For she is the Crimson Demon, who hath spilled the blood of my father, and by her hand death hath sat at our gate.*

  She opens her eyes as crimson beams from them. “OH I FEEL GREAT! AMAZING! PERFECTO!” She shouts laughing.

  “I NEVER EXPERIENCED SANGUINE LIKE THIS BEFORE! I FEEL SO FREE! I FEEL SO-SO—-.”

  “ALIVE!!” She shouts.

  She cackles, looking down at Ari who’s still unconscious.

  “It’s time for you to wake up!” Danya says instantly grabbing the capsule from the ground with speed she’s never experienced before.

  She grabs Ari by the neck as she drops droplets into her mouth from the half-empty capsule.

  Ari’s body radiates with blue light as particles stream off her. Her wounds close, her eyes burst open.

  She coughs spitting up saliva. “Wha—?!”

  Danya drops her as she lands on her knees.

  “What’s going on?!” Ari shouts.

  “Why do you look like that? Did you take—”

  “No—-” she mutters.

  Danya giggles, as Ari instantly stands.

  “You took more of the elixir than you were supposed to, didn’t you?!”

  “Maybe~,” Danya snickers.

  “We have bigger things to worry about than the effects of this little elixir! This battle still ain’t over. I still haven’t killed the last bug lady!”

  She looks down at L’abeille’s corpse pointing at her. “That’s how I need all of them! And I mean all! Dead looking like Swiss cheese!”

  Ari scoffs. “You’ve lost it—- you’ve—”

  “So this is Le Démon écarlate herself! Wow spooky!” Joie’s voice cuts in.

  Danya and Ari both turn their heads instantly to where the voice came from.

  Joie and Malika float above the pair.

  “Oh great, who are these two now?!” Ari shouts holding her palm out. A pillar of water forms in her grasp, turning into her blade.

  Danya shrugs. “Who knows, I’ve never seen these women a day in my life.”

  Malika’s gaze falls on L’abeille’s corpse. Memories start to play in her head as seeing it reminds her of the moment she found her father’s corpse decaying by a batch of Soul Trees.

  The voices of the Soul Trees replay in her head. “D-death spirit.”

  “Fille rouge—- diable—- elle a ri,” it speaks in broken French.

  Black spots form on Malika’s and Joie’s hair and wings, as the memories play in Malika’s head. Their eyes flicker red.

  Malika’s eyes jolt wide. She shakes her head. “No—- I won’t let hate consume me—-”

  “Hehe, that was a close one there. We almost lost ourselves!” Joie giggles.

  The spots disappear, as they both land on the stone floor.

  Pebbles shake and float around them from their presence.

  Joie points at Ari. “Hey you there with the fox ears!”

  “Hm?” Ari hums clenching the handle of her blade.

  “Mind telling us what happened to our dear L’abeille?”

  “Was it you or this demon responsible for killing her?”

  “Demon?” Danya scoffs.

  “Quite frankly I’m getting tired of being compared to those lowlifes down in hell.”

  “Can’t you guys think of anything else to call me?”

  Malika smiles softly. “What makes you any different from a lowlife in my eyes? Hm?”

  “You kill my father, you destroy my refuge, you kill my Belles.”

  “Enlighten me—what makes you any different from the demons you so despise?”

  Danya’s eyes widen. “Really? You ask what makes me different?”

  “Last time I checked I was the one being hunted! I could have simply just left here with Akuji and none of this would have happened.”

  Danya’s grin returns. “But no, it was you who made that scripture of me right? You’re the reason your ‘Belles’ came after me. So in turn it’s your fault they’re dead.”

  “Ever hear of the saying every action has a reaction? I’ve read your little verse, ‘Hand of the Daughters of The Stars.’ This is the consequence of blindly following Sachi and Ikigai like a dog.”

  Joie giggles. “That’s what you think? You say every action has a reaction? But you seem to ignore you are the one who killed my father.”

  “If we’re playing by your logic, your action caused all this reaction. Me meeting Sachi and Ikigai, becoming the Royal Guard of this biome.”

  “So in turn your death here will be because of you too.”

  Danya rubs the back of her head. “Here you go about this ‘father.’ Sorry butterfly, but I don’t know who this guy is.”

  “It’s funny how you’re all accusing me of this, when I’ve never seen your faces in all my days.”

  “But you have indeed seen my father’s, even if we’ve never met before,” Malika says.

  “The Soul Trees don’t lie, they’ve witnessed it, they told me the exact details of his killer.”

  “You’re a Death Spirit are you not? One surrounded in crimson and shadows.”

  Joie laughs. “Sounds like the perfect description to me!”

  “Danya, there’s no use talking anymore—- just prepare to fight—-” Ari cuts in.

  “Tch.” Danya smacks her lips. “Whatever. I’m just not fond of false accusations.”

  “Let’s see if the name triggers a memory for you,” Joie says.

  “Mashaer Alfrashat Almalakia—-” Malika says joining in, her voice soft but cutting.

  The name hangs in the air.

  Danya’s grin falters. Her pupils dilate, then contract.

  A memory of her chasing a butterfly spirit with glowing white wings, through one of the forests of the Cursed Backwoods.

  “P-please!” His voice rings through her head.

  She clenches her fist. “Wait—- that—- that was that one butterfly guy—-”

  Ari turns to Danya. “Focus! If you slip up they can attack any—”

  “Wait a minute?!” She shouts interrupting her.

  “If that guy is your father! What are you doing being the Royal Guard of the Cursed Backwoods!?”

  “He was from Harraan! The prince hired me to assassinate him.”

  “Oh really? Well thanks for that tidbit of information,” Malika says stepping forward. She spreads her arms as a pink energy ripple radiates off her.

  The ripple reaches Danya and Ari. It blows Ari back causing her to tumble to the ground. L’abeille’s body flies back from the pressure.

  Danya stands still, her hair flutters back from the energy, her shadow cloak mirroring it.

  “Merci, you’ve given me more reason to attack Harraan and kill Amir,” Malika says with a smile.

  Joie claps her hands jumping with joy. “Great! More reasons to kill him! More reasons to—”

  Her hair, eyes and wings flicker red. “DESTROY AMIR!”

  She stumbles back as they turn back to yellow. “Oops sorry, Colère slipped out for a second.”

  Danya scoffs looking Malika up and down.

  “She’s not too far off from the archangels—- I’d say she’s around the same level as that lightning user—-”

  “Then again she is a Royal Guard and she’s suppressing her strength right now.”

  “Even with Sanguine boosted like this I still need to be careful—-”

  Danya turns looking down at Ari. “Ari, you stay out of this for now.”

  “What?!” Ari shouts trying to stand. “I can’t let you fight these two—”

  “She’s not like the others! You’ll just end up getting killed!” Danya shouts.

  “Just do me a favor and focus on Akuji for me. Please don’t let anything happen to him.”

  “I—-” Ari mutters.

  “Fine—-” she says reluctantly with a sharp sigh.

  “Oh is this fox an ally of yours?” Joie asks.

  “Splendid! How about I kill her like you killed my Belles.”

  She sprouts her wings as they glow a bright yellow.

  “GO NOW!” Danya screams, covering herself with crimson energy.

  She blitzes in front of Ari, as Joie fires a bright beam from her wings.

  Ari quickly creates a bubble firing it towards the direction of the broken tree.

  Danya in the moment tosses the capsule of the Elixir towards her.

  Ari catches it, noticing half the bottle is empty.

  She nods as she transports away. Danya in that moment fires her crimson beam clashing with the yellow light.

  The explosion causes the entire area to shake, causing shockwaves to tremble.

  ———————————-

  Ari lands near the destroyed tree. She spots Akuji on the ground. “There!” She shouts rushing towards him.

  Before she could reach him, vines erupt from the ground. Ari slashes her blade in the moment, cutting through them and jumping back.

  “Always something!” She mutters.

  Soleli lands in front of Akuji, a wide smile plastered on her face.

  “Why bonjour. I don’t believe I’ve ever met you before.”

  “Are you here to be saved by Malika?” Her voice unnaturally gleeful.

  “Never in a million lifetimes would I ever subjugate myself to that!” Ari bellows.

  “Now move out of my way Belle!”

  Soleli’s body twitches, as it begins to tremble.

  “Why though? Why don’t you seek her love? It’s one of the most freeing feelings.”

  “Free?” Ari says.

  “What’s free about it? If anything it looks like you’re suffering. Your body language is betraying everything you’re trying to preach.”

  Soleli giggles, as her voice starts to break. “No—- No—- I’m not suffering—- I’m—-”

  “I’m—-.”

  She swipes her arm, causing a barrage of vines with razor sharp edges firing at Ari.

  Ari surrounds her blade with waves of water, cutting through the vines.

  “I FEEL JUST FINE! HER LOVE IS GUIDING ME TO ETERNAL HAPPINESS DON’T YOU SEE!”

  Ari grits her teeth. She sees an opening to grab Akuji. She sticks her palm out firing another bubble.

  The bubble launches towards his body.

  Soleli’s eyes glow a bright emerald green as tears stream down her face, her white hair sways backwards.

  Vines surround her, forming a giant figure with her in the middle.

  The figure forms into a vine version of her. Four arms burst out the sides, as the eyes glow.

  Green butterflies made of energy swarm around the vine beast.

  Ari mid-air watches in awe. “W-what the——-” she mutters before transporting to Akuji’s body.

  As she appears in front of him before her feet can touch the ground, a vine tightly wraps around her foot. “Erk!” She shrieks.

  As she’s about to cut down at the vine, it swings and throws her away from Akuji.

  A hole opens at the center of the beast. Soleli walks out raising her hands into the air. “Jardin émeraude lumineux!!”

  Ari lands on the ground, her feet skidding across it. Blades of grass break and surround her.

  “You know—- I’ve truly had enough of this—-”

  She takes a deep breath, as suddenly streams and waves of water circulate around her.

  Ripples of water pulse below her, her hair and remaining ribbons flutter, as droplets of water blow across the field.

  Peter who’s lying at the stump of the tree, his eyes twitch. His eyes open.

  “Where—-” he mutters weakly to himself.

  He tries to stand, his body wobbles. “Ugh—- it feels like I got hit by a truck—-” he rubs his head.

  He looks forward as he sees the giant vine beast and Ari’s waves of water about to clash.

  “Okay—- what the hell—-”

  He pays attention closely to the waves, seeing Ari in the center.

  “Ari—-” he mutters.

  He clenches his jaw. “I—-”

  “I have to apologize!”

  The onslaught of battles continue. Each side won’t rest until each opposition is eliminated.