Light of the Past (2)

Deep in the forest, shrouded by mist, amidst a land long since deprived of all but the last, stubborn remnants of civilization, a pair of humans sit, laughing around a white fire, still chewing on the last remains of whatever game managed to survive the apocalypse, enjoying their moment of peace in stark contrast to the cold, cruel world around them.

"How did you even keep this on you while fighting?" Kyle asked in bewilderment, chuckling as he sorted through the weathered backpack that had somehow survived the entire battle between Axel and Kyle without falling from Axel's back.

"By the strength of my character," Axel said proudly, puffing out his chest and smiling.

"Shut up." Kyle threw the backpack at Axel with a crooked grin on his face.

"Did you have one of these?" Axel asked, picking up his phone, still connected to the charger.

"Put some clothes on," Kyle chuckled in response. "Bandages and torn pants aren't good in this weather."

Axel rolled his eyes and pulled the old gray t-shirt and jeans out of his backpack, gesturing for Kyle to turn around.

"Still too afraid to show me your shredded abs, eh?" Kyle teased.

"Just answer the question," Axel said, putting the shirt on over the black bandages wrapped around his body, only to realize that it was too small. He put it back in the backpack.

"Unlike you, I came here with only my handsome self and the clothes on me right now," Kyle said proudly. Axel could see the smirk on his face even from behind. "I forgot my phone, remember? Oh, wait. You don't remember."

"Oh, shut up," Axel muttered, putting on a pair of jeans which were both inflexible and uncomfortable. They were also too small. He looked at them with disgust and put them into his backpack as well. "I'm done."

Kyle spun around in an instant and stared at Axel with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Hmm? I thought you were going to change."

"Those don't fit me anymore."

"Really? You still look the same size, though.

"You-" Axel started in irritation.

"You didn't really grow at all during these past four years. Why did you suddenly get a growth spurt now?"

Axel threw his jeans at Kyle.

"Oh shut up," Axel shot back. "I'm still growing."

Kyle dodged easily and laughed. Axel decided to ignore him. He picked up his phone and unplugged the charger.

"It really is a miracle that this thing survived all that," he murmured.

"I know, right? It's like it has plot armor or something," Kyle laughed.

"What, is this phone supposed to be the main character of all this nonsense?" Axel asked sarcastically, gesturing around at the mist-shrouded trees. "The author's gotta be horrible at writing."

"The absolute worst," Kyle chuckled, looking at Axel meaningfully.

Axel paused.

"Wait, are you talking about me?" Axel asked.

Kyle snickered. "Nah, no way. You're a great writer."

Axel furrowed his eyebrows.

"Are you sure?"

Kyle waved his hand in the air, creating a small green hemisphere in the air that pulled him sideways to land on a tree, where he sat cross-legged on the side of the tree trunk with a crooked grin on his face, sticking out of the side of the tree as if it were the ground.

"Absolutely," Kyle said, amusement clearly visible on his face.

A ball of white fire appeared above Axel's palm.

Kyle's face morphed into one of mock terror. He leapt out of the hemisphere at a strange angle, landing the right way up on the ground next to Axel, and darted to hide behind a tree behind him.

"No don't burn me," Kyle said in a fake, high-pitched tone, poking his head out from behind the tree with what seemed to be a bad attempt at a cutesy look plastered on his face. "Pwease?"

Axel couldn't hold in his laughter, bursting into giggles at the sight of a tall, muscular man hiding behind a tree begging like a child.

When Axel finally calmed down, Kyle stepped out from behind the tree and walked over to the fire.

"Well, since we're done eating, shall we go?" he asked.

Axel extinguished the fire with a wave of his hand, plunging them into darkness, before holding up a white flame in the palm of his hand.

"Yes, let's," Axel said.

"Hey, put that out. It's hurting my eyes," Kyle said, waving his hand at the flame in Axel's hand.

"We can't see without it," Axel said.

Kyle waved off Axel's concern. "Sun's rising soon, so it'll be fine. Train your night vision, y'know?"

Axel rolled his eyes.

"And besides," Kyle whispered, appearing next to Axel and whispering in his ear, "I want to surprise Ido and those gem keeper fellows. Your light will give it away."

Axel sighed in exasperation.

"You really do love messing with people, don't you?" he muttered.

Kyle darted in front of Axel and gave him a winning smile and two thumbs up. "I haven't seen Ido's surprised face yet. I want to startle that noble know-it-all so bad, you don't even know."

Axel rolled his eyes again and put the fire out, plunging them back into darkness.

"Just follow the glow of my daggers," Kyle whispered. Axel heard the light scrape of Kyle drawing his daggers out of wherever he concealed them, letting their gentle blue light shine dimly in the darkness, barely illuminating the weathered hands which held them.

Axel nodded his agreement. Kyle turned around and began to move deftly through the forest.

Axel followed quietly, moving his feet carefully, letting the barely visible blue light show him where Kyle's feet landed. His mind was focused on Kyle's footwork, following his long strides carefully so as to not trip over a root.

The pair walked slowly through the forest for a long while, sneaking through the darkness like thieves in the night, which Axel found strangely fitting. Kyle's old title was 'Paragon of Thieves', after all.

Axel shook his head. Even now, the title sounded rather forced. The Argeanians clearly had no idea what else to put as Kyle's title and just used a stereotype that thieves always wielded daggers.

The two continued moving through the forest, deftly, carefully, and quickly, at a quick but cautious pace. Axel found himself instinctively trying to preserve the silence and almost complete darkness, breathing lightly, tucking his arms close to his sides, and crouching down to avoid brushing up against foliage and making any noise.

After a while, Kyle stopped suddenly. Axel came up behind him and glanced around. They were still in the forest.

"What's wrong?" Axel whispered.

"I think we're going the wrong way," Kyle whispered back.

"You what?" Axel hissed.

"Yeah. We're getting close to the mountains. Ido's castle is the other way."

"I thought you said you know where you're going."

"I didn't say that. I said we'll be fine."

"Whatever. Just-"

A sudden flash of light interrupted Axel's angry hiss. The two immediately fell silent, glancing over at the sudden brightness that penetrated the fog of the night.

Kyle gestured for Axel to be silent, then crouched and began to move quietly through the undergrowth towards the light. Axel followed suit, some instinct within him screaming at him to go see what the light was. Unbridled curiosity consumed him, making his heart beat out of his chest and his limbs quiver in excitement as he snuck through the forest behind Kyle towards the light.

Kyle slowed as the light brightened, settling behind a bush and glancing through a gap between the bush and a tree trunk. Axel moved to the other side of the bush and gazed into the light.

The sight immediately shocked every thought out of Axel's brain.

A bright white light, both comforting and cold, glowing brightly in the wispy fog, standing tall like a figure made of light.

Axel's mind began to work, gears whirring endlessly as Axel's eyes saw reality and Axel's memory saw another scene.

Unlike other scenes, however, this scene was more recent.

Far more recent.

Axel could barely hold in his gasp as he looked.

Axel glanced sideways to see Kyle's shocked face peeking out from behind the bush as well.

Axel looked back at the light as his memory began to take over the scene.

The trees and forest disappeared.

The fog thickened and blew with a colder, crueler wind.

The soil underfoot turned into dust and ash.

Axel was standing in the midst of a wasteland of fallen trees, ruined buildings, and a wide expanse of long-dead hopes and dreams, staring into the distance with an empty fury that burned fruitlessly within him, looking at a dark fortress on a hill, which he blamed for the destruction.

The lone figure of a hero, no, a soldier, who could not save his kingdom, and was left with nothing but a desire for revenge that he was not strong enough to fulfill.

Axel's memory was suddenly filled with white as a bright light appeared off to the side, distracting him from the hateful castle that he wanted to destroy.

The same light.

Shining in the middle of the wasteland, beckoning for Axel to come, to leave behind the world which was no longer salvageable and go on to new adventures.

A human-like figure shining through it, staring into Axel as he looked on in confusion.

The memory gave way to more memories.

Shining at the bottom of the ocean as Axel struggled to breath, limbs flailing as he struggled to swim, struggling in futility as the current dragged him under and closer, ever closer, the light beckoned to him.

Come to me, the light said.

I will show you a new world.

Leave behind your mundane existence and come with me.

Let your life be filled with adventure and thrill.

Axel gritted his teeth in anger as the memories consumed him, struggling to break free of his own mind.

This light.

This accursed light.

The light that dragged him from his life, his family, his home.

The light that gave him power, but took away everything that gave his life meaning, dumping him unceremoniously into a new land.

The light that took him away from that new world after he was unable to save it.

The light that took the last thing that drove him to keep moving - revenge - and cast him into yet another new land.

The light that toyed with his life, stripping him of his memory and purpose every time it appeared.

Axel glared at the light with renewed vengeance, watching as it glowed brightly in the forest, arms poised to draw his sword and attack the light, burn it, yell, scream, kick, anything, just to get answers.

A hand suddenly rested itself on Axel's shoulder, snapping him out of his burning hatred. Axel glanced to the side. Kyle was there, the same flaming anger in his eyes, shaking his head and gesturing for Axel to watch.

Axel turned back to the light as it gradually condensed and glowed brighter, illuminating every leaf of the forest in a white light unbefitting the darkness of the night.

Axel's eyes widened as he watched the light dim and coalesce.

Out of the light stepped a figure.

A tall, black-haired man in a black leather jacket appeared in the forest.