(CHAPTER 37: DRAGON SPINE)
"You didn't want to sleep? Its three right now." The second I step out of the windmill and into the balcony in front of it, Fei asked. He was facing his back towards me, leaning against the pillar and dangling his feet. Beneath him was a hundred meters fall till death, he didn't seem to mind, and so do I as I sat beside him.
"Rice wine?" He handed me a bottle with clear liquid within it, I shook my head again. I didn't want to had a headache tomorrow. "I guess you are a light sleeper like me." He take back the bottle and take another gulp. I shrugged, I never slept. I only slept if I can, other than that I am just drifting in the endless void of darkness. I couldn't wake up, move or do anything. Feels like being chained up and blindfolded at the same time, all your senses shut down, closest thing to death. And if I did slept, which is a rare case, I would always end up in my office back at the God's realm. Someone I would meet "myself" doing works that I've done back then while someone I could extract some useful information from it. Other than that, sleeping is a pain in the ass.
"Why you didn't sleep too then." I asked back. "Thought drunk people slept well." "I am drunk to numb all my pain boy." Fei rolled his eyes. "Well really? What pain?" I asked, finally a topic of the talk, no more goddamn awkward. But instead of continuing my question, he remained silence and stare at the mountain range far away. Continue drinking the bottle of rice wine in his hand. I followed him and continue to stare at it. It was a huge mountain range, at least a kilometre high, piercing the clouds above it. The mountains itself spams infinitely, without a beginning and without an end. The mountains had a spikey structure, making it looking like a natural barrier. It is almost impossible to believe if this is all the creation of mother nature itself.
"What is that." After staring for a moment, I finally asked. "The Dragon Spine, the wall that blocked the two of us away from each other, giving us infinite darkness and yet avoid war against each other." He replied. "Your good old dad built it up." "My dad? The Demon King from before?" I raised an eyebrow, I couldn't imagine, what kind of ungodly power he owned, to create all of this. "At his prime of course." He added. "He is old already, weaker every day. He needed an heir to hand his country over. But he really is a legend." He patted me by the back, this time not slapping on it thank God.
"Are we fighting on the good side?" I questioned, more like a question to myself. Monsters are always the hideous evil, in records, tales, folklores, myths. I never expected if someday I will fight on their side. In this reincarnation, I am no Hero reborn, I am the Demon King that the Hero will slay, someday, someway and somewhere.
"You've seen enough with your own eyes." Fei put the bottle onto his mouth and shook, but soon realise the bottle is already empty. He placed it beside and take out another bottle from his pocket, open the cork with a pop and began chugging once again. "Human are always like that. They didn't admit defeat, for victory, for fame, for money, they are willing to do anything." When he spoke those words, a glimpse of emotion flashes in his golden eyes. Fear, hatred, anger? No, more like remorse and sadness.
"But remember, not every human is evil alright." He suddenly spoke. "Evil is not a kind of people. Not that you will be evil if you are a monster, or you will be kind if you are a human. Evil is always within us, a seed sowed alongside the seed of kindness. It is up to the user to determine, which seed they shall take care of, and which fruit they shall reap." I nodded, kind of knowing the fuss behind all of these big theories.
"I still remember the day on my first raid, the mere anger is what that even now I couldn't describe." He spoke in a deep, soft tone. "You will soon face it too. Your two friends… You need to have mental preparations for the result alright." He turned and stare at me. The look in his eyes that is filled with sympathy, I had a bad feeling running down my spine. I nodded, trying to held down the uncanny feel within me. "And your girl there." Fei gestured me to come closer. "At the academy, you will face two girls, try to let her steer clear away from them. You too." "Why?" I asked, confused.
"Well, I may or may not tell you before. But your dad and that nine tailed bitch had a daughter."
That was one fucked up news that I didn't even expect, but whatever.
"You wanted us to steer away from her?"
"Yeah." He nodded, "Cause you don't wanted to mess with that old bitch. Your mere existence is like declaring war right in front of her face. Don't get into any more trouble alright?" He slaps me by the back. I let out a soft grunt, he really need to change this shit.
"Ah!!"
The sudden scream almost cause the two of us to fall down from the balcony. Luckily we didn't. "The girl!" Fei was the one that reacted immediately as he dashed into the windmill. I immediately follow behind him. The moment we enter the room, we see Aiko cuddled in the corner of the room, covered in the blanket and hugging the plushie in her hand. Her eyes locked onto the hideous crow cawing towards her, sitting on the window.
"Sho, sho!" Fei approach towards the crow and waved his hands, scaring it away before closing the window. "You okay Aiko?" I approached towards her and reached my hands out. She whimpers, shaking her head like an injure rabbit, wait, she really is. Wounds heal, but mental scars, they left forever. "That's just a stupid bird, what makes her that scared of it." Fei approached and asked, he didn't seem to get the situation there. "Well that mother fucker that took our friends away, his code name is Crow." I handed him the slip of paper I found at the ruined shack. Fei take it and began reading, but soon his expression changed. His jaw dropped, his mouth wide open, the wine bottle in his hand fell towards the ground and shatter.
"You, you okay? Fei?" Upon seeing the nervous expression on his face, I immediately asked. "Crow…" He mumbled under his breath. "That son of a bitch. Take care of the girl, I will be off for a second." With that he leapt off the cliff of the island and disappeared in the night sky. "I am sorry…" Aiko whimpers, I hug him tight, patting her on the head to calm her down. "I, I am not strong enough… I c-can't s-ave them,I am so-rry…" She bawled, grabbing the collar of my shirt.
Is power, really that important?