[85.10] I'm Strong Too

Felix burst into tears, sobbing hysterically as water poured down his cheeks. Moni flinched, looking around anxious that they would get caught. He reached out to pat Felix to calm him down, but pulled his hands back in uncertainty. He went back and forth between wanting to reach out, and pulling himself back, before rubbing the back of his head and letting out a sigh.

"Felix… Why are you crying? I know you are scared-"

"Y-You're l-leaving me!"

"It's for your own good-"

"NO!" Felix grabbed onto Moni, holding him as he wailed, "I'M NOTHING WITHOUT YOU! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!"

Moni stared down at Felix awkwardly, not knowing whether to return the hug and comfort the boy or not. However, the incessant sobbing caused him to crumble.

"Okay, okay. Stop crying. You're going to get us caught."

"Caught by who?"

Moni pointed to the entrance of the Orphanage where a woman in a white cloak stood, concealing her identity. There were other people in cloaks beside her as a fog slowly drifted in.

"I can't fight her right now. Even if I was at my full power… She would still probably win. In her hands is a Holy weapon. It's the only thing that can hurt me… It's hurt me before."

"So then you should stay in my body!!"

 "There's a chance she will come after me and I won't endanger your life. We need to escape before-"

The woman in the cloak nodded and the rest of her group stormed inside the Orphanage. Screams echoed from inside as the people rounded up all the children.

Felix's face paled, "W-what is that noise?"

Moni's expression grew serious, "Ignore it."

As Moni went to push him away, Felix clung to him in a panic, "Please! Please help them!"

Moni wavered as the boy cried, "Why do you want me to help them? You don't even know them."

Felix tried to stifle his sobs, "B-Because they are just like me… Their parents didn't want them either."

Moni stared down at Felix silently before letting out a heavy sigh.

"...As you wish."

Moni disappeared into shadows just as a thick, black smoke rolled into the Orphanage. Only the woman in the cloak standing back could see the smoke as it poured inside. She turned to face the doorway, "...It's you."

Moni flashed her a smile, "Killing children? Humans really don't change."

Her fingers wrapped around the sword, "And neither do demons."

"Ah. Yeah, I suppose you're right."

"What happened to Orphelio?"

Moni rubbed his stomach, "In here~"

She clenched her jaw, "I warned him demons couldn't be trusted."

Orphelio spoke inside his head as if she could hear him, "Ah, it's not that bad. I get to be with my darling pup for eternity!"

Moni ignored him, "In this world, no one can be trusted."

She spoke to her goons as she raised her sword at Moni, "Kill the children. I will handle him."

Moni's eyes hardened as he spoke to the kids huddled in a group behind her, "Children. You'd better run."

She rushed toward him with blinding speed, but she only slashed at shadows. Moni appeared behind her, "Huh. I think Alora was stronger than you."

She flipped her head around with a growl, "Don't mention that disgrace."

As she attacked him, Moni felt himself getting more annoyed.

"Why shouldn't I mention her? She's your daughter, isn't she?"

"She's trash! Worthless trash!"

She slashed at him but he dodged using his shadows, "How is she trash? She managed to land a blow on me and you can't. If anything, she's incredibly capable."

"Capable!? HAH! If I had known that wicked thing would have come out of my womb, I would have never conceived her with her father."

Orphelio clicked his tongue inside Moni's head, "That hurts a little."

Moni continued to pay him no attention as she attacked him, "You never deserved having a daughter like Alora."

As Vira continued to fight, her breathing became more laborious. Realizing she was just chasing shadows, she put her sword away. "This is pointless."

Watching her leave the orphanage behind, panic grabbed his heart as he remembered who was waiting outside. 

"Felix!"

He ran outside just in time to see hundreds of swords appear above him in the sky.

A look of fear surfaced in his eyes, yet he let out a hysterical laugh, "You're going to kill even your own men!?"

"Dying for their goddess is a gift." She grinned, her blue eyes held no remorse, "Holy obliteration."

Panicking, he transformed into his true form and used the hundreds of souls he absorbed to shield the orphanage. 

However…

It wasn't enough.

The shadows now pierced, thousands of shadow men rushed out desperate to claim a body. Children screamed as a cloud of smoke entered their bodies, turning their once youthful bodies into wrinkled, dried corpses. 

As Moni felt himself slipping closer to death, there was a warm pair of arms embracing him. Sensing the familiarity, he leaned towards it. Mana entered his body as if being funneled in, slowly bringing him back to his senses. Realizing what was happening, he opened his eyes.

"What are you doing!?"

"I'm healing you!" Felix stared at him surrounded by darkness, "I won't let you die!"

As he watched the boy's skin turn gray, a fear he never realized he could feel took control of his heart. He tried to force him to stop, "Stop! You fool! Did you not see what just happened!? All those children are dead because of me!"

Felix didn't give in, "No! They died because of her!"

"I am the BAD guy Felix!"

"No! You're not a bad guy!" Felix's eyes started to tear up, "You saved me and 'Scilla."

Moni stared at that expression and pleaded in a weak voice, "Please… If you do this- I can't… I can't have your death on my conscience."

"I won't die." Felix smiled at him through his tears and hugged him in the abyss, "You told me I was strong… So I'm going to be strong for you."

Moni felt his heart thud in his chest as warmth slowly entered in.

How long has it been since he felt this kind of warmth?

His arms went to return the hug, but hesitated.

He couldn't bring himself to hug the boy back, but he no longer could stop him either.

The cracks in his body could never heal, but for a moment…

They stopped spreading.

The two bodies merged once more and collapsed. Hank quickly picked them up and transported them home before the woman in the cloak ever figured out he was there. 

Circulating the new mana in his body, Moni woke up with corpses of servants at his feet. He stepped out of the room in Felix's body, his eyes downcast as he ignored Hank who was staring at him anxiously.

He walked silently to the garden and bent down to his knees. Felix's magic suddenly activated and created a garden of small plants.

A wisp of a dark shadow appeared in his palm. Every time he touched a root, it suddenly came to life.

In front of him, a garden of roots started dancing.

As Moni finished the last one, Felix watched the roots that were just as confused as he was, "Moni… What is this?"

Moni weakly answered, "The children from the orphanage… It's the only way I could save them."

Felix watched as the Roots looked around as if trying to understand what was happening.

Moni grimaced and mumbled, "...If you consider this saving."

Felix watched as Moni held out their hand to the Roots. They pulled at it and jumped around.

Felix watched them curiously, "How is it possible?"

Moni answered absentmindedly as if he was listening to something else, "When Vira used her power on me, I lost control of the souls absorbed into my body…. Those souls… They want bodies so they'll drain others to get it. Usually I can control them, but not always… They saw the children and absorbed them. I was too slow to stop them and now they've become a part of me."

"So… They have the children's bodies now? Are those souls free now?" 

Moni stared at the dancing roots with bottomless eyes, "...No. They'll never be free unless I-"

Felix waited for him to finish the sentence, but he never did. Two people in one body watched as the Roots ran around the garden getting familiar to their new life.

Felix smiled from within, "Thanks, Moni."

"For what?"

"For saving them."

"...I didn't save them." His expression darkened, "I've doomed them."