Chapter 59: Shadows of The Past

"...I am Kenneth Royer, known as Keta, the Sensei of Sheridan Village."

"I am Mykah Hart, known as Willow, leader of the Sprouts."

Tak! Tuft-

I backed up, keeping my distance as he moved smoothly forward. I saw his left arm disappear, and I gripped it firmly from where it appeared in my left pocket. I pulled hard. 

Rustle- 

He fell to the side, and I pressed my advantage as he regained his footing. The world slowed down, and I focused every muscle I had to move quickly. 

Shiiiiiingg~

Our gray eyes met as my sword clashed with his, and I could see the hostility burning in his. He always started seriously when I revealed my identity properly, as if I had just cursed him. I preferred it this way- I had wasted enough time already to recover, and I was fine with people knowing who I was. At least, if it got me in contact with my people in Unova. 

'...Not this time.'

I hooked my foot under his, the extended leg which was attempting to knock me over like the first time instead moving into the air. He fell backward, but his body slowly disappeared into his cape. The shadows enveloped him, and he could appear at any location if he made it. 

Rustle-

I pushed hard, my left arm grabbing him by the collar and stopping him halfway through. He tried to stab me, but I wasn't having it this time. 

Thunk!

My head slammed into his, and I felt my brain jostle from the headbutt. His eyes became unfocused for a moment, and I ignored the headache forming to finish this stupid fight finally. I threw him to the ground, ripping off the cloak he wore in the process. He tried to roll away, but I quickly put him into a choke-hold. I let the world continue normally, my head hurting too much to continue. 

"Gah! Let! Go-!"

"Screw you! I am not killing you, you bastard!"

"Gah!"

He struggled to escape, but his options were limited. I had a gap between us, and the sun was streaming in from the left of us so there wasn't any shadows between us to use. I held him up an inch from the ground as well, and since he was stunned when he first hit the ground he wasn't able to use it to teleport away either. A carefully learnt process, curated just for this bastard.

"Gah… Ha…"

His struggling slowed, but it was too early. I kept the hold as I felt him go limp, and waited until his heart slowed to a crawl. About thirty seconds like that. I noticed something though- his lungs were still moving. I noticed a small black spot on the right of his nose, where a small shadow formed from the sunlight. He was trying to keep breathing using his ability, and given the fact he wasn't fainting he also did something with his blood. 

"...Nice try, but it looks like that technique needs practice."

I let him go, and he rolled away and lunged toward me. He was still trying to fight, but the lack of oxygen from cutting off his arteries made his grab only reach my ankle. 

"It's over, Keta. You lost."

His eyes shook. 

"You're incredible, making a bypass to your brain with your ability. If you practice you could make chokes be useless against you."

He blinked, then tried to reach for his sword a few steps away. He started crawling to it, but I moved faster and kicked it away. 

"Yeah, no. No seppuku again, no teleporting, and no stupid rules with your fake traditions."

I tossed my sword away, walking back to him. I crouched down, looking at his face. 

"Look, I'm not going to kill you. Your whole mental state is horrible, and it'd be more murder than a mercy killing. I've done both, and you… Don't deserve either. So get the hell up."

Forty seven. That's how many attempts it took. I didn't wait for his reply, instead just roughly tossing him over my shoulder and carrying him up the stairs to his house. He didn't resist. 

"M-Mykah!"

I heard Aelita's shout as she ran over. Glancing back, I noticed the dozens of eyes from the windows and shadows in the village- they were watching. I doubted they heard what I said at the beginning though. I had barely whispered it loud enough for myself to hear, and Keta had probably read my lips to piece it together. That last bit... I didn't care if they heard. He deserved it. 

"Aelita, get Eldest. I'm gonna talk to your Dad for a bit."

"H-huh? How do you…?"

"It's fine. Just go, quickly."

She nodded, running back to the inn. I nodded to the pair of eyes from the upper floor's window. They disappeared shortly after. 

Tak-Tak-Tak-

"Hah… You know, Keta, This is more exhausting for me than you realize. I don't even understand why you think I was after her. And why are you so ticked off at me being Willow?"

"..."

"Seriously…"

Click-

I walked inside, moving to the fireplace. The wood was basically the same as just five minutes ago, but I had seen it like this for over two months. This was probably the longest I had spent to overcome a situation with my ability, and the frustration from the repetition was getting to me. 

Thunk-

I dropped him on one side of the tea table, his limp body not responding. After a few moments he sat up. He was just staring blankly at me, as if I was some sort of monster. 

"You wanna know something funny? I spent more than a month trying to get you to not die today. I beat you at fifteen tries, but you stabbed your guts out. Then every time after, you would do something more stupid. Ah, and don't think your stupid poison is gonna work. I snuck in earlier today and swapped out the pot for you, so neither of us are kicking the bucket."

His eyes shook. 

"Yeah, yeah. Oh, if you didn't know about my regression then you must not have much intel. I guess I overestimated you."

I took the teapot, pouring more tea for both of us. 

"...You really are Willow."

"Of course I am. I never lose, you know?"

"...A kid is leading a war? How are you here? Shouldn't you…"

"Yeah, it sucks. I know. But I haven't lost a battle in two years, so I think I deserve a break. Hell, most battles I only lose a handful of soldiers at best."

Siiiiiip

"Ah… You have good taste. Are these Galarian leaves? I love the hints of sweetness the soil there gives."

Clack-

He sat up as I put my cup down, his expression shifting slightly.

"...You know?"

"Of course. My Mom loves black tea, and Galarian is her favorite. Well, its not like she can get much of it right now. Got captured by Team Xen and all."

"...I see."

He picked up his tea, looking at it. 

"...Look, I don't know what is making you psychotic. But right now there are people who rely on you. If you stay like this, or if you die… this village will just collapse."

"...That is for the best."

"Well, what makes you think that?"

Siiiiip…

He languidly drank the tea. His eyes swam with emotions, but I didn't have too much time before the other two arrived. I ran my fingers over the medallion, just in case he tried something stupid again. 

"Keta, you lost your wife, right?"

His eyebrow twitched. 

"Grief is fine. It's important to recognize the tragedy of death, no matter if you saw it coming or not."

I swirled my tea, taking a sip as I prepared my words. I slowed the world to give me a bit more time to think... then set my tea down. I softened my gaze, letting my heart speak for a moment.

"I'm not telling you to move on. I can't move on from the lives I took, nor the ones I lost on my path here. But please, for the sake of the people you still have. Learn to open your heart again."

He met my eyes. He looked pissed, but I smiled. 

"There's a fine line between hatred and adoration. Intense emotions are important to control, but… you don't seem like the kind of person who lacks that. So why not let loose?"

"...You speak a lot of bullshit for a kid."

My smile turned wry at his words, and his expression soured more.

"Oh, you're telling me? Do you know how many times you killed me? Your villagers are gonna have nightmares for months about seeing me bleeding out or getting decapitated. Well, I had to do the deed myself more than that, but at least I did it cleanly."

"...So the dreams are your fault."

I closed my eyes softly, my lips turning down a bit. After a moment I opened them, and saw his expression looking a bit less hateful. 

"Hah… Yeah. Every time I go back, some people remember what was supposed to happen."

He swirled his tea, looking deep into my expression. 

"...But not all of us. Just the sensitive."

"Let me guess, you've had strange dreams the past few years?"

He nodded, sipping his tea. I did the same, the sweet and bitter melting into a brilliant blend. I was a sucker for such a light and wonderful brew. 

"...It all started eight years ago, when it happened almost every day. How old were you?"

I flinched. 

"...Eighteen and a half, physically. But after your little charade a bit ago, I am now twenty and a quarter. That last month or so was courtesy of you."

His eyes widened. 

"What happened for you to go regress so much when you were twelve?"

I bit my lip, repressing the shiver that threatened to overtake me. I ran my fingers over the medallion in my pocket out of habit.

"I… would rather not talk about it. At least not now."