ILLUSION

45: ILLUSION

"We should get away from here as soon as possible!"

No way will I fight something like that.

There was just no way I could—

"You must be Rui, how is your kind faring without a God ruling you?"

That deep and sultry voice laid sweltering footprints in my mind. My eyes shot at the revived God that stood more than twenty feet from the ground. I shivered from its intense and knowing gaze. His six tails swayed behind him, hailing his existence.

Were Somas born to be that humongous?

"Such a shame that your dear Ta oppressed such potential. Such a waste...Tsk...Tsk."

My breath hitched. I clamped my ears.

"Get out of my head..." I seethed through my teeth.

"Hm...so how about it? Why don't I just revive your father-figure? I'm sure you'd be glad to be reunited with him."

"Shut up!" I roared.

Garmir raised his claw up, facing the purple skies. Electricity surged through his visible flesh.

"I will crush my brother's creations and rule this world and the next."

"He is alive," Lucian spoke, staring intently at the ground where Garmir stood.

"I'm pretty sure he's dead. His weak body couldn't have survived that blast," I told him, trying to divert my attention from Garmir who was invading my thoughts.

There was a flash of annoyance in Lucian's gaze before it reduced into blankness.

"That gizzard-looking skeleton man is in my way..." he murmured, lifting his arm.

The ground quaked immensely. Metal pierced through Garmir's feet and towered over him.

Remind me never to piss him off.

I'll add Lucian to the list of people who I shouldn't anger.

"Skwak must take Lucian away from here," the giant bird announced.

"We must first retrieve Saint," Lucian told him.

Skwak waved his head in disapproval.

"No, Saint told Skwak that Skwak must protect Lucian at all costs. That is what Saint wants. That is what Skwak wants. That is what Sin wants."

I got confused.

How did he know about Sin?

"I do not need protection," Lucian stubbornly replied.

He raised his gaze at Skwak. His dull eyes were filled with resolve. Skwak tightened his hold on me.

"Skwak understands. Skwak will follow you wherever you go."

Lightning shot out of the skies. Skwak tossed us away to solely claim the strike of God. My body was carried safely to the ground by the winds which were most likely Lucian's doing. Skwak got electrocuted in our stead.

He couldn't have survived that, could he?

Garmir's bloodshot eyes darted at me.

The strike of lightning stopped and Skwak's toasted form fell.

"This world is still full of weaklings yet..."

Garmir trailed his last words and inhaled a hefty amount of air. A menacing grin spread across his face.

"But many Gods reside here...and one of them is near..."

His eyes narrowed in bewilderment as if he figured out who this God was.

"You...What are you doing on this planet?"

Lucian landed beside me. He was carrying someone on his back who was burnt beyond recognition. His body was covered in blisters and burns yet he was alive.

Garmir pointed at Lucian. "Aside from all the weaklings here, I find you impressive. How would you like to become my servant?"

His eyes kept searching for someone on the ground.

"I reject wholeheartedly," Lucian deadpanned.

"Gar–Garmir! Garmir!"

The old man who led the shepherds crawled out of the debris that crushed half of his body into a mashed tomato paste.

"I am your humble servant. Please my Lord...give me strength!" he begged, reaching out towards him.

Garmir scoffed, snatching the dying old man from the ground. He bit on his finger and squeezed blood out of the torn skin. He shoved a part of his digit into the old man's mouth. I flinched in disgust.

Lucian nudged me to move. The winds carried us where Skwak fell. He was lying still with smoke coming out from his body.

"Skwak..." Lucian mumbled.

He bent to wake him and was prepared to drag the giant with us even if he ended up being dead.

The blisters on Skwak's body quickly healed. His form was pulled up with some kind of imperceptible force.

"Your Highness!" the adult monkey shouted.

Ziru tagged along with him. Kox was nowhere to be found.

"What the heck is that thing?!" Crowley asked.

"I knew there was something under there!" Ziru exasperatedly screamed and yanked his hair. "I hate it when I'm right."

"Don't worry. It probably happens in one out of a hundred situations in your life," Crowley scoffed.

"Let us hurry. Saint must be treated immediately," Lucian said.

"He's going to die. There's no way he can survive!" I pointed out.

His gaze pierced at me yet I didn't deter.

Adults and their stupid persistence towards futility, I could never understand them.

"He will live. I will not let him die here."

"He's only going to slow us down. Leave him be, he would have wanted that!"

He was already prepared to die. Who would want to live in this world?

His eyes lowered in what I assume was some kind of...sadness?

"If it was Buck, would you have left him?"

'Rui…'

My body was enveloped with chills from recognizing my Ta's voice. I twirled, feeling my blood drain.

Wintry metal bars enclosed around me. The light was completely shut out from this shift of dimension. People started fighting their own illusions.

"Guchork! Run! Get away from him! He will turn you into ashes!" Crowley yelled.

Exhaustion, pain, and desperation were traced on his tone.

"Papa...papa...don't die. Don't leave me...Take me with you. I don't want to be alone," Ziru whimpered.

My hands slowly grasped the cold bars that detained me. Sweat surfaced on my skin. What was this place?

The sound of flesh being noisily chewed emerged from the unknown depths of darkness. I shivered.

Not this again.

Why...why was I back here?

My breath hitched as I shrank with the cage. The darkness started to grow shadows and curves which mimicked the walls of the cave. I was lying down on my side with my eyes watching Ta feast on the dead child he had hunted the other day...

"Ru--Rui..." the child gasped. "He--help me Rui..."

I never befriended any of Ta's victims.

I never paid heed to them.

I didn't know any of them.

"Don't worry. He won't keep you alive for long," I told him.

He'd die the moment he bleeds out.

Ta could start with his fingers, his toes, or his ears. He would cry out in pain but it wouldn't last long. Children die easily. They would forget this nightmare.

When I woke up, I found another child in a cage just beside mine. He watched me show any signs of life. Who was he? He looked familiar.

"Hi...my--my name is Buck. Where am I? That monster took me from my village. Everyone must be worried sick about me."

I heard a sniff from him before he smiled widely at me.

"I'm going to die, aren't I?"

Why were you happy?

I looked away and nodded.

"Yes...you would."

He wiped his tears away and leaned his forehead against the bars.

"Then will you be my friend and hold me? I...I don't want to be alone."

Why were you here in the first place?

Wait...

I remember each one of my Ta's victims. I never—

No, stop it.

This wasn't how we met!

Buck...Buck wasn't one of my Ta's victims.

He wasn't...

"Or so you thought..." Garmir's voice broke through the line of my disgruntlement.

"Foolish child. Everything is just a figment of your imagination. That person that killed your Ta is just the product of your desperation. The light you saw at the brim of freedom is the last straw of your sanity and Buck...Buck is the first friend you had who became your Ta's meal. His presence even after his death is just a dream that you continuously have out of denial and grief."

I shut my eyes tightly. My body was stricken with disbelief.

He was lying.

He was lying!

"No...No...That's not true. Buck is still alive. Buck is still alive! Lucian told me so. He told me—"

"Lucian...is that another one of your Ta's tasty lunch?"

My knees gave out.

"You haven't realized it, but you made friends out of every last child that your father ate. They're no longer real. They're long dead. Why do you keep holding on to them?"

"You can't fool me. You...I'm not..."

"Let them go, Rui. Let them rest. They have served you well..."

Garmir's face appeared outside of my prison. He wrapped his hands around my white knuckles. He pitied my form.

"Stop holding on to the dead..."

No...

No...

"You're lying!"

Garmir smiled, rubbing my knuckles with his sharp claw.

"I would never lie to you. Come child, it's time to hold on to something new. Give me your faith. I will not waste your trust in me."

I grasped the bars even tighter, keeping my gaze firmly at him.

Garmir's smile faded. He leveled with me.

"Do not be foolish. I am offering you power. Is it not an honor to serve the Great Garmir— God of Trauma, God of Salvation, God of Ruin, and God of Conquer?"

The temperature dropped and blood bubbled out of the floor. Garmir continued to grow in size as his patience started to run out. I was shaking. I didn't know how long I could last against him or if my mind could withstand his tricks. What if I get stuck here forever?

What if he was telling the truth?

Did I get out of my Ta's cave?

"They...they're all dead?" I shakily breathed out. "Was I stuck here the whole time?"

"It's true. Why would I lie to you?" Garmir asked.

"Bu...Buck is gone?" I barely got out in a whisper.

"He was never with you, to begin with..."

I've really...lost it haven't I?

"Give yourself to me and you will no longer suffer."

If I obey him, I won't feel this pain anymore.

'Hey, what's your name?' Sin's voice came up in my memories.

'My name is Rui. I...I've seen you fight. Will you help me become strong so that I can help my people's suffering?'

Sin scoffed, waving his hand to shoo me.

"If someone offers you the power to end pain, then it's just a hoax to swindle you into becoming a blind believer. Get out of my sight kid."

"Get out of my sight," I spoke out loudly, taking Garmir in a moment of shock.

My body overcame the chilling temperature.

Memories of Buck filled my head and I smiled.

Fine, I admit it, it was stupid of me to forget this bond we had. In times like these, the bond that continued to connect us no matter where we were, was the only thing I should be holding on to.

"I am just a kid but even I know the difference between reality and nightmare."

Garmir mutated into Ta and vehemently agitated the cage.

It would seem that I wasn't the only one who didn't fall for his traps.

"Who are you calling fool, fool?" Lucian's voice popped in. "How many times must Iltut be revived? And why must you bring Wye Fye into this? She is an innocent woman with the purest of hearts. Do not trick me for I have not lost my carrots just yet."

"You impotent brats! How dare you oppose a God?!"

I huffed. "God my ass, get out of my head."

Air refilled my lungs as I breathed heavily and sat up. Ziru was sitting beside me.

"He's awake!" He cheered.

The skies gurgled with thunder. An excruciating scream of a probably hideous monster caused the ground to tremble.

"Now that you're awake, why don't you help us fight those things?"

I looked at where he was referring to and rubbed my eyes in shock. Crowley and the others were engaging in a fight against the leader of the shepherds. His white eyes cried out blood. His body had grown multiple hands. Thick and hairy spider legs dangled out of its neck. There were some parts of his body bubbling out boils. The boils exploded into a fleshy amount of blood and a...whole lot of ghastliness.

"Did you shit that thing out?" I blurted out.

"Even my shit is prettier than that thing!" Crowley with equal disgust.

More shepherds like him appeared from the trees. Our bodies jolted when Lucian slammed against a trunk.

"Your Highness, we're outnumbered. We should retreat!" Crowley shouted.

Skwak grabbed Lucian and threw Saint over his shoulder. He flew off, but the leader of the shepherds shot his slimy tongue out and hurled Lucian back.

"I must say..." Lucian huffed. "You are far more exquisite than Bebe and Wye Fye combined. I fancy your...boils. They bloom like flowers."

Adults...I could never understand their humor.

Figures wearing black cloaks emerged out of nowhere. They slashed and slain the shepherds surrounding us with their scythes. The leader of the shepherds grunted and scampered away on his fours once Skwak severed his tongue with his claw.

Crowley stormed towards us, grabbing both Ziru and me. Skwak retrieved Lucian and left.

If the reapers were here then Sin was close by.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! HOHOOOO!"

Yes, that was definitely him.