Day of Death

There was no longer feeling of weightlessness.

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Instead, Aisha's face held only a dangerous, honed expression of pure focus. Scanning the surroundings carefully, but also quickly - she found herself in the jungle surrounding Xelos's cabin. The tall, heaven-stretching trees swayed dangerously in the wind as always, branches thick and clouding the airspace above her. Practically inviting someone to hide in their safety, watching as someone on the floor of the forest walked unknowingly along.

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By now she was familiar with the terrain, having been - and fought - there probably through hundreds of encounters. Every tree, ever fern... was all in place, with nothing out of place, or there where it shouldn't. She quickly put her back to a tree, but upon closer examination... there was really nothing amiss. Xelos wasn't here.

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But still, she would be foolish to not use the jungle to her own advantage.

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It was clear where Xelos wanted her to go. There was only really one notable marker in the entire forest, which was, well, his house, and so, into the trap she would go.

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Her hand gripped the blade of her sword tightly. It was a bad habit, wearing down the leather of the grip, but she couldn't exactly help herself. Today was the culmination of a full year of training, of fighting, of blood and sweat, working her hardest to tear her old self down and build a new Aisha.

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So her steps through the dense forest thicket, although trembling, were heavy with finality. Each brought her closer to the cabin. Closer to her final test.

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It was a little disappointing to reach the cabin and see Xelos out in the open, sitting casually on the steps, but Aisha supposed he could see through any clever hiding places she could think of. It was his sigil that teleported her here, it was stupid to think that she could get the jump on him.

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But she still watched, from her vantage point. Being high up gave her an advantage that she didn't want to give up, and for the first time, Xelos was the one who had to make the first move. Aisha felt like she watched the man for hours, adrenaline rushing through her system in a flood, but she knew that in reality, only a few minutes passed.

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A deafening silence filled the forest. Even the sounds of jungle creatures and rustling leaves were quiet. She watched the man, her teacher, who she knew nothing about, and yet, so much, watched as his muscles tensed, as those gloved hands reached into the folds of his pockets, retrieving...

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A cigarette?

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Aisha furrowed her brows as he lit the white tube and raised it to his lips, taking a small breath, before coughing and grimacing.

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Was it a powerup, or something? A special drug, or-

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"Come down here." He sighed.

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Aisha frowned.

"No."

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"Come on, man." Xelos sighed, and Aisha's eyes widened, as he showed the first inkling of emotion that she had ever seen from the almost robotic man.

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His eyes and mouth relaxed into a slight droop, cigarette falling limp in his mouth, in a very, very, tired expression, as he raised an arm to rest his head on.

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It was like watching a unicorn materialize in front of her eyes. A sight so shocking, so rare, that she couldn't help but comply with Xelos's request, leaping down from the forest canopy to, if anything, just look at her teacher a little closer, examine that expression.

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"Come talk with me." He muttered. "This is just a request... or at the very least, listen to what I have to say."

"Is this a trap?" Aisha simply asked outright.

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"No." Xelos grunted, shifting his sitting position to hunch forward, resting his arms on his thighs. "But that's quite a pointless question, seeing as you don't believe me."

"That was something you taught me." Aisha whispered. "People will try to disarm you with sincerity."

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"Yeah..." Xelos sighed, taking a deep breath. "Isn't that kind of interesting? The world would be a better place if people just didn't try to trick each other... But that kind of thought exercise is pointless for people like you and I. Rather... you can take the logical path, which is to trust nobody... or you can choose to put your trust in people, just waiting for them to stab you in the back..."

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Aisha was silent. She simply preferred to listen - it wasn't like her experiences meant anything to him, having lived - who knows how much longer than her. But also, his musings held no immediate significance to her.

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"But you disagree, right?" He whispered. "You have chosen to put your trust in someone, and it's brought you... happiness. Or perhaps, the reason why she makes you so happy, is because you know that it is illogical. That she shouldn't love you, or that you shouldn't put your trust in someone so blindly."

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Aisha stiffened, all of a sudden, rage and fear entering her heart.

"What do you know about her?" She muttered.

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Xelos shrugged. "I'm not going to do anything to your little- well, no, I guess she's pretty big.... girlfriend, anyways... I'm not going to be doing a lot, for the foreseeable future." 

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"What the hell do you mean like that?" Aisha demanded, anger spiking with her confusion - and while she tried containing the emotion, to prevent it from influencing her actions, she couldn't help but note that the handle of her sword had warped slightly.

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"The one who is dying today is not you. It will be me. It was going to be me from the day I said it." 

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"...What?"

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"This is the last time that I will ever talk to someone." Xelos sighed. "The last time I'll do anything, really... so, please do me a favor and listen for a bit. It won't be that long."

"What do you mean dying?" Aisha demanded instantly, prompting an exasperated look from her teacher.

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"I've lived for Millenia, at this point, despite being... just a normal human" He explained. "I have kept myself alive using machines... or I guess you would know it as 'machina.' But at any rate, I've grown tired. I am going to let it run out."

"Why not just refuel it or something?" Aisha asked stiffly.

"I don't want to." Xelos said quietly. "Everything I once cared about is gone, or... is... nevermind. I just don't see any further point in living any longer. I have chased happiness, and lost it an equal amount of times - There is simply nothing further for me."

"I don't believe you." Aisha said stiffly.

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The black-clothed man shook his head and sighed audibly.

"Whatever. Believe what you wish. It makes no difference... Even if I was standing here, ready to fight you, I would not win. You have surpassed me. I have run out of tricks. Even if I had any left... There is no doubt that you would still win."

"What?"

"You may have noticed, but my motions have not been getting any slower. You have been getting stronger. You can't tell, because you've become so cautious these few months... but you are physically stronger than I am. Faster as well. What keeps you from touching me is experience and technique. That's it."

"That sounds impossible. You pierced bone with your bare hands. Regular humans can't do that. I... I can't do that..."

"You can. If you want to test it, you are free to do so. I'm afraid I can't help you with that though, as I'm dying." He said wryly.

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"What about the spells?" Aisha asked. "You've got your spells."

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Xelos barked a sharp laugh.

"I've been running on fumes. I thought you would have figured it out, but I guess you can't read people as well as I can yet."

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He paused for a second.

"That's okay. You'll be happier that way."

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Aisha was silent.

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"That still doesn't explain... anything." Aisha said quietly. "What have you done to me?"

"Ask away." Xelos sighed. "There's no reason to keep anything from you anymore."

"What the hell were those pills!?" Aisha demanded.

"The pills that I gave you were not the nutrient pills that they give to soldiers to grow muscle mass."

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She figured so. She had been eating them everyday, but she had not grown bulky, only slender and toned.

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"Then what do they do?" She asked.

"Ordinary men build muscle out of repeated strain and nutrition. You are different. Your arms and legs were built from a desire to live, a desperate survival. The pills turned your desperation into physical form." Xelos explained. "That kind of desperation... yields strength far greater than anything else."

"What?" Aisha said angrily. "That's not an actual answer!"

"That's the short of it. You definitely would not understand the science. And I'm running out of time."

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"...Why train me?" Aisha asked, after a long silence. "Why'd you pick me?"

"When I found you on that day... When you were dying... At first, your eyes had no life in them. But then... I saw potential. A desire. Just an ember, but with the potential to burn brighter than any other."

Xelos locked his eyes onto Aisha's.

"Do you know where strength comes from?" He asked, in his signature rhetorical, annoying way.

"N-"

Xelos cut Aisha off. "In the end, strength is determined only by who desires it more. It comes in many forms. which is why people have such a misconception. Some become strong by making connections, by drawing strength from others. Others draw power from within themselves. Some will take power from their kin. But regardless, there is no strength without desire.

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"That is why I saved you that day." He explained.

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"...Why have a student in the first place?"

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"I came to terms with my death long ago. I could prolong my life until the end of time, should I wish. But my time came to an end... many years ago.

I lost my humanity a long time ago. But there is still a part of me, that wishes to pass on my knowledge."

He let out a quiet, pained laugh.

"There's still a trace of... my last life left in me after all. After everything..."

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Xelos hesitated.

"Nevermind. The point is... you're what's left... I never accepted this world, but... I suppose... even I'm a little afraid to go without leaving something behind. The last trace of me, in this world. "

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Xelos took off his coat and gloves, revealing the glowing blue markings that covered his arms and hands, and stretched into his chest. Their light was dull, and began to flicker, turning weaker and weaker. Eventually the light faded completely.

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Beginning with the tips of his fingers, his body began to turn to ash.

"You don't deserve a good death." Aisha started, bitterly. "I'm not going to do anything for you. Burn in hell."

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Xelos laughed, smiling in a strange, unnatural way, like he had been smiling wrong his entire life.

"You don't have to do anything." Xelos said, his voice becoming fainter. "But I want you to have this."

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With his disintegrating right hand, he reached behind him and took out an old, withered book. He threw it into the snow in front of him.

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"Do with it as you will. Destroy it, keep it, read it, sell it. But I want you to have it."

"...What is it?"

"It's just a journal." He said simply.

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Xelos closed his eyes and leaned back on the porch, resting his bad against the steps. He took a deep breath, exhaling, but Aisha didn't see any mist come out of his mouth.

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"You have a lot of paths in front of you." He exhaled. "They always tell children that they can do anything they want... But you have the means to actually grasp it. You are fortunate."

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At that phrase, a familiar anger began to well up in her chest, although... it was different. Like a cold anger, that made her body tremble. As if she knew that it wasn't a real anger.

"How could I possibly be... fortunate!?" Aisha demanded. "Being born without a soul-without a life! How could that possibly be a strength!"

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"Your desperation led to a desire, stronger than anyone else's in this world." He explained softly "In mine, it was often those who were most unfortunate at birth, that rose to the greatest heights."

"Wasn't it your weakness, that found you real happiness?"

Aisha froze.

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The disintegration was creeping up his arm now, and reached his chest. His next words came out almost inaudibly, even to Aisha's keen ears.

"I'm kind of glad." The wind whispered. "You should-"

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Xelos's eyes glanced at the sword embedded in his neck for only a split second, before his eyes closed, and his mouth began the motions to curl up into a small smirk. But the action never really completed, before his body began to melt into ash, flecks of skin lifting gently off his body like petals, before scattering into the wind.

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Blue wisps began to rise from his chest as the rest of his body disintegrated, lonely and dim.

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And before long, Aisha's sword fell to the ground with a clatter, leaving nothing but a pile of clothes underneath, ash slowly drifting off into the forest.

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Aisha stared at the spot where Xelos had sat for another hour, not even thinking. She just... stared.

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She was... alive.

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To sate her curiosity, Aisha explored the cottage, despite having been there multiple times - but there was just nothing. just the remnants of things that might have belonged to someone who lived there once. Just the thought left a bad taste in her mouth - that Xelos had, indeed, been a person. Had lived at all.

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The bedroom was clean, but the furniture had faint scratches and nicks, the fading imprints of leaked ink staining the wood. The pots and pans in the kitchen had food stains, baked into the steel. The sink was still wet. 

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When Aisha returned to the porch of the small house, all that was really left was the book, sitting there in the snow like a sack of potatoes. She dug it out of the snow, the pages already absorbing some moisture. It was clearly old, but had been cared for and preserved immaculately, a layer of wax on the cover. There was no title, only a white-rimmed border.

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Aisha stared at the book a while too, even though she knew she wasn't going to open it.

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But after a while, the cold began to seep into Aisha's body, and so, before casting Xelos's clothes into the snow out of pure spite, she took the man's heavy coat, draping it around herself as she began to make her way home.