TRUTHS AND TALL TALES

The beast unleashed a ferocious growl, charging at the Kaiju with deadly intent, every movement radiating lethal precision. The once tumultuous clamor of battle fell into an eerie silence, the air heavy with the weight of anticipation.

Without hesitation, the Kaiju surged forward, capitalizing on the opening created by the weapon's absence. With renewed vigor, the Kaiju launched himself at El'goth, whose delay in reacting—still dazed by the loss of his weapon—proved costly. The Kaiju's fist connected with brutal force, delivering a devastating uppercut to El'goth's jaw, followed by a flurry of rapid, unrelenting strikes to his torso, each blow a masterstroke of precision and power.

El'goth, deprived of his axe, faltered under the relentless onslaught. His balance disrupted, he staggered, struggling to mount a defense against the Kaiju's relentless barrage. The Kaiju was merciless, exploiting every hesitation, every exposed weakness. The centaur's strength was formidable, but without the reach and leverage of his weapon, El'goth's once-mighty attacks had been reduced to clumsy swings and desperate, futile grapples.

The Kaiju wasted no time. In a blur of motion, he dashed forward, narrowly evading El'goth's swinging attack by rolling beneath it in a swift, calculated maneuver. The fleeting surprise in El'goth's eyes was telling—this was only the beginning.

Emerging on the other side, the Kaiju seized the moment. Swiftly, he secured the half-loosened bandage from his arm around the base of a nearby tree. As El'goth turned to strike, the Kaiju's plan unfolded with meticulous precision. Utilizing the tension in the bandage and the tree as leverage, he propelled himself upward, narrowly evading the brute's attack by mere inches.

In that critical instant, the Kaiju soared, his agility and cunning transforming the environment into a powerful ally.

El'goth's mighty swing cleaved through the tree with a single, devastating blow, splitting it cleanly in two. The upper half crashed to the ground with a deafening roar, yet the lower section remained standing, tethered to the Kaiju's fate. As the tree fell, the Kaiju acted swiftly, yanking on the bandage he had anchored to the trunk. The sudden tension launched him toward El'goth with the precision of a predator honing in on its prey.

A surge of blue energy ignited behind him, casting an ominous glow across the battlefield. El'goth turned just in time to witness the impossible—a sight that froze him in disbelief. "What... what is this?" he murmured, his voice trembling with the weight of what he was witnessing.

The Kaiju's right hand gripped the bandage firmly, while his left hand, clenched into a fist, was engulfed in searing blue energy that flickered like sentient flames. The very air around him crackled with raw power as he hurtled toward his foe, his fist blazing with unyielding resolve.

The Kaiju wound his arm back with the precision of a clockmaker, tension coiling through every muscle. Then, with explosive force, he unleashed his fist, sending it hurtling toward El'goth's stunned visage.

The punch landed with a bone-jarring thud, the impact distorting El'goth's features as ripples of flesh surged outward in a grotesque wave. The sight was like watching the sea crash against a battered cliff. Yet the Kaiju's momentum did not falter. His fist drove deeper, propelling El'goth backward, forcing him into the lake with a primal roar that reverberated across the landscape.

The collision was cataclysmic. The earth itself ruptured beneath the impact, unleashing a devastating explosion that sent shockwaves tearing through the land. Winds howled at over 600 km/h, flattening everything in their path. The lake was drained of its waters, and the once lush forest was reduced to splinters, the devastation stretching for kilometers.

When the dust finally settled, the battlefield lay in ruins, a desolate wasteland dominated by a massive crater. At its epicenter stood the Kaiju, his body heaving with exhaustion, hands braced on his knees as he struggled to catch his breath. Sweat stung his eyes, the once brilliant blue energy in them fading back to their usual amber hue. All around him, the world was a chaotic mess of destruction, the aftermath of a battle that had left nothing but ruin in its wake.

The beast lay sprawled on the ground, its massive form battered and unconscious. Blood trickled from its mouth, a tooth knocked loose in the ferocity of the fight. The Kaiju stood over the creature, his breath still ragged, his hands aching from the relentless combat.

He cast a weary gaze at the fallen beast, his expression unreadable. There was no satisfaction in his eyes, no sense of victory. The defeat of the creature brought him no pleasure—only a grim understanding that it had been necessary. Nothing more.

He let out a heavy sigh, his thoughts catching; I think I might have overdone it a little.

Just then, a distant call broke through his thoughts. He looked up and saw Astra and Kiki standing on the elevated ridge above him. Astra leaned heavily on her brother, her arm draped over his shoulders as he supported her. Slowly, she opened her eyes, her gaze finding Kiel below. With a breathless murmur, she spoke the words that lingered in the air like a solemn verdict.

"Such power..."

Kiel noticed the bruises on her skin, stark reminders of the battle they had survived.

"Hey, you okay down there?" Kiki shouted, his voice carrying a blend of concern and tentative relief.

It was an odd scene—a sharp contrast to the hostility that had simmered between them only moments before. Now, in the wake of the chaos, their instinct to protect one another had surfaced, undeniable and pure. It was almost surreal how a monster's attack had accomplished what no amount of reasoning or pleading could. In the face of such strangeness, Kiel couldn't help but feel that these were indeed peculiar times, and these people, even more so.

"Yeah!" Kiel signed with casual ease, his fingers deftly conveying relief. "That was a close call, but it seems like it's all over now."

Kiki, keeping his thoughts private but still audible to his sister, mused, "Good to know he's still alive."

"True," she replied silently, her gaze unwavering as she watched the boy wave absentmindedly. "Yet, the force from such a frame is unsettling. There's something definitely not right with this Kaiju."

****

The sun blazed in a burnt orange hue, casting long shadows as it dipped below the horizon, signaling the swift approach of night. The trio trudged toward the house, their bodies weary and bruised—Kiel more so than the others. He leaned heavily on them, his left arm draped over Astra's shoulders and his right over Kiki's, his gaze drooping toward the ground.

"Kiel, that was incredible," Astra exclaimed, her voice full of awe. "When did you learn to fight like that?!"

Kiel paused, his hands moving to speak. "No idea..." He hesitated before signing again, his eyes meeting Astra's with a serious intensity. "You guys don't have to do this, you know?"

"Yeah, we don't!" Kiki snapped, his irritation barely concealed.

Astra turned to her brother with a reproachful look. "Quiet, Kiki. Kiel, it's the least we can do."

Kiki's curiosity was relentless. "Just to clarify, how did you manage that back there?"

Kiel blinked, puzzled. "Manage what?"

"The way you fought the monster—the explosions, the sheer force. It was phenomenal!" Kiki's excitement was palpable.

Kiel's gaze grew distant as he considered his response. "Oh, that. I'm not entirely sure. There's something… inside me."

Astra nodded, her voice calm but resolute. "A power."

"And I don't really understand it," Kiel admitted, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

"Me neither," Astra added, her tone reflective. "It's a light..."

"...A darkness," Kiel finished, their voices overlapping yet distinct. They locked eyes, the shared realization hanging in the air.

At that moment, a gasp broke the silence.

"Astra? Kiki?" The voice was filled with alarm.

They looked up to see their grandmother standing in the doorway, framed by the fading light of the setting sun. An apron covered her dress, and her hair was neatly twisted into a chignon. Her eyes widened with deep concern as she took in their battered appearance. "What happened? Why do you look so hurt?!" she asked, her voice quivering with worry.

"Oh, you know, we were hit—" Astra hesitated, her usual confidence faltering.

Kiel picked up the thread. "By a—"

"... Bus," Kiki completed with a painfully forced smile.

The awkward confession hung in the air, and their grandmother's keen eyes narrowed in suspicion. Astra's confident facade faltered under the weight of her grandmother's penetrating gaze. A familiar knot of unease tightened in her stomach; the woman had an uncanny ability to unearth the truth behind even the flimsiest of excuses.

Kiki cursed under his breath, clearly irritated by the skeptical looks he received. "Oh, sure, like you could come up with a better excuse," he muttered, rolling his eyes as if daring them to offer a more plausible story.