Welcome to Gaia! :: View User's Journal | Gaia Journals

After about five years apart, Daniel and Sylvia finally want to meet. Daniel so that he can determine whether or not the demoness really had the intention of killing him, for the wound that she inflicted upon him won’t seem to close, despite all efforts. Sylvia, of course, has other plans.

“For once, can’t you just sit down and rest??” Chi pleaded once again; she was sitting on the ground next to Daniel, who was barely managing to stay standing. The girl herself had grown her hair out a little so it was waist-length now. Her headband was on her forehead and she was wearing a dark blue outfit exactly like the one from when she had first met Daniel; the sash around her waist was yellow, now.

“If I don’t have long to live, I’d rather spend that time doing something I want to,” Daniel sighed. He looked much paler than normal and exhausted. His bandages had been changed and were hidden underneath the green shirt he wore, as well as a pair of jeans. However, he ended up sinking back down to the ground onto all fours, panting a little heavily and fighting back the urge to cough; he’d lost so much blood that it was a miracle he was still alive after four years. Yet he wasn’t the most powerful elementalist for nothing.

“Geez! You stubborn man! You can barely even stand now and you look worse than Grandpa on a good day!” Chi pouted, folding her arms and looking away from the boy. Daniel only laughed a little, wrapping an arm around the girl and drawing her into a hug.

“Alright, already. I’ll sit. And I’ll stay. But I downright refuse to roll over!” he said, fighting back a laugh. His white hair was still a usual mop and untidy. Yet the way Chi messed with it, he really didn’t bother trying to fix it. Like today, she reached up and messed with his hair. Ruffling it up again. Daniel, as usual, merely sighed and waved away the little hand, grabbing it and pulling the girl into his arms. Just then, Toya walked into the tent, and the couple broke apart quickly; both Daniel and Chi had a small blush on their face.

“Well then, lovebirds. I’m going to take a guess and say that the injured one over here has tried yet again to get up?” Toya asked, running a hand through his blonde hair, which was tied back so it wouldn’t bother him. He laughed a little when Chi nodded and Daniel glared at her. “Alright. Since he wants to get out so badly, I’ll go with him. Just so he doesn’t hurt himself.”

“Seriously?” Daniel asked, surprised as he glanced up at Toya. However, Chi cut across.

“No way! What’re you gonna do if he collapses? Or if some demon comes by to take his head?” she asked, folding her arms and looking up at Toya.

“Then we’ll beat them down and continue on our merry way.”

“And if you can’t beat them?”

“Well, that’s why we’re going to drag you along as well,” he laughed, offering his hand out to Daniel and pulling the boy to his feet. The younger boy grinned, nearly losing his balance but being quickly supported by Toya. Chi merely pouted a little more before sighing and finally getting up and following the two boys.

“So, Daniel. How does it feel being helpless and having to rely on others?” Toya asked, leading the way through the camp and towards the familiar cliff where he let Daniel sit down on the ground.

“Eh. . .awful. Less freedom. And I feel like a giant thorn in everyone’s side,” the white-haired boy answered, shrugging a little. He lay back on the ground, spread out and staring at the sky; something about today was bugging him. Yet why, he couldn’t exactly say.

“Well, too bad for you. Until we find a cure to that damned wound, you’re stuck. And need I say it? You’re light as a feather after losing so much blood,” Toya smirked, glancing at Daniel before glancing at Chi and ushering for the girl to sit between the two guys. She did, her knees being brought up to her chest and staying there as she put her arms around them and rested her head on her knees.

“My, my. So relaxed, aren’t you?”
Sylvia appeared in a flash of darkness that pretty much blinded the three kids. In the demoness’s arms was a small boy, perhaps age six or so. He had the same, golden eyes as her, the same bat-like wings as her and the same fangs and hair as his father. She merely smiled, landing gently on the cliff edge and looking from Toya to Chi to Daniel. Her gaze rested on Daniel, who had sat up and frozen a little.
“Well, lookie here. It’s a pretty little demoness,” Toya smirked, standing up. He pulled out two twin daggers from his pouch, which was on his leg, and armed himself, ready to strike if he had to. “Yet another one for Daniel’s head, huh? ‘Fraid we can’t let you do that.”

“Oh, but it’s not your choice,” Sylvia said softly. She let her son down and told him to hide, which he did so. Then the demoness turned on Toya first, her arms folded as she merely focused, a black snake with gleaming red eyes appearing behind the blonde boy and wrapping around him tightly, constricting his breath. Toya struggled, his teeth gritted and eyes shut tight. Chi shivered lightly before she got up as well, a kunai knife in her hand as she slashed at the snake constricting around Toya. The creature hissed, disappearing. The boy fell to the ground, wincing and getting back up, feeling a little sore.

“Two tough kids. I’m impressed. However, my business is with Daniel. So. . .disappear, please?” Sylvia asked, a cold glare appearing in her eyes as she spread out her wings. Little spikes of her aura formed and fired themselves off at Chi and Toya. The girl let a small “Eep!” escape her as she braced herself for the attack. When she felt no pain, she looked to find Toya standing in front of her, shielding her from the spikes.

“Like I said, Demon b***h. You’re not getting anywhere near Daniel,” the boy smirked, glancing back at Sylvia; his whole back was scratched, a few spikes still lingering here and there but disappearing, merely leaving behind blood in its wake. Chi’s eyes widened and she quickly caught Toya when he passed out, letting him down slowly so he could lay down.

“H-Hey. . .Sylvia,” Daniel said, cautiously getting up and walking over to the demoness. “W-Why. . .why don’t you stop, alright?"

Sylvia turned her attention to Daniel, her eyes positively sparkling when she saw the weakened state he appeared to be in. Then she closed them, a small smile crossing her face that revealed her white teeth.

“No,” she said simply, opening her eyes again. As she did, a vine shot out of the ground and wrapped itself around Daniel’s neck, constricting and lifting him off from the ground. The boy struggled, attempting to keep the creation from strangling him, though he barely managed this feat.

“Let him go!” Chi yelled, her kunai back in her hand as she dashed up to Sylvia at a fast speed. She struck, lashing out at the demon. At the same instant, she threw two little metal balls, both of which exploded on contact with the demoness. When she hit, she thought she’d done it. However, when the smoke cleared, it was revealed that Sylvia had simply blocked off the attacks with her bat-like wings. In her right hand was a black energy ball. Chi saw it, but she could barely dodge it as Sylvia threw it out at the girl, who took a direct hit. She was knocked back a few feet, landing hard on her back. She shivered and just as she was about to get up, vines shot out of the earth and bound her down, tying around her wrists, ankles and waist. The girl struggled before jolts of black energy shot through the vines, shocking her and causing her to lose consciousness.

“Tsk, tsk. Such an amateur can’t hope to stand up against me,” Sylvia mocked, shaking her head. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to continue tormenting my prey. I’d really love to get Night Fall over with.” She turned away from Chi and looked at Daniel, walking over to him, a cold look in her eyes. The boy squinted, barely able to look at his attacking friend. A smirk crossed Sylvia’s face, and another black ball of energy formed in her left hand. Daniel found it hard to keep fighting against the vines yet didn’t stop; this wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be happening! He and Sylvia had been together practically since birth and she had always been friendly. She had always comforted him when he needed her. Yet as a sharp pain ran through his left arm and it fell limp, he was beginning to realize that this was reality; that he would die if he didn’t act!

“My, my. If you don’t even try, you’ll get killed. And it won’t be fun,” Sylvia laughed. She put a careful hand on the vine and it tightened, strangling Daniel even more. The boy kept trying to free himself with his right hand. His left, he barely managed to curl into a tight fist, focusing with all his might. His hand glowed faintly and a necklace appeared in it, dangling slightly. Sensing this, Daniel smirked, and little blades of air ran along the vine and cut it up, setting the boy free. He grinned as he caught his balance and backed away from Sylvia, finally accepting that he had to fight her.

“You’ve got a kid now, huh? Good for you,” Daniel said, holding the necklace tightly. Almost on contact, the jewel in the necklace glowed a faint blue, surrounding Daniel for a moment before vanishing, his clothes completely different, too; He was wearing black pants with calf-high boots, and a small, black chocker around his neck. A pure white cape swept to the floor, the trimming black with electric blue ribbons running along the arms. On the sleeve of his left arm were two black, leather straps, with bronze buckles. His shirt is of the same material as his cape, with black trimmings, a thin black belt hanging loosely on his hips. At the same moment of the appearance, the wind in the area got stronger, swirling around the two friends that were about to fight. “Remind me to thank whichever damned husband you’ve got. ‘Cause you were never like this before. Is there a reason for the change?”

“Actually, there is. It’s a new experiment I’ve created; Night Fall. It cleanses the world of all those that aren’t worthy to live in it,” Sylvia explained, using her wings to buffer the wind. “I’ve got all the ingredients. But believe it or not, I’m missing only one. And it’s standing right in front of me.”

“Oh, really? So what did you plan to do? Sacrifice me? Last I checked, I wanted to live!”

“I hadn’t planned on attacking first. I was going to ask. But you never gave me that chance.”

“What chance?! You attacked without reason!” Daniel exclaimed, holding the necklace more tightly. The thing glowed and transformed into a sword with a sapphire-covered hilt. He held it tightly in both hands, ready to strike if he had to. When he really thought about it, he found that he wasn’t bleeding anymore; he was very grateful for this.

“Maybe I did. I have my demon instincts,” Sylvia shrugged, holding her hands out in front of her. Daniel became more and more aware of his bleeding left arm. He could still use it, but the pain would be unbearable soon, and he knew it. Regardless, he glanced at the demoness, his eyes widened when he saw two, black energy balls forming in the palms of her hands, both at least the size of a tennis ball yet as deadly as a nuclear bomb. They fired and struck out at him. Out of reaction, Daniel gripped his sword tighter than ever and slashed at the energy, cutting them and rendering them useless.

“Instincts? Don’t give me that crap. That’s the most shittiest excuse I have ever heard!” Now it was his turn to attack. He slashed his weapon in the air, sending a large blade of air out at Sylva. The demoness merely jumped out of its way, hovering in the air. She held out her hand, and a pitch-black blade formed itself, and she grasped it tightly, slightly smirking. Daniel gritted his teeth together, small tears forming in his eyes as he charged straight out at the demoness and lashed out; once more, they were fighting. Yet it was completely different from the fights they had as little kids. Now, they were fighting as enemies.

The two fought, their swords clashed. When Daniel struck Sylvia in the side, she struck him in the back. The demoness took flight into the air and hovered, firing off more energy balls. For each one that missed, a crater formed in the ground. For each that hit, Daniel would bite down on his tongue and refuse to yell out, not wanting her to have the satisfaction of seeing him in pain. He took a deep breath, concentrating as pure, white, feathery wings formed on his back, both about six feet wide. He smirked and flew straight into the air, slashing his sword upwards on Sylvia. She took the hit, a deep gash forming across her chest. She covered her mouth with a hand and coughed, blood spilling as she tried to regain herself. She quickly flew away from him having lost control over her sword momentarily. When she looked at Daniel, she noticed him panting; he really didn’t think he could keep on fighting like this. He was taking up so much energy! Sylvia formed two black energy balls in her hands and waited, wanting to draw this fight out as long as she could.

“Oh my. Still going to fight?” the demoness said, a smile appearing on her face as she held her arms by her side.

“Believe me, Sylvia,” Daniel panted, tightening his grip on his sword more. “I have no intention of quitting. . .until you’re good and dead!”

“Well, that’s a pity. Because I don’t plan on dying. I’ve got an adorable little boy I don’t want to leave behind,” Sylvia answered. Without hesitation, she threw the two dark balls at Daniel and he took the hit directly, a yell of pain escaping him. He hovered there a second before his wings vanished in a flash of light and he fell to the ground, a cushion of air breaking his fall, though he still hit the ground rather hard, his sword flying out of his hand. Burned and bleeding, he forced himself to sit up. Sylvia only laughed, a cold and heartless laugh that sent chills down the boy’s spine. Quickly, she flew straight down to him, smiling a beautiful smile that revealed her fangs again.

“Come on, Daniel. I won’t kill you if you give up,” she said, a pitch-black sword with black gems on the hilt appearing in her hand. “Admit it: darkness is all-powerful.”
Daniel laughed. He held his hand in front of him as though going to grab the demoness. But instead, a blade of pure air formed in his open hand and he grabbed it, striking quickly and thrusting it into Sylvia’s chest. Her eyes went wide and she backed away quickly from him, falling to the ground onto her knees, down on all fours once the sword was withdrawn. Daniel stood up slowly and shakily, looking down on the fatally-wounded demoness, knowing full well she couldn’t get up again.
“Should’ve stopped when you could,” he said sadly, a feeling of pity mixed with regret washing over him, though he knew better. He clutched his side with his right hand, seeing how it was least painful to move it, and turned away from the dying demoness, starting to walk away back to Toya and Chi to see their condition. He, himself, needed to bandage up his arm. Sylvia watched, her teeth gritted against the pain as she coughed up a large amount of blood, her breathing getting heavier and heavier, more and more difficult, and more and more blood spilled out, like water rushing out of a downwards pipe. She lifted her head and glared at Daniel’s back with hate-filled eyes before, with one final attempt, she stretched out her wings and pushed herself up from the ground, lunging out at Daniel as fast and hard as she could in her current state. Hearing her move, Daniel turned around quickly and faced her, regretting it at once as he was knocked to the ground, landing hard on his back once again.

“You never turn your back to your enemy unless you’re sure they won’t strike out again,” she snarled out, no longer looking like her beautiful self, the look of utter anger ruining her image. “Not a moment sooner! I believe I taught you that simple fact.”

“You b***h. I wasn’t trying to kill you!” Daniel froze as she only laughed, drawing a bizarre symbol on his chest with her blood, similar to that of a star in a circle with symbols on the edge.

“You’ve taken away my ability to heal. How can I recover from your attack now?” Sylvia asked softly, placing a hand carefully on the symbol as she moved her head so that it was an inch from his, her hair resting on his chest. “So now, as a consequence, I’m going to make you suffer. I’ll make you and your entire bloodline suffer.”

She laughed, an icy cold laugh that sent several chills down on Daniel’s spine, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up as he tried to get the crazed demoness off him, though his strength right now couldn’t manage it at all. The demoness’ hand on his chest glowed a menacing purple, and the symbol glowed, too. A small, black snake rose out of the symbol slowly, its eyes ruby red and glowing menacingly. The creature looked at Sylvia, then slowly turned its head to look at Daniel, obviously angered as the man froze. For a moment, the boy and the creature looked at each other, the snake baring its fangs. Then, it struck, piercing its fangs into his chest hard, no blood actually spilling, though it was obviously not a pleasant process, for Daniel yelled out in pain, squeezing his eyes shut tight as the creature slowly sunk into his skin until eventually, a black mark in the exact shape of the creature appearing on his chest, centering around where he had struck. It hurt. It hurt so much. It was as if someone had pressed a hot wire against his skin and let it stay there.

“There. Now, you’ll never be able to escape me ever again,” Sylvia whispered softly, resting her head on Daniel’s chest, right on the mark, listening happily to his cries of pain and closing her eyes. “I hear you planned on having a child. You’d better think fast and carefully. Because you don’t have very long to live now.” Her breathing grew fainter and fainter, almost completely stopped. It was impossible to tell if her heart was still beating or not. “And all your descendants are going to suffer, too, of course. You better hope that no reincarnation occurs. But then again, you deserve it. . .forcing me to leave Dairen.”

And then, she died. Her breathing stopped. Her heart stopped. She had died, just like that. So easily. Daniel struggled to keep the pain under control, yet his body was burning, now. Whatever she had infected in him, it was deadly, and he knew it. How long did he have to live? A year? A month? Maybe even a week? The boy shook his head, forcing himself to sit up. He pushed Sylvia off him, trying to regain his lost breath. He didn’t change back to normal. He couldn’t, actually. The necklace in his hand was held loosely now. He glanced at it before standing up and tying it around his neck. Then, he pressed the pendant of the necklace to the black choker around his neck and merged the two carefully so that the choker now had the necklace’s pendant attached to it. It was rather remarkable, yet he didn’t care much for it.

Then he remembered his friends, glancing at Toya and Chi. Chi seemed to be alright, if burned slightly. He ran to her side, running a finger along the vines and cutting them away and setting her free. The girl stirred and opened her eyes, barely able to make sense of her surroundings.

“What. . .?” she said softly, turning her head and looking at Daniel’s blurred figure. She couldn’t determine who he was, at first. But as he came into focus more, and seeing his clothes, she quickly sat up, examining him. Then, a smile crept onto her face as she suddenly hugged him tightly with all her might. “You look so darn cool! And cute!"

“H-Hey! Ease up,” Daniel said, blushing lightly as he broke away quickly, feeling the familiar burning sensation when he was touched. He stood up, then he helped Chi up, the girl almost losing balance but quickly getting caught by Daniel. “Geez. Such a klutz.”

“I am not!” Chi pouted, then sighing when Daniel laughed; she just couldn’t stay mad at him. The boy looked down at the girl, a warm smile on his face as he bent down and gave her a soft kiss. How long it lasted, he didn’t know. But he enjoyed every second of it, finally breaking away when he thought he should and running off to Toya’s side.

“Hey. Get up,” Daniel said, nudging the bleeding boy slightly. Toya stirred lightly and lifted up his head. Everything was blurry, he knew that much. Yet as he was lifted up by Daniel, he became more aware of everything, though he didn’t speak; he merely fell back into unconsciousness.

“Well, at least we know he’s alive,” Chi said, walking up to the two boys. She glanced again at Daniel before nodding and leading the way back to the campsite; it was dark, probably past midnight, at least. Then, Daniel stopped, handing Toya over to Chi before running back to Sylvia’s side, looking down at the demoness. Chi merely watched, puzzled, but shrugging and dragging Toya off towards their tent so she could bandage him up.

Daniel looked at Sylvia’s lifeless body. For how long, he didn’t know. However, after a while longer, he stuck out his arm, concentrating on the ground and carving a nice, deep hole about size feet under ground. Then he picked up Sylvia’s body and carefully lay her down in it, making it look like she was sleeping. He smiled, finding two trickles of tears flowing from his eyes as he stood back up and replaced the dirt. On the dirt mound, he carved into it with small blades of air, writing but a simple message:



Daniel grinned, wiping away his tears and coughing a little; the burning sensation had subsided a little. Yet he knew he didn’t have much longer. He couldn’t let his life go to waste. Not after he’d managed to accomplish so much in it. Then he flinched, a rock having been thrown at him. He looked in the direction it had come from and spotted the little boy Sylvia had brought with her earlier, tears streaming down his face with utter hate in his eyes. The elder boy merely shook his head as he watched the little demon boy fly off into the night, probably back home.

“I guess that’s Dairen, huh?” Daniel sighed, turning away and heading back towards the camp, walking through it. Once again, he had the usual stares of the residents, yet it was not the usual tense ones. On the contrary, it seemed they were impressed with his appearance. As he reached his own tent, the pain in his left arm became worse, and he clutched at it, trying to bring the pain down. He didn’t enter until he was sure that he would be alright, walking into the tent and finding a bandaged-up Toya sitting in his futon, arguing with a tired Chi.

“There you are!” Toya exclaimed, making to get up but being quickly pushed down by Chi. “s**t. That was cheap. . .”

“You’re injured! Act like it!” Chi said for the umpteenth time. She then ushered for Daniel to come over, the boy doing so and sitting in front of her, letting her bandage up his injured arm. “I have to say, you look pretty cool in those clothes!”

“She doesn’t lie,” Toya agreed, sitting up while he had the chance as he glanced at Daniel’s clothes. “Seriously, is that a new thing or something? Or is it a special elementalist-only thing?”

“I don’t know,” Daniel answered. He pulled his arm away when it was bandaged up, standing up and crawling over to his own futon, merely collapsing down onto it and not bothering to get under it, simply drifting off to sleep, the day having exhausted him.

Chi and Toya exchanged looks before the girl sighed, getting up, putting away the medicine and bandages and grabbing a blanket, covering Daniel with it before crawling beside him and sleeping with him.

“Sheesh. Two lovebirds. We’re gonna end up with a little midget running around soon, I just know it,” Toya sighed, a smile on his face as he lay back and fell asleep as well. He couldn’t say that life with Daniel wasn’t interesting. Yet he had to admit, it was usually a miracle they were sane after the events.
~*~*~*~
It’s been six years since Sylvia’s death. Six years since the day Daniel had been infected by that snake with gleaming red eyes. Over the years, his condition got better and then it got worse. It was unstable, constantly threatening his life until, one day, he collapsed, and was forced to stay put, not by Chi, but by his condition. Speaking of Chi, the two of them got married when Daniel was still well and now have son who is quite the hyperactive once, constantly running around and giving his parents a headache.

Today is a sad day. The clouds are dark, and rain is pouring. Toya and Chi, as well as Chi’s son are gathered in the familiar white tent, sitting there while Daniel slept. His breathing was ragged and pained though he seemed in no immediate danger.
“This sucks. I wanted to go out and train a little,” Toya complained, folding his arms and thoroughly annoyed.

“One day won’t kill you. You’ve got no competition, remember?” Chi sighed, holding a struggling little one-year-old in her arms to prevent him from waking up Daniel. “Besides. . .I kindda need help keeping the little devil from waking up Daniel. Masa’s so bouncy, I swear!”

“It’s kindda surprising the two of you even got together like that. I never saw it coming,” Toya said. He winced when Masa starting pulling on his hair, which was shorter and a usual mess now. “Itai! Quit pulling on my hair, little brat! Toya needs his hair or he freezes!”

Masa giggled loudly, and Chi couldn’t help but laugh. Then, the little demon child broke free from his mother’s grasp and ran over to his father, Daniel, and poked him until he awoke.

“Alright. You set the demon free,” the man asked, rubbing his eyes a little but staying down. Nothing was clear today and his body felt numb. However Masa, not liking his father’s sleepiness, poked him again until the man finally grabbed the little boy and dragged him down to the ground. “Alright, brat. No more! I’m getting too old!”

“You are not, you silly goose,” Chi laughed, getting up and sitting down at Daniel’s side. She offered to take the little toddler, but the man merely shook his head and wrapped his arms around his child, cuddling him. “So, how’re you feeling?”

“Feeling? Usual. Can’t get up and nothing makes sense. Is there a reason why you and Toya are inside today?”

“Yeah! ‘Cause it’s soaking wet outside!” Toya exclaimed, standing up and pacing in the tent. “Ah! This sucks! It’s impossible to stay still in here!”

“Calm down. It’s not that bad,” Daniel sighed. He buried his face in his son’s back, a massive headache coming his way. Masa didn’t move and merely giggled loudly, making the headache much worse. “Besides, I have to hang in here all the time. It’s not bad after a while.”

“Easy for you to say. You sleep half the time,” Toya grumbled. He finally sighed and sat down by Daniel’s side, looking at his friend with concern; something felt much, much more different today. And he didn’t like it at all.

“Hey. . .I got something to tell you. . .alright?” the weakened boy said quietly, revealing himself from Masa’s back. Chi and Toya tensed up a little; even Masa had settled, seeing the adults all tense. “You guys believe in reincarnation and that sort of stuff. . .right?”

“’Course! Because it’s been proven, at that,” Chi spoke up. She glanced at Toya a little hesitantly, speaking again when he nodded. “Like that one woman in Italy? It turned out she’d been a reincarnation of a famous fighter.”

Daniel smiled and nodded, listening before he spoke again. However, just before he had the chance, a painful ringing started in his ears, as well as a sharp burning sensation throughout his body; the poison was acting up, and he found it much, much harder to keep on breathing, his vision blurring as he fought to stay awake; he had to fight it. He had to deliver this message. “Don’t know when it’ll happen, but keep this name in mind: Alex.”

“Why?” Toya asked, finding himself shaking; something definitely wasn’t right, he knew that! Whatever it was, it was making him shake; he even found himself almost sounding desperate.

“’Cause. That’s who’ll be my reincarnation. Heh, it could happen next generation, or even in a thousand years from now! Hell, I don’t know.” Daniel let out a small, deep breath. When he tried to breathe again, he found he could barely manage it; the darkness was starting to overcome him. He just couldn’t fight it. Slowly, he closed his eyes, the burning sensation leaving his body finally. Nothing hurt anymore as his body fell limp, never to move again.

“Daniel?” Chi asked, glancing at the boy. She reached over to him, gently nudging him; had he fallen asleep? She nudged him again before feeling something on her shoulder, looking to find Toya’s hand there, the man shaking his head; his eyes were wet and he looked on the verge of tears. He looked to be shaking. Then, Chi’s eyes widened as she glanced back at Daniel, taking her hand off the body and covering her mouth to keep from screaming. Tears formed in her eyes and streamed down her face as she carefully picked up Masa. The infant blinked, looking at his mother, completely curious. Then he glanced back at his father, reaching out towards him and trying to break free. But Chi merely held her son tightly, unable to tell him that Daniel was no longer there; that he would never again be there. She, too, was shaking as she cried, hugging Masa tightly and burying her face into his back, the boy not moving anymore as tears streamed down his own face and he wailed, crying for the father he had lost. Toya wiping away his tears and sitting there, thoroughly unhappy. He glanced at Daniel; never again, would he have someone to fight against. Never again, would he hear the laughter of the boy. Never again would he see the magnificent feats the boy could accomplish.

Never again would he have a friend as loyal as Daniel.
~*~
It is spring. April, to be exact. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping. . .yet it is a dark, dark day. At the scene of Sylvia’s grave, we find Toya carrying Daniel’s limp body and Chi carrying Masa in her arms. Man and woman were both wearing black. Even the infant was wearing black. There was a hole in the ground right next to Sylvia’s grave and equally as big. Chi snuggled Masa as Toya gently lowered Daniel’s body into the new grave, making sure that, if he had been alive, it would be comfortable, still. The man bit down on his lower lip as he started burying the body once again, forcibly reminding himself that Daniel was not alive; that he wouldn’t feel anything. Yet even as he thought that, he was carefully filling up the hole.

Masa reached out for his father, wanting to be let down so he could stop Toya. Yet Chi merely held onto her son tightly, tears streaming down her face once more as Toya finished up. The man looked up and dusted off his hands before walking back to the girl, leading her back into the camp so she could calm down.

Marking Daniel’s grave was a simply boulder, no larger than a soccer ball. Carved into it was this message:



Between Sylvia’s and Daniel’s grave was a small tree that had sprouted out of the ground. How long it would take to grow, no one knew. Yet to this day, it stands, towering over the graves of two old friends, in the city of what is now Kaineg. How long would it be until Daniel’s reincarnation was found? Well. . .I’m sure only time would be able to tell.