Leyland Adventures Chapter Ten: Part Eight

"Tysashi!"

She continued crying impatiently for that name multiple times, despite the empty responses that followed. Spirits would giggle each time she called for him, providing false statements of him. She paid the statements no mind, keeping her objectives clear though the screaming sobs of a woman convinced those objectives to change. Her ears tracked the depressing song of tears, leading her to a fairy whose wings were hardly alive and steadily withering as sparkling dust buried her shoes. Her silky, extended jet black hair fell to the ground as the torn blue jeans and bumblebee shirt absorbed her tears.

"H- hello? Can...I help you?"

Her cinnamon eyes rose from her arms to view Aradressa's concerned pout before frantically crawling away.

"Hey, I'm not a clone! Please don't be alarmed!"

She inched closer to the peach-skinned girl, tenderly drawing out her hand to assist her with standing. The girl trembled with fear while scanning Aradressa's figure before gaining the courage to speak.

"I- I need Piku Liquid...d- do you have any?"

Her tone seemed light.

"I do, but I can only transfer a certain amount."

Just she began to burrow through her bag, another line of dialogue was heard once the precious liquid was received.

"I need...all of it. Please..."

"I'm incredibly sorry, but I cannot give you the entirety of the liquid. Did you not possess your own?"

"It was taken..."

"I see...well, I can merely provide a few drops."

"I thought you were our kind princess...sworn to protect your citizens without fail...and this how you do it?"

"I already offered you my assistance. You must understand I have to attend to myself as well."

"If you won't give it to me...then I'll just take it from you!"

Aradressa foresaw her actions thus dodging her sudden swings and placing the liquid back in the bag. She didn't fight back, instead she continued avoiding the attacks before igniting her body for split second to warn the unknown female. She then walked away from her with heavy footsteps.

⊱⋅ ────── ⋆★⋆────── ⋅⊰

"Is that the princess you really are?"

That question lingered over the air until her eyes detected a team of faint light dividing through the trees. Walking around the trees, an incredible sight was discovered.

The Ice, Stone, and Lightning Gemstones were left submerged in dust protected by three decomposed bodies. Most likely possessions of the dead owners.

She sighed, shifting her eyes away from the gemstones as claiming them in such a manner would be disrespectful. Though...if she did grab the gemstones...Tysashi would be able to return to his home much quicker. But then again...that would mean she would receive even less time to spend with him.

"I want Tysashi to return home safely but at the same time, I crave his presence here and there's so much I still need to say."

She placed herself against a tree, reviewing her choices.

"I know his friends and family crave him back home, I know he has a life outside of Leyland, I know I can't house him here forever...but I'm not ready to say goodbye yet."

In the end, after prolonged consideration, she went against her morals and proceeded to obtain the gemstones. A grotesque shadow of guilt followed her as she pushed forward.

⊱⋅ ────── ⋆★⋆────── ⋅⊰

Throughout the song of cheerful insects, an unusual sound groaned. Her body stood still for a moment as her eyes inspected the surrounding area, she picked up nothing but more sounds. The noises were able to be identified as the crunching of bones and the nauseating tearing of skin. The smell of blood screamed in her nostrils as she walked cautiously with her weapons in hand.

The sounds grew more familiar as she stepped closer just as the smell did, almost unbearable. She came to a dead end only to witness an umbra figure resembling a male fairy devouring the corpse of its own kind. The intestines were forced out of the stomach; multiple areas of the body were torn.

The splatter of blood marked up the body well, making it challenging to see any distinct traits of the body like the gender.

Though it was an undoubtedly graphic sight, it failed to compare to the horrors she was exposed to as a child. The smell of blood masked her scent, allowing her to escape with a rotting feeling of discomfort. It's unknown if what she saw was an illusion, though the matter didn't attract her concern for much longer.

Another sound flew through the air; a moan of malaise that ironically sounded like the gentle strum of a harp to her due to familiarity.

"Tysashi!" She cried with her wings fluttering to the escalating intensity of his moans.

She eventually arrived, seeing him concealing a wide cut to his stomach with bloody hands while sitting on a stump near a glistening puddle populated by swimming leaves. Blood was painted over his clothes as his he continued to breathe heavily.

Her eyes proceeded to quake at the sight of his injuries. The powerful urge to suffocate him within her arms and place concerned lips onto his zoomed through her body.

Fighting the urge, she soothed herself to heal his injuries. The pairs of azure eyes met with each other, trembling.

The overpowering urge could no longer be neglected. Her arms coiled around him like snakes with his face shared between the soft pillows of her body, nearly choking on her aroma.

Rain soon dropped from her cheeks with a twinkling smile that soon transitioned into puckered lips that was abruptly held back a single finger. Her lips returned to a normal state with her eyebrows conveying confusion.

His eyes analyzed her from top to bottom before rummaging through her bag.

"Tysashi, I vow that I'm not an illusion. This is the genuine me."

Ignoring her statement, he retrieved the Piku Liquid.

"So it is the real you."

"Yes, now please accompany me throughout the forest. We don't have to let our souls wander aimlessly and allow our hope to diminish anymore."

After fooling around with the bottle, he batted the stump with it.

"T- Tysashi!"

"You're cheating by introducing outside items into this forest. Everyone who enters this horrid place is guaranteed a fair death."

All of the euphoria that was granted to her...was all but a cruel fabrication. The salty tears from a fantasy of happiness turned into an inferno of spiraling rage.

"Now then, be a good girl and rot away like you're supposed to."

With that final message, he disappeared, leaving her rage to settle as she carried on with the tears still flooding her eyes. No more mercy, no more trust, anything that dared to face her would immediately become subjected to her blade. As if negative reflection of herself possessed her, she adopted a new mindset with a trail of cold liquids behind her.