Forever Friends

Those twisted creations tore and bit at one another, splattering the life-rich potions everywhere. This madness threw the entire army into an irrepressible state of chaos.

Sian gritted his teeth and dumped all the remaining Peacebloom Pollen into his mouth. With no water, he forcefully swallowed it down with the little medicinal wine he had left, choking so badly that he coughed and thumped his chest for quite a while.

Perhaps the herbs had taken effect, or perhaps it was merely psychological, but the power that burst forth actually allowed him to hoist his master onto his back once more.

But after only a few staggering steps forward, he fell headfirst to the ground.

His exhausted legs gave out completely, and his knees smashed hard against the rocks, sending waves of dull, numbing pain through them.

Blood began flowing again, and only then did he realize just how terrible his injuries were.

The wound on his shoulder had already festered. The joint in his left leg was swollen and purple, so severe that even walking had become difficult.

He had finally won this chance, only to be dragged down by his earlier injuries. Was he willing to let everything end in failure?

Never!

Little Sian clenched his teeth and, supporting his master by the arm, crawled forward with all his strength. Stones tore open his elbows and cut his chin, but he paid them no mind.

The noises behind him suddenly grew chaotic. Those things had probably finally realized that it had been a decoy meant to draw their attention away.

That meant they would be charging at him soon.

He did not look back, nor did he stop.

Because he had made a vow—a vow to save his master's life. So he would never give up again. At least not until his strength was spent. At least not until he had been torn to pieces. He would never stop!

Sian's head felt heavy and muddled. He did not even need to touch his forehead to know how high his fever was. His exhausted body kept sounding alarms, while his inflamed wounds steadily drained what little strength he had left.

His vision gradually blurred, and the chaotic sounds behind him became indistinct. In his haze, little Sian suddenly heard the furious roar of a Kodo Beast.

Despairing, he thought it was a hallucination brought on by his raging fever. It seemed his body was already on the verge of collapse.

Come to think of it, dying unconscious wouldn't be so bad. Don't let appearances fool you, I'm still very afraid of pain...

His mind wandered to such nonsensical thoughts as the sounds behind him grew louder and louder.

Until a thunderous roar exploded beside his ears.

The roar jolted Sian's mind clear. At the same time, he felt his body grow light as the ground rapidly fell away. He had been tossed into the air.

When he came down, he landed on an icy-cool back, while his master landed beside him.

"Sian! Sian! Wake up! Wake up!"

A childish, immature voice echoed through Sian's mind. He was stunned by this sudden rescue. Who was speaking? And who had saved him?

Who are you?

Sian cautiously asked in his mind.

That immature voice answered him again.

Feeling the vibrations beneath his belly, it seemed that whatever carried them was a gigantic creature.

"It's me, it's me, Master! I came to help you!"

Sian suddenly understood. That voice belonged to none other than his Kodo Beast, Liman!

"Liman! Liman! Is that you?" Sian felt something was terribly wrong, and anxiety rose within him.

Before the final moment came, he had planned to hide the little fellow away. Little Sian had secretly fed little Liman some Purple Lotus, watched him swallow it with his own eyes, and watched him fall into a deep sleep.

Grandpa Hukani's yard was in a very secluded place. It was safe there, and few people could find it.

Sian had thought that if he was still alive when everything was over, he would go back for Liman and apologize to him.

If he died, some other survivor would find him.

No matter what, Liman would survive. Yet he had deceived his master and slipped out on his own.

He had probably been following them from far behind all this time. The poor little fellow must have suffered greatly. "Protect Master! Don't let anything hurt him!"

"I secretly spat out the herbs and bit through the reins. I'm a bad fellow. I want to protect Master!"

Sian had been so panicked that he had forgotten how sensitive a Kodo Beast's nose was. This fellow was clever too, pretending to sleep so convincingly that he had even fooled his clever master.

Sian let out a breath of relief, smiling as he stroked Liman's huge head and said happily,

"You aren't a bad fellow. You're a good fellow. You saved me, and you saved Master. You're the best Kodo Beast in the world, Sian Whitehorn's most treasured companion!"

The icy-cool scales felt incredibly comfortable, easing the discomfort of his fever. Sian could not help stroking them a few more times, even rubbing his burning cheek against his companion's back.

But when his hand reached beneath him, he suddenly touched something warm and sticky.

With his throbbing head, he raised his hand before his eyes—and saw a patch of scarlet!

"Liman!!!"

Sian cried out. He struggled to bend down, only to be stunned by the Kodo Beast's miserable condition!

Liman's tail had been completely severed in two. A huge chunk of flesh had been bitten from his right leg. When Sian leaned down to look, the wounds on the Kodo Beast's abdomen were even more horrifying.

There were no hard scales protecting that area. It was covered in bite marks and tears. One savage gash had nearly ripped open his entire belly, and a string of severed intestines trailed outside. Blood and viscera had spilled all along the way.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!!!!"

Sian sobbed, "You're not allowed to run anymore! Stop now!! You'll die!!!"

He regretted using up all the Peacebloom. He desperately wanted to grab Liman's shell, but did not dare use any force. Helpless and at a loss, he could only remain on the Kodo Beast's back as Liman raced onward.

"Hurts... won't stop! Save Master! Lots ahead! Hold tight!"

Sian saw them. More fleshly aberrations were waiting ahead.

Liman let out a mighty roar and charged into the encirclement. His enormous body was like an unstoppable war chariot, smashing the blocking monsters apart.

A few lucky ones were not sent flying. Instead, they clung tightly to Liman's body, opening their gaping maws as they prepared to feast on this delicious meal.

"No! You damned bastards!"

Sian wildly swung his fists, trying to drive off those vampires. These hateful creatures probably took him for another feast and leaped toward him one after another, only to be knocked away by Sian's fists, which were coated in faint red magic.

Before he could be surprised by this sudden increase in strength, Sian noticed what lay ahead.

The path was narrowing. He remembered this place: the cliff at the easternmost edge of the village. A rift ran across it, and beyond it lay another wilderness—another chance at life.

"Do you see it? We can... we can survive!"

"This is all thanks to you! I'll reward you with the tastiest corn! At the next festival! I'll win you the prettiest saddle, buy you the coolest paint! You are not allowed to die! We still have to see this world together!"

With the fierce wind whipping past him, tears and snot streamed down Sian's face. He desperately tried to comfort his companion, desperately telling the little fellow just how amazing he was!

"Liman... happy... Master... praises..."

The Kodo Beast's breathing grew weaker and weaker, and his pace slowed more and more. At last, he exhausted all his strength and stopped before the chasm.

The huge beast panted as he slowly knelt down. Sian trembled as he rolled off his back, gently placed his master aside, then knelt before Liman's enormous head and silently wept.

"Liman... apples... want to eat..."

Upon hearing those words, Sian's tears finally burst forth.

That had been when they were both still very, very young, when Liman and Sian had both been stubborn little calves rather than good companions.

One day, little Liman had secretly eaten little Sian's corn, leaving him hungry for an entire day. In a fit of anger, Sian told him there were apples in the world that tasted ten thousand times better than corn, and that he would never let him have any for the rest of his life.

Sian hugged Liman's head and wailed.

"Eat apples—lots and lots of apples! I promise you, I'll let you eat your fill!"

"Apples... delicious... Sian... eat..."

A trace of longing flowed through the Kodo Beast's watery eyes. This gentle giant was already at death's door. He weakly stretched out his bloodstained tongue, wanting to lick his little master's dirty face one more time.

Even if it was only once more, he wanted to tell him that he was the happiest Kodo Beast in the world.

Sian suddenly felt his body being lifted. Liman had bitten his clothes and dragged his heavy body forward step by step.

The earth trembled. The tide of darkness was about to arrive.

"Sian... see... world..."

"Everyone... live..."

Then an immense force flung Sian away. His body flew far through the air and landed within the cliff rift.

Tamara was thrown in with the same motion, and Sian hurriedly caught her.

"Now... my turn..."

The Kodo Beast's voice was childish yet resolute. Amid the thunderous booms of the massive creature repeatedly crashing into the cliffside, boulders and dirt poured down, burying the entrance to the chasm.

"No!!!!"

Little Sian cried as he desperately crawled forward, but heaps of rubble quickly swallowed the narrow passage.

Through the gaps between the rocks, he saw countless hideous fleshly aberrations pouncing forward in excitement. That mountain-like silhouette was soon covered by the all-consuming Nightmare, drowning every last shred of hope.

With a crisp crack, the cocoon's shell began to peel away. Charred fragments broke apart and fell like accumulated snow.

This cocoon had endured the scorching flames, yet it still tenaciously hatched life.

The flames retreated step by step, their vast momentum already fading, as though their searing might had been reined in, leaving only unwilling roars.

On the ground beneath them, where the two had clashed, a clear boundary appeared. It was foreseeable that lightning would soon gain the upper hand.

As though heralding the birth of a powerful life, the fierce wind played a majestic hymn. The air carried the agonized cries of the storm. Unable to defy their ruler's will, once the final weak spark was extinguished, countless enslaved elements would wail as they offered eternal blessings to their new sovereign.

Rumble!

Was that thunder? No, it was the roar of a demon awakening!

After countless empty days and nights, Vel'th opened his eyes and welcomed his second rebirth. It must have been a rare experience.

For the first time, he felt just how narrow this world was—and how great he was.