"Nice sword Heo." Liam said and slammed his curved sword into the sand to inspect it.
"Nice save too." Noah smiled at me but also went to inspect the sword.
Elli walked up to me and laid her hand softly on my head again. I became less exhausted and felt some magic leak back in.
"Didn't mean to throw you so hard." Elli said.
"I don't." I rubbed my forehead.
"You- you overworked yourself." She sighed and gave me some magic. "I at least know I won't lose you to magic implosion."
We laughed quietly into the sounds of the soft sea. Liam and Noah asked a few questions about the sword. I responded to them, avoiding the fact that it was a heroic artifact.
Liam went and tried to pick up the sword. "Woah." It wobbled for a second in his arms. "You were swinging this pretty recklessly, now I know why."
"Can't believe you got something like this."
"In reality, I went to Fayha for a sword."
"Looks like you got a keeper. Don't know if it suits you for how short you are." Liam said.
"I'm not. Five-six is pretty normal, I'd even say average for me!"
"It's fine, Heo. Liam is just messing with you."
"Oh…"
"You look pretty tired. Want us to walk you to the stairs for the night?"
"No. I'll head up by myself."
I picked up the giant sword, not putting it away just in case I was attacked by more criet. The sword's length was around when I first got it. The majority of the weight I had accumulated from the magical water was spent splitting the criet in three.
Elli caught me right before I got away. She gave me another hug before looking me in the eye.
"I wanted to ask about your eyes too."
"Come on Elli. Some stuff, Stella's are weird now too." I pulled back and her hands fell to her side softly.
"We'll come by tomorrow." She said as I walked back.
I turned a few walls and got far enough away from them. I slowed down a bit. I scanned the horror moon-lit beach. The shore rose and fell back into the horizon. I looked up at the moon which sat right above me. One of the hands on the moon lifted and waved down.
Could we technically fix that since Stella has that power too. Why would Baydí do that to the moon? Even if she was affected by hero syndrome, what an odd stray. I sighed and continued walking back.
I reached the stairs and started to climb. Two deaths on the sand below me, and I just proved that will never happen on that sand again. No criet alive can challenge me. I laughed.
"That makes two anomalied I've killed. I can't wait to fight more!" I squealed and hopped up the rest of the stairs. "One day I'll mark down a weather eater on this list."
It was way past the time I could fall asleep. I push both of my exhaustions down. I'm too calamid to go to sleep anyways.
I walked towards the gas station. It was down the hill from the railing. It was also on the way to school. Stella had stayed at my house a lot and we went to school together. Before and after school we'd buy snacks at the gas station. I got the same thing I always got to keep me awake through the night then. I'd get the same when we got there.
The lights from the gas station illuminated most of the street around it. Being close to two am only a few cars were parked there. I walked in by myself. The energy drink was popular for adventures and was made for more magically enhanced bodies. It was illegal to get that type without being an adventurer, so they made a different version to reach a wider range of customers.
I slept like a baby in Fayah even if some dreams were bad, I had even avoided this dream for the most part. I know for sure I'm going to have it again. I always do when I sleep at that house. I had it for either fourteen or eighteen years straight, with a few exceptions.
My momentum was halted by a sigh. I reached out and grabbed the drink. I instantly started to hop seeing the version with magic enhancements along with what it does to keep you awake.
I brought the drink up to the front and I paid with a handful of cash I had saved in my room. I left and headed to the guild. The guild was farther down into town by the school stores and other buildings. The lights of the small town got brighter and brighter as I walked. I headed inside to grab a criet quest.
I headed back up the road towards the railing I was familiar with. The energy drink rejuvenated me. The nightmare was put off for the time being. I continued fighting criets by myself for the rest of the night. I was getting more used to the sword and its size changing whenever I used the chant.
I continued hunting criets for a few more hours. After the first fight I had and the one with Elli's group, no other criets posed as much of a threat. I easily took them all out.
Around five in the morning, nearing the time the sun was about to rise, my body was falling behind me, so it was finally time to call it. I had been exhausted from yesterday, walk around Fayha, was given a reward and title in front of the capital of Fayha, and fought criets for a few hours straight. It was no wonder I was starting to feel it.
Most people who take this job nightly or daily just take out ones that are out or that have traps laid. I was deliberately calling them out for the entire night.
I couldn't figure out what the limit was on this bag. I was scared I might overload it then it would explode. I have to assume it was Primé who made it. I pulled the bodies as close together as I could before raising my sword high. I spoke the segmented sea chant and used the rippling water to cut up the bodies to fit inside. I had killed around thirty, not including the strong one with Elli's group.
The sun started to rise once I finally finished. I hopped up and towards the guild caring most of the criets. I was able to make a little extra money just from the hours I spent down there with all the bodies skinning them as best I could.
By the time I was walking back home, my backpack was covered in blood. I walked into the house and was met with my entire family. They were crowded around the kitchen counter, drinking coffee and eating eggs. They turned at the sound of the door.
"Heo?"
"Yeah…"
"Why were you out?"
"I just went out to make some money."
They looked at me strangely. Their faces gave me the feeling of the nightmare coming on. I pulled out the cash I had gotten. They all sighed before asking me about it. They were all waking up before they were going to check on Stella.
"Heo. Do you want me to try and clean your backpack? It must have been expensive if it could fit that much."
"No, it's alright. I need some things out of it right now."
"Do you want to show us your sword?"
I scratched my head. As tired as I was and how much I didn't want to see the nightmare, I really did want to show them.
. I walked out to the backyard. I set the blood stained backpack down and reached in. My burn covered hands pulled out the seven foot sword. They all were curious about it and I talked a bit about it.
Cass went over to my backpack and picked it up and inspected it for a second. "I can clean this Heo."
"N-no don't worry about it."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. It'll just get dirty again."
She shrugged and reached inside.
"WAIT!"
Her hands pulled back but froze briefly. "Sorry…" She looked down at the bag and placed it on the ground. Wiping her hands on the grass.
I nearly avoided her seeing the ocean. I swiftly took the backpack and threw the sword in before leaving them. Sprinting up the stairs to the nightmare I knew I'd experience. They called after me, but I ignored them.
I ran up to my room once again. I chucked my backpack at the door. It bounced and sat next to my school one. Blood from the backpack staining the carpet.
My body was fighting me, I was either going to fall asleep in bed or standing up. Last ditch effort to push the dream off I started to scroll on my phone. Maybe it kept me up longer, maybe I fell asleep immediately.
…
Stella came up to me, it was just like the day I died. She pulled me down the stairs, we ate, then went outside. It wasn't just me and Stella that day. I hate it.
I woke up from the nightmare. My hands still felt tight with wet hair. My body drenched in sweat from the fierce struggle. My stomach boiled, it was useless to ever fight it. It hurt so badly. I pushed myself up from my bed. I had only slept for a few hours.
I shook hard, trying to erase the memories. The nightmare stung like Āpala's death. Did that day between us really happen? Or is it just a nightmare?
I stood up from the bed, wobbling towards the door. I looked down at my hands on the doorknob. The burns had practically healed away thanks to my resistance, but the scars on my right hand hadn't. The healing magic wasn't given in time to erase the scar. It was just another thing I have for the rest of my life.
I took a shower, washing off like I should have done before getting in bed. I sweated more from sleeping though. While the water ran down my face I closed my eyes, though I saw through my eyelids once again. I threw on a black tank top and black sweatpants.
Walking down the hallway I opened the door and looked at Stella's sleeping body. She was sleeping extremely still, like she didn't enjoy it either.
I shut her door and walked down the stairs. Helio, Cass and Stella's parents were talking with the three adventurers that were in casual outfits now. They looked up at me as if they knew what happened in the dream. My stomach boiled. I won't escape it tonight either will I?
"Good morning, Heo." Cass said.
"Hi."
"You shouldn't stay up all night. I've told you since you were three." Cass came up and hugged me.
"We heard from the adventurers that you snuck out to fight criets." Helio said.
"I did." I pulled away from Cass.
"Heo." Elli's face rearranged itself. "We're going to take Stella and her parents back to Spirit if you'd like to come?"
"Yes!"
"Rex told us about how you got him to take you two to Fayha." Elli laughed.
"Yeah." I walked towards the front door. "That was the only thing I had over him now I can't call on anymore favors."
"I'm sure he'd help you if needed." Stella's mom said.
I turned to her. Something knotted up inside me like Āpala's thorns. Pricking a sentence out. I gave into the pain and a fire bursted from my mouth as I spoke.
"Stella… I don't know when she will again, but she did wake up for me in Fayha." My voice cracked. "I know she'll be fine when she decides to get up. She's really strong." My stomach caught on fire, boiling me away.
The room stared at me. A new look on each of their faces. They didn't offer any words for some reason. Liam just walked up and put his arm around me.
"Lets head on out, no?"