PART 2
True to her word, Hiroma took to the sword the very next dawn, rigorously hacking and slashing away at the scarecrow Valin had trained on not two weeks earlier. She was frail compared to her big brother, the blade weighing upon her thin arms. Still, she stuck to it. Yumi watched from her bedroom window. Only a day had gone by, but her older sister already looked more mature. There was a fierce determination in her eyes, the kind that was not easily dispersed.
Yumi sighed and looked down at her dagger.
Hātobīto was her only physical reminder of Masato’s presence and promise. Yumi already wanted to have him back, she wanted her brother back, but both were gone. She and her sister would have to carry on alone. Things were going to change around here.
Hiroma continued to train herself every single day, determined to live up to Valin. Slowly her frailty waned and her strength grew. Her hands became familiar with the blade, and before long the young woman’s painstaking efforts led her to outpace even her brother’s skills. Her parents had been fighters, but they had raised docile and slack children. No more. Their daughter was a warrior.
Yumi too found herself growing. In the absence of her brother Hiroma couldn’t do everything alone. Yumi’s chores doubled, her free time was severed, and her story books were increasingly shelved, the young Kyrie not having the time to wistfully pore over them and daydream. Masato had come and gone, and in his wake real life had punched her in the gut. It was time to grow up.
Still, she often found herself thinking about him, especially whenever the sun set. Any time she got the chance she would sit on the hill and stare at the melting sun, marveling at
Hātobīto’s silver blade glowing in the light, and think of their brief time together. Older or not, his promise was still a promise, and even when the assassin was at the far back of her thoughts she still never forgot him. Even as she aged none of the village boys interested Yumi in the slightest, and she patiently waited for Masato to return, his shoulders finally free from the burden of war and limitless time on their side to really, truly get to know each other.
The war itself continued to loom as time went by, and ever since its short-lived brush with her village Yumi was unable to expel it from her mind. Whenever word came carrying reports of the war’s progress, Yumi was always first in line to read about it. Sometimes the news was good, sometimes it was bad. Either way it continued to march on endlessly. Sometimes Yumi felt like it would be that way forever. At the very least it kept its direct presence away from her town. At the very least it did for eight years.
---
“The Marro threat looms!” The messenger declared to the gathered townspeople. He clutched a official parchment tight in his hands, reading aloud boldly, “Continued Marro victories in the east have put increased pressure on General Einar’s borders once again. The Valkyrie has declared a state of emergency. All able-bodied Kyrie must prepare to defend their villages from Marro attacks, by order of the General, and all spare rations must be stockpiled. It is likely Braunglayde will fall under attack in the near future.”
Yumi’s heart skipped a beat at the news. As usual she was at the very front of the crowd, expecting a typical war report, but nothing like this. She stepped forward to voice her concerns, “Defend our villages ourselves? Like a militia? Isn’t Einar going to send troops here?”
The messenger shook his head, “The General’s forces are spread thin as it is, ma’am. It would take too long to pull troops from the front lines of Lindesfarme and Bleakewoode to get here in time.”
Panicked yet hushed whispers floated amongst the worried crowd. The messenger continued, “Until then, I suggest you all do everything in your power to prepare for any Marro attacks. It is entirely possible they might try to come through here.”
With that he left, leaving them all scared and confused. Their village had gone from average peaceful town to the point of a looming Marro invasion in just a single day, and with no standing army to defend them no less. One of the elders turned to Yumi, “Redfeather! Your sister is a fighter, right? All she ever does is practice!”
“Hiroma?” Yumi replied, “I suppose so. She’s never been in a real battle, though.”
“And those of us who have are long since rusty!” The elder refuted, “We should put her in charge of assembling a militia! I bet we’d stand a chance against the Marro then!”
The other townsfolk nodded in agreement. Yumi paused, not doubting her sister for a moment but nonetheless frozen with fear at the very idea of having another sibling go out to battle. Still, it was true. Many had gone out to fight last time and returned, but like Valin they weren’t real warriors and didn’t consistently train. Hiroma on the other hand had kept to that rigid lifestyle ever since she had made that promise eight years ago.
“I…I’ll go tell her.” Yumi turned and headed back home. She glanced down at her leg, where she kept
Hātobīto hidden under her skirt. She still had never been forced to use it, and she hoped to keep it that way even with the Marro threat on the horizon.
Oh please, Masato. Please come back and spare my sister from having to go out to war too!
A tiny part of her still kept to that childlike ideal, truly hopefully believing that at the last second her hero would come riding in with an army at his back to stop the Marro and absolve her sister of the heavy responsibility awaiting her. She could practically see him, his warm smile saved for her and his deadly blades reserved for their enemies. She still believed in his promise.
Hiroma was home, calmly sharpening one of her swords as if she already knew what the news was going to be. Yumi rushed to her, expelling Masato from her mind, “Sis! The war report said that Marro were coming to Braunglayde!”
Hiroma looked up, “Coming here?”
“Y-Yes! And the Alliance army won’t be here in time. T-They say we’ve got to defend ourselves, and the e-elders want you to do it!”
Her sister’s eyes widened. She set the weapon aside and got up, taking Yumi’s shoulders and looking her in the eyes, “Listen. Everything’s going to be fine.”
“B-but!” Yumi teared up, “V-V-Valin! W-why can’t the army come help us?”
Hiroma smiled, “Chin up, sis. You’re still such a kid. Our family didn’t come all this way and make so much sacrifice just to be squashed by those Marro scum now. I’ll whip these lazy village boys into fighting shape, you’ll see.”
“I’m sure you will.” Yumi sighed, “I just can’t shake this feeling of dread.”
“We all get scared at times like this. The only thing we can do is just keep moving forward.” Hiroma walked back over to the table and picked up her sword, “C’mon. We’ve got work to do.”
---
“Alright everyone,” Hiroma announced to the Kyrie gathered around her in the middle of town, “Time for some sparring. Grab a weapon that suits you and show me what you’ve got. One at a time.”
Yumi watched from a distance. It was a small town, so there were only thirty or so warriors for her sister to work with. Better yet, none of them were soldiers, skilled with tools but not weapons. Every Kyrie walked up to bat one at a time, timidly holding their swords, spears, and axes, and fought with Hiroma. She parried each attack, easily disarming her opponents without much effort. Only a single Kyrie posed a challenge, a big brute of a man parrying her counter with his axe. The two fought for a short while, Hiroma finally slipping her blade under her opponent’s weapon and heaving it out of his hands. A single red feather floated through the air, Hiroma’s wing nearly clipped by her attacker.
She smiled, wiping her brow, “You’re not bad, big guy. What’s your name?”
“Kredun.” The big Kyrie replied, picking up his weapon.
“I don’t know you. Do you live around here?” Hiroma asked.
Kredun frowned, “I was discharged from the army. Then I received word that my brother had died and left me his farm in eastern Kinsland. When I got there, the Marro had already blown it up.”
“That’s terrible.” Hiroma replied, “But you are a soldier. The Marro are headed this way, and we could certainly use the help. Can you lend us a hand?”
“Sure. My other brother has a farm in Crumland, so I don’t want the Marro getting that far either.” Kredun replied, “At the very least I could help teach these Kyrie how to fight.”
“Wow, that’d be great. Consider yourself my second-in-command!” Hiroma paused, “Um, if you don’t mind me asking, why were you discharged from the army?”
“I swung a bit too hard at an orc and accidently lopped my C.O.’s head off.”
“Oh… Um… Well anyway, let’s hop to it. We’ve got a lot of preparation to do and not much time to do it.” Hiroma changed the subject. Kredun nodded and asked all axe-wielding Kyrie to follow him. Hiroma turned to Yumi, “Sis, can you round up everyone else and see what other supplies we can use? Food, water, leather, wood, metal, stuff like that?”
Yumi sheepishly nodded, “O-Of course. I want to help too!”
She didn’t quite mean it. She really wanted to run far away and hide from the problem. Still, Yumi mustered the courage to keep her feet firmly on the ground. She believed her sister’s words: everyone here was scared, but they all stayed strong. She’d have to do the same, for the sake of her village. For the sake of her family. It was time to hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
Over the next several days things were busy at the village. Everyone banded together, giving everything they could give to help stockpile supplies and make food and weapons. The local blacksmith melted down pots and pans and forged them into armor. Kredun helped them build a small watchtower to help foresee any incoming invaders. Their town didn’t have any tall buildings before, and Yumi liked to fly up there and watch the soldiers train from a good vantage point. Her sister was doing a good job, or at least Yumi thought she was—she didn’t really know how to tell. The normally relaxed and bumbly Kyrie looked so professional in armor, moving in unison.
While Hiroma taught them how to fight, Kredun taught them what to expect on the battlefield. He told them about battle formations, how to take cover from the enemy’s weapons, and about the Marro themselves. He talked about the different types of Marro foot soldiers: the Drones, Dividers, Drudge, and Stingers, and about the different ranks of Marro: Hivelords, Warlords, Overlords, and the Hives themselves. They sounded terrifying and dangerous, Yumi growing increasingly nervous about the coming battle. She only hoped that they had enough time to prepare for such an enemy. They didn’t.
---
“Marro! Marro approaching!!” The watchman called out from the tower, ringing the bell quite unexpectedly not three days into the village’s training. It was only midday, nobody expecting the sudden call to arms.
“Damn, so soon?” Hiroma muttered, grabbing her sword and racing outside, “Civilians get back! Soldiers up front!”
Panicked and rushed, the villagers scrambled about town. The warriors raced out to meet the Marro, standing there with hastily grabbed weapons and incomplete armor. Everyone else stood not far behind or watched from the windows of their homes, morbidly curious. Yumi herself couldn’t hide, unable to take her eyes off her sister all the way up front.
Yumi had only heard stories about the Marro, her parents recounting them in the faintest of her memories. The descriptions had sent her scurrying up to her room and hiding under the bedcovers, and when the monstrous creatures finally rode into sight she felt that same feeling. They were orange and sinewy, like entire beings crafted from the grisly wounds of soldiers. They all had soulless eyes and wicked grins on their skinless faces, their hideous appearance seemingly matching their vile nature.
There were only a few of them however, most riding upon equally hideous reptilian beasts. Others on foot carried giant green weapons that glowed and churned. The warriors backed up in fear whenever the barrel was pointed directly at them. Only Hiroma stood in brave unshaking defiance.
One Marro, seemingly the leader, dismounted and strode forth. This one was taller and even uglier than the others, metallic spikes grafted all along his arms and sides. Two bladelike appendages stuck out of his back, the Marro reaching up and yanking one of them out, holding it like a sword. He grinned at the Kyrie, sticking the blade into the earth before speaking, “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ma-Xel-Sa, one of the Hive’s Warlords.”
His voice sounded strangely soft for such a disgusting creature, the other Marro speaking in alien clicking noises. Still, it had an unsettling echo to it, like the sound of an inhale through chattering teeth. It sent shivers crawling up Yumi’s spine.
“You are not welcome on Einar’s borders.” Hiroma defiantly replied, “Leave at once or be destroyed. We will not show mercy to such vile beings as yourself.”
Ma-Xel-Sa grinned, “You speak as if you know the Hive personally. We are kinder than you have been led to believe. That is why I have come in advance of our army, to allow your village the chance to peacefully surrender.
The Warlord scanned the Kyrie crowd, speaking to all of them now, “For years the Alliance has fought against our creeping influence, to no avail. Their obstinacy has caused great suffering for countless people all across the continent. Spare yourselves of such pain and give in to the Hive.”
“As if Marro spare their prisoners.” Hiroma denied.
Ma-Xel-Sa frowned, “Other species are always so clingy to their lives. True, we will not spare you, but we will let you join us. We will make you all into willing Marro—we have our ways. Then you will know the bliss of the Hivemind.”
Hiroma fiercely stuck her sword into the ground, shouting, “Your Hivemind has brought nothing but suffering and death to Valhalla. We will fight to the bitter end to eradicate it from our world! Now leave!”
The Warlord picked up his blade and reinserted it into his back, turning and climbing back onto his mount. Again he smiled as he addressed Yumi’s sister, “Very well. Consider my warning unheeded. But if you will not hear me out on surrender, hear me out on this instead: meet our army in the open field. Things always get so needlessly, tragically messy when there are civilians around.”
Hiroma said nothing. After a moment of silence the Marro turned and made their leave. Ma-Xel-Sa remained, gazing at the villagers with contempt. His soulless eyes rested upon Yumi, the Warlord staring at her for a moment. Yumi felt increasingly uncomfortable, breaking eye contact and trying to hide in the crowd. The Marro Warlord smirked and finally left.
Hiroma sighed and rubbed her temples, a wave of panicked whispers already audible behind her. Kredun walked up alongside her, “What should we do?”
Hiroma glanced back at him and then looked to Yumi, “We’ll take the fight to them.”
“You can’t!” Yumi cried, “Don’t listen to that monster!”
“I won’t risk you or the other villagers’ lives to collateral damage.” Hiroma replied.
Kredun smirked, “Besides, this run down old place wouldn’t provide much defense anyway. Don’t worry, Hiroma. This just shows how cocky they are. We’ll get ‘em.”
“I hope you’re right,” Hiroma turned and made her way back through the crowd, “At the very least they’ve given away one thing. Send word to the nearest villages! Tell them to send their troops here! The Marro are going to try to break through this spot.”
Yumi watched several scouts immediately take to the skies, sighing and hurrying after her sister. Hiroma and Kredun were already back home, looking over a map of the surrounding territories to pick out a good spot to battle. Yumi stood awkwardly in the doorframe, unable to bear the sight of Hiroma pointing to a spot on the map so far from home.
“H-Hiroma,” Yumi quietly asked, “Can I talk to you?”
Her sister glanced up, then nodded to Kredun. The big Kyrie got up and walked out, leaving the two sisters alone together. Hiroma frowned at Yumi, “What is it, sis? My day just got a lot busier.”
“I…” Yumi stared at the ground, “Please don’t do this. Don’t go out there.”
Hiroma sighed, “I know. Big brother… This is bigger than us, Yumi. I have to fight.”
“No you don’t!” Yumi pleaded, “It’s too dangerous! I don’t want another battle tearing our family apart! Let’s run! Run far away from this place!”
“Where?” Hiroma countered, “Einar’s lands are surrounded on both sides. We can’t just run and hide from this conflict.”
“Why not? I don’t want to lose my only sister!”
“That’s exactly the reason why I’m taking the fight outside the town!” Hiroma retorted, “To protect you!”
“Just because you’re supposed to protect me doesn’t mean you have to throw away your life! Protect me by leaving this place behind!”
“And leave all those people out there leaderless and the border undefended!?”
“That’s not your job! Protecting the family is!”
“
I didn’t ask for this!” Hiroma shouted, “Maybe I wanted a life of my own, outside of this family! This responsibility was never meant for me! Just because you can run and hide and pretend your prince will come and save you doesn’t mean I can!”
Yumi winced, the words stinging, “Hiroma, I’m—”
Her sister rolled up the map and picked up her sword, shouldering her way past her sister, “I’ve got things to do.”
Hiroma slammed the door shut, Yumi jumping again. Instantly she was flooded with regret, wanting to run after her sister and apologize. But she couldn’t muster the will to move, frozen in horrible hesitancy. Out of the window Yumi could see Hiroma storming off. She paused, staring at the ground and seeming to suffer the same guilt-ridden feelings Yumi had just felt. Yumi wanted to go after her, but her sister picked up the pace and vanished from sight.
---
Yumi never got her chance to apologize. The next time she even saw Hiroma she was already leaving. The other villages had sent forces of their own to help repel the Marro threat, giving the Kyrie a sizable force. Hiroma led the way, Kredun at her side, the Kyrie marching on foot to avoid detection. Yumi watched them go sadly, Hiroma glancing at her over her shoulder for a brief moment before she was gone. Yumi was alone.
Again Yumi was forced to wait, and it was just as agonizing as before. She sat atop the watchtower, staring out at the empty fields beyond the village, waiting and waiting for her sister to return. Unlike with Masato though, she didn’t want to see her sister just for the sake of having her alive. She wanted to say she was sorry. What if she never got the chance? What if that was the last time she’d ever see Hiroma again? The very thought tore her up inside. So much dread.
Yumi stared down at
Hātobīto, slowly turning the dagger in her hands. Masato had said he wished she never had to use it, but now Yumi longed for the chance to. Why hadn’t she picked up a sword in all these years and learned to fight so she could stay with her sister? She could protect Hiroma in battle, but instead she was just sitting here, worried and frail and useless. Valin had trained Hiroma somewhat before leaving, but she had never done the same to Yumi. Even after all this time Hiroma had still allowed her to never grow up.
The dread and regret continued to cloud around her like a relentless storm, lasting day after day. Her time was wasted on waiting, but what else could she do? Yumi sighed a thousand sighs, spending hour after hour watching that awful horizon, waiting for something to come over it, anything. Even confirmation of loss would alleviate the dreadfulness of simply not knowing. Yumi felt like the suspense was literally killing her. A slow and painful death.
One day the suspense was finally severed. Yumi sat atop the watchtower as usual, staring out into the fields, when something finally came into sight. She jumped at the sight, leaping to her feet, her heart already beating out of her chest. She squinted and looked closely at the fast-approaching silhouettes.
Marro. And lots of them, riding in fast.
Again Yumi’s heart simultaneously jumped and sank at the sight. She slowly backed away, slipping and falling from the tower, her flapping wings easing her fall. Her mouth opened but the shock smothered her words, “M-M-M-M…”
She only managed to eek out a whisper at first, “
Marro… Marro… Marro…
MARRO!!!”
The townspeople stared wide-eyed at her, some turning and running into their homes and others taking to the skies and fleeing right there on the spot. Yumi struggled to her feet, immediately ducking as the first Marro rider galloped past her, the Grok taking a swing at her head.
Other Marro rode in, Stingers and Drones dismounting and running into battle. They attacked villagers with blades or shot them out of the sky and blasted apart the buildings indiscriminately, several already spotting Yumi and rushing toward her. Yumi turned and fled, racing back to her house.
“No, no, no!” She cried as she ran, looking over her shoulder and seeing Ma-Xel-Sa riding into the town and heading straight for her.
“This is what happens when you do not bend to the will of the Hive!” The Warlord shouted, looking around at all the destruction, “How many deaths will it take for Valhalla to understand that there can be no victory!? Destroy everything you see!”
Green energy bolts whizzed past Yumi, exploding violently as they struck the earth around her. As the Kyrie ran to her home several more shot past her and sunk into it, the house bursting apart in a fiery explosion.
“No!” Yumi fell over, turning and staring wide-eyed at the Stingers catching up to her. Already their terrifying weapons were charging up for another shot. Not knowing where else to go, the Kyrie spread her wings and took to the skies.
Zap! Zap! More energy bolts flew past her, the Stingers continuing to fire. Yumi was only in the air for a second before one shot pierced her wing clean through and another struck her leg. Yumi screamed and fell back down to earth, landing on the unforgiving ground hard.
“No! No!” Yumi cried, unable to believe that it was going to end like this. The Stingers rushed to her side, weapons charging up to finish her off. Ma-Xel-Sa was fast approaching not far behind them. Yumi reached for
Hātobīto, her last resort, only to have one of the Stingers butt her in the chest with its rifle, knocking her back down.
“No! No!” Yumi continued crying, “Masato! Save me! Save me, Masato! Please, please!”
The Stinger raised its weapon, pointing it directly at her. Ma-Xel-Sa suddenly stepped in the way, putting his misshapen hand on the gun’s barrel and lowering it.
“No. This one lives.” The Warlord commanded, staring at Yumi. The Stinger stopped and stared blankly forward for a second, as if it were telepathically confirming the order with its hivemind, then nodded and leaned forward, opting to knock Yumi out with its weapon instead.
---
“Ugh…” Yumi eventually awoke, feeling dizzy and exhausted. She found herself in some sort of sick flesh-colored tent. It reeked of the Marro. She figured she must be in their camp, if you could call it a camp. Yumi could barely see outside from here, and it seemed as if the Marro presence was literally overgrowing the surrounding territory. Their disgusting eggs were already budding out of the remnants of the forest around them. It made her sick.
Yumi tried to get up, finding herself tied to a pole, her wrists bound behind her back. Quietly weeping in her defeat and capture, Yumi struggled in place to no avail. Her leg and wing were still shot and useless, both covered in dried blood, and it hurt to move. She still had
Hātobīto hidden away on her thigh, but she was unable to reach it as is. Right now there was nothing she could do but pray for Masato to come.
A sudden voice made her jump, “In all my years on the field, I’ve never once seen a single army accept its fate and give in to the Marro. No matter the odds or consequences, they always want to go down in flames, as if there is any honor to it.”
Ma-Xel-Sa entered the tent, walking over to Yumi and stooping down to her level. Up close he was even uglier, and Yumi could hardly bear to look at him. He reached out and held her chin so she’d have to maintain eye contact.
“This war is over a decade old by now, a long, ugly and needlessly drawn-out affair.” The Warlord continued, “The Alliance has been fighting a losing battle to us for the entirety of it. It is only a matter of time before we consume them. So why make it so complicated?”
Yumi struggled and shrieked and spat in Ma-Xel-Sa’s face. The Marro let her go and rose to his feet, wiping the spit and blood off calmly. Yumi stared defiantly up at him, “Because everything I love you M-Marro have destroyed! Y-You took everything from my family!!”
“The Marro didn’t destroy your family.” Ma-Xel-Sa replied, “Conflict did. If there was no war none of this would’ve happened, but that blood is on the hands of you Kyrie. It is the Alliance’s refusal to accept defeat that has caused so much needless pain across Valhalla!
Again the Marro stooped back down, facing Yumi, “All I want is to end this war, no matter the cost.”
“‘No matter the cost’?” Yumi retorted, “You k-killed my family, you monster.”
“You should have known your sister would be no match for me.” Ma-Xel-Sa said, “Of course we defeated your citizen army with ease.”
Yumi teared up at the thought of her sister lying dead in a battlefield somewhere, “Y-You’re a m-monster! You won’t get away with this! M-Masato will stop you and save me!”
The Warlord paused, “Masato? Save you…?”
Slowly the Marro reached up, his hand sinking into his torso as he pressed against it. Yumi watched, horrified, as he rummaged through his own flesh. Her expression only became more terrified as he slowly pulled his hand out, holding her silver amulet.
Ma-Xel-Sa leaned closer, holding the amulet up to Yumi, “…He has, Yumi.”
Yumi stared at him, practically unable to speak, “M-M-M-Masato…?!”
“Your amulet kept me safe through all these years,” Ma-Xel-Sa eyed the gleaming necklace, “but my hope for the future only continued to dwindle as the war dragged on. I spent years trudging through snow, hiding in trenches, wading through the bodies of comrades and enemies. For over a decade I fought a losing battle to Utgar.
The Warlord sighed and stared at Yumi, “I was on the verge of giving up when I found you. It was as if the war had never happened at all. You were so carefree, so happy, so pure... I was reinvigorated to fight on, to protect your precious innocence.”
“Masato…” Yumi whispered, “Then why are you like this?”
“Out there ideals can only take you so far, Yumi.” Ma-Xel-Sa replied, putting the necklace back on, “My will to succeed was no match against this endless war. No matter my successes it continued to drag on. The longer it took the more I was filled with dread. The thought of coming back to find this place destroyed was more than I could bear. I came to realize that all I was doing was postponing the inevitable.
He looked down at his skinless Marro body, “I wouldn’t let you become another needless casualty. Victory didn’t matter anymore. I stopped caring who won the war, I only wanted it to end. So I gave myself to the Marro. I made my way to their Hive and threw myself into it, not caring for the consequences. A million Marro voices assaulted my thoughts, trying to absorb my consciousness into theirs. In the end only one thought held out: you.”
“W-Why would you do that?” Yumi asked.
“As long as you were safe, they could have every last bit of me.” Ma-Xel-Sa answered, gently stroking Yumi’s cheek, “Every ounce of my flesh, every military secret in my head, all of it. I don’t care if the Marro consume everything in Valhalla as long as this awful war never lays a finger on you. You can always be happy…”
“Don’t touch me!” Yumi cried.
Ma-Xel-Sa stood up and backed off, staring at his hand, “…I didn’t expect you to understand. I’m one of them now, hideous. I will die alone. But that’s okay, because I love you more than I love myself. As long as you’re free from the pain of this war, it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make. I’ll trade my life, the lives of my loyalty-blinded brothers, and the lives of every victory-hungry Alliance soldier for the sake of preserving your innocence.
The Warlord walked over to the tent’s exit, looking over his shoulder, “The Marro have all the information they need to conquer Lindesfarme, and I have their guarantee for your safety. You don’t have to be scared anymore. All we have to do is crush the Alliance once and for all, and we’ll have the peace we always wanted, Yumi. Forever…”
---
Yumi sat there, helpless, feeling sick to her stomach. Before she had wanted to hide from the incoming destruction, but now she felt responsible for it. Worse yet, she still just wanted to hide from the pain. She wanted her home back, her peace back, and most of all her family back. But peace was exactly what Masato was inevitably trying to give her through the Marro, and she hated herself for wanting it. Her family had died fighting it.
Conflicted, hesitant, shaky and stammering, unable to come to a conclusion. Useless as always. Yumi wept, wishing she had died and her family had lived.
A Marro Stinger stood guard, looking apathetic and lifeless. Marro were vicious when on the warpath, but when the hivemind had no use for the soldiers they just stood there, still like dolls. Yumi could relate to the analogy, feeling like nothing more than a pretty plaything.
Suddenly the sound of flapping wings cut her thoughts short. The Marro Stinger looked around, confused, only to have a giant axe cut through the tent and cleave it in two. In barged Kredun, covered in Marro blood and breathing heavily. Outside Yumi could hear the sounds of battle.
“Kredun!” She exclaimed, “I thought you were all defeated!”
“Scattered, not defeated.” Kredun replied, stooping down and untying her, “Go on, get out of here!”
Yumi struggled to her feet, instantly falling back down, “I can’t! My wing and leg…”
Kredun glanced at the wound and helped her up, “Okay. Lean on me. Let’s go.”
The two trudged out of the tent. The camp was ablaze, the fires illuminating Marro and Kyrie fighting all over in the night. Kredun nodded towards the woods and began making his way in that direction. Yumi clung to his side, slowly limping along. She heard Ma-Xel-Sa shouting behind her, “Wait! Come back!”
Terrified, Yumi looked over her shoulder. The other Marro were too busy fighting Kyrie, but the Warlord was still after them, sprinting far faster than the two of them could move. Kredun grimaced, laying Yumi down and taking a swing with his axe at the fast-approaching enemy.
“You can’t take her from me!” Ma-Xel-Sa easily dodged the blow, taking the two blades from his back and sticking them into Kredun’s chest.
The big Kyrie winced, his leather armor keeping the wounds from being too deep. He backed off, taking another swing as he looked back at Yumi, “Get out of here!”
Yumi nodded and began crawling away. Pain shot up her leg with every move, but she kept at it anyway. Kredun continued trying to fight Ma-Xel-Sa off, to no avail. The Marro was as skilled in battle as Yumi had dreamt Masato of being, Kredun clearly no match for him. The Warlord dodged each and every attack, cutting up the Kyrie with increased ferocity.
“Out of my way!” Finally Ma-Xel-Sa parried one blow too many, darting forth and cramming his weapons straight into Kredun’s stomach. Bloodied and battered enough already, the Kyrie soldier dropped his weapon and collapsed, glancing over at Yumi before falling to the ground. Yumi watched him fall, wincing at the sight of it. She turned and continued crawling away, Ma-Xel-Sa’s swift approach fast outpacing her. Numerous Stingers and Drones emerged from the Marro camp, heading in her direction as well.
“No, no, no!” Yumi cursed, struggling to move away, “Don’t come near me.”
“It’s okay.” Ma-Xel-Sa caught up to her, sliding his blades back into himself “The Marro will protect you. It’s mingling with these stubborn Kyrie that will get you hurt.”
He stooped down to her, reaching to pick her up, “Let’s get you back to camp. It’s safe there.”
“No!” Yumi shrieked. Ma-Xel-Sa ignored her pleas.
Suddenly another voice screamed out, “
Get away from my sister!!”
Hiroma burst out of the dark forest, flying in and tackling Ma-Xel-Sa head-on. The two reeled away from Yumi, the Warlord bucking the Kyrie off and rising to his feet. The other Marro raised their weapons at Hiroma only to have another wave of Kyrie fly into battle, interrupting them. More fighting broke out, Ma-Xel-Sa and Hiroma standing in the center of it all.
“Hiroma!!” Yumi cried, a tsunami of relief washing over her.
“Don’t worry, Yumi.” Hiroma gave her an apologetic smile, “Big Sis is gonna take care of everything.”
“Your family’s arrogance has caused little Yumi enough grief already.” Ma-Xel-Sa said, not even bothering to draw his blades, “Don’t make me kill her sister in front of her.”
“Don’t even dare talk about my family, Marro!” Hiroma drew her sword and slashed straight for Ma-Xel-Sa’s neck.
The Marro grinned, ducking down in an instant and dodging the swipe. His fist shot out equally fast, punching Hiroma’s stomach. Gasping, she backed off, Ma-Xel-Sa taking the opportunity to take out his swords and lunge straight for her. Quickly recollecting herself, Hiroma held up her blade, parrying the Marro’s rapid attacks. The two continued to fight, both giving it their all.
Yumi watched in equal parts amazement and horror. She had never seen her sister fight like this before, forced to input more speed and ferocity than any amount of training could prepare her for. Still, she kept to it, fighting with every ounce of energy she had to protect her sister. She was incredible, but Ma-Xel-Sa was a force of his own. The Marro was unbelievably fast, and with two swords to Hiroma’s one, the Kyrie was struggling to keep up at each and every turn of the fight. Both were fighting with everything they had.
Ma-Xel-Sa caught her blade in his, leaning in close, “You can’t compete with me. I would hate to kill you, but don’t think I won’t.”
“Don’t think I can’t!” Hiroma lunged forth, punching the Warlord in the face with her free hand. Ma-Xel-Sa stumbled back, surprised and staggered from the blow. Hiroma didn’t let his dropped guard go to waste.
With a powerful swing, Hiroma struck the Marro’s side with her sword, the blade sinking about halfway into his gut. Like most Marro, Ma-Xel-Sa was incredibly thin at the waist, and Hiroma took full advantage of this. She ripped her sword out of him and with a mighty swing struck again right in the same severed spot, cleaving the Warlord clean in two. Screaming in agony, Ma-Xel-Sa’s torso fell from his legs, collapsing onto the ground. Yumi lit up with joy at the sight. She knew who she had really been waiting for all these years now. She had always been there.
Hiroma turned her back to the defeated Warlord, flicking some Marro blood from her blade, “You’re just another drone, no different from the others.”
As she walked back to Yumi, Ma-Xel-Sa suddenly started chortling. He glared over at her, a sick grin on his hideous face, “No, not a Drone. A Divider.”
“Huh?” Hiroma looked back. Ma-Xel-Sa’s severed body was beginning to rapidly regrow with unbelievable speed. Legs were sprouting from his torso and a torso was sprouting from his legs. Hiroma grimaced, a shocked look on her face. Instantly she turned and, flaring out her wings, rushed to Yumi's side. She picked her sister up as best she could, beating her wings and fleeing from the Marro on foot, unable to fly while carrying Yumi.
By now both halves Ma-Xel-Sa had fully regrown, two of them now getting to their feet, identical. The Warlord tossed one of his swords to the replica, and they instantly began pursuing the Kyrie. Unfortunately they were much faster than Hiroma, running her down and slashing her wings.
"Argh!" Hiroma fell, dropping her sister. She leapt to her feet, facing her attackers, "Get out of here, Yumi! Go!"
"Hiroma!" Yumi protested, struggling to get up but still unable to do so.
"Now!" Hiroma shouted, unable to debate further as Ma-Xel-Sa's two forms began to quickly advance, trying to encircle her. One was moving directly towards Yumi, Hiroma raising her blade and lunging toward him.
“Don’t touch her!” She shouted, Ma-Xel-Sa’s two bodies instantly engaging her in a second round of combat. Yumi watched with horror, backing up along the ground as fast as she could. Still unable to walk, she couldn’t cover much ground, at least not without something to prop herself up with. As she moved, searching the ground in panic, Yumi could still see her sister fighting the Warlord. Before Hiroma had managed to keep up with Ma-Xel-Sa’s speed, but now there were two of them. She was impossibly outmatched, constant quick cuts to her wings and sides wearing her down.
“Enough!” Ma-Xel-Sa rushed Hiroma from both sides. She turned and stabbed one through the neck, the other racing up to her from behind and stabbing her through the back. Everything suddenly got quiet, Ma-Xel-Sa stepping back and yanking the blade out of her. Hiroma staggered for a bit, quickly turning and slashing at Ma-Xel-Sa before collapsing to the ground. The Warlord leapt back, the blade cutting his leg as he swiftly dodged.
“Hiroma!!” Yumi screamed. Her sister didn’t get up, blood welling up in her stab wound. Ma-Xel-Sa put his weapon into his back, the blade sinking into his flesh. The Warlord turned and began walking toward her, grunting with pain as his leg bled. Yumi turned pale at the sight, turning and crawling away as fast as she could.
“Don’t run from me, Yumi!” Ma-Xel-Sa limped after her, “It’s so painful out there. I can keep you safe!”
Yumi crawled along the dirt, leg and wing still useless. The Warlord caught up to her, picking her up off the ground. He stared intently into her eyes, pleading earnestly to her, “You can be free from war! You can live without a worry in the world. You can be that innocent kid I knew all those years ago, forever!
He leaned close, “You’ll never have to grow up.”
Yumi stared at him, wide-eyed and speechless. In that brief moment, he looked like his old self, handsome and dashing and pure and kind. Yumi gazed at him, not with relief or happiness but with horror. She pushed through the terror and finally summoned the courage to speak, clearly and confidently:
“You traded your hope, your life, your soul to the very evil that you promised me you would destroy.
I will not be the willing hostage of the hivemind that killed my family!” With that, Yumi yanked
Hātobīto out and plunged it straight into Ma-Xel-Sa’s heart.
“Aaagh!!!” The Warlord cried, dropping Yumi and falling back. Yumi grabbed the amulet around his neck, the necklace snapping off as he fell over. Ma-Xel-Sa stumbled back and collapsed, mud splashing up from the ground as he landed, the silver dagger sticking out of his chest.
He stared at the handle of the weapon in him, looking over to Yumi in shock, “Why? Why won’t you listen? The Marro will never stop coming. They’ll kill you if you fight them, Yumi!”
Yumi stared back at him, looking at him in a way she never had as a child, “I’d rather be killed than become what you’ve become, Masato.”
Masato reached out for her, “I did it all for you, Yumi. I love you.”
“You killed my sister.” Yumi replied quietly, “Die alone.”
With that she left him, pushing through the pain and crawling back to Hiroma’s side. Her sister was still lying there, bleeding out but still alive for now. The blood was starting to soak all her feathers red.
Yumi crawled up to Hiroma and draped herself over her, hugging her tightly, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! It’s all my fault!”
Hiroma weakly wrapped her arms around Yumi, “You’re always so quick to blame yourself.”
“Hiroma…” Yumi cried.
“You know, I used to hate you so much.” Hiroma murmured, “I was so jealous… I hated everyone for giving you special treatment. I’m the one who should apologize. I hated my whole family because of that. I was immature and irresponsible. I’m so sorry, sis. I love you. I wouldn’t trade you for the whole world.
Her breathing suddenly sharpened, more blood welling up in her wound. She winced and then looked calm again, “I’m so glad I got to see you one last time to tell you that.”
“No, no, no…” Yumi shook her head, shakily taking her amulet and placing it on Hiroma’s chest, “T-This’ll keep you safe! Don’t die! Don’t leave me!”
“Ha… I don’t think that amulet is going to do any good, sis.” Hiroma weakly pushed it back, “Take it… Daddy gave it to you for a reason. And take this too. It’s yours now.”
She reached over and picked up her sword, slowly sheathing it and giving it to Yumi. Yumi wiped her eyes, taking the weapon and clutching it tightly in her arms, “D-Don’t. I’m not ready. I’m not strong like you are.”
“Yes you are.” Hiroma smiled, “In your own way. You’re a Redfeather. Strength is in your blood. It’s your turn to carry the family sword now. Your family’s proud of you. I’m proud of you.”
“They’re proud of you too.” Yumi replied, sniffling, “I love you, sis.”
Hiroma hugged her again, “I love you too. And I’m sorry. I love you…”
Her embrace slowly weakened, Yumi shakily letting go and laying her back down. She was gone. Yumi clutched the sword tightly, looking down at it. It was hers now.
---
Yumi propped herself up with the sword, limping her way through the woods. It was deathly quiet, the lifeless bodies of Kyrie and Marro littering the ground. She had only taken the time to bury her sister. The last of the fires fizzled out as the sun started to rise, and orange glow illuminating the woods. Yumi walked alone.
She made her way back to the remnants of her old village. It was still destroyed, all the buildings blasted apart and singed. It was quiet here too. Yumi walked to the center of town, looking around and just listening to the sound of the wind blowing. Purposeless.
It wasn’t completely quiet. Yumi could faintly hear the sound of someone crying in the distance. Curious, she followed the noise. It was coming from her house, or what was left of it. Walking through where the door used to be, Yumi glanced around the wreckage. The crying was gone now, replaced by hushed sniffling.
“Who’s there?” Yumi followed the sound, walking over to where the stairs once were. Reaching out and removing some of the collapsed floor, she found a small Kyrie child hiding amidst the wreckage. Yumi looked down at him with curiosity and concern, “What are you doing hiding here?”
The kid sniffled again, “Everything’s gone. I didn’t know where to go. I-I thought you were a Marro.”
Yumi glanced around the empty, ruined town, “Are you alone?”
“Yes…” The child stared at the ground.
Yumi was quiet for a moment, then smiled softly, “Well, not anymore, you’re not. C’mere.”
With some effort she slung the sword over her back and picked the child up. It put a great amount of pressure on her leg but she pushed past it, not letting any pain show on her face. She turned and walked out, stopping and picking up a half-burnt old doll off the floor and giving it to the child.
“Everything’s going to be okay.” She said, “I’ll protect you. I promise.”
-The End-
March 26th, 2016, 11:55 PM
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Holy **** ****, Batman! A story!?
TAF was the Storyteller... 
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