Episode 67 Copycat
The morning sun slowly but steadily begins to rise over the treetops of the forest at the foot of the Fatalists’ castle. Several morning birds chirp loudly, calling for the beginning of the day.
At a nearby stream, Rill is kneeling down. He bends over the bank of the stream, staring at his own reflection in the running water. Contorting his face with frustration, Rill plunges his hands into the cold water and splashes it all over his face. He shakes the droplets of water out of his black hair, sighing as he does so.
Rising to his feet, Rill follows a tiny dirt path leading back to his camp. But just as he steps foot on the trail, he turns aside, approaching a birch tree. Clenching his hand, he punches the tree’s trunk hard. He leans against the tree, tightly shutting his eyes to hold in the tears now welling up in them.
The sound of rustling grass suddenly causes Rill to jump with alarm. He raises his hand, a ball of lightning clutched tightly in it. However, he lowers his guard as he spots Fayvard standing in the shadows of the trees nearby.
“Oh, it’s just you.”
“That’s what I should be saying,” Fayvard says casually, stepping into the sunlight to join Rill. He looks him up and down, inspecting him. “The hell’s wrong with you? You don’t look too good.”
“N-Nothi—no…the truth is, I—”
Fayvard bursts out laughing abruptly, the noise greatly jarring in the still morning air. “Cat got your tongue, huh? You’re obviously pretty upset, but I’m not the type to press people for details when they don’t feel like talking. I’ll be going then.”
Silently, with arms folded, Fayvard slowly walks away. However, Rill suddenly shouts out loud. “W-Wait!” he cries, before pausing momentarily. “I have something to tell you.”
Glancing back, Fayvard spots the darkened look in Rill’s eyes. He frowns.
Fayvard and Rill sit side by side at the foot of the stream, watching as the sun slowly rises higher and higher along the horizon. Leaning back, a piece of straw in his mouth, Fayvard sighs.
“So let me get this straight,” he says, looking up into the brightening blue sky, “back when we got split up in the Fatalists’ castle you got approached by Arai? And he offered you to bring back some dead friends if you led us into the trap he prepared for us?”
Rill nods. “Tch!” Fayvard spits. “I can’t believe you took the deal. You should know better. Dead people don’t come back, especially those who have had their souls destroyed.”
“It’s my fault Ryuu is dead!” Rill growls. “If it weren’t for me…if I hadn’t led you guys in there—”
Without warning, Fayvard throws a punch at Rill, a sickening jab followed by a crunch that throws Rill backwards several feet. “Shut up,” Fayvard heaves, causing Rill to glance up at him with surprise, tears in his eyes. “I’m the one who put that sword through him. I’m the only one to blame for killing Ryuu.”
Returning to his feet, Fayvard stretches lazily. “Look, I’m not gonna comfort you and tell you what you did was okay. But Arai knew your weakness, and took advantage of it. I killed Ryuu because it was the most convenient thing to do at the time. If anyone is to blame for anything, it’s me.”
Sighing, Fayvard waits for a response from Rill, but none comes. “Later.” Without another word, Fayvard stalks off, disappearing into the trail leading back to camp.
“Hm?”
Fayvard jumps into action, drawing his sword. Its metal blade gleams in the air as he cuts off the shadow heading towards Rill. Wake jumps with shock, as he freezes just short of Fayvard’s blade.
“Oh, it’s just you guys,” Fayvard says, spotting Wake and Silver trailing behind him. Sheathing his sword again, Fayvard narrows his eyes. “You guys shouldn’t sneak up on us like that. You’ll get stuff cut off.”
“S-Sorry…” Wake mumbles. “It’s just that we woke up and saw that you guys were missing. We thought something had happened.”
“Nothing happened,” Fayvard says casually. “We were just talking by the river. Right, Rill?” He nods at Rill.
Rill nods back, though a bit hesitantly. “Y-Yeah…”
Silver folds her arms impatiently. “At any rate, it is about time we begin discussing our next course of action. Now that we’ve…lost our leader, and some of the others as well—”
“The plan’s simple,” Fayvard cuts in. “We kill Arai. That’s it. Don’t worry about anything else, nothing else matters. Our goal is to kill Arai, and we’re gonna do it with everything we’ve got.”
“That simple?” Silver stutters, taken aback. “Even if you succeeded, there’s no indication that will be the end of it. The other Fatalists will still be around, and—”
“Trust me,” interrupts Fayvard again, “all we have to worry about right now is killing Arai. Forget everything else. I’ll make the man that made me stain my hands with Ryuu’s blood pay…”
“Oh? Are you going to hurt Mister Arai?” a girlish voice suddenly asks brightly.
Within a second, Fayvard has drawn his sword again. His eyes flare dangerously, as a Fatalist steps into viewing range of the group.
She is much shorter than any of the other Fatalists, and unlike the other Fatalists, is not wearing the gloves or shoes of the uniform. In fact, she does not wear any gloves or shoes at all. Yet draped around her slender body is the unmistakable black uniform of the Fatalists. Her red hair is bound up in pigtails, and she cradles a teddy bear nearly as large as herself in her arms.
“A Fatalist?!” Wake mutters, drawing his own gun. Next to him, Silver draws her bow as well, loading it with an arrow and directing it at the Fatalist.
Rill stands as well, staring at the girl with recognition. “Lillia…” he whispers.
Fayvard glances at Rill. “Is that her name? Lillia?”
Lillia bows, her tiny petite figure casting the tiniest of shadows in the morning sunlight. “Good evening, guests of Mister Arai! It is nice to meet you!”
“Wow, she’s cute!” Wake gasps.
“Wrong answer!” Silver roars, thwacking Wake across the head with a karate chop.
“Oww…”
“Forget the greetings, it’s a Fatalist, and I only know one way to greet a Fatalist!” Fayvard howls, raising his sword. He sprints straight at the girl, his eyes gleaming with delight at the prospect of battle.
“Wait, Fayvard!” Rill shouts. “You don’t know her pow—”
“Copycat, Mister Bear!” Lillia cries as Fayvard approaches. She holds up her stuffed bear like a shield in front of Fayvard.
Fayvard cackles violently as he speeds towards her. “You think that little toy is gonna stop a sword?! This sword ain’t just a plaything, little girl!” However, the bear’s eyes suddenly glow bright red.
As Fayvard swings his sword, a massive blade grows out of the bear’s chest, heading straight for Fayvard. Eyes widening, Fayvard darts out of the way only just in time, as the blade grows long enough that it reaches the river, before turning back and disappearing into a compartment in the bear’s chest once again.
“The hell was that?!” Fayvard shouts, sprawled out on the floor.
“Her bear has the ability to copycat any move it sees!” Rill says to Fayvard.
“Now you tell me!” cries Fayvard. He desperately scrambles out of the way as a massive fireball is fired from the bear’s mouth. “What the hell, I didn’t even use any attack like that!”
“Mister Bear also shoots fireballs out of its mouth!” Lillia chirps brightly.
“Oh, how convenient!” a frantic Fayvard roars.
Wake stares cautiously at the bear clutched in Lillia’s hands. “So does that mean that any attack we throw at her she’ll send back our way?”
“Essentially, yes,” answers Rill.
“All right, no problem then!” Fayvard says confidently. He points his sword at Lillia. “All I have to do is use my poison on her!”
As he approaches Lillia, Fayvard violently swings his sword, cutting the air with it. A massive cloud of green gas escapes from his sword, filling the air around the two of them.
“Hmph, did you think I wasn’t ready for something like that?” Lillia sneers. Her bear’s mouth opens up wide again, but instead of shooting out a fireball this time, the bear merely absorbs the entire cloud of gas. Its stomach bloats momentarily, before the sword emerges from its stomach again.
“Whoa!” Fayvard cries, dodging out of the way as the sword flashes past him.
Rill’s eyes widen as the sword approaches. “Everyone, get out of the way!” he cries, taking a flying leap out of the range of the sword.
A mouth suddenly opens from the sword’s tip, as a ball of greenish gas leaks out into the air. Fayvard turns just as the gas begins to escape from the sword. “Crap!”
“Let’s go, Silver!” Wake shouts, placing a hand over Silver’s mouth and nose and dragging her away from the range of the gas. The two of them trip and fall onto the ground, but safely out of range of the gas.
“So you can do that, can you?” Fayvard growls, turning his attention back to Lillia. “Haha! I might’ve underestimated you! However…!”
Recklessly, Fayvard swings again at Lillia. The extended sword from Lillia’s bear quickly retracts, zooming back towards its originator. Fayvard floats out of the way as the sword makes its return.
Using the brief opening created by the sword’s return, Fayvard swipes down with his sword. Just a moment later, Lillia fires with her sword again. Fayvard absorbs the blow, using his bare palm to stop it; the sword runs straight through Fayvard’s palm, but he successfully manages to stop it in its path.
Meanwhile, Fayvard’s sword has drawn blood, as he sinks his blade deeper into Lillia’s shoulder. The girl grimaces with pain, showing vulnerability for the first time.
“You did it!” Wake cries joyously. He raises his gun. “Then, let me finish her off!”
Before Wake can fire, however, a loud whirling noise suddenly engulfs the battlefield. Everyone in the field looks around, as a swirling portal now emerges in the middle of the field.
“What the hell is that?” Silver cries with surprise.
From out of the portal steps a boot, followed by another. In another instant, a trail of purple hair emerges into the sunlight, as Mira steps out of the portal. She looks around casually, inspecting her surroundings.
“M-Mira!” Rill shouts.
Glancing around, Mira’s eyes widen with recognition of familiar faces. “Everyone!” she says. “I wasn’t sure where I’d come out, but I’m glad that—”
“My, my,” another voice suddenly says, interrupting the conversation. All eyes now turn towards the trail leading into the clearing by the stream.
“I can’t have people crossing dimensions here so easily,” Arai simpers, stepping into the sunlight as well.
—END SIXTY-SEVEN—