My body is burnt black with third degree burns. "... Flearin..." I groan. The bright, dazzling stallion comes darting from between the severed tree stumps. Its eyes are nonchalant and its gait unhesitating.
Tatsu, Tamer of Legendary Pets. I will call him that if I see him again, myself. The mane on Flearin shimmers white in the glow of the advancing flames. But, I notice, the flames steer clear of it. "How's... Su...?"
It neighs and licks my hand gently, although I feel nothing. "I see, she's okay..." I cannot even fathom still having lips, but I want to smile in relief. "Take me... To her."
Flearin draws several paces back and suddenly charges toward me, not holding back on speed. A wild wind starts to stir around me. Flearin, a spirit horse that gallops up to two-hundred miles per hour, does not take its eyes off me; I'm its target.
"H-hey...?" My body is out of commission, I really am unable to move now. My fingers grip hard on my weapons. I close my eyes, concentrating on survival. If Flearin hits me at that rate, I'm not going to get away with just burns.
Nothing happens. I hear trodding sounds on my other side. My eyelids pop open, as Flearin strides impatiently around me. The fire has been put out, by the pure wind of its speed. But I did not feel any gust of wind at all, just a small rushing breeze. I did not even account that Flearin could remove the arrows in my body in the same instant.
What an amazing horse.
Seconds later, I am already beside Suzette. She has not regained consciousness. Mingled emotions flood my heart when I stroke her hair and her head. I kiss her, knowing I may never get another chance like this again. Only watching and desiring from within Swiftant's subconscious. I want to take her away, get to know her more, love her, have kids... Be the man Swiftant can't be. "I can give you so much more, Suzette..., the only thing I don't want to give is you up." I adore her face, chest, stomach, and legs.
Should I, before I lose the chance...
"Kamikaze, connect me with Suzette, now," comes the all-too-familiar voice.
"You wish."
"Suz was in danger, that's only reason I unleashed your will."
"She's in danger now, of loving you."
"We're all in danger of dying, if you don't shut up."
"Why should I believe you? At such a timely moment?"
"Because, one, I can kill you even if it means killing myself. Two, if you love her, you'll do as I say."
"..."
"Connect me with Suz and you'll also listen in."
I reluctantly place my forehead on Suzette's and imagine Swiftant.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Refer to Becki's post~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Why did you appear as Guntros?" I demand.
"Don't know."
"Why does Suzette need to kill her birth mother? Her only kin?"
"This is something I don't want anyone else knowing about. That's why I'm only conveying this message to you, one of my inner dimensions."
I pause to let his conviction sink in. Depending on circumstances, I may just let Suzette in on it, after all.
"I fought Shinkirou's top commander after you left with her," Swiftant begins.
"Then Zanden, a Dragon Elite arrived."
"Bet you had fun."
"I used Lightfoot to take those who'd survived my judgment to a safe place, in the first half of Tatsu's battle with Zanden. Although... I couldn't save the governor."
"Hmph. If I-"
"You know as well as the rest of us in me, Kamikaze, it wouldn't have changed anything."
"Point is," Swiftant carries on.
"Shinkirou's commander has revealed to me Aisha's deepest secret... That she stole something of extreme value. She wasn't expelled from the Dragon Empire, she was displaced to Shinkirou, the Vanishing Village. Shakura wanted runestalz but she also didn't want to be caught up in the Final Elapse. Specializing in espionage, Aisha was the perfect candidate.
"I knew something was happening, but this... And what is this Final Elapse?"
"It is a bomb - made from runestalz. In short, it's the deadliest bomb in the world. I'm not sure if Shakura had ordered it to be made when she first claimed Shinkirou or if the humans had had it made themselves before Aisha stole it. No one knows how much damage the bomb is capable of. Probably the whole of Etrirea, probably the planet itself."
"What has that got to do with killing Aisha?! Don't you know Suzette loves her so much? Telling her to kill her mother is telling her to die, Swiftant."
"Don't you get it... That is precisely the reason I want her to do it!!"
"..."
"Listen and think carefully, Kamikaze. Aisha's intentions to use the bomb as insurance against Shakura might have triggered the Final Elapse, which resulted in a biological integration with Aisha's soul. I don't know how, it must be organic on some level. Aisha has been, all this time, curbing the bomb. The Final Elapse's not an explosive, it's not a time bomb, it's not a missile; it's a will. I think that Aisha is suppressing it with her dragon powers, because of Suz. I thought it was weird at first, that she doesn't use it at all, even in her private convenience."
"Then let us kill Aisha ourselves and let Suzette hate us for it. That's the least you could do as her lover."
"She will be on guard, especially since she's betrayed us already, unless it's against Suz. I can't risk Aisha losing control. I don't want to tell Suz about the Final Elapse because she'd rather kill herself than kill her mother when they still love each other. If, however, we provide Suz with an intense motivation, like complete betrayal, maybe the pain can be alleviated. I've never killed a loved one before, but I think this is best..."
I am still ruminating on Swiftant's words, when Suzette opens her eyes. "We have to get going. There's no time to explain but my mother is a traitor." She jumps up and shoulders me in the chest, knocking me off balance.
She has incredible potential, those dragons didn't see me coming, but I couldn't dodge that properly, even though I'm almost recovered. "This is war now," Suzette announces valiantly, determinedly posing a brave front.
War, indeed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Swiftant:
I grit my teeth and feel my pocket. The red button, capped with a metal lid with an elven insignia, tumbles around.
Kazuhide... "Tatsu, have you ever heard of an elven user named Kazuhide?"