Chapter 16: Chapter 16: Grudges

“Wow. You seem mad.” Fang speaks laxly as he casually dodges the wooden rapier's thrust. His two fingers pointed at Kumiho are covered with green threads, a blast of wind shooting out of them a moment later and pushing the white cloaked girl away from him. Her feet skidding across the dirt ground with a cloud of dust, “What's got you so worked up? You think it's a boy, Sune?” He lightly mocks, the black whip in his right-hand shining with blue veins before turning into glistening blue water.

“Hmm~... it could be, but I doubt it.” Sune answers casually while sitting on a wooden bench, her hands holding an opened book titled: Flaws of The World by Osfrith. A white winged woman with a spear through her neck on the cover. Sune's body completely covered by the same draping white cloak that the other children wear.

The water whip is flung towards Kumiho and attempts to wrap around her but is quickly destroyed by a slap from Kumiho's left hand. The water quickly gathering back together into the form of a whip and snakes around Kumiho's back. Just as she reaches Fang and the tip of her wooden rapier comes within inches of his face, a snake of water catches her by her ankle and pulls her up into the air. The whip dangles her upside down, Fang playfully taunting the girl, “Maybe it really was a boy! She seemed to get extra mad when I mentioned it.”

Kumiho’s body glows with a light red shine, her wooden rapier slashing through the water, her body falling to the ground headfirst. Her two outstretched hands hit the ground first, the girl doing a handstand for a moment before letting her body fall towards Fang and pushes off the ground with her arms. Her two feet smash into Fang's gut and send him flying through the air, his body hitting the ground with a violent roll. Clear saliva falls from his coughing mouth, his left hand gripping his stomach.

“Maybe she is mad.” Hollie muses to Sune as they sit on the same bench, her chin rests on her right palm and her right elbow lightly digs into her crossed legs. Her white cloak rests in a pile at her side, she wears an all black outfit of a short sleeve V-neck T-shirt and pants made of a tough black cloth. Lying in the middle of the V-neck is a silver crescent that hangs taut to her neck, the silver metal well decorated with swirls and the whole crescent taking up most of the space opened by the large V-neck.

“She probably had a hard time on the final.” Sune speaks without even looking up from her book.

The young boy limps over to the bench and collapses onto it with a groan, his body relaxing as the pink mist surrounding Sune seeps into his skin, “You take the next one Hollie. Oh, and I saw her with Osmund every morning for the last few days.”

“So it was about a boy!” Sune finally looks up from her book, quickly cowering under Kumiho’s oppressive gaze, “Obviously just teasing Kumi~, I know how much trouble you have with math.” She gives a cheeky grin before going back to reading.

Hollie hops off the bench and reaches up into the sky, stretching her body as high as she can. Her fingers turn black and small shadowy threads slowly fall from her darkened fingertips. She quickly bundles up her hair and uses a small black thread to tie her long hair into a ponytail. One of her threads slowly wraps around the top half of the crescent on her neck and yanks it right off, the top of the crescent breaking off the bottom and revealing a thin silver blade that slides out the bottom of the crescent. She spins the blade around with her threads idly while walking over to her spot across from Kumiho, “Weapons only?” She asks politely.

“No, you can use whatever.”

“Mhm.” She nods and a thin black mist spreads from her feet, covering the entire dirt field in a dark fog.

“On my count.” Sune tells them, idly turning to the next page of her book, “Three—Two... One—Go!” She screams loudly but without enthusiasm.

Kumiho rushes towards the girl, her body emanating a thin red glow. Hollie spins the curved blade a few more times before flinging it at the running girl, Kumiho deflecting it with no difficulty. Hollie pulls her right hand back and the blade comes flying towards Kumiho’s back. Kumiho’s legs glow extra dark for a moment, her body springing up a few feet into the air, the blade whizzing right under her feet, her charge continuing practically unimpeded. Hollie lets the blade fly past the right side of her face before spinning around and whipping the blade in a wide horizontal arc towards Kumiho. Kumiho lowers her head at the last possible moment, the blade cutting some of her flowing red hair off, “Sorry about that Kumi...” Hollie speaks remorsefully to the fallen hair. As Kumiho reaches Hollie she does a powerful thrust with her rapier, the black-haired girl positions her left hand above the rapier, the threads falling below and around the rapier’s wooden frame. The loose threads pulled taut by her tightening hand, the threads tightening around the rapier and yanking it right out of her hand. Before Kumiho can regain her balance, a dark shadow comes from the foggy ground and smashes into the bottom of her chin, her body staggering backwards. The blade flies past the dazed girl and spins around her a few times, the black thread tightening around Kumiho’s body and pulling her towards Hollie. A black blade grows from Hollie’s left wrist and the fight is officially over once Hollie presses the dark blade against Kumiho’s bare neck.

“How come she makes it look so easy!” Fang complains from the sidelines.

“So that is twenty-eight to twenty-three on Hollie versus Kumiho, eight to twenty-three on Fang versus Kumiho, and one to fifteen on Fang versus Hollie, right?” Sune recounts all the different wins and losses of each person.

“Hey don’t word it like that Sune! It makes me look bad!” Fang hops out of his chair.

“But it is the actual score.” She deadpans.

“But it still sounds bad when you say it out loud!” Fang whines.

“So why don’t you make it two against Hollie?” Sune asks with a sweet and innocent smile.

“Absolutely not!” He makes an “x” with his hands.

“Aw~ what are you a scared little cub?” Sune teases.

“No! But...” He looks down in defeat, his future painfully obvious to all.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

“I hate you Sune...” Fang hangs upside down, his whole body tied up by black threads that grow from a dark cloud of shadows above Fang’s bound body.

“Hahaha!” Sune laughs heartily, her hands gripping her stomach, her eyes tearing up from all her laughter.

Hollie creates a small cloud of darkness right below Fang, the threads letting go and allowing him to fall on the fluffy cloud of shadows harmlessly.

“Wow you all have grown so much~” A melodic voice rings through the empty dirt field.

“Aelfsciene!” Sune closes her book and runs over to the beautiful woman in a brown cloak with its hood on.

“Hello sweetheart~” She crouches down to Sune’s eye level, “You must’ve had a growth spurt or something because you’re so much taller~” Aelfsciene gushes over the 5’3 (160cm) thirteen-year-old.

“I did grow! Everyone grew! —Except that little toddler right there, what’s his name again Hollie?” She asks Hollie who barely holds in a laugh while pointing at Fang.

“That would be Fang...” She says while softly chuckling.

“Not you too Hollie!” Fang cries in exaggerated despair as he falls at Hollie’s feet, “Don’t let that witch, Sune, corrupt you too!”

Hollie looks down at the kneeling boy at her feet before being grabbed by her shoulders from behind and dragged away, Sune’s retort ringing through the field, “You’re the only one who’ll be doing any corrupting!”

“Now now children, calm down and come over here so I can get a better look at the rest of you.” The cloaked woman takes off her hood and reveals her freely flowing bright blonde hair with none of the jewelry or chains she had in it last time they met. All the children obediently huddle around the crouching woman who when standing towers over all of them at 5’7 (170cm). The tallest of the kits is Kumiho at 5’5 (165cm), tied for second are Sune and Hollie at the same height of 5'3 (160cm), and Fang the shortest at 5’0 (152cm).

Two blue eyed men watch the beautiful blonde talk with the kids from the sidelines, “I think I understand why you became a teacher now.” The black-haired man speaks with a small smile on his face watching the children.

“...” The blonde-haired man stays completely silent.

“Hey, do you think…” Oswin stops as Osgar's eyes land on him, “Do you think, dad felt like this watching us?” His voice soft and somber.

“Don’t you already know the answer?” Osgar’s voice is emotionless, peering at his black-haired brother, his eyes shining with a chilly blue.

“I do. I just—” Oswin's voice becomes even softer, “Wish that I was wrong.”

“You can't change anything now.” Osgar’s voice is cold, but Oswin lightly smiles hearing his answer.

“Yeah, I guess it is. I realized a century too late.” His melancholy face lightens up as he begins to walk over to the small group. His feet stopping for a moment as he hears Osgar's cold response.

“‘A man only finds out the truth while staring down his own death.’” Osgar quotes coldly, his eyes watching Oswin’s movements intently.

Oswin gives a sidelong glance with a playful smirk on his face, “Oh look at you getting all philosophical and quoting the sageful Osfrith.” Oswin playfully jives, continuing his walk to the children, his gait strained with a slight limp that only six shining blue eyes notice, but none mention. Oswin softly bickers with Aelfsciene and the four foxes as soon as he reaches them.

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“So what's the plan now that the kids are out of school again?” Aelfsciene questions, only her and the other two blue eyed men in the small living room, the kids’ happy voices can be faintly heard through the thin wooden walls.

“I was thinking of doing some traveling. I'm just not sure if I should bring them.” Oswin says laxly, lazily pointing his finger out the lightly green tinted window and at the children running around outside.

“You'll have to bring them with.” She answers seriously.

His eyes glow with a faint dark blue, “Why? Wouldn't bringing them along be dangerous?” He questions genuinely.

“And you think leaving them with no protection while they are so close to one of the four major cathedrals isn't?” Her eyes glow with a chilly blue as she speaks to him like she would with a child.

“I hate that you're always right…” He speaks depressively, “But I'm still not sure it's okay to bring them to an active war zone…”

“You mean that human rebellion up North?”

He nods, “The very same.”

Osgar speaks up, “Then I don't see the problem. Even the weakest of them could handle a band of fully trained and armored knights—but these are just farmers.”

“I suppose, but what about the mental aspect? How would showing them these things affect them later on?” The blonde girl retorts.

“I’m sure they've already seen all those things back home.” Osgar responds.

“Oh, and remind them of how they watched their family die. Great idea brother.” Oswin rolls his eyes.

“I'm sure they can handle it. They aren't as weak as you think.” The blonde man answers coldly.

“And what are you? A mind reader? You a seer now? You don't look blind to me.” Oswin jeers.

Just as Osgar is about to speak, Aelfthryth cuts in, “Would you two stop acting like a bunch of bickering kids?” She complains in irritation.

The two men stay quiet under her oppressive blue eyes.

“Finally. Why don't you stop arguing and ask the kids themselves. Stop trying to make choices for them because you're older and know best.”

“Oh, don't even remind me on how bitchy your mother was.” He says with a disgusted shiver, “She said that stuff to me, and I'm not even her kid!” He says with his resentment mounting.

“Language. And don't act as if your dad was any better to me. And let me remind you, he wasn't my parent.” Aelfsciene retorts with an equal amount of hidden resentment as Oswin.

“You two seriously still hold grudges from that long ago?”

“YES!” They both scream at him, their yells in sync. Osgar going silent with a deadpan expression.

“Let's just ask the kids what they think instead of complaining about ancient history.” Osgar tries to get the group back on track.

“Fine.” Oswin says in disappointment.

Aelfsciene gets up without another word and walks out the door.

Oswin's blue eyes watch Aelfsciene leave the room, “You two know, right?” He waits for an answer from his brother that never comes. His body trembling as he slowly pulls himself up and walks out the door out into the sun.

Osgar leans back and looks up at the ceiling, his eyes staring at the wooden ceiling for a long time.