[bonus chapter 5/20]
Methie walked over and hugged Kiliffia from behind. "Does it have to do with your father?"
"Mmm… " Kiliffia nodded as she began to read the wooden lab.
"To the one reading this, my name is Fretchet. I do not know what kind of person you are, but if you are someone with a heart, I hope you can do me a favor. My daughter is back in the Rural kingdom. Please send this wood slab to the Triten armor shop Frimingsalos. I beg of you to do this because the rest of this slab is a letter to my dearest daughter.
"If the person reading this is in fact my little Kiliffia, then listen well. Your father is okay. Although some things happened and I was brought to this god forsaken swamp, I was able to find some leads about your parent's killers. I have no idea when I will return, so I can only hope you can live a life full of happiness. From this point on, I will be covering all my tracks, so do not spend your life looking for me.
"You can do well in life Kiliffia. You are a strong girl who inherited your parent's blood line. Grow up happy, create a family and live. Do not worry about the matters on my side. Anyway, I have never been good with words, just know that as your father, I will always love you. Take care of yourself, Kiliffia ."
"He is just as bad with words as ever..." Kiliffia let out a dry laugh as she wiped the tears from her eyes. She knew one thing for sure. Her father never wanted her to search for him, but she would never give up. Until she saw him alive and well or his bones lying on the ground someplace, she would never stop searching for him.
Devan made a home for himself at the pond's shore. He did not know why he liked this place so much, but he found he could relax here. It could be the little bee who kept calling out big brother and telling him all kinds of random things, reminded him of Lee. Whatever the reason was, he did not care. He had no home to speak of before this anyway, so there was no reason why he couldn't make this his home.
He made a simple hut with the surrounding blackened trees and spent his days listening to Ria and working on new sculptures. He made many sculptures of Lee and a few of his birth mother, but today, he was working on one of the little bee.
"Is that me!?" Ria came running over when she saw a face that resembled hers.
"Mmm… I figured you deserved one as well." Devan had realized those who he felt were important in his life he would make statues of. He did not know why but he did.
"Hehe! Thank you, big brother!" Ria giggled and ran out onto the pond and began dancing. It seemed to be what she did when she was happy and excited.
Unfortunately for Devan, his peaceful life was never meant to last. One morning Devan was woken up by a cry for help. He ran outside his hut to see three demi gods using some kind of spell on his little bee! "What are you doing? Let her go!"
Magic wrapped around Ria's little body, tearing her soul into pieces. When she heard Devan's shout, Ria couldn't help but cry out towards him: "Big Brother, it's painful, please make it stop!"
The three demi gods paid no attention to Devan and did not even spare him a glance. They continued to mumble some kind of enchantment as they channeled their spells. Hearing Ria's cry for help, Devan lost all control. Not caring for his own safety, he charged forward and yelled out: "I said let her go!"
"Young man, stay out of this!" One of the demi gods finally yelled out.
Devan did not listen and swiftly kicked one of the demi gods sending him flying. The other two demi gods were shocked by Devan's strength and quickly stopped their chant, seeing how the spell was disrupted."You dare interfere!? Die!"One of them yelled out.
He then waved his hand, sending many fireballs flying towards Devan. Devan snorted and dodged the fireballs before instantly appearing in front of one of the demigods. He reached out and grabbed the demigod's head and activated his withering, draining the demi god's power making it his own. When Devan was about to attack the other demi god, he heard Ria's shout from behind him. "Big Brother!"
Devan turned to see that Ria was being trapped by the demi god he kicked away early. The demi god looked at Devan with a sinister smile on his face. He waved his hand, causing a green flame to appear in his hand. "You wanted to save her, right? Well, too bad!"
"Ahhh!" Ria let out a horrific scream as the green flame engulfed her body.
"Ria! No!" Devan yelled out as he rushed forward. He didn't want to lose Ria! If he lost her too, then he… Although he was fast, he was still not able to do anything. As Ria was a soul, the flame used was a special property, making it so only the caster could extinguish it. Ria's screams gradually quieted as her soul slowly burned away.
Devan fell to his knees. His mind went completely blank. He felt like his heart was now completely gone. All that was left was a dark void where all emotions would be swallowed up. He gazed up at the demi gods who were standing in the sky above him, getting ready to attack him, and spoke the words that filled his mind….
"I am death, and death is me..."
*Boom!*
A surge of death element shot out of his body in all directions. The two demi gods had no chance to react as they withered up and died. The pond itself also began to dry up. Devan, for the first time in his life, he let out a resounding shout filled with all his sadness. But once he let this shout out, he came to a realization. The land of the living had no place for him, so he would build a land of the dead, a place where the living could not enter.