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Rating:
Teen And Up Audiences
Archive Warnings:
Graphic Depictions Of ViolenceMajor Character Death
Categories:
F/MMulti
Fandoms:
転生したらスライムだった件 - 伏瀬 | Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken | That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime - FuseThe Beginning After the End - TurtleMe
Relationships:
Manas: Ciel/Rimuru TempestRimuru Tempest/VelzardManas: Ciel & Rimuru TempestRimuru Tempest & Velzard
Characters:
Rimuru TempestManas: Ciel (Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken)Velzard (Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken)Arthur LeywinJasmine FlamesworthTessia EralithCaera DenoirSeris (The Beginning After the End)Agrona VritraSylvia IndrathSylvie (The Beginning After the End)Varay Aurae
Additional Tags:
MagicAetherRomanceDramaPsychological TraumaTraumaThrillerIsekai and TransmigrationTime TravelTime ShenanigansReality BendingDeveloping RelationshipCharacter DeathCharacter DevelopmentAngstFluff and AngstCrossoverCrossovers & Fandom FusionsFate & DestinyFateAngst and TragedyTragedyFanfictionCross-Posted on WattpadBlood and ViolenceOriginal Character(s)
Language:
English
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Published:2024-12-19Updated:2025-03-18Words:107,665Chapters:20/?Comments:10Kudos:24Bookmarks:10Hits:2,552
A New Life [TbatexTensura]
Asuryii
Chapter 12: What Breeds Respect?
Chapter Text
Chapter 12: What Breeds Respect?
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Rimuru Pov:
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Something's off. Something is very wrong, I can't shake that feeling.
Life should be at a peak now, the Leywins are moving. We are on an adventure to a relic of my people's past. I would be able to gleam even if but a single spec of knowledge and connection to them. Yet an anxiety, this anxious and dreadful feeling is creeping up my spine.
I feel prying eyes observing my every movement, each flicker of my gaze- the subtle standing of my hairs on end. All of it, none failed to escape the gaze. I could sense it, something was very wrong.
I felt the promise I made with Jasmine, with mom. I felt as if it would be broken. 'After this I'll take you with me, you just have to keep up.' Words that sounded harsh and quite rude, were an honest recognition from her– she trusted me. She was ready to let me experience the world; as an adventurer.
Even as the Twin Horns remained lively and bright, celebrating the short reunion and getting to know Art. I couldn't fall into the atmosphere, something was keeping me on edge. Ever since we left Ashber my guard couldn't fall. I tried, I craved to experience the calm and excitement like a starved beast– I couldn't.
Even as I saw them laughing and smiling. I stood on edge. Something was warning me, a voice was calling out to me. Its cadence and tone was broken and static. Yet the more we traveled the clearer the voice became, an unnerving clarity coming to it.
'Run Run Run.' the voice came in like a whisper, the heavy batted words breathed into my ears- my mind directly. The motes of purple, the aether all jittering and wailing.
Something was very wrong, yet I couldn't figure it out.
I knew, I knew but didn't want to admit it. I was being warned, the aether was calling out to me. It was speaking to me, yet it was clear now– it wasn't a sensation or a churning notion that made understanding its words hard. I didn't work to decipher the words, the intentions or will.
It was clear, clear as day. A bellowing stereo of foreboding words filling my ears.
Every waking moment the voice continued to speak to me. Louder and louder. My nights were left sleepless, an anxiety and worry coursing through my veins. My aether was benign but the emotions it evoked were potent. An oddly reminiscent and nostalgic feeling.
My other half- he would often torment me in such ways. His voice being sent directly into my mind, the meaning and intentions cryptic and unpredictable. 'Rimuru, are you okay?' A glimmer of light and life broke the veil of anxiety for a moment as Jasmine poked at my mind– despite my thoughts remaining veiled in a wall of obscurity and indecipherability she could see and feel my emotions. 'You've had that rune active since we left Ashber. Are you going to be ok?'
I couldn't help but turn towards her, looking her directly in the eyes– uncertain of what she meant. Her thoughts were clear and void of deception or mal intent, I knew I could trust her but how would the rune be active without my knowledge.
She gave me a reassuring smile, a silent message. She was trying to say, it's ok- even if she didn't know what was happening in my mind or body. It was a subtle reassurance that I wasn't alone. Closing my eyes I looked inside myself, my mindscape remained mostly unaltered. Aside from the addition of a burning star in the sky and a refreshing sensation little had changed. But I could feel it, something was brewing under the surface in the aetheric oceans abyssal depths.
But my anxiety didn't come from there, the aether in my core, even in my mind, remained undisturbed. Reaching a hand toward my neck I felt around for a moment, a warmth; a small burning sensation radiated from my nape. The rune, Dolus' Cerebellum, was indeed active. Yet no aether was flowing into it from my core, or even from the atmosphere.
It was as if a passive skill activated- its power source, an innate inexplicable source. I learned something from this passive activation about the rune, but the knowledge was meaningless. It was just a silent realization of its passive activation potential, the cause or reasons for it– remained unknown.
I wanted to figure out the source of this anxiety, the reasons for the activation of my rune- these and more unanswerable questions began to plague my mind. But I couldn't let it harm or affect anyone else, so I put on my best smile.
Even if Jasmine would see through it, read the lies written on my face like a book– it'd deceive the rest of the group. I'd prevent Art from gaining unneeded anxieties on his first adventure. Even if he was reincarnated, he still shows child-like wonder. Just as I and likely both Ciel and Velz were affected by our reincarnated bodies minds, he too would be affected.
A small frown crossed Jasmine's face for but a brief moment. She raised her hand and brought it to my head ruffling my hair slightly as she pat my head. She knew why I put on that smile, a smile so fake it could be made from clay, then plastered and it'd be more real. 'We will have to work on your self-sacrificial nature, if you aren't ready to talk now. At least know you are always welcome to.'
For a brief moment as I heard her words, my guard fell, a light chuckle escaped from my parsed lips. A glimpse of a real smile crept across my face.
Yet as that moment passed– dread filled my body, more violent and destructive than before. A dread that threatened to consume me, as if an inexplicable and unfathomable entity or force filled my entire being. Mind, body, and soul. Hell even the information particles that made up my real body could feel it.
The whispers that slowly grew, slowly became louder– screamed at me.
'RUN! DRA-' Draft, draw, drape, drama, drank, drain. Words beginning with 'Dra' began to flood through my mind. Dozens of words came to mind, yet the answer despite being so clear- so obvious was evading me.
'Dragon…' the answer became as clear as day- as a single drop of aether began to warp before my eyes, to alter, to be reformed by a request, the sensation was so familiar. A violet eye, shrouded in an illusive illusion of red, tainting its natural nature. Yet even as I could physically see the person's eye, the dragon's eye. Even if I could admit the eye was quite beautiful, the violet plagued with crimson tied in an intricate dance of power and authority. I only felt a single thing.
Repulsed.
The idea that a dragon, at least in this world, an Asura dared to watch me. It repulsed me, the memories, the experience in the cavern. It all came to mind the moment I saw the eye. The horror, the screams, the cries of mercy and salvation.
The new year and my new life being welcomed at the same time, was also the worst day of my life. A day the Asuras attacked the Cavern of the Djinn, slaughtering and plundering senselessly. The Indrath Clan leading the charge, the Indrath being an asuran clan of dragons.
Here I was, being spied on by a dragon. A vile creature in this world, it's disgusting that they are even loosely related in name and species to my wife, to my family from the Central World.
Drawing upon the aether in my core I willed the aether in the atmosphere around the eye to follow my desires. I wanted the watchful eye to disappear and it did, but not before a clear display or shock and ire filled the eye.
I felt relief crossover me, I wasn't being watched but that relief was unfounded. As a horn sounded, the sound of dozens of footsteps followed suit. Helen yelled out, a worry of mine came true, "BANDITS! PREPARE TO ENGAGE!" Quickly I analyzed the area as the Horns prepared for combat. The bandits had come over a small hill on the left side of the carriage, likely laying in wait for a long time before ambushing us, and to the right was a steep cliff, one I recognized from the times I traveled with Jasmine towards the beast glades or a dungeon.
Anyone who fell from that cliff, was sure to die.
We had a problem though, I knew for a fact. Aunt Alice was pregnant, the change in her flow of mana and the larger amount of food she was consuming made it clear as day to me- I was easily able to tell from the habits she had during the time she was pregnant with Art.
Our numbers were lower, and we couldn't count on her for healing– furthermore we had to protect Art. Even if he was reincarnated, even if he was a mage already. He would struggle to fight head on with an adult, let alone while dozens would be able to interfere.
Helen wasted no time as she erected a barrier over the carriage protecting Aunt Alice and Art. Without a word the horns had already thrust themselves into action. I was ready to engage myself but Jasmine's words halted me, and gave me a new mission. 'Don't move, protect the carriage. I can trust you with that right?' I wanted to argue that it'd be better for me to rush in with them, to fight. Aether overpowered mana and any mages could serve as a power source for me but I couldn't muster the will. Her words were a command and a plea, she was ordering me as a direct commander, but pleading to me as a mother.
I merely nodded and stepped back looking upon the soon-to-be battlefield. I poured aether into the barrier Helen erected to assist as she forced more energy into the barrier. A volley of arrows was sent hurtling into the air, descending upon the carriage- threatening to tear it to shreds but the barrier erected by Helen and enhanced by me stood strong and resolute as it redirected and eviscerated all the arrows. Yet a violent gust of wind tore the tarp off the carriage, the reality of our situation made clear to Art and Aunt Alice. Jasmine, my mother, remained in a struggle against a group of bandits, one being a mage. We were at a deficit of 8 to 1, each person would have to take 8 bandits to come out on top.
Yet none of that mattered as a call from the bandits filled my ears, and the watchful eye returned. "We've got a great haul here boys, take the women and children. Kill the men, we'll eat good. Especially with her." I traced his gaze and my blood ran cold as my eyes met where he looked. "Hah?" Involuntarily a sound escaped my lips, the words spoken by that hideous creature. His wide vile grin, the massive scar across his chest, the stupid red mark on his cheek. This vile thing– dared to say something as absurd as that, but beyond the absurdity of his words. He said that towards Jasmine, towards my mom.
I felt my body temperature rising; tensing from a smoldering anger I haven't felt towards someone in a while, no, I felt rage begin to fill my entire being, hatred and ire incomprehensible to me before loomed over my heart. Yet everything shattered as he licked his lips and dived off the hillside. "We don't want damaged goods boys, at least not till we had our fun!"
The incantations of Durdens earth magic- its bellowing as the earth cracked, the howls of Jasmine's wind piercing through the air, the orders barked by the horns to each other, and the vile laughing of the bandits fell on deaf ears.
I never once forgot how despicable people can be, how hideous mortality makes people. How the pursuit of pleasure and grandeur for those who live short temporary lives is infinitely worse than those who are not chained by mortality. The barrier Helen erected threatened to shatter, my aether was the only thing holding it strong. A drop of mana was all I needed.
I began to force mana to draw close to my body like I had once done in the pursuit of proving my awakening to Adam and the Twin Horns. Aether serving as a magnet I pulled mana towards me waiting, and biding time.
I remained calm and focused, my time was nigh. '5 mages, 1 vile creature. 40 or so men. 50 some odd wastes of oxygen' Faint mana fluctuations around a person's body made mages distinguishable compared to normal humans, only apparent if studied closely . But I could tell somewhat the type of mages they were based on their attire and core coloration. I couldn't help but admire the experience of the horns, little words were spoken but they all knew what to do. The time they spent together was all being shown here and now. Durden had erected an Earth Wall in front of the carriage for when Helen's barrier fell. A barrier that would've fell after she stopped supplying mana in actuality lasted longer due to my actions. But I had everything I needed now, and the barrier Helen made fell.
As if comedic with the timing Uncle Reynolds was thrown through the Earth Wall and sent crashing into the carriage.
But everything now, now it will be over. A rush of energy washed over me as the mana I tried to draw in with aether was now rushing into my core, magnetized by the small amount of mana that entered into my colorless core. A familiar intoxication and adrenaline rush coursed through me. Channeling aether into my eyes and legs I enhanced my speed, mentally and physically.
The world slowed down, it was as if everyone and everything was moving at the pace of a snail. I glanced back towards the Leywins, Reynolds standing up encouraging Art– his words loud and clear in my ears. My thoughts confirmed, but oddly enough Art. His eyes met mine for a moment, a realization he didn't fully understand was shown as our eyes locked for an instant. Uncle Reynolds was going to engage the leader, and let Adam open the path for Art and Aunt Alice to escape but I couldn't let him. The pleasure of that kill would be mine.
Mom was engaged in an intense duel against an augmenter, his weapon was a long chain whip. It looked like she was at a slight disadvantage since the range of her two daggers was lacking. She was doing all she could to dodge the erratic movements of the whip.
By now, it was evident the enemy had realized how much she was stuck on the defensive- struggling as he jeered while licking his disgusting chapped lips . "I'll make sure to treat you real well with the boss before you're sold off as a slave, little missy. Don't worry, by the time we're done training you, you'll be begging to stay with us," he hissed, followed with another lick of his lips. That cemented the mages fate in my eyes, he had become my second target but I'd kill him first.
"[Brahma's Core]- Ignite." My colorless core was enveloped in a golden flame as it lit aflame. A comforting and revitalizing fire coursed throughout my body as I concentrated and harnessed all the mana I'd drawn in for a one move. A theory of mine.
Aether and fire coursed through my veins. My blood burned with a flame as hot as the sun, the feeling of my body being incinerated and regenerated repeated endlessly– it was as if I was being reborn in this instant.
A single wish to end the man rushing towards Jasmine in a single instant of unimaginable agony entered my mind. It began to devour my mind, my thoughts all reflecting this single wish. It was like a worm had begun eating away at my rational, my mercy, my conscience, and my humanity. Yet, I didn't fight it. I welcomed it, and gave it free reign to consume my mind. If only in return it gave me what I desired.
'Mom, duck,' she didn't question the words I sent to her. She ducked without a second wasted sweeping the legs of a bandit in the process. Mentally I thanked my body as an electric shock ran through it- I thanked it for being athletic, for being as flexible as it was already and the potential it held.
I imagined the turbulent power I held being drawn down towards my quadriceps, my hamstrings, my calves and glutes, my hip flexors and finally my core. All the muscles used prominently in running, I imagined the shapes of them and the contours of each muscle as it stretched and moved during a sprint. Yet beyond that, I let go of such basic thoughts and understandings– simple comprehension and ideas. I needed only a single step.
The thought of teleporting, I wanted to cross the 20 meter gap between her and I in an instant. If only I could condense the distance into 1 step, a single meter gap. I poised myself to take that single step as a set of instructions branded itself into my mind, a map for my desire– a familiar sensation burning into my skin, onto the bottom of my spine, the sacrum.
The world slowed more, the volleys of arrows being deflected by Angela, the powerful defenses of Durden guarding against advances, Uncle Reynolds preparing to attack once more, and Jasmine low to the ground from my request. My gaze flickered around the battlefield as I let myself take that step. Space warped around me, a burning embrace enveloping me and the area I leaped from. A golden flame incinerated my body, and I rematerialized where I desired.
My leap through space towards Jasmine, it ended my life but made me anew. I burned away the body I stood in once before and stood anew in a new place.
I withdrew the blade Jasmine– my mom had given me, letting the golden flames engulf it as I swung it down on my first target. The mage closest to her, even as he was tripped mid fall in my eyes– he was still a danger. A dull ache bloomed in my cores, fatigue seeping into my bones. Even a single use of this rune threatened to drain my aether core completely, drawing deeply from the vast temporary coalescing of mana filling my colorless core too.
This rune demanded both raw fire mana and aether– a fusion of a phoenix's golden flames of rebirth and the Djinn; my peoples violet claws that could rend through space, time, and life itself. A perfect harmony of concepts: the renewal and rebirth of the phoenix and the ethereal embrace of the Djinn, bound in a beautiful yet consuming balance.
Jasmine's eyes flickered up towards me, our connection through the rings and Dolus' Cerebellum letting her see the world as I saw it. But it was too late. I swung down the blade onto the pathetic mage, his mind catching up to mine for an instant as the golden flames turned him to ash– his core melding into a vicious mess that swam up the blade and burrowed into my skin.
The mana that once filled his core– its raw potential, power and essence– was devoured, leaving nothing behind. His past, present, and future– all of it reduced to fuel, his lifeforce transmuted into tiny, bitter drops of aether.
Its taste lingered, unforgettable in its foulness, like swallowing my own stomach bile. An aftertaste left lingering on my tongue worse than it's initial. Yet I forced myself onward, willing mana to explode beneath my feet. I had yet to hit the ground, to make a footfall with the dirt so I had to be creative. I had to step in the air. Golden flames erupted, propelling me through space, erasing the last traces of who I once was as I crossed the threshold once more. Only now with my true target before my eyes.
I reeled back my arms, the blade clenched tightly in my hands. 'Recreate him. Recreate him-' the words, the hypnotizing alluring words of the aether filled my head. I took the one of the last bits of mana I had and poured it into the blade. A blade of golden fire manifested. With a single sweep of the blade down on the bandit leader I severed his body in half. The pieces of him falling to the side as they burst in golden flames returning to ash.
Everything comes from ash and dust, and everything will someday return to ash and dust. I merely expedited the process. I felt no pleasure in killing the bandit leader, or that mage.
It was merely my duty, my duty as a son.
None, I mean none are allowed to harm my mom, my family, my friends. None. I'd walk through these golden flames of rebirth endlessly if it meant protecting them.
Gods are miserable wretches but families are worse. We walk through hell and high water for each other, our own lives an afterthought compared to the lives of those you love. You fight endless sources of madness and constant threats. Yet none of it matters. As long as they're safe it's all the same. I am a guardian, my family are the ones I protect. The clock-hand that tampers with time, the shadows that roam across fate, the threats beyond this dimension. None of it matters. I won't ever lose much– nothing is too high a price to protect them. I may just lose myself, but that alone doesn't scare me.
I'm terrified of losing them. So it's fine. I won't lose much, only myself. Each rebirth is a means to the end, for them I live solely for the result. Not the pursuit.
The Twin Horns, the Leywins, Ciel, Velz. I won't lose them, ever. I already lost too much. I never– Never want to experience that pain again.
I won't experience it again, no matter the price I pay.
[Reconstitution Breath]
A rune that symbolises this idea, this thought process. Mom was right, I do have a self-sacrifice tendency but I can't begin to pick out where it came from and came about.
The bandits' assault quickly devolved after the loss of their leader and the gruesome incomprehensible death he and one of their mages experienced.
I walked over towards Art and Aunt Alice as the situation concluded. The gaze seemed shocked and displeased– especially as I looked directly at them once again. I knew they were watching so I mouthed out a few words– words they clearly heard. 'You're next.'
I met up with Aunt Alice and Art only to hear a voice yelling at me. "Rimuru!" I stopped dead in my tracks and turned toward Jasmine to see a look of relief mixed with frustration on her face.
Yet once again.
Something was off. The movements of the mana, the look in her eyes and the hasty sprint she broke out into confused me.
The situation was handled-
A chill ran down my spine, turning back towards the hill the Bandits came from. I saw another man run down the hill. Hate filled his eyes as he launched a massive ball of water towards Aunt Alice and Art. "I'll at least take you with me!" The massive ball of water hurdled towards us– this man wasn't real though. I knew he wasn't– he had no core.
Without being able to react I was thrown through the air, it was like I had been launched into the sky from an explosion. I was almost being reeled in- reeled over the cliff. The feeling, the sensation, the touch of the mana and aether. I knew what or who it was instantly. A sorrowful gaze was pressed on my body as the Dragon, that vile Asura threw me from the cliff.
They wanted to kill me, I was vulnerable now. Mana and aether weren't filling my body. I was drained and I felt like I was going to pass out. I was reliant– reliant on aether. I felt it, my body began to age.
Yet oddly enough as I found myself over the cliff- one surely leading to my death. A cliff in the Grand Mountains that fell hundreds of feet. I saw Art, he was falling as well. The ground where he once stood crumbled, a subtle sign of mana and aetheric interference clear. Aunt Alice reaching over the edge. Art clearly pushed her out of the way.
"ART!" Aunt Alice screamed as she tried to reach Art- a fruitless effort. Durden rushed over and desperately conjured a spell to catch Arthur and myself, but while I was out of reach via distance and how far I'd fallen Art was barrier out of his range.
'He'll die from this fall. So would I-' I gritted my teeth as I called out to the world, a request to the world around me. A single wish, 'Please let me protect him, shroud his body and save him.' Art needed to be an older brother and I knew I wouldn't survive the fall- so at least maybe my plea to save him will be heard.
The particles of aether began to fly around sporadically as they drew power from my body– power my core didn't have. It took some of my life force, I could feel it as my body changed and grew. I as a Djinn aged slowly but now I was rapidly aging as I sacrificed lifeforce in turn to save Art. I blinked and found myself underneath the unconscious Arthur. I mentally thanked the world for letting me save him.
"I've got you Art, don't worry. You'll survive this at least, be a good older brother.", my words fell on deaf ears but my mom, Jasmine, heard them as she screamed out. Durden and Adam prevented her from leaping from the cliff. "RIMURU!" her scream was desperate and pained. Her voice was filled with fear, worry, and a sense of failure. I hated it, I hated seeing her cry.
I never wanted to see her cry, I curled into a ball cradling and protecting the small figure in my arms. The winds tousled my hair, it was a surreal and comforting feeling but the ending- a crash was not an end I wished for. I gritted my teeth as a seething rage, an emotion beyond hate- an ancient ire intertwined with my very essence rose in my mind.
'Those vile creatures. Those hideous Asura.'
With my last bit of strength granted from the sacrifice I sent a message towards Durden as he harnessed and willed another violet surge of mana into the cliff trying to create a hand to catch me and the child I shielded. 'Protect her, I hav-' His face was contorted with more emotion than I'd ever seen from him before. His face was filled with fear, like her.
My head was pounding violently to the point I could barely make head or tails of anything until everything went black. My message unfinished but my fury untamed.
.
.
.
After an indeterminate amount of time Rimuru began to rouse awake. He had survived– albeit barely
Ahhh…"My fucking back hurts." He groaned and croaked as he tried to move. He couldn't move, he knew why inherently so he didn't question it. He blinked his eyes rapidly a few times as his eyes adjusted and he was able to properly see. 'Rimuru..I'm sorry. I-I' A voice began to ring in Rimuru's head, a familiar voice. He knew who it was instantly, he should've been out of range of the communication but he could still hear her voice.
To feed his curiosity and well his hope he tried to respond. 'It's ok, I'm alive,' He paused and turned his eyes toward the small boy battered and bruised on his chest. A subtle thumping sound was clear to him, 'We're alive.' Jasmine's mind was a torrent of complex emotions and incomprehensible thoughts 'Azuray, I'm sorry.' The words entirely took Rimuru by surprise but he tried once again to send a message to Jasmine. 'Mom, I'm alive.'
Once again no response– So Rimuru tried to move his arm a little bit. He struggled but continued to try and eventually his arm moved, it fell painfully slowly toward the grass but the motion was noticed. 'Huh,the ring.' Rimuru was elated to hear she noticed so he did it again but slowly slid his arm back to where it was. 'He moved again.'
Rimuru knew Jasmine's tendencies, she was questioning if it was him- or if he was being eaten. Either way she had a goal, to get to Rimuru or kill the beast eating him someday. So she waited, and questioned– she bit her lip as she asked a question.
'Rimuru, if you're alive. Move two meters.' Rimuru was trapped in immense agony but he couldn't fail her request. So he tried, slowly but painfully he moved his arm down down to his side and around as far as he could. '1 more' With a sigh Rimuru dropped his other arm to the grassy ground and pushed with all his strength slowly he moved 1 meter.
A plea came from Jasmine as she pushed mana into the ring hoping to hear Rimuru's thoughts- his voice, 'I'm alive, we're alive.' Jasmine breathed a sigh of relief, gaining the attention of the Twin Horns around her as they comforted Alice and Reynolds.
Flashing her ring towards the horns, their eyes widened as they saw it glow– a tell-tale sign that Rimuru was alive, if Rimuru who braced the fall was alive. The thought gave hope to the Leywins, immediately a debate ensued on what to do but Jasmine was resolute. "I will trust my son. I didn't teach him nothing over the last few years, he's prepared." A small argument ensued between Alice and Jasmine– the two taking different stances on what to do knowing of their survival.
Jasmine advocated trust– The boys would make it to Xyrus.
Alice advocated caution– She didn't trust the boys to make it.
The argument lasted for a while, both brought very valid and understandable points. The rest of the Horns and even Reynolds stayed out of the argument. Jasmine had as many reasons to trust Rimuru to take care of himself and Arthur as Alice had reasons to not trust the thought of them taking the trip alone.
The argument only ended after a communication scroll lit up in Jasmine's bag, a message from Rimuru and Arthur. It was short but to the point, "Move forward. You'll only get in the way. We are fine." Only Rimuru spoke but his words were ones Arthur too would echo, especially after seeing the changes in Rimuru. So despite aversion to the idea the Horns and Leywins moved onward.
Rimuru laid on the ground for a few hours before he finally said fuck it and borrowed some of Arthur's remaining mana. Aether would slowly replenish even without his action but he needed to move now. Despite saying that he and Arthur would be fine. As things were, that was certainly a lie. With that drop of mana Rimuru was able to slowly draw in mana– the rate at which he used it and had drawn in mana was awful.
If he had drawn in 7 particles per second, he used 6 just as fast. He was not gaining more mana to expedite the process, at least not enough. The gain was there, he was clearly drawing in mana faster than usual but still it was painfully slow.
20 minutes passed before he repaired his body enough to sit up. His legs however were still unusable. It took another 20 minutes for his legs to be sufficiently repaired. With the remaining mana he had he pushed it all into Arthur. A verdant light slowly enveloping him, the cuts and bruises slowly began to heal. His pained and batted breaths became more stable and calm.
Without wasting a second he lifted Arthur up.
It was late in the day, the sun was soon to set. The sunlight pierced through the trees losing its brightness slowly, the golden patches cast on the grassy and dirt floor of the forest slowly receding. Rimuru pulled clothes from his dimensional storage bracelet, it was his old clothes but they would at least fit Arthur.
Rimuru had no idea when Arthur would wake up, and he couldn't draw in mana constantly to keep Arthur warm confidently– he needed to be ready. The dragon, the vile Asura, was still somewhere nearby. He needed to be ready to escape with Arthur if need be.
Rimuru put the clothes on over Arthur's tattered cloth. He wasn't going to change Arthur– that would be weird. Giving him an extra layer of clothing was more than enough. Being like a little brother or not, Rimuru wasn't changing the clothes of Arthur without his consent or knowledge. Let alone another man in general.
Rimuru slinked Arthur over his back and let his little arms wrap around his neck. A single hand used to hold Arthur in place as he retrieved a long strip of cloth to tie him to his back. Taking the long cloth Rimuru tied Arthur to his back snuggly. Rimuru was going to run after all so it had to be tight.
"Hold on tight, co-pilot," Rimuru teased, despite Arthur not being awake to acknowledge the teasing. "We're cruising at the speed of light." Making a pitiful joke Rimuru did his best to make light of the situation– if at least to himself.
He was mentally looking at this situation as an outing with his little brother, he didn't want to think about the mental torment and conflicts Jasmine or the Horns were having. So he tried to think of this as a small brotherly outing.
'You're awake it seems-'
"Found you!" A manic grin crossed Rimuru's face as he heard a voice entering his mind speaking to him directly. The person who spoke to him, the woman, was horrified as she looked at the expression on his face. She realised as Rimuru risked his life to save Arthur that he wasn't after her. Her anxieties and worries were proven unfounded. But now for but a moment as she glimpsed through Rimuru's disguise in a moment where it fell for but an instant. A sign of a change in him and an event heralding an unpredictable future.
Rimuru was never after 'Her' specifically. It was clear to her now, he wasn't a dragon. She knew what he was as soon as the veil, the disguise shattered for a single second.
'He's a Djinn ... .no that's the uncrowned lord of the Djinn' Her father Kezzess had spoken of a boy who eluded him– his greatest enemy, a true threat to the world. The Uncrowned Lord of The Djinn, a boy prophesied to become a tragedy. A lie.
The boy was never to be a threat, it was simply a message that suited the desires of Kezzess. Yet now it was clear, her father– even in his deceit and lies was right. Rimuru was a threat to the world, the world he desired. Rimuru hated Asuras. She could tell, now knowing that he wasn't a dragon and knowing his identity. She could tell with absolute confidence.
A future she had seen, one that was being broken before her eyes by an unpredictable existence was now made worse. The shattered future was pulverised.
She knew, Sylvia knew, Arthur Leywin would one day come and take her daughter– to protect her daughter and soon face the world's darkside. She was able to glimpse into the future and this was the future she saw, so she was a bit frustrated and confused when it seemed- that future would not come true.
Due to Rimuru's interference the Leywin's trip to Xyrus would've ended without a hitch, the elf princess would remain unsaved, and her child would fall into Agrona's hands.
So she took a risk, she requested it to take his life. She assumed he was a Dragon sent by Kezzess, her father, to take her back to Epheotus. The child kept interfering and as she watched the situation she began more and more wary.
He knew she was watching, he was wielding aether like mana, and using mana in unique ways as if he was a mana beast. She was wary, and took a cautious action. At least in her eyes.
She sent him over the cliff, hoping the fall would kill him painlessly but still she couldn't risk Agrona getting her child. So she acted~
She shattered the ground around Arthur, forcing him to fall off the cliff but then Rimuru risked it all to save Arthur. Feeling as if she'd made a mistake she went to help them– to save them from imminent death but her action proved meaningless as the world itself veiled them both in a protective barrier. Surviving the fall barely.
Yet now, Rimuru. He was hunting her, whether his intentions were malicious or not she couldn't surmise. Even despite his crazed expression.
Rimuru began sprinting towards her, any semblance of worry or hesitation left him as he realised something. This Asura, this dragon– it was hiding, it may have been scared or injured.
He knew he couldn't defeat an Asura as things were but an injured one– this in his mind was a different story. He had a chance, but beyond this he also had questions and curiosities.
So he sprinted as fast as he could, the sound of air exploding behind him resounded with each step. Arthur remained fast asleep for most of the run but slowly roused awake as Rimuru inched closer to the location where Sylvia laid.
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Sylvia POV:
—--------------------------------------------
I made a mistake, a hasty judgement.
I had no choice but to be cautious due to my predicaments. I have to safeguard my child, I was pursuing a future I saw, and an anomaly entered the scene. I had an option- risk everything or commit an atrocity.
I didn't want to risk everything but I also didn't want to commit an atrocity. I didn't want to kill the boy, if he was unrelated and I saw the future wrong I didn't want to end his life.
But he frankly- scared me. Despite living for hundreds of years I was afraid of a child who appeared no older than 8.Yet contrary to his appearance he was wise and intelligent beyond his years. He was ruthless and vengeful, he comprehended the words of the bandits and expressed immense ire and hatred for them. A hate he acted on– he erased himself from the world, effectively committing suicide and rebuilt himself in a new space. A golden flame erasing everyone it touched.
I was quite intrigued and somewhat fearful of this but I felt horrified as he turned towards where I watched him from. 'You're Next.' He mouths out the words threatening me, his seriousness clear as day.
I couldn't risk it- he was a danger to me regardless of how I tried to spin in after he said that. He looked directly at me and spoke to me and me alone. He saw me like he saw the bandits, he clearly wasn't here on my father's orders, it could've been Agrona's but I doubted it since he was not interested in anything but killing me.
So I handled it.
I tried to kill him. Now here we are. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do, the boy Arthur is tied to his back, if I kill him then Arthur will be traumatised and something could go wrong.
If I let him come he may kill me.
He shows malice towards me, but curiosity and intrigue. I bit my lip conflicted over my decision. But before I made one he arrived. The explosive sound of his sound breaking speed stopped as he walked through the crevasse into my hiding place.
He dropped down into the room I sat in. His expression unchanged even as he saw my disguised self. "Don't think you could hide your nature dragon. You're one of those vile creatures that massacred my people." A vile, depraved and unfeeling laugh resounded throughout the room. With each moment the laugh grew more and more insane- through bated breaths the laugh grew louder and louder.
It was as if each second, every moment that passed caused the boy's recognition of reality and understanding of his situation to change, it grew more and more unhinged. A gruesome insanity flooding his entire being, becoming more and more clear; it became more defined.
His crazed eyes, filled with an insatiable lust- a lust for blood. The boy hadn't even taken to attempting at hiding this clear and overwhelming bloodlust. He didn't care even a little bit for how outmatched he was. The idea of a mismatch seemed to be even more attractive to the boy. It was as if he wanted the mismatch- he wanted to be weaker, weaker all so he could feel a sick sense of satisfaction as he embarrassed and destroyed his opponents.
Even despite knowing, knowing he stood zero chance at beating me. I couldn't help but feel intimidated- more lay beneath the surface, the expression on his face. I had taken the wrong course of action. Even before he stood before me, before he could even acknowledge the difference in abilities between us- he was ready for a fight no matter the gap that separated us. I shouldn't have been so cautious and tried to kill him with a fall.
This mistake may ruin any chance at reconciliation~ I doubt he even has the capacity to care for reconciliation. After all, I am the thing- The Beast- he hates, the object of his ire and rage. I have to be careful- this may go very wrong.
"Why don't we tal-" I tried to speak, to begin a peaceful conversation but he wasn't having it.
"No, no. The time for talking has long since passed. You tried to kill me yet this event was long after that time passed. Answer me this vile dragon, did your Lord, did Kezzess dare to speak with my people. Did you give them a chance to talk as you ruthlessly slaughtered them on the day I was born?" His words were clear, his tone irritated, and his question a blunt statement. It was rhetorical, he wasn't asking me if they were given a chance.
He knew they weren't. He was using his words to toy with my emotions, to probe at my mind and see where I stood. He was gauging me.
"So I ask you this-" Taken from my depreciative thoughts and conflict I looked him dead in the eyes. A wide open mouthed smile filled my eyes, a crazed empty wide stared stare– it was like he was peering into my very soul. "Why shouldn't I kill every single Asura in the same way? Show you senseless slaughter devoid of mercy or peaceful resolution and debate. What if I started with you, you who looks so similar to that vile existence? You may as well be his daughter."
I tried to formulate words to no avail but I couldn't so I didn't say anything. His next words were more degrading than I'd ever imagined. " Why don't you answer? Surely you know. Surely you understand what happened and what I may be feeling. So tell me. Why? Why did 'you' kill my people?"
'You' that word, he saw all Asura's the same. Not a single one was free of sin- the actions of my father had done more than create future conflicts and feed his greed. It destroyed this boy, it cursed him from the day he was born into this world. Nothing would change that. By comparison my suffering was nothing– he still sees the death of his people like it was yesterday. His first day in this world, the first day of a new year. It was welcomed with horror, and unjust violence.
I wasn't responsible for it myself. I never was a part of the slaughtering of the Djinn. I only learned the truth after leaving my father's side. A truth so few knew. Yet here I am, feeling as if I am one to blame. I almost wish I could help him see change.
"I don't have an answer that will please you. I never will, if it suits you go ahead. Kill me. Just don't take the life of someone innocent- the life of my child." His eyes widened at my words, a conflict clearly filling his mind. He was confused and didn't know what to do or say.
His hate, it was just and reasonable but he didn't want to stoop to the level of my father. He had too much pride and respect.
"I won't kill you. Not till I get my answers."
A small smile crossed my face. I found his response a tad entertaining. He was conflicted but stood by his thoughts- still he held mercy and understanding. The faults of 1 cannot be blamed on another.
Even if only a little I seemed to have gained his grace– if only for a moment. I just have to hope, hope that this ends positively. He was at least giving me a chance, a chance to gain his respect.
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"Hmm, an elf?" Looking towards Arthur I motioned my hand towards him. He passed over the egg Sylvia gave him so I could store it for him. He clearly wanted to act but I wasn't interested in the elf. I was stuck elsewhere, I hadn't the mental capacity to care for her. I was more focused on planning how to escape the Elshire forest. I could reason finding the elven nation of Elenoir, and then informing them in return for directions to Sapin.
But I had no interest in the elf, the forest would serve as an inescapable hell for those idiots, this was clear to me as day but Arthur seemed to have other thoughts. "Well it's not my business. I don't know the full story. Could be an elven scheme to catch slavers. Regardless. Got to get home to mom. Not my problem." I motioned to leave, an action that resulted in Art giving me the blankest stare he's ever given.
"You know, for a reincarnated king. You really seem to be a mama's boy."
"You know, for a reincarnated king. You seemed to have really loved succling your mothers tits."
Checkmate dumbass.
"So we are saving her?"
"Sadly we are obligated to. Mom would kill me if I didn't."
"Mama's Boy"
"Middle Aged Tit Sucker, are you seriously talking?"
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Chapter 12 End~ 7900 Words
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