Asahi and Kendra stood in astonishment upon witnessing their enemy, who once seemed unstoppable, get overwhelmed by their power for the first time. They both looked forward in bewilderment, watching the dust from the collapse swirl before settling down.
"Did… we… do that?" Kendra mumbled as she felt the powerful aura travel out from her body.
Asahi shrugged and raised his eyebrows, wholly bewildered at this phenomenon.
His thoughts were a storm of amazement and conflict.
Never would he have thought to see such unfathomable power come from a young woman like Kendra; it was both awe-inspiring and unsettling. At that moment, he felt a surge of admiration mingled with fear.
What did this newfound strength mean for their journey?
His heart pounded with a mix of relief, uncertainty, and awe as he watched Kendra harness a power that seemed beyond anything he had known.
Yet, he couldn't care less about being surprised.
As long as the looming threat of The Guardian had ceased, Asahi was relieved. And somewhere deep down, there was a spark of respect for the unpredictable nature of the world they inhabited—a world that could turn a humble maid into a force of nature.
"I think so," Asahi replied as he bent down to pick up his blade. "Say, what did you feel before you… Did that?"
As they slowly turned away from the pile of rubble and ruins toward the distant, glowing golden light, Kendra made a downcast expression and answered with a mumble.
"I… felt a sharp feeling enter my feet. It felt like… a glass had pierced me despite being underwater. And Asahi, I think you have also helped me awaken it."
"Really?" Asahi muttered back with a raised eyebrow. "Well, you surprised me. I never knew you had that power in the first place, let alone heal yourself in battle."
As the intensity and threatening aura of the situation subsided, Kendra nodded with certainty and answered with a small smile, hearing the loud trickles of water droplets falling and echoing across the nameless caverns.
"Heh. Yeah. I have always had this power."
After a few moments of silence, Asahi and Kendra had approached the ponds. They were thick, shallow pools of water scattered about a forest buried underneath the ground.
Once the two had reached this point, Kendra twiddled her thumbs and resumed her discussion with Asahi in an unsure tone. She said while looking down.
"L…Look, Asahi, I know I haven't told you this yet. But... long ago… When I was young and still in Destia, a strange young woman with long dark hair and blue eyes gave me a weird power. A power that only activates whenever I grab someone's hand."
Suddenly, anxiety gripped Kendra, and she gulped down a breath, an uneasy feeling settling in amid the lingering tension.
Blurry memories of waterspouts, tsunamis, and rain flooded her mind. Her eyes trembled as she felt the chilling texture of liquid run down her body. However, it was just a hallucination—a reminder of what her power was.
But Kendra never remembered her power being so powerful.
Not long after the sudden mute, Kendra lowered her hand into the puddle and continued.
When I obtained that power, I felt as if all the water in the world was with me. There was so much I could do with that ability. I could unleash tiny streams of water straight from thin air, I could control the patterns of the waves and tides, I could even propel myself by summoning strange Geysers out of the blue! But... I always sensed a looming cost to wielding such power. The strain on my body was immense, and every time I tapped into this ability, there was a risk of losing control or being overwhelmed by its sheer magnitude. It seems that with every use, this gift demands something in return.
Taking another pause, Kendra remembered what had just occurred after her foot touched that strange shard under the shallow underground lake. Looking back at her hands, Kendra shook her head and continued.
"... out of all my years possessing that gift, I never would have thought to unleash whatever that was we made just now. I don't even know why I felt a sharp pain in my foot."
After she pulled her hand out of the water, she tilted her head upward at Asahi, throwing a skeptical squint at Asahi's face.
"H…Hold on," Kendra mumbled as her blue eyes daggered at Asahi's. "The look on your face tells me you have experienced this type of thing before. Did you experience this thing too?"
Without hesitation, Asahi straightened his posture and answered with a nod and an unsure tone.
"Well, not exactly." He said. "I don't have a water power like yours. However, that sharp feeling you have described was the exact feeling I felt before I used my power against The Guardian."
Kendra's azure eyes widened in surprise, remembering what she saw when she was distant from The Guardian.
"OH! So it was YOU who unleashed that deafening blow!?" She screamed confusedly, cringing at the tone of her reply shortly after.
Suddenly, silence followed her outburst. Kendra's disbelief and shock grew as she glanced at Asahi, struggling to process his words. The tension mounted until, after steadying herself with deep breaths, Kendra's shock gave way to an urgent demand for answers—her voice rising again as emotion took over.
"So... you were the one who had stopped time itself? How did you even do that?! The whole world was shaking from that attack!"
"It was... a primordial power of mine," Asahi calmly responded as he tilted his head up to the ceiling of crystals. While their eyes followed the glittering trails of sparkle dust, Asahi revealed something to Kendra.
"Long ago, when I was still a Ruler, I used that power to stop incoming threats from the cosmos from invading my world. Many dangers from The Outside desired for this world to be destroyed. But my family resisted, and with all our power, just like the one I used before, everyone in my family had defended our abode to keep it alive."
Kendra's eyes shrank in fear. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to use such power as Asahi's to defend an entire world. From her perception, she struggled to believe that a boy like Asahi could do such things. And the reveal that Asahi had other family members undoubtedly made Kendra curious.
(Hmm, so Asahi has a family?) She thought quietly.
As a sudden chill entered between them, hearing the underground winds howl across the strange shape of the massive cave, Asahi turned downward to his shadow on the floor and continued.
"But, after a sudden calamity that destroyed my world, my sister and I were left alone in the cosmos. Every day that passed, my sister and I would feel our power slowly draining away. Until nothing of our old power was left."
Staring coldly at Kendra's eyes, Asahi clenched his fists and tried to suppress his feelings of frustration as he continued.
"We had to depend on nothing but our luck and physical strength… to keep us alive."
"Oh…" Kendra muttered as she slowly covered her mouth with her palm. "I guess you two have really, REALLY good luck then. I never knew you had a sister."
Though the moment may have been grim and dreary, that little crumb of humor radiating from Kendra's response eclipsed those feelings, verbally comforting Asahi despite the situation that had transpired minutes before.
As they stepped back from the puddle, slowly parting further away from the injured otherworldly knight buried in debris, Asahi nodded and replied to Kendra with a soft grin.
"Ha. I guess we both do." He said. "You know, I thought I had lost that power. It had been years since I had used it. That's why I am surprised to see that primeval ability return during that moment. I suppose it has to do with the pain we both felt in our feet."
Seeing the memories of that specific, glittering shard burst into his mind, Asahi took a deep breath and asked.
"Kendra, what do you think happened when you felt that glass pierce your skin?"
Kendra had many things swirling in her head that Asahi was unaware of.
Although she had won the battle with The Guardian, she was still fighting a war inside her mind. Her glittering blue hair shimmered and sparkled as she turned to Asahi.
"…I don't know. I DON'T KNOW! How am I supposed to know about that? All I knew was that I unleashed that giant water spout… That's it!" Her tone grew frustrated. "I NEVER saw that coming. I never saw ANY of this! I wouldn't have guessed I'd be in this weird place with you. Did you forget who I am? I'm just a maid!"
Slowly, the frustrated tone in her voice gave way to sorrow; her shoulders slumped, and her eyes closed as she spoke, tears of guilt welling up and punctuating her words.
"I'm just... an ordinary maid. A girl who cleans up the mess of others and a failure who chose to do nothing with what they learned. All I have done is simply cook and clean. I'm nothing more than that. Can't you realize? Even with my power, I'm still… nothing."
A silence was awakened after her last word at that moment.
After Kendra expressed her genuine feelings, Asahi struggled with whether to reply and take the discussion in another direction.
Kendra wasn't a god like Asahi or Aletha, nor was she a high-ranking member of some powerful organization. She didn't even seem like a hero when Asahi had first encountered her at the bridge extending toward Toivo's mansion.
Regardless, though Kendra may not have known it, Asahi had a deep feeling that there was potential in her.
"Kendra. Kendra, please. I KNOW that you are a maid. I never expected more from you." He said with a calm manner. Immediately, the blunt response made Kendra look at Asahi. At first, she gave him skeptical looks, but then let him continue.
"But, have you realized what this place did to you? When I was in danger, you took the initiative to protect me. Even when you were powerless, you did your best to fend off those monsters with your strength, all to protect me. You revealed your true self and the power within you, even when I wasn't aware. I...If not, I... should consider you as my hero."
As the silence grew, Kendra looked up at Asahi silently.
Although it was dark, seeing Asahi's perfect face, straight posture, body, and attire reminded Kendra so much of that man who raised her in Obrus. For a moment, Kendra imagined herself standing in that jungle with the man. Long, radiant white hair, smooth skin, and tattoos.
There was so much she could remember about him that she was almost frightened by it. But, as that image faded away to the dark Caverns before her, Kendra's eyes started to well up tears.
(He… He was the father I had always wanted.) Kendra sniffled as she wiped a tear out of her eye. (And now… I… I failed him, and my real father.)
Witnessing the sad sight before him, Asahi decided to keep his mother shut.
. . .
Seconds passed, and yet not a single response was made.
The more that Asahi and Kendra stood in silence, the more that they gradually realized that this… adventure in the Nameless Caverns had benefited them both.
Firstly, stumbling upon this mysterious place had opened Kendra's eyes to a new perspective on the world and Asahi. The conflicts and memories that had arisen from here had almost motivated Kendra to become someone she wanted to be, rather than someone she was not.
Not only that, but encountering the Nameless Caverns and its followers had also opened a door to understanding the history of the changed world for Asahi.
And lastly, this place somehow brought back both of them to recollect their long-lost memories. After all, memories are what bring us all together.
Without encountering The Nameless Caverns, Kendra would have still been a maid for years, and Asahi... would still have thought that he had lost his old world, and Aiyana.
However, it seemed that Kendra had more to speak about. Following the abrupt cut-off, she slowly stepped back, twiddled her thumbs, and kept her azure eyes locked on Asahi's.
"You're right. I… had never considered myself a hero." She said as she slowly lifted her head up, pushing her powder-blue hair to the side. "I considered YOU as one."
Asahi raised an eyebrow at this unaccounted reply.
(Huh? That's a strange reply. What could Kendra possibly be thinking right now?) He thought.
As Asahi gave Kendra rapid blinks of curiosity, Kendra tilted her head up to the ceiling of glittering crystals and kept a tiny grin on her face. The anxious movements that had accompanied her slowly drifted away as a redness blemished her cheeks, and she remembered everything that had led to this moment. As she felt a burning warmth in her heart, Kendra took a deep breath and revealed.
"From the moment I saw you on that bridge, to when I had helped feed you… to when I saw you fend yourself from those wretched zombies… to the time I saw you almost hurt yourself from working out… to the point I saw you change your style… I had always admired you."
Asahi's eyes rounded in shock. He gasped, his face turning red in disbelief like Kendra.
"R… Really?" He said in a confused manner.
"YES!" Kendra cried aloud, tears welling in her eyes. "The way you act and look reminds me so much of the man who raised me. Even though you were once a God, you still seem to have so much humanity. You have emotions. You care. You're intelligent! You… have INSPIRED ME! Unlike me, you succeeded in the trials Toivo gave you. And those are just a few things about you that I love."
Asahi's eyes rapidly blinked, trying to process what he had heard.
"So…"
Before he could say anything else, Kendra hurriedly sprinted to Asahi.
With one small hop, the blue-haired girl wrapped her arms around Asahi, pushing him close and tightly caressing his arms.
. . .
Everything except them seemed to have blurred.
Kendra had locked her arms tightly against Asahi. Her grip grew tighter as the wind passed by them.
The coldness of their surroundings had heated up as their arms locked onto each other. Their hearts had beat so rapidly that it felt to them that time had slowed down. While Asahi felt Kendra's hair brushing against his face, he mumbled.
"Kendra… What are you doing?"
Instead of answering, Kendra pressed her head against Asahi's shoulder, closing her eyes and smiling as she heard his heartbeat in his chest.
"Please… don't let go… Asahi." She whispered to him softly as tears slid down her face. "Just let me have this moment. Just for a few more seconds."
Hearing the desperate tone linger in Kendra's voice, Asahi nodded his head and grasped Kendra tightly, closing his eyes as he heard her sniffle.
In these quiet seconds, Asahi felt his heart skipping beats, feeling the tenderness of Kendra's arm brush past him.
He knew that this embrace meant something more. And with this embrace came all the memories of everything they had experienced here in The Nameless Caverns.
As they kept their arms locked around each other, Kendra whispered.
"Asahi. I understand now. I understand everything you have said." Her words echoed across the cavern's walls as she grasped his back tighter. "This place… has changed me. YOU have changed me, Asahi! Throughout all these years residing and never leaving Toivo's residence, I never would have guessed that wandering around this strange cave with you would make me realize… that I'm still young."
As the water droplets slipped from the stalactites and fell gracefully onto both of them from the ceiling, Kendra's smile expanded with her optimistic tone.
"It made me realize that I still have so much ahead of my life. For the years I have lived in Toivo's Residence, I never really understood that concept… until now. I... I was so lost before."