44. Fernbelle Erolith

Yumino stood there, looking with tired eyes at the elf in front of him.

"Woah, wait! Don't close your eyes! Who knows what might happen if you fall asleep in a dream?" the elf said.

"Oh, that's right, I know... It happened to me after losing to Lucien. Haha!" 

Yumino didn't say a word; he just did his best to fight against his heavy eyelids, staring at the eccentric ghost that had appeared in front of him.

"Still in no mood to talk, I see. I thought I'd given you plenty of hints, but let me present myself then. I'm—"

"Erolith. Previous avenger," Yumino interrupted him, his voice devoid of emotion.

"If you already knew, then say something! And it's a hero, not an avenger!"

Yumino stood silent, letting Erolith's humor turn sour the more time said silence ruled.

Once he had calmed down, the spirit looked at the depressed elf with kind eyes, letting out a soft sigh as he matched his own pace with Yumino's, walking shoulder to shoulder with him.

"So... how is it? Being a hero?" Erolith asked.

"I wouldn't know. I've never been one..." Yumino answered.

"Ah... you're that type of guy, huh?"

"..."

"Ok, fine. So you've called us avengers, right? Do you think that's a cooler title?"

"..."

"That was a dumb question. forget I said anything..."

"Wasn't a hero supposed to be righteous?" Yumino asked, his gaze fixed at the tip of his feet.

"And aren't you righteous?"

"Wasn't a hero supposed to be brave?"

"And aren't you brave?"

"Wasn't a hero supposed to be famous?"

"And aren't you... what?"

"I'm not any of those! I've killed for little reason! I've screamed in terror while fighting drakes! I've been suspecting Lucien deep down, yet I was too scared to take precautions!"

"At least your name is well known now."

"And for what reason? Fear! People fear my name—the name of a random guy killing vampires! The only ones who cared for me are not here! How can I be called a hero? It's just like when you betrayed—"

Yumino swallowed his words once he realized what he was about to say.

"I'm sorry..." he added, ashamed of breaking down in front of someone who had already been through more than he could fathom.

"Is it just like when I betrayed the kingdom? No, you already know why I did that. Do you mean to scold me for abandoning Nima?"

"No...I..."

"What is it about her?"

"Huh?"

"What is it that you liked about that girl? Why was she important to you?"

"Why even ask that? You know her all too well."

"I do. I know the clumsy, annoying elf that always stood in my way. The elf I had to protect from everything, as she would just cower in fear and cry about our kin. I know about that girl, but I can't see anything loveable about her."

Yumino's gaze hadn't left the ground until that moment. Even now, as he walked, he kept his head down, but just for a second, he looked Erolith in the eyes, scorning the words he spoke about Nima through his gaze.

"That's nothing like Nima! I don't know what you're trying to pull, but she's not a coward! She cares about her kin, but that doesn't stop her from smiling. She jokes around a lot, and like a cunning fox, she takes every chance to get something from you. She teases, but she is kind. Her soul burns with a passion, and she doesn't hesitate to show it!"

As he spoke, Yumino lifted his head slightly, and his steps got slightly quicker, having Erolith trip as he tried to match them.

"She loves being loved, but she doesn't hesitate to love back! She cared for me, but hid herself behind well-thought jokes! Even after I'd messed up, she picked up her daggers and beat some sense into me! She gave me another chance, and we danced. At first, we danced in the arena. Her moves left me speechless every time. Then from the arena, we moved the dance to the tavern, and then... then..."

Realizing he had been talking for too long, the elf took another look at Erolith. What he saw was the spirit smiling at him—a kind smile that seemed to have shown satisfaction with his answer.

"And you liked that, right?" Erolith asked.

"I... I did..."

"Do you want to get that back?"

"I would love to, but... it's over..."

"Right... it's over. She's dead, right? Now we only have Nimera... I don't like that lady..."

Yumino scoffed before answering, displeased by the facts Erolith was right in what he said.

"I guess we can agree on that..."

"And do you think Nima would like her?"

"Of course not!"

"Then why do you let her body walk around like that? You've seen Nima's spirit already. You know she's too ashamed to face you. You two have been through enough to understand that much. What do you think she'd want you to do?"

"As feisty as she is, I'm sure she would want me to get revenge for her..."

"Wrong?"

"Huh?"

Yumino looked confused, but upon pondering a bit more, his eyes lit up as he figured the answer.

"I see you've figured it out, right? She would want her kin to go on."

"Right..."

Yumino's steps grew even faster, his gaze now facing forth as he walked with his back straightened.

"We all want this, Yumino. Of course, we want that sweet revenge, but we also don't want to be completely erased."

"I feel like you're going to say something really rude now..." Yumino assumed.

"So would you please go out there, take your revenge, and live to tell the tale of our forest?"

"All alone?"

"There is no other elf left to ask."

Out of the pits of darkness, an impulse to laugh overwhelmed Yumino once his assumption had been proven true.

"Haha! Called it! You really said something incredibly selfish!" the elf said, now running shoulder to shoulder with the spirit.

"You've got that right! But don't worry, I'll make sure to help you out when it comes to fighting Nimera! You won't be alone then!"

"Just like last time?"

"Hah! So you knew who that was! And here I was feeling all cool and mysterious..."

"Don't kid yourself! I may be a coward, but I don't think I'm stupid."

"You're certainly smarter than me!" Erolith added. "At least you listened to that damn witch!"

Yumino ran faster and faster, slowly leaving behind the ghost who couldn't keep up. Without the elf realizing, he was now heading towards a bright light at the end of his dream.

"Haha! So nobody around here likes her, huh?" he asked.

"Don't speak to her about this! She's been through a lot! I know deep down she's a nice lady! That banter you have with her also doesn't really leak the bitterness I used to feel when taking her orders! Now go, avenger!"

Yumino continued to run. Erolith was already far behind when the elf heard him call his name.

"And Yumino, keep your head up!"

Yumino's gaze turned away from the spirit left behind waving. He gazed up where a sky had popped in while he wasn't paying attention. So the elf ran. He ran as fast as he could. He ran with his head high, heading towards the light so that he could wake up.

"Thanks, Erolith!" he screamed just before the dream came to an end.