Shadow 7: Release from Suffering

Ryikaria sat outside the ruins as she looked up at the sky. I can’t believe I wasted my time in there. Nothing in those ruins but bones and dust, she thought as she closed her eyes. Before she could drift off into a quiescence state of sleep, the sound of birds could be heard flying in her direction. While birds were common, Ryikaria had noticed something odd about what she was hearing. The birds sounded as if they had been startled by something. Standing to her feet, she made her way silently through woods in the direction of the disturbance until she could hear the sound of screaming.

Getting up into one of the trees, she could see smoke off in the distance. That’s coming from the village where Cyarieal and Fyarieal are, Ryikaria thought as she jumped from various tree limbs like an assassin in the night. With the village in-sight, she could see charred dead bodies laying outside, lifeless. The fires continued to rage as Ryikaria checked the village for any sign of survivors. Hearing the sound of nearby coughing, she moved quickly to see who had survived.

Sitting against a piece of debris from one of the houses was Kfyarieal who appeared to have been stabbed by a blade that was still piercing her side. Rushing over to her, Ryikaria looked over the damage she had suffered. Okay, she looks like she is still alive. I can heal her which is good, Ryikaria thought as she bent down to closely examine Kfyarieal’s body. Before she could pull out the items to stitch up the wound, Kfyarieal began to open her eyes.

“Well, shit… It just had to be you.”

“Nice to see you too. Now who attacked you? Wait, I mean—”

Before Ryikaria could translate her common tongue into the Ryizaviran language, Kfyarieal spoke.

“No need to translate. I can understand you.”

“So, you could understand the common tongue all this time. I take it you learned it from your wife?”

“Yeah, she taught it to me a year before she dead.”

“You mean, died. Still got to work on it, I see. Anyway, let me help you. I need to pull this blade out and then treat your wound. What happened to your daughters?”

Ryikaria quickly pulled out the sword from Kfyarieal’s side which forced her to groan from the slight pain. Once the blade was out, she began to treat the wound with the supplies she had in the small pouch strapped to her right thigh.

“They ran into woods from those Shadow Takers.”

“Did you happen to see what unit they were?”

“I didn’t see the number on their emblem clearly.”

“Which direction did your daughters run off to?”

“North, towards the mines. Please… help them before those thugs get to them, Ryikaria.”

After treating the wound, Ryikaria stood to her feet.

“I’ll protect them. Don’t worry, Kfyarieal.”

Rushing in the direction of that Kfyarieal had said, Ryikaria burned through more magic then she had ever before to catch up to area where she found Cyarieal and Fyarieal. However, what she saw made her realise that she was too late. She could see from about eighteen metres from her position, one of the Shadow Taker’s plunge their dagger into Cyarieal’s heart with a force strong enough to pin her against a tree.

Stepping out into the clearing, the eyes of the Shadow Takers stared at Ryikaria. Looking over each of them and taking note of the number just above their emblem, Ryikaria went over all that she knew about the famed unit eight. Shadow Taker Unit Eight, led by Myairan the Feminine. Alongside him is Lyuna the Wolf, Lyly the Liar, Pylien the Lame and Dykriaious the Artist. Tonight, all of them die, Ryikaria thought as she noticed the dagger she had given Cyarieal fall from her hand. Even though both Cyarieal and Fyarieal’s bodies were cold and lifeless, she still didn’t feel anything. No pain, no anger, nothing on her facial expressions revealed what emotion she was feeling – if she was even feeling on at all.

“Well, well, well, you’re a Shadow Taker like us. What unit are you with?” Myairan asked.

Ryikaria didn’t speak as she held up her arm, revealing the number on her wrist.

“Wait, isn’t that… What was her name? Raki?” Lyuna asked as she appeared to pounder the thought for a moment.

Ryikaria made her way forward, walking slowly towards Myairan with eyes set to kill.

“You killed those kids and burned down that village.”

“Yeah, I did. What about it?”

“All of you are going to to die here. I’ll make sure of that.”

Myairan could only laugh as he drew his weapon, two sticks of iron connected by a single chain. Twirling the chain-stick in a fancy way, Myairan proceeded to make sound effects as a means to scare Ryikaria.

“Foosh! Whal-lup!”

Ryikaria stood there with an expressionless stare. To a normal human, Myairan’s fancy ability to twirl chain-sticks around his body would be impressive and even scare them off. Many of the Shadow Takers also didn’t challenge him due to his speed with them. The various sound effects he made also made many of them think twice.

“You do realise making those sound effects with your mouth doesn’t do anything.”

Finishing the last of his twirling non-sense, Myairan prepared to fight as Ryikaria continued to close the distance. Once Ryikaria was in striking distance, Myairan prepared to attack with a single strike to the head.

“Whal—”

Before Myairan could say voice his odd sound effect, Ryikaria had managed to catch the stick of the weapon with one hand and used her other to rip out his vocal chords in one fluid movement. In less than six seconds, Myairan fell to the ground. Ryikaria looked to the other members of unit eight.

“Which of you is next?”

No one spoke as they drew their weapons. Lyuna howled and dropped to all fours, with the speed of a wolf, she rushed forward head first at Ryikaria.

“I’ll kill you, Ryikaria!” Lyuna yelled in a bloodthirsty rage.

As Lyuna leaped forward at Ryikaria, she felt something hit the side of her cheek In that moment, the sound of bones breaking were the only thing heard. Ryikaria stood as she stared at Lyly with a murderous gaze.

“Damn, she done backhand Lyuna so hard she broke her neck. I need to capture this truly artistic beauty,” Dykriaious spoke as he pulled out a small sketch book and stick of graphite.

“Hey, Dykriaious! This is no time to be drawing. I’m a weak and defenceless girl here,” Lyly said with a timid tone.

“Quiet! The muse is calling!”

Clearing the distance between herself and Lyly, Ryikaria glared with her half-moon gaze that showed no emotional expression. Without giving Lyly a second to react, Ryikaria ripped out Lyly’s tongue in one swift pull.

“Meow,” Ryikaria spoke in a monotone voice.

“Looks like the cat got her tongue,” Pylien joked.

Ryikaria grabbed the dagger strapped to Lyly’s thigh before throwing her dead corpse to the ground.

“Pylien, your jokes are lame.”

Throwing the dagger straight at Pylien’s heart with force, he was sent flying into one of the trees.

“You’re… right… I was… so lame…”

Turning to Dykriaious, Ryikaria could still see him drawing in his sketchbook before throwing down his stick of graphite.

“It’s finished! My final masterpiece.”

“That’s great, Dykriaious. Now you can die fulfilled.”

Slicing Dykriaious’ head clean off, Ryikaria looked over all the dead bodies before her. None of you have dog tags worth taking back, she thought as she made her way over to Cyarieal’s body. Grabbing the dagger, she sheathed it into the holster on her left thigh. I’m sorry I couldn’t save you both in time, Ryikaria thought as she picked up both the bodies. Carrying Cyarieal and Fyarieal’s bodies back to the village, she placed them in front of Kfyarieal who tried to hold back the tears in her eyes.

“I went as fast as I could possibly go with my magic but I didn’t make it in time.”

“If only I had let you teach them to fight… Maybe then they would—”

“Even if I had a whole year to train them, they would have died. Against one Shadow Taker they could have stalled for just enough time but what they were up against… there was no way.”

“Ryikaria…”

“You’re going to ask me to kill you, aren’t you?”

“Please… There is no reason for me to live in this world.”

Ryikaria pulled out her dagger and knelt down beside Kfyarieal.

“I’m sorry I was so mean to you, Ryikaria. You were truly a good person.”

Without saying a word, Ryikaria plunged the dagger into Kfyarieal’s heart. In just a few moments, the light shining in her eyes quickly faded into darkness.

“There is nothing good about being hollow.”

Looking at the three bodies before her, Ryikaria took a deep breath. Three, she thought as she plunged the dagger deep into her left arm at three different places. She didn’t scream, nor cry as she looked over the blood pouring down her arm. Sheathing her dagger, Ryikaria made her way westward in hopes of forgetting the events that had transpired. Yet, she knew that even if she had all the alcohol in the world, she could never forget what she had done.

#

Roaming the west lands, Ryikaria could feel her body slowing down from the large amounts of blood she had been losing from all the cuts her body bore. She continued to push forward until she felt her knees start to give out. Leaning against a nearby tree, she stared out at the beauty of the mid-night forest. The sounds of the night echoed throughout her ears as she started to feel her eyes getting heavier. This is what it feels like to finally die. It’s so peaceful, Ryikaria thought as she drifted off into the darkness.

Ryikaria could hear the sound of something bubbling. Upon awaking, she noticed she was laying on bed made of a soft lien fabric. Looking around the room, it was small with a wooden bookshelf in one of the corners, in the opposite a simple desk with a candle. Well, looks like I’m not dead. I could also be dreaming, Ryikaria thought as she looked at her arms and legs. She could see the scars and cuts on her body were starting to heal. The sound of a door opening jerked Ryikaria from her focus and turn her attention to the door. Standing in the doorway was a young girl.

She wore a black frilly-lace dress and matching skirt with a pair of black socks that drew up to her thighs. Her long white hair was tied in a pair of twin-tails with a black rose-like flower that she wore in her hair. The girl smiled as she carried in a small bowl of liquid.

“Glad to see you’re awake. How do you feel?”

“You’re a Noita.”

“And you’re a Shadow Taker. I’m glad we got that out of the way,” the Noita giggled as she placed the bowl on the night-stand.

Ryikaria could see the white liquid bubbling from the bowl slightly as the Noita stared it slowly with a wooden spoon. It was thick and creamy, resembling a soup that Ryikaria once had in her own world. She could smell a hint of the sea from a plant that Ayna had told her about as well as a finely grounded herb that was a common seasoning in the land of shadows.

“I take it you saved me. Why?”

“Why not? You seem like you were in need of assistance.”

The girl gathered up a small portion of the liquid into the spoon and held it to Ryikaria’s mouth.

“Now, eat and regain your strength.”

Without putting up a fight, Ryikaria allowed the girl to spoon fed her the warm liquid.

“So, where are we exactly?”

“My home. It located far from any civilized area so worry not, you’re safe.”

“Wasn’t worried about that,” Ryikaria said as she down the bowl of white liquid like an alcoholic beverage.

“My name is Nailyen and as you said, I am a Noita or if you prefer the common association, a witch.”

“I’m Ryikaria.”

Nailyen smiled as she grabbed the bowl.

“A woman of few words. Few free to make yourself at home.”

Without another word, Nailyen made her way to the door. Ryikaria took a second to stretch and got out of the bed. Guess I’ll take her up on her offer, Rykaria thought as she looked over her body. All of the scars were either gone or close to being healed. Even though she knew how to mix various herbs into different types of medicines, she didn’t want to get rid of the scars she had on her body. They were a grim reminder that she was killing her fellow brothers and sisters. Shadow Takers that fought to survive in the harsh world of shadows and ended up becoming the things they killed, all that the scars were now faded. She knew Nailyen didn’t know but at the same time she was sadden by what was lost.

Putting on her clothes and grabbing her violin, Ryikaria exited into the main area of the dwelling. She noticed the room was made of a fine wood deep in the shadow lands that was considered rare. In the centre of the wood was a built-in fire pit with a steady flame that burned, lighting up the room. Around the room were different tables that held herbs and jars of plants used for medicine, poison and other applicable uses. At one of the tables she could see Nailyen working on grounding up a type of herb she hadn’t seen before.

“What type of herb is that?”

“It is a rare herb I found while wandering the forest to the east about three years ago.”

Ryikaria watched as Nailyen sprinkled some of the fine grains into a nearby bucket of water. She could see the bright green herb turn to a crimson blood red. It was the first time she had ever seen an herb change colour from coming into contact with water.

“It is known as the Blood Crest Herb. As you can see, it’s green until it hits water.”

“I assume the name comes from its odd trait.”

“Mhm. This herb is actually incredibly deadly to you humans. While green, it is harmless but the second you mix it with water, the herb begins to boil.”

Ryikaria thought for a moment before she quickly realised what this entailed.

“So you could easily give it to someone under the false pre-tense of medicine and have them feel fine until they decide to drink water. Thus, they involuntary commit suicide.”

“That’s right,” Nailyen said with a smile.

“And how I know you didn’t feed me that herb?”

Nailyen grabbed a small grain of the herb and ingested the still green plant. Turning to Ryikaria, she smiled.

“There. Now we can both die.”

“Guess I just have to trust you. If it was poisonous to you, obviously you wouldn’t have ate it.”

“Actually, I’ve never tested it on anyone so there is no telling what this could do to me. As a Ryiza it could kill me or it might just make me sick.”

Ryikaria made her way over to a clean bucket of water and took out her flask. After filling it up, she took a swig.

“Well, I’m not dead. Here.”

Handing the flask to Nailyen, she quickly down the water before handing it back to Ryikaria.

“If you die, thank you for helping me.”

“In the event I die, would you kindly destroy my books under my bed. They are rather… Well, a girl gets lonely sometimes,” Nailyen said blushing slightly.

“Say no more. I understand.”

In that moment, Nailyen fell to her knees as she held her stomach. She could feel something raging inside her. Her breathing began to increase rapidly.

“R-Ryikaria… Something is happening…”

“What do you need?”

“I think I know what it’s doing to me…”

“Which is?”

“It’s definitely making me have urges.”

Ryikaria watched as Nailyen held her hands close to her lower body part, squirming as if she had to relive herself from nature.

“You mean…”

“Yeah… I’m turned on.”

“Easy enough to fix,” Ryikaria said.

Grabbing her hand, Ryikaria lifted Nailyen to her feet and carried her to the bedroom like a princess.

“Nailyen, tell me, have you ever been drained before?”

#

Ryikaira stared up at the ceiling while Nailyen rested her head against Ryikaria’s chest. The hours had passed by while Ryikaria thought about everything as she looked at her arm. She still felt the horrors of what she had done. It was slowly eating away at her her and there was nothing she believed she could do about it. A faint yawn could be heard as she looked down to see Nailyen opening her eyes.

“You look like you slept well,” Ryikaria said.

Nailyen smiled and snuggled up closer to Ryikaria.

“I did, thanks to you. It was the first time I’ve managed to sleep soundly in some time.”

“That’s good to know.”

“There is a question I have for you.”

Ryikaria closed her eyes.

“Yeah?”

“Where did you get those scars? They weren’t from combat, that much is obvious.”

Ryikaria was silent for a moment.

“They were cuts.”

“Yes, I’m aware. Why would you do that to yourself though?”

“Even if I told you, you probably wouldn’t believe me.”

Nailyen straddled atop Ryikaria’s hips and stared into her eyes.

“Try me.”

After Ryikaria had explained her reasoning, Nailyen held Ryikaria in her arms.

“Ryikaria… you don’t have to do that. In fact, there is something I need to tell you.”

“What would that be?”

“I remember when I become a Ryiza and I recall my time as a Shadow Taker.”

“You… what?”

“Yes, I recall it all. I am one of the primordial Shadow Takers, you talked to my sister.”

Ryikaria was at a lost for words. She sat up from the bed and stared at the wall in silence.

“Your sister wanted me to tell you that she loved you.”

“Did she? Well, thank you for passing that on. Allow me to put your mind at ease then.”