Greyashe chapter 326 is entitled 'Passionate debut -Side Loathing.

Previous chapter 325: Passionate debut -Side Sentinent.

Next chapter 327: Welcome Back.

Summaries page

-Short summary-

Reid and Baker have their own passionate battle to find that their goals are actually quite similar. Meanwhile Van finds himself on the verge of collapse...is a return what he needs to stand again?

-Long summary-

Reid had just managed to cajole one eye into closing when he sensed the presence of a hostile entity. The pure emanating fury coming from the intruder is enough to not only drive off his drowsiness, but put his entire body –no, entire being into red alert. This would not be a short scuffle or a drawn out brawl….it would be a matter of life and death. He’d either sleep after this battle is done, or sleep during its course –forever.

The first strike is to his right, a physical blow that causes him to slide to the left at an awkward angle. He stands sword drawn and stares down his opponent, realization and a small smile creeping up his face. So it’s this guy huh? Although he had an inkling he’d be fighting this person sooner or later he always thought it’d be closer to ‘later’ in the scheme of things. Funny how time constantly has to prove that it is on no one’s watch but its own. That this is it’s show and people the bit players.

On the other hand, his opponent does not find any of this amusing. Baker’s fury is evident in his expression, and his snarled question. ‘Where is Candle?’ Although he asks, his body language suggests very loudly that he has no patience to wait for an answer before attacking again. Despite himself Reid snarkly replies that if he were any good at being her ‘big bro’ he’d know that already wouldn’t he?

And thus the battle begins in earnest.

Baker lunges forth wildly, his movements ripe with openings for the swords man but his speed neatly covering all of them. Rather than being a focused missile, he is a wildfire rushing out everywhere –too fast to contain, but not focused enough to do major damage….yet. Reid correctly figures that he’s too angry to realize he can use nonphysical attacks on him, and simply wants to do what will feel better first…which is a fist to his face. This whole phenomenon confuses and intrigues the swordsman. What does this say about their enemies the sentinents now?

Reid turns and slashes at Baker instead only catching air as the sentinent dives under his blade and tries to catch him with an uppercut. Reid leans back and avoids the impact, but is instead nicked by a strong flame attack. His clothes slightly singed, but he manages to put some distance between the two with two short leaps. So Baker does have the presence of mind to think of attack strategies. Rather than risk Reid seeing a flame coming from afar and dodging, he intends to cook him when he’s close. There are a lot of bad scenarios, but nothing is worse than an enemy who’s angry and efficient. The swordsman realizes that taking this fight seriously may not be enough to keep him from getting dead. Baker turns to him and asks again in a scary whisper: ‘Where is Candle?’ Reid considers his options for a moment and then shakes his head. He’s not at liberty to discuss that information, and even if he were what would he do upon learning her location? He abandoned her after all…what is he having some sort of buyer’s remorse? Does he think she’ll just take him back after he broke her heart? To be fair he doesn’t understand how the sentinents think but this is the least sense he –or they have ever made.

Baker rushes at Reid who readies his blade and takes the swing just when the sentient is in reach. Baker tanks the hit and responds with a punch to the swordsman face that sends him backward, but not off his feet. He turns back and hits Baker with a punch of his own, and follows up with a kick. Baker is down as well, but not out. Reid spits some blood aside and chuckles to himself that it’s been a while since he’s used his fists rather than his blade. It’s oddly…refreshing. Baker snarls and the two men grapple, fist to fist, kick to kick in a no holds barred old-fashioned contest of fisticuffs. Baker has Reid pinned and begins to hit him with punch after punch, until Reid summoning his lower body strength flips him off and grabs another of his nearby blades and slashes Baker in the chest. Baker lands with a thud as Reid catches his breath. The sentinent lies unmoving for some time, until Reid tells him to stop faking. He doesn’t intend to walk over there like an idiot and ask if he’s okay. To be honest he’d really like to kill Baker where he lies now and be done with it but…

Baker’s eyes are on his opponent, but he doesn’t rise. Why doesn’t he try to kill him? Besides the obvious reasons of inability of course. He knows that Reid doesn’t use magic and therefore isn’t affected by the recall, but that paradoxically makes him stronger than the rest of the magicians who are having their mind eroded, but weaker since without magic he doesn’t stand a chance against them or the sentients. Reid strides over to Baker gripping his sword tightly, and only stops when he is standing over his opponent, the empty sky above making his silhouette menacing. He holds the sword high in the air and brings it down with force right beside Baker’s cheek. The swordsman remarks that being ‘weak’ has nothing to do with it, as sometimes a man has to fight a battle he knows the odds of going in. No, the reason why he won’t kill him is because he knows Candle would like the chance to make up with him…the chance to see him again.

Baker’s eyes narrow as he asks what this means? Reid inhales sharply and states that he hates magic, magicians and the like. It’s why he’s chosen to follow the way of the blade in this time of agape based teachings and spells. The sword is simple in its majesty….an item made by humans purely to take lives. People could rationalize all they want, but that is all it is…a majestic, beautiful butchering tool. You can trust a sword and by extension, a swordsman….when one sees them coming it means someone is going to die. A while ago while training himself in the blade, he had happened upon a village razed by magicians who claimed they were servants of Acheron, but in reality were butchers and sadists. He encountered the scared citizens, and tried to encourage them to fight. When the magicians came back he killed one to show the people that they stood a chance. Yet when they finally were emboldened enough to fight the magicians simply came with reinforcements and slaughtered them all. Even children were not spared their wrath. He managed to escape, but could never come to terms with the tragedy he had set into motion. He had given up on wanting to save anyone but himself. That’s why when Candle had given up, he saw himself in her and became enraged ---as unfair as it is. He doesn’t want her to become like him, someone who lives by feeding off a putrid rage that had long since dulled into complacency. He hates that Butcher and Baker continue to degrade this world because of their selfish desire yet…he can’t escape that day long ago. It still haunts him whenever he raises his sword, and that’s why he really had to leave Van and his friends. What if this cowardice should cause him to fail when they need him most?

Baker laughs derisively and covers his face with his hands. So basically he had entrusted them –him with a job too lofty then? Did it ever occur to them to wonder why even after capturing the group he had made it so easy to escape? Butcher has control of the humans so it was easy for him to throw them into a cell and relax security so that they could escape easily. He needed to teach Candle the ways of this world so she does not become like him. They –the sentients despite being known as a trio are a duo, as Candle had only joined them towards the end of their ruined past and the beginning of their silent reign of terror. She knows nothing about the ‘humans’ that had wronged them other than what Butcher taught her, and he couldn’t stand idly by to watch her get corrupted by him. She should have her own unbiased ideas of what to think, to feel…to loathe. Like Butcher, he has a loathing for the angels and their damnable offspring the humans, but he had seen what they did to him, their friends and their people first hand. Until this is taken care of, until these flames of vengeance are quelled he can never rest, as his loathing will not allow him to. Candle has the choice….the right to choose her own way of life…

Both men realize they fight for the same reason.

They don’t want to see Candle or anyone else become someone—something like them.

Baker rises and as he does Reid can feel something eerie flowing from him, an aura that fills him with dread. Not fear, no—that’s something he’s uncomfortably familiar with. Instead its closer to a feeling of familiarity laced with malcontent dipped in despair.

Baker stares back at him his presence indescribably ‘larger’. His eyes are fixed somewhere faraway, as if he’s almost done with Reid, and is planning his next step. The swordsman can tell he’s getting stronger, but how? Why now? It’s as if he realized something important now and…

It hits him. Baker has figured now that leaving Candle in his care was a mistake because the two of them are too similar. Considering that he is a being that runs on agape it is no wonder he came here first…he must have picked up on his residual feelings for the little sentient and come to check on her well being despite his cold reception of her last time they met. Maybe then, he figured the swordsman might be his hope of saving her from the feelings that eat him –no both of them alive, but a fleeting glance at his psyche had left him with a false impression….a disappointment that only erasure could rectify.

In short his passion to provide an avenue of salvation for his fellow sentient is granting him strength, and he doesn’t even realize it. The swordsman grimaces and spits a tooth aside. Nothing worse than guys who are strong without even realizing it. Though despite his overwhelming despair at the situation he’s in, he had learned something very useful. Naked and nameless ‘Passion’ is a double edged sword…but if they can endure being stabbed even just for a moment perhaps it can be the blade that will destroy their enemies completely….! Of course, he would have to survive to test this theory…

The silent Baker stares back at his opponent, power overflowing and prepares his next attack.

Meanwhile in a snowy field far away, Van coughs and stirs. He is face down in a snowbank, his body completely chilled and to add to his misfortune he cannot move.

Though honestly even if he could get moving the farseer is at his lowest point yet, and just summon the motivation to do anything but pity himself. What had he accomplished so far in his short life? Nothing of note unless one counts killing a defenseless man. In his continued search for a means to protect his friends and everything he holds dear he had failed several times, and as a result had lost much of what it is he sought to protect. His father who knows all without asking looks at him with disdain and maybe unconsciously regards him from a distance rather unkind for a father and son even if one considers their time apart. His friends Guy, Candle, and Reid look at him with eyes of pity, and Kani –just disappointment. Even Lazaro who could fairly be considered a brutish fool has lofty pursuits and the power to back up his boasts. What then is he missing? Why can’t he gain power and use it? The power he had received from Candle is now threatening to eat his sanity alive before long, and there’s nothing he can do about it.

How long has it been since he rested?

Wait. Was that his voice just now? Or was it the magic chipping away at his insanity again? Either way it's a fair question.

Suddenly the snow is a comforting and familiar pillow, the howls of the winds like a familiar lullaby.

Van is tired.

Tired of it all.

His body no longer aches, and moving seems unnecessary. He wonders just temporarily where his father, Lazaro and Roysé are but quickly figures they have no need for him anyway. He’ll rest and find them. Maybe.

The farseer snuggles his head into the snow and settles in for a nap, ignoring the bells in the distance ringing.

Ding-dong.

Ding-dong.

Ding---

Only a short distance from Van is a quaint city with a bell tower known as ‘Laborer’s tower’, the bell having the distinction of being called ‘Sweeper’s voice’. The tower had been a fixture to announce the time for the town, and still rings each day at 12, 3, and 6pm even after timepieces had become a common fixture in all homes. 3 o’clock is especially important as the bell rings to remind all wayward sweepers to return home and have a warm lunch with their families. The snow of Greyashe constantly falls and having strength of body and character is important so returning home and filling your body with tea and bread and your mind with the scents of home and laughter of family is important.

The bell tolls once more indicating it is 3pm.

Time for weary bodies and minds to return home and rest.