84 Chapter 84
Everything grew silent.
I woke up to see a memory of my past.. of my youth.
The sun grew across the living room, old couch, slanted picture frames on the walls.
The young Kurogane siblings sat on the floor. Serenia holding a badly carved sword Aruno made.
Poking her side to take back the sword annoying Serenia, Aruno grinned.
"Quit it," she said, tapping his forehead with the hilt.
"I'm not doing anything!"
"You're poking me every three seconds."
"That's not 'doing something,' that's strategy."
She snorted and pushed his face away gently.
"You talk big for someone who almost cried when I ate the last cookie yesterday."
"I didn't cry!"
"Sure," she said, ruffling his hair, "whatever helps you sleep at night."
The room settled into a soft quiet. Familiar. Safe. Serenia watched him — not annoyed, not teasing — just that warm, unspoken fondness only an older sister carries.
"Hey," she said, voice dipping softer. "Come here a second."
Aruno scooted closer, now with the sword clutched against his chest.
"Listen to me."
She tapped his heart lightly.
"You don't have to take on everything alone. Not while I'm here. I'm your big sister — I get the job of standing in front. Taking the hits first. That's the rule."
Aruno blinked up at her, that stubborn little pout fading.
She smiled, brushing his hair aside.
"And even if you grow up… even if you get way stronger than me… I'll still be right behind you. Annoying you. Yelling at you. Making sure you don't do anything stupid."
He finally let out a soft laugh — small, breathy, honest.
"Don't change, Aruno," she whispered, pulling him into her arms. "Not for anyone. Not for anything."
The sunlight brightened — too bright — burning the edges of the room away.
And through it, her older voice echoed, trembling.
"Aruno… please… come back."
That was a fond memory. I guess I'll have to work a little bit harder if I want to restore the peace I once had.
"Caelith you son of a bitch! I'll make sure you die a painful death for laying a finger on Aruno Kurogane my brother!"
Serenia snatches one of Ko's blades from his hands and charges towards Caelith. Eyes from a pure blue now an indescribable pulsing red.
"Dear the unnamed god, thank you for making my job of destroying the Kurogane bloodline easy."
A spear strikes directly towards me and passes through my gut. "You can't kill the true ghost, thank Hikari for me in the afterlife."
That girl.. "Small woman you seem to have a gift. I will be taking that away from you now." Hikari of course you'd cause me problems while you are dead.
Serenia goes to strike but trembles as she gets close to the site of Aruno's corpse.
"He'd want me to finish the job, his death would be for nothing if I don't win this!"
Caelith lowers to the ground, now in front of Serenia- "That shall be the next thing that will to happen to you, if you make one more step."
Ko shouts from afar - "Serenia DO NOT MOVE! Yoru and I will be right there!"
I collapse to the ground once more, tears streaming down my face hitting the ground. "I guess you did get ahead of me Aruno, but you went ahead and did something stupid. Listen to your big sis next time."
What is that? "A shadowy figure appears to be pouring some substance on Aruno's body? Yoru do you see that?"
"Shut up, I don't know what to think right now but-"
Umbra. Sanguis. It engulfed the corpse of Aruno. Like a parasite grew from his foot upwards. The black and red caved around him forming what appeared to be some type of protection.
"Yea, big sis I'll listen next time. Learn to take a hit for me though. Those spears were painful."
That annoying peace of me left a little gift for me as a parting gift. Thank you Void.
"Caelith you'll never defeat the second born of Ryū Kurogane. My bloodied darkness will swallow up your light every single time."
"Measly child stands to a god once more. Put up a fighting chance this time will you."
The King of Light.
The Redborne Ghost of Sable.
"You'll regret ever stepping to Serenia ever again. I'll wipe you from this existing world and the next, and the next. I'll follow you after death."
Durandal emerges from my palm coated in black, bigger than before.
A bullet flows across the air, penetrating Caelith's arm. "Jackpot!" Rin emerges from the debris.. "Don't think I'm going to miss helping out the man I adore most in this world. Aruno win!"