Chapter 5: Chapter 5: No hesitation

Ash sighed as he laid in his bed. It was a flimsy and thin mattress Amelia bought cheaply. But it was far better than sleeping on a wooden bench like he used to.

He rolled over and looked at the sword leaning against the wall next to his bed. He reached out and touched the weapon; it was in bad shape. The blade was chipped in spots, and since Ash never cleaned it. The area around the guard was still covered in dried blood. The boy frowned as he looked at the state of the weapon. He quickly sat up and reached down, picking up a half-finished water bottle and an old shirt.

After laying the old shirt on his lap, he pulled the sword on top of it, but before he could start cleaning the blade, tears began to fall from his eyes. 'I'm sorry, Dad, I failed you.' Ash thought as he closed his eyes and remembered what happened that day.

~S~o~t~G~

A young black-haired boy yawned as he pushed a dirty wheelbarrow towards an old tool shed.

"Done for the day, Victor?" The boy turned around when he heard his name being called. A muscle-bound man wearing dirty overalls walked up to the boy.

"Yup! Just got done feeding the carpinchos, so I just need to give this a rinse and put it away." Victor cheerfully replied as he looked up at the man.

"Ah, don't worry about that, kid, it's already getting late, so I'll take care of it. Here, just take your pay for the week and head on home." The large man said as he held out a small stack of coins to the boy.

"Thanks, Boss!" Victor exclaimed with a broad smile; he quickly let go of the wheelbarrow and grabbed his pay.

"Now take off Kid, I'll see you tomorrow." The man said while patting Victor on the shoulder, causing the young boy to stumble.

"S-See ya tomorrow!" Victor managed to say as he steadied himself. But once his feet were set, he turned and sprinted towards the village gate. A wide smile was on his face as he clutched the small sack of coins.

~S~o~t~G~

A few minutes later, a chime filled the air, caused by a bell being hit as Victor entered a small store.

"Here for your daily order?" An elderly man standing behind a counter asked as Victor hopped to the counter. Victor was currently standing in a small butcher shop; the money he needed for his order was already in his hand.

"Yes, sir! Here you go!" The boy said while dropping the coins onto the countertop. The old butcher smiled as he handed the boy a small bundle of packed meat.

"Here you go, Vic-" The elderly man was cut off as an explosion outside the shop blasted through the windows, knocking both the man and child off their feet. The world faded to black as Victor lost his consciousness.

~S~o~t~G~

"Hhhh, W-what?" Victor groaned in pain as he slowly sat up. He looked around, trying to get his bearings, but his head was spinning, and his ears were ringing.

Fortunately for the boy, after a few moments. His dazed state faded away, and he was able to sit up and see straight again. But unfortunately for him, his eyes widen at what he saw. The young boy's mind went into overdrive, trying to process everything he saw, but he just couldn't understand. He couldn't understand why the window was destroyed, and he couldn't understand why his body was covered in cuts from the glass. He couldn't understand why the area outside the shop was covered in what he thought was strawberry jam and bits of meat that must have come from an animal.

Victor couldn't process what he was seeing, so instead, he simply took a deep breath. "What happened?" He said as he tried to stand up but couldn't. Victor didn't know why his legs were shaking so severely or why his whole body was tingling. To the boy, his body felt the same way his arm would feel if he slept on it wrong or how his legs would feel when they fell asleep from him sitting too long.

But thankfully, after a few attempts, the boy managed to stand up on shaky legs by bracing himself against the store's counter.

"Old man?" Victor called out while peaking over the counter. "O-Old-" Victor froze as he stared at the body of the elderly butcher. Blood surrounded the body, caused by the large shard of glass sticking out of his chest. "O-O-Ol-" He stuttered out as his body started to shake harder. Even though Victor couldn't understand what he saw, the boy knew he didn't want to see anymore, so he slowly started to back away from the counter.

"Wait! HERE! Get that kid!" A voice shouted out from behind Victor, startling him and causing him to spin around.

"W-WHO!?" Victor shouted as he stared at two men hiding their faces with bandannas while wielding weapons Victor had never seen before.

"Come here, little boy! We won't hurt yo-" The man never got to finish his sentence since a sword sliced through his neck, decapitating him.

"W-" The second man barely had a chance to open his mouth when the same sword pierced through his neck.

~S~o~t~G~

"…OR… VIC… VICTOR!" The boy's eyes snapped open as he heard a familiar voice calling his name.

"Victor! Are you okay?" The same voice asked, causing Victor to blink as he stared at the ceiling.

"Why am I on the ground?" Victor asked the voice while speaking in a calm tone. 

A black-haired man carrying a bloody sword and shield appeared in Victor's line of sight standing over him. "You're in shock, son. Come on, get up; you have to get out of here." The man sheathed his sword. Then he reached down, pulling Victor up by the arm. "Steady yourself, Victor. You have to get out of here." The man held Victor steady while the boy's leg started to shake once more.

"I-I Can't move! Dad! I can't move!" Victor cried out as he gripped the man's arm tight.
The man simply knelt, looking Victor in the eyes.

"Victor Guerrero!" The man snapped as he gripped the young boy's shoulder. "You have to pull yourself together, son. Some terrible people have invaded our village. They came here to hurt us and to rob us. Victor, you have to go home and find your mother and your sister. I'll stay here and hold the bandits back, but you have to protect our family. You have to be brave, Victor." Victor looked up at his father, but his eyes locked on to movement outside the shop before he could speak.

"Yeah, Victor. You have to be brave, son." A sarcastic voice filled the butcher shop, causing Victor's father to spin around, sword in hand once again.

"Oooo~ Scary sword you got there." Three bandits stood at the broken window; each of them had vicious smirks on their faces as they stared the father and son down.

"Victor, when I say run. You run, do not hesitate. You can't hesitate, son. You must get past them and get home." The man's grip on his sword tightened, and his legs tensed as he prepared to fight.

~S~o~t~G~

Ash was pulled from his memories as a sharp pain filled his hand. He unconsciously slid his thumb across the blade's edge while he remembered that day. Blood started to drip onto the blade, seeping out from the small cut on his thumb. The boy ran his finger across the cut, watching as it bled.

"Don't hesitate… Dad, you killed those people. You killed them to protect me, to protect our village. And I... I-I'm sorry. I failed you. I'm sorry I couldn't protect mom or Luna… I'm sorry I could only hide like a coward." Ash clenched his fist, causing more blood to fall onto the blade. "I won't fail you again. I won't EVER hesitate again!"

~S~o~t~G~

It was early in the morning when Amelia yawned as she left her room. She took a few steps, quietly walking over to the room that used to be an office. She silently pressed her ear to the door and held her breath as she focused her hearing. 'Good, she's still in there.' The woman thought and let out a breath as she started to walk away. Amelia's stomach started to rumble as she made her way to the kitchen.

"HHAA!" Unfortunately for the hungry woman, a loud shout caused her to stop in her tracks.

"Ash..." She could only sigh as she made her way outside, following the shouts.

~S~o~t~G~

Ash was standing in front of a nearby tree as he held his father's sword in a tight grip. "HHHAAAA!" Ash shouted as he slashed his sword at the tree, leaving a gash that was one of many.

"What in the Goddess's name are you doing, Boy?" Amelia groaned out as she placed her hand against her forehead. Ash ignored the question; instead, he gripped the sword even tighter. Tensing his legs, he imitated his father's stance before fighting the men in the butcher shop.

"HHAA- GAH!" Before the boy could strike, a small dirt spike slammed into the tree, causing the bark to explode. The explosion startled Ash and caused him to fall onto his back.

"I asked a question, Boy." Amelia's ice-cold voice caused Ash to gulp. He knew the blind woman was not a morning person.

Ash quickly stood up, clenching his fist. He steadied his breath and looked at the woman. "I-I WANT TO JOIN THE CHURCH!" The boy shouted, then immediately froze as he saw Amelia's ears twitching.

"Quiet, it is far too early for shouting."

"S-Sorry." Ash nervously stuttered, causing Amelia to sigh.

"So, you want to join the Church? Are you sure about that? Are you sure you want to take on this burden? Follow this difficult path?" Amelia's voice was soft as she spoke, and while Ash was nervous, he didn't show it. He steadied his breathing and stood up straight.

"I won't hesitate. I won't hesitate ever again." Ash's voice was firm as he stared up at the woman, causing her to smile.

"Very well. But just know, once you inhale the Mist, there is no turning back. Training will be hard, harder than you can imagine. I will show you no mercy, and you will suffer, but you will get stronger. You will use everything I teach you to serve the Goddess. Ash from a small village will die. Only Ash, an Inquisitor devoted to the Goddess, will remain."

"I know. I'm ready." Ash didn't wavier as he spoke, causing the blind woman to nod.

"Very well, it seems you are ready. We will begin after we eat breakfast." As soon as Amelia said her last word, Ash's stomach responded by growling. Causing the boy to blush and the woman to smile.

"Let's go eat," Amelia said as she turned and started to walk away.

~S~o~t~G~

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After a quick breakfast, Ash was now sitting in one of the many pews in the church’s main room. He turned to smile at the young skull-faced girl, who was sitting in another pew a few rows away. But the girl didn't react to his smile. Instead, she simply stared at him, not blinking. The young girls plain white skull face caused a shiver to go up Ash’s spine.

"Are you ready, Boy?" Amelia asked as she walked up to him, the blind woman was carrying a box wrapped in a light green cloth.

"YUP!" Ash shouted when he heard the woman's voice. He spun around to face her. A wide grin was on his face.

Amelia nearly sighed as she could feel his excitement radiating through the air. The blind woman took a seat on the pew next to Ash. She slowly unwrapped the cloth revealing a bone-steel plated box. “This… Is the Goddess’s gift, this is the Mist.” 

Ash felt his heart beating heavy in his chest as Amelia slowly lifted the lid of the box. The first thing Ash saw was the cushioning. The inside of the box was lined with the softest looking cloth Ash had ever seen, and stuffed with something Ash didn’t know. To the boy it looked like the box was lined with a soft pillow. But once the woman completely removed the lid, he saw it.

A small clear canister sat in the middle of the cushion. The Mist, the Goddess’s gift, a deep green swirling mixed with hints of silver and yellow. Ash was in awe at what he saw, the thing he’s been hearing about for more then a year. He didn’t know what to say, so Amelia kept talking.

“I told you long ago, that the true knowledge of the Mist was lost when our church was nearly wiped out. But we do know is, over a centuries ago there was a massive war that engulfed the world. This ‘world war’ as we call it, was a war against monsters. A war that nearly wiped out every living race.” Amelia picked up the Mist filled canister and held it up in the air. “Then on the day of the largest battle, the final battle that would have ended in our existence… The Goddess appeared… The Goddess fell from the sky, landing in the middle of the battle field. The Goddess’s body exploded on impact when she landed releasing the Mist all of the battlefield. Her appearance ended the battle that day, and the Mist she gave us made us stronger. Strong enough to push back against the monsters, strong enough to keep us safe. The Mist that day covered the battlefield, and then spread to the rest of the world. So even those far away received the Goddess’s protection.” Amelia handed Ash the canister, the boy’s hands were shaking as he held the Mist. 

“It’s warm,” Was all Ash could say as he to held the Mist in the air. He was mesmerized as he watched the swirling green Mist dance with the silver and yellow slivers. “How do I use it?” He asked as he turned to Amelia.

“With this.” The woman said as she reached into her robes and pulled out a small mask with a nozzle attached to the front. She then gently took the canister of Mist from Ash, and attaching it to the nozzle on the mask. “I must warn you Ash… The old ways of safely inhaling the Mist are lost. What you are about to experience will be the most pain you have ever, and will ever feel. This is the reason I’ve waited this long for you to inhale the Mist, I’ve waited for your body to become strong enough to survive the pain. To survive the burst of energy that will be released inside of you.”

Ash released a nervous breath at her words while the young skull-faced girl moved closer to get better look. There was a bright smile on her face as she waited for the show to begin.

“Are you ready?” Amelia asked in a soft tone. 

Ash looked at the Mist, his eyes then shifted to the statue of the Goddess, and his mind replayed the night his village was attacked in his memories. “Yes.” He said without hesitation.

“Very well.” Amelia said with a nod as she placed a hand on Ash’s shoulder. “Sit back, take a deep breath and relax. Think of the Goddess, let her guide you through this.” Ash could only nod as he took a deep breath. He promised himself he wouldn’t hesitate anymore, but he was still terrified. Amelia pressed the mask and canister up to his face, it covered his mouth and nose. “Just think of the Goddess.” Amelia repeated, and before Ash could say anything more, hardened dirt formed in the air. Amelia used her geomancy to restrain Ash, locking his hands to his legs and his back to the pew. 

Ash opened his mouth to question the woman, but as soon as he did Amelia activated the canister. The mist shot directly into his lungs through his mouth and nose. 

The pain was instant every fiber of his being felt like it was being ripped apart and rebuilt. Burned, cooled, snapped, straightened. All of the pain blended together, and Ash couldn’t stop his body as it thrashed against Amelia’s restraints. But just as fast as it started, it ended when Ash’s consciousness faded, and all that was left, was darkness.

~S~o~t~G~

“Wh-wha…” Ash groaned and coughed as he slowly opened his eyes. His throat was dry, his body was sore and it felt like someone took a hammer to his skull. “W-what happened?” He managed to ask as he sat up and started to rub his eyes. But the boy froze when he finally managed to open them.

“Where am I?” Was all Ash could ask as he looked around. The young boy was sitting in pitch black darkness, the only thing he could see was a dark green door a few feet away from him. “A-Amelia?!” He shouted out with a stutter as he forced his sore body to stand up.

‘Whats going on? Is this another one of her test?’ He questioned as he thought. Amelia often gave him small test at random times. She would mostly test his observation skills, or his knowledge of the Goddess to see if he was paying attention to what she would tell him. “I guess, I only have one choice.” Ash mumbled as he shook off his nerves. The young boy forced his feet to move forward until he reached the door. He took a deep breath as he gripped the handle and pulled it open. Before Ash could even blink, green Mist engulfed him.

~S~o~t~G~

Ash shouted in surprise once the Mist him, and pulled him through the door. “W-What?” He asked no one as he was now standing in the Mist. The swirling green with silver and yellow slivers danced around him. “H-Hello?” He shouted out, the Mist seemingly reacted to his words. 

The Mist dispersed, leaving ash in a green tinted world standing in the middle of an open field. Ash tried to do as Amelia taught him, he tried to observe his surroundings. The field was empty, but the more Ash looked around the more appeared.

The once empty field was now filled with spike like objects covered in barbed wire. Ash looked at these objects in confusion, but his eyes widened when the bodies started to appear.

Dead body after body on the field, some strewn across the barbed wire, and some in pieces. Ash’s blood froze when he saw this, memories of his village started to fill his head. But he quickly shook them away, trying to focus on what was happening around him. That’s when he saw people appear.

First ash saw deep ditches being carved into the dirt. Then the ditches were filled with people wearing the same uniforms and holding weapons Ash now knew were called ‘guns’. 

“Uh? Hello?” Ash called out to these men, but none of them reacted to his voice. He observed the men closer, and he could see the looks on their faces. Some of the men were afraid, fear clear in their eyes, while others had vacant looks empty as they stared straight ahead. 

Ash tried to take a step closer to the men, but before he could move a thundering whistle filled the air. Ash covered his ears at the sudden noise and his eyes widened as he watched the men climb out of the ditches shouting as they ran towards him. “Crap!” Ash shouted as he turned to run, but as soon as he did he saw another group of men in uniforms running towards him with their own guns in hand.

“What the-” Was all Ash could shout as he quickly dived to the ground once he saw the men raising their weapons. Then as soon as his body hit the dirt, the two groups of men opened fire on each other. “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?” Ash shouted as he covered his head.

The young boy didn’t know how long he stayed on the ground, but as he peaked his head up another whistle filled the air. Another whistle followed the first, and then a third. ‘What’s going on?’ Ash thought as he stood up to see everyone scattering, running back to their ditches.  

That’s when he heard it, it was another whistling noise, but it was different from the ones Ash has heard so far. “What? Where is that coming from?” Ash looked around, the sound wasn’t coming from either ditch. So he looked up, and that’s when he saw it. A shadow in the clouds. “What is that?” Ash squinted his eyes as the shadow came closer, but before he could see it the world turned black once more.

~S~o~t~G~

“GAAH!” Ash shouted as his eyes snapped open. His heart was beating rapidly and his breathing was erratic. He forced himself to take a deep breath to calm himself down.

Once his breathing was under control he followed Amelia’s lessons and observed his surroundings. He realized he was sitting in his room, on his bed. It seemed like a normal morning to Ash, except for the tubes attached to his arm. “Gah, what happened.” He thought as he rubbed his sore head.

“Finally awake?” Amelia asked as she stepped into the room holding a bottle of water. 

“What happened?” Ash asked. To Ash one moment he was siting on a pew next to Amelia, and the next he was waking up next to her. Everything else was a blur.

“You told in the Goddess’s gift, you inhaled the Mist.” Amelia handed Ash the bottle of water. The boy didn’t realize how dry his throat was until he saw the water.

Ash quickly chugged the bottle, water spilling down his chin and onto his shirt. Once he was done he looked up at Amelia,so many questions were filling his mind he didn’t know what to ask first.

“How are you feeling?” 

“Um? Light?” Ash said after a moment of thinking. He lifted his arm, and he felt almost weightless. His whole body felt lighter. Normally when Ash woke up, his body was sore from his daily chores, he normally struggled to get out of bed. But now he felt like could jump up and ran a few laps around the church.

“That’s the Goddess’s gift. The Mist speeds up your healing, and you’ve been healing for the past few days. So your damaged muscles are now for the first time working at one hundred percent.” Amelia explained, and Ash could feel it. The young boy started to stretch and move his body feeling full of energy.

“So does this mean I can start using magic like you now?” Ash said with a bright smile.

“No,” Amelia said which caused Ash’s face to fall.

“What? Why not?” 

“I’ve explained this to you before, weren’t you listening? Your first dose of the Mist unlocks your physical potential, the ability to train your body to much higher levels. To unlock your magical potential you’ll need a second dose.”

“I have to do that again!?”

“If you ever want to unlock your magical potential, yes. But that won’t be for a long while. Taking a second dose now would be way to much for your body to take.”

“Well how long do I have to wait?”

“That all depends on you. In order to unlock your magical potential, you need to reach a high level mastery over your physical potential. But its more common for people to not get a second dose.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s dangerous. I’ve told you before, the ways to safely use the Mist have been lost. For now, all we know is you have to get the perfect amount of Mist to inhale, to much and it could kill you. To little and there will be no real affect and you will need to take in more. It all depends on your body and health really.”

“So, that girl? She’ll get to unlock her magic then?”

“If she plans on following the path of a Mayan warrior, then yes. But not for a long awhile, her body is far too weak right now. Inhaling more Mist will surely kill her. But you shouldn’t worry about magic to much. As I said, its most common for people to not unlock their magic. With enough training and skill you can easily become one of the strongest people in the world.” Amelia smiled as she patted Ash on the shoulder. “Although we won’t start your training until tomorrow.”

“Huh? Why? I feel great, can’t we start now?” Amelia shook her head at Ash’s question.

“You’ve been sleeping for four days now. You have to catch up on your chores you know.” She said with a smile as she turned to walk out of the door.

“What!?” Was all Ash could say as his eyes widened. 

 

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