BLOODY FRIENDSHIP

CHAPTER 4: HOPELESS

It's been a month since Kairi and Virgo tracked down Pegasus. Unfortunately, they still haven't found him. Both stop at the next city they went to.

"I'm thirsty. Let's have a drink first," said Virgo.

Kairi agreed. He also felt his throat a little dry and wanted to drink something cold. They both headed to a tavern and ordered meals there. They have been on hunger strike since it was now late in the afternoon. They only had bread for breakfast that morning.

"Ah, finally feel alive again!" Virgo felt energized after drinking a glass of orange juice.

"Agree!"

Kairi drank his apple juice and then ate his fried chicken rice.

While eating, their ears listen to any news around. The tavern was not big like Rafael's but had a lot of customers. Virgo has selected a table inside the tavern near the dark wall with no window. This spot makes their rear feel safe and gives full views inside the tavern. Only Kairi doesn't notice his vigilance.

"This tavern must be popular," Kairi commented.

He should explore their specialities. Maybe he can get new menu ideas for Rafael.

"It seems so," Virgo replied and took a sip of his juice again before devouring the fried noodles he ordered.

"The food is delicious, but it was not nearly as good as dad's."

Kairi thought in silence. Also, thinking of Rafiz, Rafael and others makes him a little homesick.

Suddenly, their attention was focused on two customers who were next to their table. They were mentioning someone Virgo and Kairi were looking for. At the same time, a waitress approached their table.

"Can I add a drink to both of you?" She asked with a beautiful smile.

"No, it's okay. Just... May I ask something? Has a man with long dark green hair ever passed here? He's about 1.9 meters tall," asked Virgo.

"Dark green hair, huh?" The waitress thought for a moment before remembering someone.

"Oh, yes! He did come over to eat before."

Virgo looked at Kairi. Both were happy to hear the news. Finally, they got a clue about Pegasus' position. But the hesitant waitress's voice caught their attention similarly.

"Erm... Yes, he came yesterday but then... There were two men, dressed in black and covered from head to toe, assaulting him suddenly."

"What?!" Virgo and Kairi were startled to hear it.

"But, he is amazing! He evades all their attacks and counters them beautifully without losing a strand of hair. Even, ensure that our damage is minimal. He is so cool and kind! After he defeated the two of them, he left money for the damage and then left towards the forest on the right of the city," explained the waitress.

"I see. Come on, Kairi!" Virgo pays for the meals.

"Thank you so much, miss!" Kairi appreciates the good news. They have been on the search for a very long time before finding out a clue.

On their way...

"Virgo, why does someone want to attack Pegasus? Did Pegasus make them angry about something? I forgot to ask that waitress..." Kairi asked with a confused expression.

"No! They want to kill him!" Answered Virgo, spontaneously.

"Huh, what?" Kairi was stunned. Is Virgo joking with him?

"Because they probably know he's one of the power users of the Bright Star!"

Virgo was in a hurry that he didn't notice that he told Kairi something confidential again.

"What?! Virgo, stop! What do you mean?! I don't understand!" Kairi stopped running.

Virgo who was in front of him also stopped. He finally realised the sentences he said. He forgot that Kairi was not his kin.

He turned towards Kairi who was staring at him. He began to feel guilty for hiding the danger from Kairi all this time. He truly was unable to keep a secret from Kairi.

Why is that?

"Sighs... Forgive me, Kairi. I've been hiding this because I didn't want you to enter our circles. But, for an unknown reason, I could not tell a single lie to you. Do you want to know...? If you do, this secret has to be hidden until your grave. You cannot tell anyone, even your brother or your father..."

Kairi thought for a moment. Well, he was already on this journey the moment he agreed to help Virgo find Pegasus. He might encounter danger but he would not leave just because he was afraid.

"Tell me. The longer you hide it from me, the more clueless I would be. I might get killed before I know the reason for it and that doesn't sound good to me. At least, I need to know what I am facing." Kairi got serious.

"Okay... Then, I must begin from several hundred years ago. There was unknown energy that appeared back then to protect the inhabitants of this earth from some kind of dangerous beings. I'm not sure what beings it was since the ancient catalogue was vague about it. However, it states that the beings were supernatural monsters. And, under this energy, it was divided into 32 stellar abilities. The 32 stellar abilities then choose their own users among the billions of people. No one can use it other than the chosen person. And it was... Kept in the emblems with the pattern of each being..."

"Emblems?! You mean..."

Kairi's eyes went to Virgo's chest where the emblem was hidden.

Virgo nodded. His eyes turn a little dark and show a little melancholy.

"Unfortunately, our stellar abilities have weakened due to the absence of our leader. He or she is the holder of the main energy to these stellar abilities. They were chosen as the leader because their power was a level higher than all 32 stellar abilities combined. This energy was once owned by Queen Siarah hundreds of years ago before she disappeared. And, her next generation is unknown to everyone. I mean, if the leader or all 32 users died, their power will be transferred to the next generations. What's more, finding the leader was much harder due to no one knowing who Queen Siarah's partner was. Her lineage was lost in time..."

Virgo tries to explain it in his own words so that Kairi can understand it. He looked at Kairi and waited for his question.

Kairi digested the newfound knowledge of this world. He never thought that there could appear something magical beyond common sense. It was hard to believe. Yet, he remembered something unusual.

"Didn't Rafiz also look abnormal? He has vertical eyes for goodness sake!"

Kairi remembers that when Rafiz got angry, there would be rapid changes in his eyes which Rafiz himself didn't realize that Kairi had noticed them a long time ago. Even if Rafiz tries to hide it, Kairi has already seen it once. Only, he did not ask Rafiz about it. Rafiz looked like he was trying to not let him know.

Why? Is Rafiz... A monster...? That cannot be...

"Kairi, before I forgot, our group is called Bright Star. When the stellar abilities transpire, a group of dark abilities also arise, helping the supernatural beings. They're human but they can use the abilities of darkness. They are called Deorc Star which means dark beings. The people who try to kill Pegasus and chase after him are probably their underlings. And they have been wanting to kill us for a long time. They also want to weaken our power by decreasing our numbers. They intend to control this world and enslave all human beings."

"In the past, Queen Siarah has managed to defeat the Deorc Star and the supernatural beings that invade our earth with her strongest energy attack. Her energy requires a combination of the powers of all stellar abilities of the Bright Star. Unfortunately, the remaining fragments of the darkness have reshaped into a new darkness. And now, they are even stronger than before."

Now, Virgo was worried that he brought Kairi with him on this journey. If anything happened to Kairi, he would not be able to forgive himself.

Kairi was still silent. He might as well acknowledge it. Thinking about it longer will make him confused even more. After all, he might discover more in this journey and then come back to Ryam Town.

"Oh, there's another special power of Queen Siarah that I know of. As long as the leader is around after a user dies under some circumstances, the dead can become alive again with the energy from the leader. Of course, the bodies must be intact and not decayed. If it does, the users are dead forever..."

Virgo told something amazing about the leader of the Bright Star again. Then, he got restless.

"I talk too long. We need to leave."

Virgo begins to run again with Kairi following behind. He also was amazed because Kairi looked very accepting of this news.

Does Kairi know about it? That should be impossible.

The information was lost and then hidden from generation to generation after the Dark War hundreds of years ago. It should not be known now by anyone except if they were related to them. While he was thinking, Kairi also thought of something.

"Queen Siarah... I heard her story from Rafiz after I woke up from my heavy injuries three years ago. I thought it was just a fairytale. So, it was all true then...?"

He has no memory of before he met Rafiz and Rafael. His body also lacked all sense, making him paralyzed for five months-long after he was awake. During these times, Rafiz never stopped visiting him and told him many stories about him and others, even children's fairy tales. He heard them all, just that he was unable to express or talk at that time.

Now, he was very grateful for Rafiz's stories. It helps him recover slowly although he still doesn't remember his past. Remembering it makes him miss Rafiz again.

Not long after, Kairi and Virgo arrived at a small village. They parted ways to find more information about Pegasus. Unfortunately, the people they talk to have not seen Pegasus.

Virgo finally stopped looking because it was almost late evening. He went to look for an inn and when he found it he immediately booked a room for him and Kairi. He came out again because he wanted to find Kairi.

"Where else should I ask...?" Kairi thought for a moment before he saw an aunt tidying up her small stall.

"Good evening, ma'am," Kairi said politely.

"Hmm, good evening too, sonny. What's up?" Asked the aunt in surprise.

"Can I ask? Have you seen a man with dark green hair about 1.9 meters tall pass this way?"

"Dark green hair? Well, there is such a man this morning. He bought nasi lemak from me. Then he left the village, towards the back mountain forest." The aunt pointed outside of the village.

"Really, Ma'am?! Thank you!"

Kairi was happy to hear the good news and went looking for Virgo. Upon finding him, he described the information he got. Without delay, they ran towards the mountain forest. On their way, Kairi could feel Virgo's anxiety, making him also feel uneasy.

They searched around the forest area until they came across traces of people fighting. Trees and twigs have been cut around the area. There were also traces of arrows and knives on the tree trunks they had passed.

"Vi, Virgo?"

Kairi cringed at the situation. It looks like a fierce fight happening here. He was startled when a bolt of lightning sounded above him before the rains dropped little by little. The dark came along with the rains. He collided with Virgo who suddenly stopped.

"Virgo?"

Virgo did not answer and was staring at something far away. Because of that, he also looked in that direction. His eyes widened when he saw someone's body lying on the cold ground. Not only that, the man's hair was long and unknown liquids surrounded his body.

The area was a little dark which made Kairi could not see the person's hair colour but he had a feeling that the body belonged to the person they were searching for. The confirmation was Virgo doesn't move. He stood like a statue, standing there in silence. Only his tight breathing could be heard.

Kairi moved towards the body because Virgo didn't seem to want to get closer. He saw the body laying on his front and moved it to his back. A very handsome and serene man appears in his sight. Sticky liquids and dirt on his body were washed away by the rains.

From the coolness of the body temperature, Kairi could guess what he might find through the veins on the neck. Kairi looked at Virgo who was waiting for his answer.

Slowly, Kairi shook his head. He was shocked when Virgo suddenly fell to his knees while hurling the ground in front of him. His aggrieved screams joined with the sound of the thunder above them.

Although Kairi did not see Virgo's grievance expression, his screams were enough to understand. The sad atmosphere makes his eyes form tears and they trickle down his face. Their search was meaningless if the person they were looking for was dead.