BLOODY FRIENDSHIP

CHAPTER 5: AWAKENING

Virgo blames himself for being unable to arrive early to rescue Pegasus.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry, Pegasus..." He sobs.

Kairi wipes his eyes. "I don't think it's only your fault, Virgo. I'm too at fault. If only... If only I had tried to look around the river that day, maybe, I might have known something about this before it happened... I'm sorry, Virgo. I'm sorry, Pegasus." Kairi apologizes.

He felt guilty and regretted that he brought the chain emblem home with him that time. Virgo slowly shifted his gaze towards Kairi. Kairi lowered his head. He could not look at Virgo because he knew he looked awful. Suddenly, he remembered Virgo's words about Queen Siarah.

"Virgo! Why don't we look for Queen Siarah's heir?! They can revive the dead stellar users, right? They can revive Pegasus! Let's find them!" Kairi urges.

Virgo was still silent.

"Virgo!" Shouted Kairi.

"I... I don't think it's necessary, Kairi..." Virgo reassembled all his grievances while calming himself again.

"Huh? Why? This is the only chance we can revive Pegasus!"

"Kairi, when... When the user dies, but the emblem is still not destroyed, the next user will be reborn... From the same lineage as Pegasus." He turned to Pegasus's body.

"... His relatives must have someone who has been chosen by now. Come on, Kairi. We should go back to the inn after-..." Virgo needs to bury his friend which seems like a very difficult thing to do.

He wiped his face with his left palm. Looking awful yet inside he was boiling with anger. He will never let any single Deorc Star alive when he meets them again next time. He swears!

Kairi who was slowly thinking logically has to agree with Virgo's decision. Where could they find the heir in these short times? Pegasus' body might have turned to bones before they could find them.

Kairi sniffed before he stared sadly at Pegasus. Their bodies were already soaking wet after staying there for a long time. Time moved from minute to minute but Virgo still did not move closer to Pegasus's body. He seems dumbfounded.

Kairi sighed and then said, "You go back first, Virgo. Please let me handle his, his grave..."

"Kairi? What are you saying? No, I'm the one who should-..."

"Virgo, please..." Kairi pleaded.

He wanted to bury Pegasus and this was the only thing he could do to feel a little better. Although he was sad, he didn't feel it much like Virgo, who was more lost than him.

"Em... Thank you, Kairi..."

Virgo walks slowly backwards before he turns around toward the village. He felt he needed to be alone and a little time to recuperate.

After Kairi no longer saw Virgo's shadow, he removed Pegasus chain emblem he was wearing. Virgo gave it to him when they had just left Ryam. He squeezed it tightly.

"The emblem must already have a new owner. My journey has not ended. Forgive me, Rafiz, dad. I'll take a while before I return," he thought quietly.

"Urgh... If… If only I were the heir, I could have brought you back to life, Pegasus. I'm so sorry..." Kairi got up slowly before wiping the tears in his eyes.

He then carried Pegasus to a nearby creek to clean him. While at that, he cleaned himself as well. The rain finally subsided a little in his vision. During this depressing time, he has no fear of coming to a river alone at night. His alert to danger was also zero right now.

"Pegasus... I'll definitely find your successor. I promise..." Kairi placed the chain emblem in Pegasus's chest where he put both of Pegasus's hands.

Quietly, he thought again while still holding the emblem.

"It's not fair... It's not fair for you to die... You're just a little older than me. Why...?" Looking at Pegasus again, he felt useless. His eyes were in tears again and he closed them.

"Oh god, if you hear me, please... Please help me find the heir and revive Pegasus. Please, lend me your strength..." Kairi prayed because that was the only thing he could do.

It took him a moment to realise what he was saying. He chuckled at his impossible wishes. He's just a normal person. What can he do?

"Pegasus, I am so sorry…" He whispered.

Suddenly, he felt something surrounding him. His eyes that were closed snapped open immediately. He was surprised by his surroundings.

Unknown sparkling things appeared in his eyes before a bright light arose from the bottom of his feet and under Pegasus's body. Under them, circles of magical fields with various stellars patterns, one by one crystallised and surrounded them inside.

Kairi stares at the various shapes of stellar's patterns. One of the shapes of the stellar, slowly getting bigger in front of him. It becomes a physical being and gives a warm gaze at Kairi.

"WE WELCOME OUR MASTER OF STELLARS!"

The being that was a shape of a winged horse neighed loudly to the sky with its open wings. At the same time, people holding their stellar emblems around the world emit a very brilliant light. The same goes for the emblem that Virgo was wearing.

Virgo, of course, was startled and then, he felt a ray of another light coming from his back. He did not realise that the rainy clouds above him had parted away and displayed many dazzling stars.

"Wait, isn't that way…? Kairi!"

Immediately, he runs in that direction. His heart was beating fast because he was afraid of anything happening to Kairi. When he arrived at the place, his mouth slowly opened wide. In front of him, stellar energy circles surrounded both Kairi and Pegasus.

It slowly disappears after a few minutes and Kairi's body sways before he falls. Virgo who saw it instantly appeared nearby and hugged him.

"Kairi! Kairi!"

Virgo called because Kairi's eyes were closing tightly. He calmed down when he realised that Kairi was still breathing. He guessed Kairi had fainted but didn't know the reason for it.

"What's going on here?!" He thought in confusion and turn towards Pegasus.

He was shocked when Pegasus opened his eyes and looked up. The gaze later landed on Virgo because he realised someone was watching him.

"Virgo...?"

Pegasus's voice was hoarse. Then, he coughed to make it better.

"Why are you here? Where am I?" He continued and moved to sit up.

Then, he looked around confused. As for Virgo, he was still in a delusion that he saw Pegasus getting up and sitting in front of him. He returned to normal when he felt his forehead was in pain. He stroked his forehead.

"What the hell, Pegasus!" He scolds angrily.

"Oh, apparently, you're not a mannequin. A pity..."

Pegasus shrugged. He just finished smacking Virgo's forehead with his finger.

Virgo begins to realize that he was not dreaming. Pegasus was alive and now breathing in front of him. His hand immediately went to pinch Pegasus' cheek. The bewildered Pegasus punched him.

"Urk!" Virgo groaned in pain.

Face darkened while cracking his fingers, Pegasus said, "You want to eat my fist again?"

"Sorry..." Virgo apologizes. He was not dreaming!

As for Pegasus, he stood up and patted his clothes. He just noticed his condition.

"Why are my clothes in tattered...?" He thought for a moment as he search his memory.

His eyes widened after remembering it. The Deorc Star underlings who chased him fought him and ran to the forest he was in now. And also... the feeling when he died...

Virgo watched Pegasus' reaction. He knew Pegasus were reminiscing about what happened to him.

"Virgo, am I really...?" Pegasus wants to ask how he can be alive again.

Virgo shook his head.

"I don't know... But, there were stellar's fields surrounding you and Kairi just now. I don't know how or what was going on either..." Virgo replied before looking at Kairi.

He was in disbelief. Kairi cannot be that person, right...? But, how to explain about Pegasus then?

Pegasus looked at Kairi. He was thinking the same thing as Virgo.

"Talk later. We should go back to the inn in Noir village. I have rented a room. We'll talk there." Virgo lifted Kairi's body and walked towards the said village.

Pegasus without much reason to not follow, walk behind. When they arrived at the inn, they entered the rented room.

"Thank you," Pegasus said when Virgo gave him a cup of hot tea.

After arriving, they both cleaned themselves first. Virgo also changes Kairi into another outfit. As for Pegasus, he has checked his injuries. There were none of them anymore. Even the old scars he had before also were gone. His skin was now as smooth as a baby's.

Virgo saw it and got jealous but it was an unreasonable feeling since Pegasus died before he turn to this. There was no way he wanted to die just to get such skin. Now, they were waiting for Kairi to wake up.

"How is he, Pegasus?" Virgo asked when Pegasus checked Kairi's wrist vein.

"He's fine. Just fainted," answered Pegasus.

"It's good to know..." Virgo was relieved to hear it.

"Who is this boy?" Pegasus realized Kairi was younger than him. He was, after all, four years older than Virgo.

"Kairi. I met him in Ryam Village. He works at a tavern there."

"How can he be with you?"

"To find you, of course! Your emblem was found by him. I noticed he was wearing it while he was working. Because of that, he and I went looking for you to return your emblem. Why did you lose it?! It's very dangerous! Without it, you have no power!" Growled Virgo.

"It wasn't on purpose. The person who killed me broke my chain and it dropped into the river." Pegasus explained.

"Hmph! In any case, you should have been careful! You are lucky that you can live again. And here I thought... I'll never see your cheeky mouth anymore..."

"Tsk! I'd rather die then..." Pegasus countered. "You can find another replacement."

"You! Don't you know how to be grateful?!"

"But, don't you want me dead? You swore to me not long ago. It will be a relief not to hear my cheeky mouth." Pegasus smirked.

Virgo's body shivered a little, not because of guilt but because of the anger he was holding back.

"You...!"

The two quarrelled and unknowingly a person was entering the inn, heading towards their room.

"Grr! Let's see what happens to you after this! I don't care anymore!" Virgo sat down in the chair next to Kairi's bed.

"Although I'm relieved he's alive again, I can't stand his mouth!" He thought.

"That boy..." Pegasus turns to Kairi.

"Kairi!" Recorrect Virgo.

"Whatever... He... Could he be the heir?"

Virgo shrugged.

"I don't know..." He got up for a moment and pulled the blanket to Kairi's neck.

The night conditions were a little cold in their area. Virgo was very relieved that he and Kairi bought a lot of thick cloth. One of them was given to Pegasus.

"You should thank him later, Pegasus..." Virgo continued and sat down again.

"Erm," replied Pegasus while closing his eyes to rest a bit.

A knock on the door startled them both. Virgo went to open it and was stunned to see someone outside their room.

"Yo!" Greet the person outside.

It was a boy with a big witch hat. The boy tucked his hands inside his pants.

"A-Agi?!" Virgo shouted the person's name.

"Agi?" Pegasus was also surprised and noticed the big hat he knew very well.

"Why is he here?" He thought because their location was far away from their base.