Chapter Text
‘‘Shit, I lost my composure today.’’ Wind Archer grumbled, ruffling his own hair in annoyance as he left the hospital. ‘‘Dad better be fine. It’s been years since the day he fell ill. I simply do not know what caused this.’’
‘‘Also, what is Fire Spirit’s deal with Moonlight? And should I really text Sea Fairy to ask?’’
Wind Archer went to order a cab again.
‘‘Your favourite jester is here!’’ Shadow Milk’s voice echoed from the distance.
‘‘...Seriously?’’
‘‘Don’t be such a wuss, archie. The more the merrier, after all. Such an awesome display of struggle. It would do well for my next show…’’
‘‘Did you even have a show in the first place…?’’
‘‘You should totally come to Beast Yeast sometime! They call me the world’s greatest actor. I don’t even need a stage to perform.’’ Shadow Milk bragged.
Ah, the land of Beast Yeast. Many horrors lie in store for anyone who enters that area. Even so, it is a place worth visiting for those who dare to step foot. A place filled with the dreadful scent of apathy, burning destruction, deceitful illusions and trickery, sweet scent of sloth, and a barren land of silence.
Eternal Sugar’s hotel was indeed located there. The one place that most humans would have gone for in such a domain. Yet, such a sweet domain would therefore have some… traps. Who knew why those sugar statues would look so… realistic? The true question was if anyone had managed to walk away from the hotel.
Wind Archer went to Beast Yeast once on matters of business. That was when his first encounter of Shadow Milk happened. First, the Lady in Azure, then… Their actual meeting.
He would still remember what lay ahead in that dreaded laboratory.
Thousands of lives cruelly ripped away from Nature’s embrace. Their screams, their wailing…
‘‘Oh, behold the Ultimate Being!’’
‘‘I don’t need another introduction, you foul beast.’’ Wind Archer rolled his eyes.
‘‘Oho! You got me there. Your words are now sharper, huh?’’
‘‘Don’t act like you don’t constantly make fun of people.’’
‘‘Well, it would be a pity to see him go, wouldn’t it? Then you can’t crawl back to your dearest Millennial Tree anymore.”
The world around Wind Archer darkened, and a grosteque image of Millennial Tree appeared. His body was out cold, strings hanging onto him like a puppet. Shadow Milk controlled the strings as the puppeteer, toying around with the puppet.
‘‘What are you trying to do?!’’ Wind Archer took out the handgun from his pocket, aiming for Shadow Milk.
‘‘Set foot into the Abyss of the Darkness you shall not, for its whispers will divest you of your purest Life Force and leave you hollow…’’ Shadow Milk quoted.
‘‘...These words! How did you…!’’ Wind Archer fired a few shots at Shadow Milk.
‘‘...’’ Shadow Milk smiled sinisterly. The bullets diverged from its original path and hit Millennial Tree’s puppet. Blood splattered onto Shadow Milk, even hitting Wind Archer.
‘‘Must have been the wind~’’ Shadow Milk laughed, Wind Archer now staring in dismay. The handgun slipped out from his hand and dropped onto the unseeable ground of the abyss.
‘‘Ah, the blood of your loved one in your hands… How does it feel being the murderer?’’
‘‘No…’’ Wind Archer looked at the blood on his hands, breathing heavily.
The void disappeared slowly, and the both of them were now inside the cab, almost as if nothing had happened.
‘‘...’’ Wind Archer glared at Shadow Milk, who now looked way more malicious than usual.
‘‘Don’t you worry your fuzzy little head, green bean. Nothing has happened to him… yet.’’
For the whole ride, there was only silence. Wind Archer shifted himself to the far end of the taxi, while Shadow Milk inched slightly closer, keeping his same grin.
‘‘If you are going to be here, stay at your own side.” Wind Archer gripped his gun that was still in his pocket.
“Ah, you are such a party pooper!”
As they sat on the cab, droplets of rain poured down. The soft pitter-patter of the rain was heard as it hit the car windows. Wind Archer would usually enjoy the sound of rain, yet this time, it felt…
Incessant.
Eventually, Wind Archer finally reached home. Punctured holes from the incident still remained. As he turned around, Shadow Milk had already disappeared.
…Annoying.
Wind Archer closed the door shut then sat down on the couch, sighing.
I should renovate my house some other time.
As Wind Archer got up and walked towards his activity room, he looked at a specific bow hanging on the wall, made out of twisted vines the same colour as his hair, adorned with dark green flowers.
‘‘Millennial Tree’s gift…’’
Wind Archer took off his cast, his right arm still bandaged, then took the bow off the wall, and nocked an arrow onto the bowstring of the bow, firing at the archery board. Bullseye.
‘‘...At least my skills haven’t deteriorated. But it has been a while since I practised archery.’’
‘‘May the winds be in your favour.’’ Millennial Tree once said to Wind Archer in the past.
‘‘I hope it will be for the days to come.’’