For You This World I'll Destroy

Time Dysplasia (3)

— 12 —

When I opened my eyes, a familiar sight greeted me.

The city that was once full of life has now been submerged in pitch-black ashes. The river that once flowed and became the mother of life has now frozen and died like those who once lived on the surface. And those who have now survived have forgotten how the sky is blue, how bright the sun shines and how beautiful the clouds are scattered in the sky. Darkness has taken over the sky and light is nothing but a meaningless little lantern.

Why is everything like this? No one remembers it anymore.

Only black ashes bear silent witness to the folly of previous civilizations. A magnificent city that slowly crumbles into a dark story of a world that forgets the joy of love. Trains have fallen or destroyed eaten by iron termites, not spared the beautiful golden train that hit a bakery. And out of darkness, curious souls rise again, seeking the fire of life they once had.

Malice.

Not alive but not dead, they crept in the face of the world and ate whatever was alive. With their bodies shrouded by darkness, their dagger claws could tear anything apart ferociously. Their eyes were bright red, blazing the pain of their envy at something that had been lost.

THE PUFF!

A witch came out of the city's aqueduct and stared around. A red robe covered every curve of his body. The demon mask hid his face from the world. From behind the hood of his cloak, the witch's long ears moved to and fro, tracking the enemy around her.

Ah, that loud voice invited all of Malice out of hiding, and showed her fangs to the Witch.

Then the Witch raised her hand to the sky and at the same time all the black ashes trembled so violently throughout the city. They flowed swiftly forming a gigantic typhoon before the Witch. The bigger and more powerful the typhoon, sucking up all the Malice that was nearby. Just as everything had been devoured by that dark tornado, the Witch tightened her fist all of a sudden.

The instant the typhoon froze into a tall tree that clawed at the dark sky. The crystal branches grew and then became branches that held the ashes down into the city. And next, a bright glitter shimmered from every body of the tree, burning away all Malice who could not hide. The ashes that once enveloped the City are now liberated, and the light shows the beautiful city again.

"Haah" the witch's breath that brushed off the ashes in her red cloak.

Fangs sticking out the Witch's hideous mask. The eyes of the mask are red glaring it would certainly give a nightmare for anyone who saw it. If anyone saw, they would have thought... Geez! Why did of all the masks in the world, he choose that creepy mask? What a very unique taste.

"Hmmm...?" muttered the Witch aware of the look in my eyes.

Coming out like a mouse from its hole, my body moved itself. The frozen pool of water became a mirror for me to see a little boy in a ragged shirt approaching the witch timidly. The boy's thin and weak body was terrible, perhaps with just a breath from the Witch alone, the boy fell down.

“Hmph, Sapiens,” grunts amused the Witch.

Not caring about me, the witch sat on a cold iron bench, under a frozen lamp post. Slowly he took off his leather gloves, revealing a hand with sharp fingers like a dagger and pale skin exactly like the color of porcelain.

The witch opened her backpack, opened the iron can with her dagger finger. The smell of wheat and beans struck his nose, when he opened a paper wrapping of hard biscuits, five black candies and a packet of coffee that had disappeared.

KRRRUYUUKKK

My p-belly sounds? And my saliva is tasting? This dream feels so real.

"T-T-Tho!" said the witch in a hoarse and stifled voice. It's like he's never used his vocal cords in years.

After clearing his throat many times, the witch asked in a discordant voice, "Tho'o ni izaika?”

What's the witch talking about? I don't understand a single word of hers.

After twirling his purple hair bingun finally the Witch was shocked, “Uh imi nai ga otto... Ah, ..you .. hungry?” asked the witch with a strange accent, speaking with her body language that was no less awkward.

I nodded hesitantly, but my eyes still noticed the hard biscuits in the witch's hands. Wickedly, the witch lifted the biscuit down and chuckled as she watched me jump around wanting the biscuit.

Then he broke the biscuit three quarters for me and the rest for him. But when I bit the biscuit, it was so hard, that it wanted to take my jaw off. The witch laughed and dipped the biscuits into her warm milk. I followed it and ate the delicious biscuits with pleasure.

But, the extreme hunger, made me immediately jump and snatch the biscuits from the Witch's hand. The crackers were all gone but my stomach was not satisfied. Laughing little, the witch prepared another biscuit now with strawberry jam setoples that looked very good. With his dagger finger, he smeared jam and fused the two hard biscuits into an eye-catching dish.

“Selai...stobeli.. it tastes... sweet, delicious," said the Witch.

I smiled so widely when I received that luxury item. The more greedy I eat until in an instant all runs out. Gawking at her empty hand, I turned to the witch with teary eyes.

“Mau... again... i... a lot,” said the Witch who gave me all those hard biscuits. So happy, I jumped up and down and devoured all the biscuits in an instant.

After being full, I also ventured to sit next to the creepy but kind witch. I stared deeply at the witch's mask without realizing my hand was about to touch the mask, but the Witch prevented it.

I plainly pointed to the wrecked carriage in the bakery, "Mama Papa slept from week there" he replied.

“Oh... sorry..” said the awkward wizard.

Trying to break the ice between us, I asked, “If Witch, who?”

Shocked the Witch points to herself, “A-I.. Uhh... Who..... I?” ask her confused self.

Laughing amusedly I saw the witch's innocent behavior. Then I cheerfully grabbed her diamond hand and said,”Papa and Mama said kindness should be reciprocated! In return for a good Witch, I will give the Witch a name!"

“What..?” muttered the Witch confused, not understanding completely because of my talk that was too fast.

Without being able to control my mouth, I replied, ”From today the name of the Witch is Khanza!!"

“Khanza...my name? Uhh….Khanza... Meaning... what?”

“Entah, sounds cool aja.”

“So... You.. kasih... Khanza name... without meaning?”.

“Trouble?” many confused.

The witch patted his forehead and laughed amusedly. Hugged me with anxiety and ferociously tickled my waist, “You.. neybelin...” he said after satisfied pranking me.

“Then... Khanza…. Whose name?”

Cheerfully, I replied, "Chrysant!"

"Chrysant... flowers... Chrysanthemum?” asked the Witch who answered a passionate nod from me.

The Witch then raised her right hand to call out small lights. They then danced to form a series of beautiful flower petals that shone beautifully. I was amazed to see that magic. In this world without beauty, not all eyes have seen real flowers other than books or magic illusions.

“They... do not bloom anymore.. Superadical Snow... Sapiens.... stupid..... Beautiful.... lost,” said the Witch who then put the flower of light over my ears, who then put the flower of light on my ears,

"Chrysanthemum Flowers... Love... until the end of khaat.. Your name.. Beautiful once.”.

— + —

Awakening myself from that strange dream, greeted by excruciating pain in my head and my entire body. Ughhhh! It felt like a knife slashed at me mercilessly!

“It was a strange dream, as if I had met Khanza before,” my murmur smothered my forehead with the pain.

But isn't that impossible? It could be just a product of my imagination being too wild. Because, the innocent witch was far different from the arrogant monster that was very cheerful. After all, the car I was pointing at was never used again for thousands of years. Wh why? Because that carriage was only used when humans were still living in the Underworld, more than seven millennia ago!

“C-Chrysant, are you awake?” ask a golden-haired girl who came into my room. With teary eyes, the girl immediately ran to hug me tightly.

“Thank God, thank goodness! I'm sorry I won't be able to see you open your eyes again,” said the girl.

“D-Dagger? K-K-You survived?” I ask who is no less surprised.

Dagger took off his embrace and wiped away his tears. He nodded and said, “There's a lot I want to say. He sacrificed his life to protect us.”

“... The Reaper attacked you?” my many.

Dagger shook his head, “The one who attacked us.. is the S-type Malice that White Order created.

We call it... The Predator.”

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