The Time God Slayer

Chapter 20

Finding a hiding spot on the island wasn't as hard as it would be with her using her powers as a cheat. All she had to do was get used to the island and she'll be ambling her way through the island like she was meant to be there.

The island was a forest with a semi busy port. The trading activities are just enough for the island and its people to support themselves. There is a small town right where the port is with the biggest buildings being the place where people stay and rest and a general store that sells almost anything. It's at a reasonable price too and prices can be changed with bargaining. The old couple running the store had silver hair with an occasional gray strand of hair peeking out and a cheerful face. People who were native to the island aren't fooled by the couple's cheerful faces. They have been wary ever since a pirate tried to steal from old couple.

Let that incident never be mentioned and let no one be foolish enough to anger the elderly couple.

Hikari picked her way through the first floor filled with the soft leaves from the trees above her. The forest floor is dappled in the colors of different shades of green and an occasional brown of the tree branches along with small spots of sunlight that streamed through the spaces between the leaves. The trees were tall and Hikari notes that it would be a great spot to take a nap and hide from people. Not a lot of people ever look up.

It was a nice day for a walk. The temperature was not too hot although that could change if one were to stand under the sun for a long time. Thankfully, Hikari decided to find a hiding place as a safe place to go and as a temporary home. It would save a lot on money expenses, especially for the gifts she planned on getting for her guild mates.

The birds were chirping cheerily and flaps of wings could be heard throughout the forest. Hikari would see the occasional rabbit who quickly bounded away when it saw her and the more dangerous animals.

There were large animals that thought a lone girl would be an easy meal. By the time Hikari reaches the middle of the forest where a clearing was situated, she was dragging the soon to be food behind her shoulder, their bodies leaving a trail.

Hikari dropped the corpses and surveyed the area with a keen eye. There's a stream that flows through the clearing, glistening in the sunlight. The flow of the water easily flowed over stones of different coloration and upon closer look, the stones seem to be lacrima.

Hikari sits down and drinks from her water bottle, enjoying the little break by the stream. Truthfully, Hikari didn't need a break but she deserves a break from traveling through the forest. Besides, all that's left is to build a small place across the stream and it'll go faster when she's had her break. She looked around to take in the clearing fully, the size of the clearing, the natural materials she can use, the herbs she recognized growing across the stream, the animals at the edge of the forest, staring at her with curiosity and wariness. The grass underneath her is soft from many animals stepping on it to drink from the stream. Sitting there enjoying the soft breeze and just enjoying being in this world, however ephemeral, she sees a lump of shape at the edge of the clearing on the other side of the stream. 

"I wonder what's that..." Hikari gets up and jumps across the stream to the lump. As she walked closer, she notices that it has black fur which is connected to a cat. A kitten with dark purple fur that almost looks like midnight is tucked against the cat's side. The kitten twitched their ears before they blearily opens their eyes to see a human standing in front of them. They quickly jumped to their feet, albeit weakly, and hissed at her. "Get away from us, nya!"

"You're in my head..." Hikari breathed. 

"That's right. I ate the telepathy-telepathy fruit. So, if you don't go away, I'll start screaming in your head, nya!" Its silver eyes narrowed to slits as they breathed heavily. 

The scrawny kitten didn't look well fed and looked to be on their last legs. Despite their poor health, they bared their fangs menacingly, arched their back, and growled at her. The kitten doesn't look intimidating in the slightest, ruined by their wobbly legs and skinny figure. 

"I won't go away." Before the kitten could scream, Hikari quickly added, "You look like you need help."

"I don't need help from you! They hissed. "Now, go...away..." Their legs wobbled and collapsed under their weight. Even though they couldn't stand right now, the kitten nevertheless tried to stand up. Hikari slowly reached for her bag and took out some dried fruit snacks and placed it in front of the kitten. "You should eat. You're going to die if you don't."

The kitten's nose twitched and their mouth salivated. Their eyes eyed it hungrily before they shook their head and, with difficulty, weakly smacked the fruit pieces to Hikari. "I don't need your food and I don't need you! Just leave me alone, nya!" 

Hikari stares at the kitten cooly. "If I leave you alone, you would die. You're too malnourished to hunt for food. And," Hikari's eyes had a clock whose hands moved backwards before it disappeared. "Your mother wouldn't want you to starve yourself to death after she saved you."

"You! I don't know what you did but you don't know anything! I promised to always be by her side, nya!"

"But she wouldn't want you to die by her side when you have a whole life ahead of you. A mother wouldn't want that for her kit. She would want you to live, even if you have to break your promise with her." Hikari said bluntly. In a softer tone, she said, "She won't be gone, not completely. Even if she's not with you, she exists in your memories, your heart, and your being. You always carry a piece of her with you." The kitten stared up at her with eyes filled with tears dripping down their face. They stared through their blurry tears at Hikari's solemn gaze. "Live for her."

"Live, Hikari! There will be times where it'll be difficult to live each day but I promise, it's going to get better. You'll meet people that'll become your friends and there'll be good times. Promise me that you'll live for us." Zero's eyes filled with pure pain at his words. He took a deep breath and smiled one last time to Hikari. "You're going to be okay." His hand ruffled Hikari's hair and he turned his back to her. Hikari took the hint and ran, tears in her eyes and her sobs stuck in her throat. 

Tears continuously fell from the kitten's silver eyes. After a while, they made up their decision and stood again with wobbly legs after a few failed attempts and turned their back towards Hikari. They meowed weakly to their mother and nuzzled the cat's head before they turned around and looked at Hikari's silver eyes. "Fine. I'll live for her." In a louder voice, the kitten gritted their teeth and yowled out loud to the world, their voice in her head matches the volume of their yowl: "I'LL LIVE AND TASTE ALL THE DIFFERENT FISH IN THE WORLD! I'LL LIVE THE BEST LIFE THAN ANY CAT, NYA!" 

The yowl used up all the kitten's energy that they collapsed on the ground, unconscious from their malnourishment and exertion. Hikari smiled sadly and began to dig a grave for the mother cat. After the the mother cat was covered, she used a thin slice of bark as the grave marker, making a mental note to get a stone slab when she finds one. She left some cat mint she found in the forest on the grave, clasped her hands together, and closed her eyes. "I promise I'll take care of your kit. You don't have to worry. Thank you for caring and loving your kit. I'll make sure your kit will continue to receive care and love. May you rest in peace."

Hikari carefully picked up the kitten and walked away.