<< Chapter 22 (Part 1)
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We spread our wings, and rose high above the canopy. Tears filled our eyes as soon as we caught sight of our burning village. The sight of the giant swatting our comrades out of the sky didn't help to assuage our grief. We made our way to the where the giant was, to coordinate the assault against it.
"Rally whoever you can and use up all your viento to hit the back of its knees," I instructed. "I'll circle out front and lead the distraction effort."
"Why the back of its knees?"
"Just trust me, I've ... I've dealt with it's kind before."
"Dealt with it? How? When? I have never even—"
"J-Just trust me, okay? Can you do that for me, Lumpia? We have no time. I need you to get people on board with this. I'm 100% certain this plan will work. I'll explain everything after we defeat it."
Our paths diverged as soon as we arrived near the town square. Lumpia took the high road, while I flew close to the ground. I urged everyone I came across to distract the giant so that our kin could hit it from behind, but only a few heeded my call. Many were busy scrambling, hiding or running away.
From a distance, I caught a glimpse of Menudo, along with other strong men Paksiw and Tinapa. They were throwing whatever random object they could find at the giant. It proved enough of a distraction to capture the giant's attention. But, it was a risky move on their part, because they weren't agile enough to outrun the enemy if it came closer.
"Go, Menudo!" I cheered. My facial expression quickly turned from optimism to sheer horror. The giant lifted his enormous foot right above their heads. I focused all the viento I could muster to thrust myself to where they were, but I was too far away. "Run, Menudo! Run! Fly Away!"
I wasn't sure if my message ever reached them. The giant had already sunk its foot on the ground where they stood by the time I arrived. Speechless, I slid on the ground using my knees until I was at a complete stop.
They weren't the first casualties of the skirmish. If we weren't able to stop its rampage, they wouldn't be the last. I felt the giant sizing me up as his next target. Transfixed by the savagery that I had seen, I wasn't able to tell for sure.
My mouth was agape, and the background noise faded away. In its place, a piercing ringing was all that I heard. Dust clouds that had spread over the town accompanied the deafening din. From the corner of my eye, I noticed some movement buried beneath debris of wood and stone. I walked unsteadily towards it, hoping for signs of life.
With my viento, of which I had very little at that point, I fashioned an armas to shove away the debris. I aimed at the ground in front of the pile, and managed to almost completely clear all of it. Beneath it, I discovered my mother curled up into a ball.
I broke down, and clutched her head close to my chest. She struggled to breathe, and was barely able to move. I tried to hold my emotions in, but the gush of a combination of relief, worry and anger was too much to contain.
"My son," my mother whispered.
"Please, save your strength," I begged. "W-Where ... Where are the others? Is everyone safe? Father? My siblings, where—"
The dim light quickly darkened, as the giant loomed closer above our heads. I was out of it — the sight of my mother on the ground took my head out of the fight.
My mother smiled, as she caressed my cheek with her shaking hand. She wiped the tears off my face and pleaded for me to stop sobbing.
"I thought I was the one you were consoling?" she teased, trying to crack a weak smile.
I chuckled between bouts of sobbing. "How could you make a joke at a time like this?"
"This is the perfect time to make a joke, but I promise that's the last one."
"Don't say that, don't ... D-Don't say 'last' please? I—"
"I'm proud of you, my son. For everything that you are. For what you have done, and for everything you have yet to accomplish. You have the potential to do great things, and I want you to share all that you are to the world."
"Mother, I—"
"I love you, my son," she mumbled softly with her final breath. Her eyes remained opened, staring at the starless night sky.
There it was again. Isle la view. The last words that my mother ever said to me. At that moment, every slurred syllable made perfect sense. I felt its meaning seep through the very fiber of my being.
"I love you."
The earth trembled, as the giant stood right in front of us. In mere seconds, we would all be together once again. I closed my eyes, placed my lips on my mother's forehead, and took a deep breath.
Suddenly, I heard a huge, continuous thud in the distance! I opened my eyes, and saw the once fully erect titan falling backwards. Its knees extended forward as it made its descent. Behind it, my kinsmen hovered, recovering from a coordinated attack. They collectively threw their viento at the back of the giant's knees.
I laid my mother on the ground slowly, let out a deep grunt, and kicked myself off the ground. Off-balanced, the giant could only watch as I made my ascent. I outstretched my arms to the side and invited everyone to lend me their viento for one final strike.
When hot wind and cold breeze met, they engaged in a destructive dance. They formed a whirling wall of air that destroys everything in its path. The moment I accumulated enough viento was when I intended to unleash it upon our adversary.
I felt a sudden rush of energy flow through me. Gusts of wind blew from all directions, healing my injuries and augmenting my powers. This was the strongest I had felt in my entire life. I felt like I could take down *all *of the giants with the power coursing through me.
I pulled in the smoke from the entire smoldering village to my left hand. At the same time, my right hand pulled in the glacial air from distant frigid mountaintops. Imagining the planet cracking in half, I gritted my teeth as I pulled my hands closer together.
The clouds cleared and the moon illuminated the surroundings. My kinsmen scattered in hopes of avoiding my devastating strike. The moonlight slowly revealed the face of the enemy we were battling, and I was horrified to discover that the giant looked exactly like ... me!
My view switched for a second, revealing what the giant was seeing. In that moment, I felt like I was falling on my back looking at a tiny figure with his arms outstretched to the side. It took a while before I realized that I was looking ... at myself.
My view continued to shift for a bit, changing perspectives every other second. Different contrasting emotions filled me, not knowing which of them belonged to me. Confusion, anger, sadness, fright, hatred — I felt all these emotions together, at the same exact time. The time between shifts became less and less, that it became hard to focus my viento, fly and not fall on my back.
My gigantic doppelganger slid his right foot back and regained his balance. On his way back to an upright position, he lunged forward and pummeled me with a headbutt. Or, was it I who struck the tiny figure with my head. I wasn't quite sure which one I was anymore.
Disoriented, I flung my arms forward and accidentally unleashed my viento. The massive strength of the winds threw me outside the village and off the cliff. I was in a fugue state as I fell, and didn't have any sort of control over my body.
It felt like a long drop. My whole life had already flashed before my eyes, and I was still continually falling. Darkness was the only companion that I had during my descent.
It was unnerving. We were on the cusp of victory, but my hesitation proved to be my undoing. Was I successful in defeating the giant? If it remained unbeaten, did it continue its rampage? Did the villagers know that the giant resembled me? Was my family alright? Was I living the last moments of my life?
Time went by slowly, but I eventually regained control of my hands. With the last of my viento, I surrounded my body with a shield made out of wind, and braced for impact. I closed my eyes, as my protected body dented the ground below.
As soon as the dust settled, I stood up and climbed up the crater. The fall had tattered my wings, and I had no viento left in me. It was still dark, but the moon provided enough illumination. My entire body ached, but I knew that I had to push forward.
Upon reaching the top, I heard the sound of chains clanking. A guttural growl crept closer. From the darkness, an enormous hellbeast revealed itself, in all its dreadful splendor. Obsidian fur covered its entire body, and it was only matched by the impenetrable gloom of the night.
I stepped backwards, careful not to make any sudden movements. My sweat dripped down the side of my face, like its saliva drooped down its sharp fangs. I made small, silent steps, until I couldn't make them any longer. Pinned to a corner, the monstrous creature drew its head closer and sniffed my entire body. I flinched when its breath hit me, and my sudden jerk aggravated the beast.
My body trembled as it barked at me wildly. Its jaws snapped, and its fangs were an inch away from abrading my skin. Just when it was about to bite down, I suddenly woke up in a cold sweat!
Catching my breath, I sat up from my bed and tried to recount everything that transpired. It couldn't have been a dream; everything was so vivid. Sweat drenched my entire body, and I couldn't stop myself from shaking. It was a cruel torture reliving everything. But, I didn't know if it was a side effect of the reconditioning or from the ingestion of memories.
If the giants already knew everything that I was going to do, then what was the point of doing anything? I had to think of something that the giants would have never been able to predict. My hallucination, dream or vivid recollection — whatever it was — held the key. I had to take out their secret weapon without them knowing.
The extremely passionate @ryivhnn has created this magnificent viento-inspired artwork for this story. Close your eyes and picture this masterpiece, as you imagine Ledd soaring to new heights. Please be sure to check out @ryivhnn's wonderful artwork and in-depth logs of her experiences with homeschooling her children. You can also become a patron of hers on Patreon so that you can support her regularly.
<< Chapter 22 (Part 1)
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