I Became My Healer Elf Character - Chapter 41

Chapter 41: Hope is on the Oasis
Kahleem felt the weight of the world squeezing her to death. Even though she had resigned herself to death, she had lingering regrets. She didn’t want to die. Her brothers and sisters didn’t want her to die here.

As if to prove this fact, the sands beneath her began shifting, and she felt herself sink. A faint trace of cold air traveled through the sand. Her survival instinct awakened. She grabbed the knife attached to a rope and began moving the sands beneath her. She soft rocky surface, but she cheered in her mind. Some of the sand was falling through!

It was breakable, she scraped the rock beneath her over and over. Her effort eventually paid off. The rocks gave way, and she fell into a deep trench of water. The sand joined her. All of that mountain of sand fell through, so she dove down a bit to let the sand all fall. She waded under water until she found a free pocket to surface.

She gasped for air, and her breathing was labored. In her attempts to breathe, she found herself almost laughing at the near death experience. Her heart pounded furiously, and the almost freezing water didn’t help.

Kahleem used her remaining strength to pull her up to a rocky shore. She rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling as she struggled to catch her breath. Several blue crystals hung down, and their shimmering surfaces made the cave seem like it was among the stars.

Her body was in so much pain, but she still found beauty in the sight. She carefully took off her drenched clothing. She activated the spell [Fire], using the warmth from her fingertip to dry off her body.

She hung her wet clothes on a nearby rock shelf. In truth, Kahleem had no idea what she should do now. Her poison vials were shattered. Her clothes were ruined. She was lucky that one of her knives hadn’t stabbed her in her fall. However, she lost her curved sword on the way down.

“They won’t let me come back empty handed. What should I do?” She moved over to an unmuddied spot in the water. She peered at her reflection like a mirror. The surface reflected her short tomboyish black hair. Her ruby red eyes reflected, and the tips of her ears were slightly pointed, further proving her distant lineage. In that water, she also saw the glimmers on the ceiling like stars. “What would you do in my shoes?”

She thought of her siblings who had died before her and her ancestors. If she had been born to the true vampire clan, she’d not have to live in such a place. She’d have never had to confront the banal struggles of a desperate kingdom’s leaders.

Eventually, her clothes dried. It took her several days of walking to finally reach an exit. When she finally reached the daylight, the scenery was completely different.

This time, it was a sandy beach. All around her the air was filled with the calm winds from the ocean. Greenery surrounded her on all sides. Pine trees poked up, and coconuts hung from other trees. She heard the birds all around her. She saw the splashes of fish in the water. It was like she had found her Oasis.

///

Hikari looked outside of the carriage as the others were still immersing themselves in Chess. She hadn’t expected them to play it non-stop. They were like addicts. Especially that ninja girl.

She gazed at Kahleem out of the corner of her eyes. This time the girl was sitting across from a different mercenary and playing. Doesn’t that guy have a job guarding this entourage. Is this merchant group really okay?

“I lost again, Kahleem. I can’t believe it. You’re really a natural.” The mercenary picked up his wooden pieces and put them back to their starting positions. “I can trade places with another one outside.”

Since the commotion had started, Hikari was glad that she put away her original board. All of the boards left were wooden. She was hesitant to show anything more off to the world. It definitely wasn’t because of her hoarder personality.

Outside of the window, the light of her third day traveling had arrived. She was surprised they hadn’t been attacked by bandits. In the game, such attacks were as natural as a tree in the wild.

Of course, when she asked Salazar about it he said, “Miss Hikari, if bandits wanted to attack a group like this, they would either be extremely stupid or have significant backing. Why would they want to risk their lives like that? This group also does its job as posing a threat.”

What he said was logical, and it made Hikari feel foolish for even asking. For someone who was supposed to be a goddess, even some basic knowledge evaded her. How could she be blamed for feeling this way?

In her past life, she wasn’t the smartest person. No, she clung to herself. She lived in frugality inside of a Japanese apartment. Hikari was her birth name, yet she chose to use the same name for [Gensuba]. She was one of the early players, so the name was available as both a username and a display name.

What kind of smart individual would do that? Yet, it’s what she always did. In every game she played. If Hikari was taken, she’d use Hikari1. No matter what, she always used the same name.

There was no deep rhyme or reason to it, she simply did it. It wasn’t like she loved the name so deeply that her parents gave her. She didn’t even have a close relationship with them, but she always used that name. It was as if the moniker made her drawn to the light.

Maybe that was why I always played light or faith based characters?

“Master, what are you thinking about?”

Hikari turned her head away from her hand that was supporting it. She looked at the worried little dragon. The elf felt inexplicable things when she looked over Kurayami. The night they shared together never left her mind, and the subtle gazes pulled at her heartstrings. Perhaps that was why she looked out of the window in the first place. Maybe she wanted to turn away from one light to another?

“Do you ever think deeply about the past and wonder about certain things you did?”

“Master, are you regretting?”

Hikari shook her head. “It’s not regret. I just wonder if this fate was determined. Did I arrive here because of myself? Or was this all predetermined?”

Kurayami frowned. “Master, this is not like you. Do not fret. No one could determine the fate of the strongest. If you are lacking in confidence, then turn to me. I will prove it to you through action.”

In that moment, Kurayami didn’t care that there were other people in the carriage. She pressed Hikari’s head against her chest and hugged her master deeply. The dragon leaned in to Hikari’s ear and whispered.

“All you have to do is be yourself, Master. Because you are the one I love the most.”

The corners of Hikari’s mouth lifted. Her eyes were slightly moistened, but she returned the hug of her subordinate—no, my cute little dragon.

There was no embarrassment, and no one said anything about their affection. Hikari simply let herself be held in that position for a few minutes. All the while, her thoughts became about a different future.

This world was one big one. The people she met were all real. Her followers had become real. The only one who didn’t feel real was herself. It was something she needed to change. One cannot runaway from who they are. However, change is not something you do instantly.

She would not proclaim herself to the world as a goddess, nor would she allow anyone to do what they wished. When she arrived at the elven forest, she would carve out her own destiny.

Hikari would take the hope that she had given and bring it upon herself. She would hold her head high, and when the time came, she would shine like a beacon in the sky.

The world would not carve out her destiny. Hikari would carve her destiny out on the world. The entire planet would ring from her actions. Just as she sought freedom, she would give it unto others.

No god, goddess, or deity could tell her what to do. She would not bend for the people under her. She would strive so that her dragon didn’t have to look at her like someone that’s pathetic.

Hikari looked into Kurayami’s eyes. “Thank you. You are the first in this life to touch my heart deeply. I will no longer look down, and I will be what you hope me to be…Myself.”

The light in Kurayami’s eyes seemed to brighten in that moment. Those amber eyes were tantalizing.

Hikari was only stopped by the peering eyes around her from engaging in a deep kiss.

But Kurayami didn’t obey social norms. She directly pecked Hikari right on the lips.