Simon Lathalas- Chapter 6: Orion's Demon

The day has come, Orion's birthday. Simon wakes up a bit earlier than usual. He wonders what should be for breakfast. He walks into Orion's room, but he is as passed out as if he never slept before, it was that noticeable. Simon sighs. So what will I do? Wake him up? No. This is his birthday, so I shouldn't do something like that. Is he tired from all the extra training he's been doing. I guess that's what it is.

Simon thinks some more, maybe I should go ahead and make the cake. But if he doesn't wake up anytime soon, the heat will make the cake go bad, so that's a no go. Simon walks back to the kitchen. He decides to make himself breakfast, and to wake Orion up by lunchtime. Maybe I should go get a nice elk for dinner.

[Simon: Oh fuck.]

As Simon checked the pantry, he remembered that he never got to get anything from the merchant.

[Simon: This is going to be a pain in the ass.]

Simon looks around in the pantry. It seems like, if you try really hard, you can make a small sweet cake with the left over ingredients.

[Simon: I mean it's not nothing, so that's good. I promise you Orion, that I'll get you a big cake sooner or later.]

Hours pass by and Orion is not awake yet, it's lunchtime so Simon goes to wake Orion up. He walks into the room and looks at Orion's face. It seems more peaceful than the other days where it seemed like he real stressed.

[Simon: Oi! Wake up, you've slept long enough. It is your birthday.]

Simon watches as he shifts around in bed tiredly.

[Orion: But I don't want to.]

Why doesn't he want to get up, it's his birthday?

[Simon: Why not?! It's your birthday. You always get excited for your birthday!]

Orion's eyes look around everywhere and they fell on the frying pan in Simon's hand.

[Orion: I just don't want to taste your cooking.]

Geh. Even at a time like this he can joke about my cooking. But I know that he does actually like my cooking.

[Simon: But you know how much I improved in cooking. I use to just cook the food with no seasoning, but now I use seasoning. And I improved on different combinations of different seasonings. There is no way my cooking is still that bad. Even the other week, you almost admitted my food was good.]

It's true that when I was married, Kaelynn took care of all the cooking and when I was living by myself I never seasoned my food. But that all changed when Orion didn't like the food, so I started to at least add salt crystals.

[Orion: I never did say it was good though, right?]

[Simon: No. No you haven't.]

I know I've gotten better at cooking, but it seems that Orion will never admit to it.

[Simon: Fine then! I'll go get an elk and we'll see who can make the best elk-based meal.]

It works for me kind of, since I wanted to get an elk for the feast tonight.

[MC: Fine by me. But don't go crying when I beat you.]

[Simon: Heh! I could say the same to you.]

This should be fun.

[Simon: Oh, by the way, if you make eggs, only make one please.]

Simon walks out of the room, down the stairs, out the house's door, and turns around.

[Simon: I hope nothing happens.]

*****************************

Simon was looking, sneakily, for the elk. When has it been this hard to hunt elk? Elk was almost as common as walking in this area. So where were they? Has something happened? Simon keeps on looking around for the elks. What if something killed all of them?

[Simon: No, no, that's impossible. The bears in the area don't eat elk, and if they do it's very few. No magical beast can come here, because of the talisman stopping them, so there has to be another reason for their disappearance. Perhaps they just moved from this area because, because well-]

There would be no reason for them to move, unless if they were running short on food, or a predator lives in the area. Looking around, Simon concluded that it was the latter.

[Simon: Maybe I should check the talisman again.]

If even a single talisman were to be destroyed, the entire forcefield, that's been protecting the normal beast from outsiders, would be destroyed. Simon ran to the closest one to him. It was still up, and fine. No damages to this one. He ran to the next one. Same thing, no damage. To the next one. There was no damage. Five more to check.

He ran all the way to the fourth one. No damage. Fifth one. No damage. Sixth one, also no damage. Seventh one, no difference. Out of breath, Simon decided that he would just walk to the eighth one. How much time has passed? Two, no, three hours since he left the house. Simon wonders about Orion. What's been up with him recently? Some days he would as fine as he usually would be, and others he would be as stressed as a person in debt.

That's when Simon smelled it. The rotting of multiple dead bodies. It was one of the worst smells in the world.

[Simon: The fuck is that! What did such a thing?]

But that's not what Simon should be worrying about. He should be asking, where is this thing? Where is the beast that did this horrific thing? Simon went to the source of the smell. And the moment he saw the bodies he ran full speed back home.

The bodies were those of the missing elks. But the reason why Simon ran full speed back is because they were just like those of Orion's parents. Only the skin was there and nothing else. One of the only things that Simon wished to never see again, next to Gluttony. And if the beast that did this was still around here, even after twelve years, then it's probably still after Orion.

Simon sees the house, and sees Orion with a huge masculine feline with three tails, the beast raised his tails and Simon can hear Orion yell out.

[Orion: I've decided that I'll kill you! Or die trying!]

He heard the beast talk back to him.

[??: Looks like there's no changing your mind. Death awaits you and your foolishness.]

[Orion: I'll welcome it with open arms.]

[??: The time of a fool has come to an end.]

What's happening? But there is no time. Just like Gluttony, the beast was faster than the normal human eye, and the beast was now behind Orion ready to attack him. Simon jumped into the attack.

[Orion: HAAAAAA!!]

Sorry Orion. For abandoning my job as a parent, but I couldn't let my children die again. There's no way I can let that happen again. I've already had to go through that, and this time I might have done necromancy, if you died. Which is why I let myself get hit. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

[Simon: I'm sorry, Orion.]

I look up to the sky, I guess I'll be joining my family soon. I wished I could've finish my job as a parent, and raised completely. I'm sorry, Orion. I'm sorry, Kaelynn, for not being a good husband. I'm sorry to my children, who I also did not raise all the way. I am truly sorry.

[Simon: I hope you'll forgive me.]

Simon closed his eyes one final time, and gave his last breath.

Simon passed away.