# Illusion of Reality Chap 3

Author: AshuraK
Tags: Avian, Character Development, Dragoness, Elf, Friendship, Hybrid, Magic, Modern, Other/Herm, Plot Development, Suicide

#4 of Mondias Tales

Illusion of Reality  
Written by: Ashura L. Kusanaga  
Adapted from: JDawson's adventure  
  
Chapter Three  
It had only a few days since the news of the loss of Cal and Agnes, as well as  
the loss of three-quarters of Kalo's army. The townsfolk tried to go on with  
their lives, and many did... but not everyone was happy with the news.  
Although the people of Kalo didn't show it, they were filled with anger and  
vengeance, or sadness and sorrow.  
  
"Thanks for coming over Toshi" said Drake, pouring himself and Toshi a cup of  
tea.  
"I haven't heard from Anthony since he beat up that Acem" Toshi said, then set  
down the pot. He looked away towards Anthony's room and frowned slightly.  
"My Aunt Eliza is visiting us because Uncle Rupert was in San Kailon" Toshi  
continued, and then turned back around. "He was okay, but he drove me nuts when  
he talked about the Resistance... I'm only five, not as old as my dad... I  
didn't know Uncle Rupert much, but Aunt Eliza wants me to love him even though I  
didn't."  
There was a silence.  
"Anthony rarely comes out, he even eats in there, and he's been more quiet than  
he usually is... I'm worried Toshi... you know him better than anyone, please,  
help me figure out what to do" Drake said and then sipped his tea. Toshi looked  
surprised, but thought a while, and just as he was about to say something, there  
was a knock on the door.  
"Newspaper!" shouted a voice from behind the door. Drake set his cup down, and  
fetched the papers. He made his way back over to the table and sat down. He  
read them to himself, and sighed heavily.  
"I'm glad Toshi is so young and probably won't remember these things, but these  
will forever be in my memory" Drake thought. The Headlines read "War Over", but  
the other stories were about suicides and new overly protective laws being  
passed to prevent war from happening again.  
"I could talk to him" Toshi suggested. Drake jumped a little at Toshi's voice,  
and while looking up, said while smiling, "Good idea Toshi, go and talk with  
him!"  
Toshi slid off the chair, and walked to Anthony's room. Drake's smile had  
quickly disappeared, and he continued to read more headlines.  
"Why are these people committing suicide? Their loved ones, both dead and  
alive, wouldn't want them to die early," he thought to himself.  
  

  "Anthony?" said Toshi. The room was dark and cold. He shivered, and walked  
over to the bed. Anthony was on it, lying on his side, away from Toshi and  
toward the wall. He was crying silently, but Toshi could still hear him sniff  
now and then.  
"Buddy? It's Toshi, your friend" Toshi smiled hopefully. Anthony just lay  
there, and sniffed. Toshi sat on the bed, and put his hand on Anthony's  
shoulder.  
"Things will change, you'll see" Toshi smiled weakly. He rubbed Anthony's  
shoulder. Anthony said simply one thing and then said no more, "they're not  
coming back, nothing will change."  
Toshi's weak smile disappeared.  
"Nothing will change?" Toshi said. Anthony stopped sniffing, and actually  
turned over to Toshi, and sat up.  
"No, Toshi, nothing will change..." Anthony said sadly. Toshi once again  
smiled.  
"We're good friends, and because of what's happened, I feel like were closer...  
like brothers" Toshi said hopefully.  
"I don't want a brother! It's bad enough that Brad ran away!" Anthony shouted.  
Once again, Toshi became saddened, and tried again, but failed as Anthony had  
gotten up and out of bed. "Maybe I should run away" Anthony whispered low.  
"Anthony, no, don't do what I think you're gonna do" Toshi said wide-eyed. And  
at that Anthony ran out of his room.  
"Anthony, no!" Toshi shouted after him. He quickly leaped off of the bed, and  
ran after him.  
  

  Drake had just looked up from his newspaper at Anthony as he ran outside.  
"Drake stop him! He's running away like Brad!" Toshi yelled as he too ran out  
the door. Drake got up quicker than anything did, and before his dust had  
risen, he was out the door.  
Anthony was good with animals, but he was fast too, however, he was not faster  
than an adult was, like his Uncle Drake.  
Anthony took advantage of being out of the door first, and ran around the back  
of the house whilst Drake and Toshi looked for him out front. He knew he had to  
get away quickly, and an idea came to him fast.  
"Kae-oos!"  
  
"Toshi, look around back, he may've gone into the HavenWood Forest!" Drake said  
quickly. Toshi nodded and went around back. Just as he was about to round the  
corner, a blur of green and white ran past him. As Toshi fell to the grassy  
ground, he knew what Anthony had done.  
"Drake! He's riding a Kholna!" Toshi bellowed. Just as Drake heard that, he saw  
Anthony and his bird-like Kholna steed, that looked almost like a blur of green  
and white.  
"Damn it" Drake swore silently. He knew that particular Kholna was one of  
Anthony's friends and was one of the fastest and smallest riding creatures he'd  
ever seen. And it was only a young Kholna too.  
Toshi came around the corner again, and was about to run after Anthony.  
However, Drake stopped him.  
"We can't catch him, but something I have can" Drake smirked. He whistled, and  
from somewhere came a roar that sounded like... a Dragyn!  
From over the clearing in the woods just west of the Sear house, came the flaps  
of leathery wings. A moment later, a horse-sized Dragyn landed not but a few  
feet from them. Toshi was astounded.  
"I'll help you on, but we've got to be quick" Drake hoisted Toshi from the  
ground onto the Dragyn and climbed on as well. He made some clicking noises and  
said loudly but nicely, "To the skies Elkira!"  
  

  Anthony was already down his house's hill, past Kalo, and making his way toward  
the cliffs of the Virgin's Peak. He could turn around and head back those five  
kilos to home, but he didn't want to. He was only half a kilo away from the  
cliffs where he would contemplate. Contemplate his fate.  
And not but a few minutes later, he reached the outcropping of the area, the  
Virgin's Peak, aptly named for its history about a virgin maiden who waited  
among the cliffs, waiting for something that only she knew about.  
"You'll have to stay here, Katey" Anthony said to his Kholna friend as he  
dismounted her. She simply ruffled her white feathers, and looked at him  
quietly. It was more than a friendship for them. He loved her, and she showed  
that in kind every day he played with her and rode her. She made a quiet  
squawking sound, nuzzled his cheek, and nipped his ear each time he got off of  
her.  
He smiled, and patted her on her beak, and promptly turned around. He sighed  
happily and sadly, and began his climb down to the plateau.  
  

  "That Kholna only has two legs like every other Kholna, but why is it so fast?"  
Drake wondered aloud. They were almost to Virgin's Peak, and saw Katey in the  
distance.  
"There's that Kholna!" Toshi yelled over the wind. Drake nodded and glided in  
for a dusty landing next to the Kholna. Drake got off then helped Toshi down,  
and searched for Anthony.  
Katey squawked loudly, showing her disapproval of Elkira's landing, and began to  
ruffle her feathers yet again to get the dirt and dust off of her. Elkira was  
taken aback by Katey's display of disapproval, and so lowed with a gurgle-like  
growl then snorted once to show her status as a more dominant species. At this,  
Katey clucked and turned away, only to scuff dirt at Elkira. Elkira roared  
quietly, and was about to pounce on the little Kholna.  
"Knock it off you two" Drake said not looking back.  
Katey simply blinked and looked at Drake briefly, while Elkira sat on her  
haunches with a 'thud'.  
  
"I could end it all right now, and be with my parents again in the Celestial  
Realm" Anthony thought. He had found a cliff that looked like a good place to  
decide his fate, and was pondering his fate. "Nobody would really miss me...  
Uncle Drake rarely sees me as is, Brad's gone, mom and dad aren't... alive  
anymore."  
  

  "Anthony!" Drake called out. No sounds of a reply came, but only the sound of  
the seaside wind could be heard. Toshi called out as well.  
"Anthony, where are you buddy?" He shouted. No reply came for him either.  
He looked sadly at Drake, who looked down at Toshi as if he knew something  
wasn't right.  
"I know what you're thinking Toshi, he's still alive" Drake said comfortingly.  
  
"What would Toshi think? Would he care?" Anthony thought, now crying. "No one  
else would miss me besides him, and he alone isn't a reason enough to stay  
alive."  
He stood up and leaned against the rocks, and thought about his parents. Then  
he thought about his friends, both animal and human. His vision blurred with  
tears, and he wiped his eyes.  
"Sure they'd miss me, but they'll die of age before I do" Anthony thought, now  
sobbing.  
"Animals don't how to take their own lives, so if I continue, I can wait for  
them in the Celestial Realm..." he reasoned, and standing away from the rock.  
He began to walk, then jog, and finally run toward the cliff. His tears  
streaming down his cheeks and behind him.  
"... And I can guide them to the Celestial Realm when they die" he thought  
happily, his feat pounding on the dirt. "All I have to do is jump!" He jumped  
five feet before the edge of the cliff.  
  

  Drake and Toshi heard Anthony's sobs, and got to the plateau too late... Anthony  
was flying through the air toward the sea.  
"Anthony! No!" screamed both Toshi and Drake.  
  
Anthony was enthralled. He didn't hear the yells, as he was oblivious to the  
sound of their sorrow.  
"The wind feels so wonderful," he thought. He smiled as he drew closer from the  
edge. "It feels just like in my dreams!"  
In his dreams, he had a sword in his hand, and shield in the other, and he was  
flying in the night sky, high above a tall castle with a few turrets and towers.  
He felt the wings coming from him pulling him away into the air, away from the  
ground.  
  
Everything felt like it was happening in slow motion to Anthony.  
But then he fell toward the ground, and landed on his stomach.  
He could've sworn he felt something grab or hit his legs.  
His hearing returned to him as he no longer in the moment of happiness.  
He heard his moans of pain and someone else's moans as well.  
  
"Toshi, look it" Drake breathed. Toshi had sunk to his knees and began to cry  
as well. But he heard that, and cautiously looked back up.  
  

  "Ow..." Anthony cried out. He propped himself up on his elbows, and turned his  
head towards the direction of the moans that weren't his.  
Lying on its back was a small child about his age with blue hair. Its head was  
turned to the side.  
  
  
[In the next Chapter of IoR: Fate and recovery.]

Source: https://sofurry.com/s/YnLR0Vpe
Part of the series Mondias Tales
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