Chapter 17

“I’m sorry but I’m still thinking of the right words to say.” Lee broke the silence as he and Ace sat watching Ise reconnect Evan’s left and right halves.

“A ‘thank you’ would be a nice start.” Ace said with a smile.

“Well, that goes without saying. You saved my life.” Lee smiled back.

“I don’t know when we decided gratitude goes without saying, I must’ve missed that meeting.” Ace said teasingly.

“Oh yeah, it was a long, boring meeting. We didn’t really get anything done; you didn’t miss much.” Lee teased back.

“For real though, thank you Ace. I would be on my knees, bowing my head in gratitude if I wasn’t still in deep pain.” Lee laughed then clutched his side.

“I’m just surprised you actually called out for help. We haven’t known each other that long, but I can tell you’re insecure about your shortcomings. You’re smart enough to recognize them, but I pegged you as too proud to really admit them like that. Begging and screaming for help, knowing you can’t do anything. That takes a lot of humility, and a lot of trust.” Ace looked towards Ise as she spoke. He had used a lot of energy today, but still had enough to heal Evan. She had succeeded in not killing anyone today.

“Ouch. I didn’t realize my insecurities were so obvious. Wording it that way makes it sound lamer than I thought. I think I knew I needed help sure, but I blame the begging on the brain damage.” Lee’s face turned red from embarrassment.

“Hm…...No, I think that was you at your most honest. If you really had soup for brains after that fight, you probably would’ve been screaming for Roku or your brother. But no, you were rational enough to yell for me & Ise since you knew we were the closest to you.” Ace smirked.

“Speaking of Roku. Do you think Roku and Ivory are okay? Should we go find them?” Lee tried to change the topic.

“Is that a rhetorical question? You made this plan knowing they’d be fine.” Ace had no doubt that things on their end went fine.

“Yeah…. I can’t even pretend to be worried about them.” Lee laughed.

Silence began again as the duo watched Ise mend Evan’s wounds. He had used a great deal of energy, so the healing was slower than normal. Everyone was hurt and exhausted, but they still would not let someone die.

“I should be thanking you to.” Ace broke the silence this time.

“Thanking me? For what?” Lee was taken aback by Ace’s words.

“Before I joined this group, before I met you…. I hated myself. I couldn’t control my power, I accidentally killed people every time I tried to help someone. No matter what I tried I just made things worse. I thought my power was a curse…..I was stuck with my lot in life and felt there was nothing I could do to change it…….I never thought I’d be able to change.” Ace voice quivered.

“But now, I’m in control. I can help people without killing anyone…...I’m not cursed. I was even relied upon. I was trusted to save the day without messing everything up…...That may not seem like much, but that’s everything to me.” Ace held her knees as she talked.

There was silence again as Lee tried to find the words to respond. A mix of emotions spread through him, gratitude, happiness, vulnerability, and more. But above all else, he felt guilt.

“I’m not worthy of your thanks. The truth is….I’ve been jealous of you. I’ve been struggling with my own inadequacy for a long time now. I’m never strong enough. I always come up short. I came here to get away and restart…….and because I knew things would be different here. People wouldn’t have access to the kind of training I had. I thought I’d go from the middle of the road to the top of the totem pole………I came here because I didn’t want to accept my own shortcomings.” Words poured out of Lee’s mouth.

“Then you came along. You were so strong without even trying to be. You were so powerful you could defeat anyone without even trying. I was so envious of that. I thought you were so lucky……I feel terrible for thinking that way now……. You were granted that strength for a reason. Because you’re stronger where it really counts, in here.” Lee pointed at Ace’s chest.

“………in my boob?” Ace asked, puzzled.

“No, in your heart! I’m saying you have a good heart!......You’re a good person, better than I could be.” Lee’s face grew redder than ever before.

“Oh…. that makes more sense.” Ace’s face also turned red.

Ise sat back on the ground and wiped the sweat off his brow. He was finished with healing Evan. Their long trial had come to its end, there was nothing left to do.

“……I still have a way to go before I make up for all the damage I’ve done. But for the first time in forever I feel okay about it. Even if you don’t accept it, I’ll thank you. We both still have a long path ahead of us, so let’s continue to grow together.” Ace’s voice was just above a whisper.

“Yeah……We’ll get stronger together.” The words barely came out of Lee’s mouth.

“It is done. We are finished. It is out of our hands now.” Ise said as he walked over to them.

As if on cue, the sound of feedback from a loudspeaker sounded throughout the forest.

“The trial is over! The last monsters have been slain. Any monsters that we may have missed will no longer count to your total.” Chief Cassidy’s voice bellowed out of the microphone.

“Ivory…Roku…. don’t let us down.” Lee clenched in anticipation.

“The team with the most points, and the winner of this years ‘Trial of the forest’ is………Shit ……The winner is team Ise.” Cassidy’s enthusiasm diminished as she delivered the news.

“We did it!” Lee shot up in celebration so fast that the blood didn’t rush to his brain fast enough.

The celebration was cut short as Lee passed out on the dirt. He was unconscious, but still triumphant.

***

“You’re feeling better? No long term effects?” The girl asked as the waves crashed on the beach.

“Yep, Ise said I should be fine. The damage was fresh enough that he was able to fix my brain without any long-term consequences.” Lee responded, kicking back in his chair.

“And your memory of the events?” The girl asked.

“A little shaky but I remember most of it. You don’t need to ask when you already know the answer” Lee sipped on an ice-cold drink as he finished speaking.

“Just as I remember it.” They were in Lee’s dreamscape again.

“You asked me not to read all your thoughts without permission, and I finally decided to listen.” The girl took a sip of her drink.

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“What brought on this sudden change I wonder? Is it that you realized this give and take has a lot more take and hardly any give?” Lee laughed hysterically.

“Oh, shut up. You can’t get drunk in your mind.” The drinks disappeared from Lee’s hands and side table.

“Of course you can. Haven’t you seen The Matrix? Whatever you believe in your mind comes true. If you haven’t seen it, I give you permission to watch it in my memories, it’s really good.” Lee tried to imagine another drink appearing in front of him but had no success.

“I said I wouldn’t be looking at your thoughts and memories anymore. Not because of any guilt or change in the give and take, but because I have confirmed that you are who I need for my plan. So, I need you to trust me.” The girl said, declining Lee’s offer to watch The Matrix.

“Huh, I didn’t expect that. Was my performance that exemplary?” Lee asked sarcastically.

“Shut it. Don’t make me change my mind on this. I can still make the nightly torture come back.” The girl rolled her eyes.

“You see, when you threaten someone like that it makes them not want to trust you. I appreciate all you’ve done so far, but I don’t even know your name. You can’t expect someone to trust you when you know everything about them and they know nothing about you. That’s the skew in the give and take.” Lee remarked.

“I see. I guess that does make sense. Trust is something that is earned, not bought. It was foolish to try and purchase it with hollow gestures and platitudes.” She spoke.

“Admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery.” Lee joked.

“Luci.” The girl said as she got up from her chair and walked towards the waves.

“Huh? What’s that?” Lee asked in confusion.

“My name. It’s Luci.” The girl smiled before snapping her fingers, ending the dream.

***

“What’re we in here for?” Roku asked as he stretched his arms. It was early in the morning, and Roku would rather still be sleeping.

“I already told you, Roku. The chief asked us to come here after our victory. That is all the detail we’ve been given.” Ise responded.

The group was waiting outside Chief Cassidy’s office door. It had been a week since they won the trial of the forest, and they had been given no news since. This appointment with the Chief was it.

“I think we’re here to get our prize. They did call it both a qualifier and a trial so there must be more to it.” Lee said enthusiastically.

“I wonder what it’ll be. It’s probably money, but that can’t be all. They wouldn’t call it a qualifier if it only qualified you for money.” Ace agreed with Lee.

“If it is money, I vote we divide it based on the number of monsters killed. Its only fair.” Ivory said.

“Well, then I deserve the most.” Roku said proudly.

“Hell no you don’t! I killed way more monsters than you!” Ivory yelled in protest.

“I killed an unkillable demon! That’s worth way more than whatever you killed.” Roku argued.

“If you killed it, then it clearly wasn’t unkillable.” Ivory laughed.

“Ahem! The chief is ready for you.” The guard loudly cleared his throat and slammed the handle of his axe on the ground to get the group’s attention.

“Wow. So dramatic. A simple ‘excuse me’ would’ve sufficed.” Lee said as the group followed him into Chief Cassidy’s office.

“There they are! My champions!” The chief stood up from her chair and happily greeted them.

“….Is she being sarcastic?” Ace quietly asked.

“I’m scared.” Lee responded.

“Is something wrong? Oh right, you’re not used to kindness.” Chief Cassidy rolled her eyes as she sat back in her chair.

“Apologies for their reaction, but it is as you said. We are used to a more…..harsh reaction to our presence.” Ise bowed.

“I know, forget it. I was right to be harsh to you in the past, just as I’m right to be kind to you now that you earned it.” The chief brushed off Ise.

“When you two dunces showed up at my doorstep, I had high hopes and expectations for you. Next time, don’t wait until I’ve already given up on you to live up to them.” Chief Cassidy said to Lee & Roku.

“If you’re so good at hunting and hiding in trees, why do you wear red?” Roku, who was paying no attention to the Chief, asked Ivory.

“I’m just glad we finally did. I don’t plan on letting you down anymore.” Lee continued the conversation as if Roku wasn’t there.

“I’m very impressed by all of your performances. I won’t go into detail, but my expectations have raised. So have the stakes.” The chief did the same and ignored Roku.

“Red? I’m not wearing red I’m wearing green.” Ivory was confused.

“As you’ve no doubt deduced, the trial obviously qualifies you for something. It decides the top team in the village, but there’s more beyond that. There’s a reason Evan was so desperate to hold onto his position at the top.” The chief explained.

“You don’t mean…..” Lee trailed off.

“That’s red. You’re wearing red. You were wearing it at the forest, and you are wearing it now. All of your clothes are red.” Roku spoke to Ivory like she was a toddler.

“Yes…..Evan was desperate to hold on to his position at the top because this years trial qualifies the team for an event. An event that hasn’t been held for many years. Not since a certain someone’s brother put up the greatest performance in the program’s history.” Lee’s face grew pale as Chief Cassidy explained the news.

“Lee……..What event is she talking about?” Ise asked.

“Ace, tell Roku he’s an idiot. This is green!” Ivory turned to Ace and pointed at her shirt.

“No, that’s red. You’re colorblind. What kind of event is this?” Ace brushed Ivory off so she could listen to the chief.

“The Tournament of Champions….I thought they stopped that. No one wanted to face Diran again after ‘the incident’. Why would they bring it back now?” Lee asked in desperation.

Chief Cassidy pointed a finger at Lee, before turning and pointing at Roku as well.

“Because you two left. Diran was so dominant that the higher-ups saw no point in continuing the costly tournament series. But now he has a chink in his armor. He lost you two. Diran may very well be as invincible as the rumors say, but now his team might not be. People are ready to try against him again, and the higher-ups want to see if it really is just Diran’s power that makes his team unbeatable.” Cassidy smiled as she explained the news.

“No! I can’t be colorblind! You’ve gotta be kidding me!” Ivory fell to her knees as she heard the news.

“What is this? I didn’t think contact between the plateaus and villages was happening. Are we going to have to fight Lee’s brother?” Ace asked.

“Possibly, but also maybe not. It is a tournament. That means there will be many other teams. We may not have to face Lee’s brother until the finals……What we should really be worrying about, is why they want us to enter the tournament.” Ise said sternly.

“Yes, there is of course something in it for me. Funding is given to a village or plateau based on how well their team does. If you do well enough, it’ll change the lives of everyone living here. If you beat Diran’s team, it will change everything!” Cassidy pounded on her desk to emphasize the gravity of the situation.

“Ha! You’re colorblind and don’t even know it!” Roku was laughing at Ivory’s pain.

“I’m not sure about this guys……. I have a bad feeling.” Ise rubbed his chin as he thought.

“It could be good. It could be the perfect opportunity to fight people strong enough to force us to grow.” Ace pointed out.

“We’ll need some time to think. I do not want to just jump into-”

“We’ll do it! We’re in! We have to do it!” I interrupted Ise.

This is my chance! The odds have never been better! I’ve grown stronger, Roku’s grown stronger, and we have Ace now! This may be the only chance I get, I have to take it.

I wasn’t a part of Diran’s team last time. The tournament was while I was injured in the hospital. But this time, everything is pointing in our favor.

Diran and I have never seriously fought, he’s bound to go easy on me. I can capitalize on that. I can’t run away from this. This is my only chance to finally prove myself! To finally beat Diran. I don’t even need to be the one to do it. If Roku can, if Ace can, then we’ll be on top! We’ll be the best!

No. I need to be the one to beat him. I need to be the one to take Diran down. It’s fate. It has to be fate. Diran’s influence followed me all the way here. Now it’s dragging me back in. It can’t be coincidence. This is fate.

“…….The tournament is in three months. If you are going to back out, please do it before then. I’m counting on you. And please come up with a proper team name by then.” The chief motioned for them to get out of her office before any more discussion could be had.

“Lee! Don’t be rash about this, we need to come to a decision as a team.” Ise scolded him.

“I know, I’m sorry. But I can’t turn this opportunity down. A chance to prove myself is being handed to me on a silver platter, I can’t turn this down.” Lee plead his case.

“What does everyone else think?” Ise asked the group.

“…. I’m in. I think we should do it. This is a great opportunity to grow and to improve the lives of everyone in the village.” Ace said.

“I’m in. I’ve been waiting for my chance to fight Diran again!” Roku enthusiastically agreed.

“Going to the plateau could be fun. Do they have things even cooler than guns? Wait! Don’t spoil it! I wanna find out on my own. I’m in!” Ivory agreed out of curiosity.

“If you all agree, I see no reason to disagree. We just need to take steps to be properly prepared. I’m in” Ise agreed.

It’s happening. We’re gonna face off against Diran…….I’m going to face off against Diran………Can I beat him? Can anyone?

Have I really improved? Have I really changed? Or am I the same person I’ve always been? When I see Diran again, will I still find myself in his shadow?

“….Diran……I’m not your side kick anymore.” I am not a side character anymore.

“Tournament arc, here we come!” I shouted triumphantly as we walked towards our house.

My life has changed a lot since coming here. I have changed a lot since coming here. I am no longer a side character. I will prove it.

“We’re gonna lose, aren’t we?” Ace whispered to Roku.

“Oh yeah, we’re totally gonna lose.” Roku whispered back loud enough for everyone to hear.

One last facepalm to end this arc, thanks Roku.

End of Volume 2