Arc 4: What families entail
Road to a Hero:
Three chances in another world
Chapter 17. The past and possibly the future.
Soku wanders into Peter's workshop. She walks in to see tables stacked with random scrap and gizmos. Magic crystals are everywhere, along with open books laid everywhere.
Soku {This place is a mess.}
Peter walks in behind her, scaring her.
Peter: “What ya doing in my workshop?”
Soku: “Looking around…did ya hear?”
Peter: “Of our loss…yeah…but I believe in Leo!”
Soku: “Why? What makes him so great? I know he’s strong, along with his family…but is that all you need to put trust in him?”
Peter: “For most people? Probably…but for me? It took me a bit…but I have faith.”
Soku: “But WHY…I don’t understand the want to protect all this…what makes you love your land so much…why go through all this when you can leave.”
Soku walks over to Peter's bed, lying face up.
Peter: “Look…you explain your past to me and I’ll explain my past to you seem fair?.”
Soku: “I haven’t told anyone anything about my past…not Rosemary, Edward…none of them. AND I ASKED FIRST!”
Peter: “Meh…don’t care.”
Soku: “UGH! Fine…but you won’t think less of my promise?”
Peter: “What’s so bad it’s gonna make me not like you?”
Soku: “I was a street rat…a thief.”’
Peter: “Well then…I think we have more in common than you think.”
Pete walks over to Soku, sitting on the bed right by her feet.
Soku: “Fine…I’ll go ahead.”
Peter: “Alright then.”
Soku: “To be honest I don’t remember much…I was told I had memory loss…I remember waking up in a house with my eye bandaged up, lying in a soft bed. I was all sore and sick…ugh this is so cringy.”
Peter: “What’s a cringy? And keep going.”
Soku: “Cringy is just a word I picked up from my friend…it means you feel awkward.”
Peter: “Ohh…keep going.”
Soku: “Well a nice demi-human woman came into the room and gave me some soup. I asked her what happened and she told me she found me all wounded laying on the street with nothing but this coat I’m wearing right now. She asked me for my age and I was able to tell her. I was about seven I think. She brought me downstairs and I met a young girl named Ophelia. She asked me if I knew my name…and I think that was the only thing I could remember I told her my name was Sokudo and she started calling me Soku…once they explained that they were thieves I knew I had to stay and help them with things to repay the debt for saving me.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Peter: “So you woke up nice?”
Soku: “Don’t interrupt or I’m leaving. I was helping around the house until one day I was reaching for a plate and wind blasted from my hand. It scared me at first but when mom told me about magic and the world around me I was excited! All I did was play with Ophelia and just mess around with my magic. I did that for a few years until one day mom got sick…and she didn’t make it.”
Peter: “Oh…I’m so sorry.”
Soku: “It’s whatever...after I tried to get a job, they either said no because I was an elf or a girl. After a while, I figured if Mom got by stealing, I could. I used her sailor's sword that I still have actually…and started pickpocketing. And if I had to fight or run I used my magic. I did that until I met Rosemary, and then my friend Gray. Then a whole bunch happened, I found the Sect, I met Musashi and Kioshi Van Helsing…I was in the knights’ exam and I was almost killed by the leaders of the Sect. Alright, now it’s your turn.”
Peter: “Alright…you went pretty fast with your story so Ima uses more detail.”
Soku: “Look, beggars can’t be choosers.”
Peter: “I know…I’m a Dark elf…but I didn’t live in the eastern continent with the rest of the elves or demi-humans. I was born right here in Athens fourteen years ago, to newly freed Dark elves. Athens was the second country to allow demi-humans and elves rights equal to humans so I got to live a normal life. My parents didn’t have any magic abilities so I didn’t…which sucks but they gave me different abilities.
Soku: “And those were?”
Peter: “My dad was a master blacksmith and he taught me how to smith. He was the Athens army's best blacksmith! My mom didn’t have that grand of a job though…she was a librarian and because of that I got a bunch of books right in my hands!”
Soku: “Sounds nice.”
Peter: “Well it was…until the queen got ill and died. When that happened Beauregard took charge and changed a bunch of the laws. I and a bunch of demi-humans lost most of our rights…my parents were the first to fight back… they and a bunch of other demi-humans fought back…they were the original Red Arrows. But they were killed by the guards…and this is when Leo took charge. He was loudly eminent about his hatred towards his brother's actions and when he heard the freedom fighters were struck down he took charge. I wanted nothing to do with it though…but without the ability to get a job legally due to the law changes, I had to resort to stealing and selling the stolen goods. Eventually, I used an old blacksmith shop and started making weapons…and once the Red Arrows got news of how good they were they shot after me and my skills. I told them no but they were so adamant that Leo showed up…and he told me of my parents' bravery, he gave me hope that I could help out…and I wanted to help…I still do!”
Peter looks at Soku, to find her sleeping soundly. Peter sighs, he puts a blanket on her and lays down on the floor trying to fall asleep as well.
Peter: “Actually now that I think about it we didn’t have that much in common! Oh well.”
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Meanwhile, Gray walks back to the cabin to get a snack.
Gray: “Hey Ryo you in here?”
Ryo: “Right here, I see you wanted a snack so I had one prepared.”
Gray: “NICE!”
Ryo: “I want to talk about your training with the cloak of darkness.”
Gray: “Do you think I’m ready?”
Ryo: “At the speed, you're progressing, you will be able to use it in no time.”
Gray: “Alright let’s get on it!”
Gray grabs the cursed charm, putting it around his neck. He feels his spirit is drained as if his emotions are being suppressed.
Gray: “I didn’t feel that the first time?”
Ryo: “It’s because you are becoming more in tune with your spirit. If you feel the change, you will be able to stop its effects.”
Gray: “Do you know how to use it?”
Ryo: “It should be as simple as moving your spirit.”
Gray: “Okay…calm down and focus.”
Gray activates his spiritual senses, his eyes go black leaving only his pupil to glow white.
Ryo: “Maybe we should go outside first.”
Gray: “Good point!”
They exist to the outside, the cold wind helping Gray concentrate. Gray feels the power inside of the charm, almost as if it’s alive. He finds it and keeps it in his mind, flowing the power outside of the charm.
Ryo: “Wonderful…”
The dark mana fades out of the charm, taking the form of the stretchy cloak.
Gray: “I did it…I got it out of its charm!”
Ryo: “Now…move it as you move your astral body.”
Gray: “Alright…move it…like flowing water…”
The cloak stretches and bends to Gray's will, slowly but surely.
Ryo: “We will work on this. We will now include practicing with the cloak in your routine.”
Gray: “Training my body…my senses…now the charm. It all flowed perfectly into each other… as you planned.”
Ryo: “I learned from my time fighting that a warrior's best ability is focus. You can’t do anything without it.”
Gray: “Power…content…emotion…the necessities. All my friends might need this…other than Edward.”
Ryo: “Edward Van Helsing?”
Gray: “Yeah…I don’t know how he learned that from Musashi. All Musashi taught me is how to use rage. By beating me until I got mad enough to not feel the pain of my attacks.”
Ryo: “The warriors' spirit…a gift given to people meant for battle. I was not given such an ability to soak in myself until I felt nothing but the want to win. I was blessed with feeling…the ability to feel the world around me better than most. I think you may have been gifted with both.”
Gray: “I don’t know about all that…I’m glad I’ve been up here with you…I've learned more about myself… I feel as if I’ve calmed down in a way…gotten more down to earth….to life. I think I know what I want to do when this is all done…for the first time in my life I know what I want.”
Ryo: “And what is that?”
Gray: “To be with my loved ones…back at Greenvale and live my life…farm maybe.”
Ryo: “That sounds wonderful.”
END OF: Chapter Seventeen.