Arc 5: The Heart Within
Road to a Hero:
Three chances in another world
Chapter 9. Slamming doors
Unknown voice: “We know your plans to attack our capital and we will not attack. Arthur doesn’t know your plans and we will not inform him.”
Gordon: “Why won’t you!?”
Unknown voice: “He has disgraced our values. He only wants power.”
Gray: “And what if I don’t fight him!?”
Unknown voice: “Then hell will break loose. The four pillars were able to kill Kioshi, the strongest human alive. And then they killed Musashi, the world's greatest swordsman, on the same day. So what will happen to all the people who can’t fight? And what will happen to you, weaklings?”
Julius stands up and walks over to Ryo, talking right to the man behind the communication.
Julius: “You said “they” so I can assume you aren't one of the pillars then. How can we confirm what you are saying is the truth?”
Unknown voice: “I’ll let you speak with the leader himself.”
Rosemary: “We’re going to speak with Prometheus right?”
Edward: “If he’s the leader, then yeah it should be that monster.”
They hear another voice begin to speak. But it’s not the same voice they heard back at the castle in Walgonia, it’s the voice of an old man. It’s deep and sounds as if the man’s struggling to speak, or even breathe at all.”
Gordon: “Is this Prometheus?”
Prometheus: “This…is…him…”
Gray: “THe hell happened to you, you sound like you’re dying.”
Prometheus: “That is not of concern…but…what my friend…here is saying….is true…Gray Kyojin and his…closest friends must…be the ones to slay…Arthur….because….they must take…revenge on the man…that….killed….Ophelia…and Julius’ brothers right?”
Soku: “I would love to get the son of a bitch killed.”
Prometheus: “And…I knew…you would…child…so I will allow for you to…try and take back…your country…but we will resist…and you…will see…somebody very close to you…”
The communicator vanishes right in front of their eyes.
Peter: “NOOO! WE NEEDED THAT!”
Jong: “Who’s this person very close to you?”
Gray: “I don’t know.”
Ryo: “I might have an idea…but it’s far-fetched.”
Jong: “SPIT IT OUT, MAN!”
Gordon: “If you know anything, you have to say something.”
Ryo takes a deep breath and proclaims his idea.
Ryo: “It could be Musashi.”
Edward grabs Ryo by the collar. Screaming with anger right in the face of a god of war.
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Edward: “THE HELL ARE YOU GETTING AT!? IF IT’S HIM…IF IT’S HIM WE HAVE TO SAVE HIM!”
Lincoln slaps Edward in the face, knocking him to the ground. Leo walks up and tries to hit Lincoln, but Lincoln catches his hand and flips him over.
Leo: “HE HAS EVERY RIGHT TO OVER REACT!”
Lincoln: “Shut up…SHUT UP GOD DAMMIT! ALL YOU’VE DONE FOR DAYS IS SCREAM, WHINE AND CRY IN MY GODDAMN EAR! AND I’M TIRED OF IT! I KNOW MUSASHI IS IMPORTANT TO HIM, BUT IF THERE IS ANY CHANCE, A ONE PERCENT CHANCE HE’S THERE IT’LL TAKE A LOT TO KILL HIM! I CAN’T BEAT HIM, RYO CAN’T, AND THE ONLY CHANCE WE HAVE IS IF RYO AND I ATTACK HIM TOGETHER! BUT THAT LEAVES OUR TROPES OPEN! I KNOW YOU HAVE A CONNECTION TO HIM EDWARD BUT YOU GOTTA MAN UP AND UNDERSTAND WHAT WE HAVE TO DO!”
Edward gets up and goes to walk outside, but before he leaves he tells Lincoln something.
Edward: “Do what you gotta do, but I want nothing to do with it. I’ll fight Arthur, but I’m not gonna help kill the last family member I have. And if he’s there, you better kill him.”
Edward slams the door behind him and everyone lets him leave to be by himself.
Gordon: “Dammit…we’ll let him cool off, he usually doesn't act like this.”
Leo: “He’s lost a lot in a short amount of time. If I tell him that a man who is his father is alive, and he’s going to take part in killing him…it’s gotta hurt. But some people don’t seem to be able to understand that.”
Lincoln: “You leave RIGHT NOW!”
Leo: “YOU DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO GOD DAMMIT!”
Lincoln: “I’M YOUR FATHER, YOU DO WHAT I SAY!”
Leo: “IF YOU WERE MY FATHER, YOU WOULD ACT LIKE IT!”
Leo storms off, leaving the tension in the room sour.
Gordon: “DAMMIT! CAN YOU STOP MESSING THINGS UP!”
Lincoln: “THEY’RE THE ONES ACTIN’ LIKE KIDS!”
Gray: “GOD DAMMIT SHUT THE FUCK UP, HOLY SHIT!”
Rosemary {Uh oh}
Rosemary grabs Soku and Peter's hands and leads them out of the room, only staying there herself to make sure Gray doesn't get hurt.
Gray: “FOR THE LOVE OF GOD STOP ARGUING! LINCOLN, YOU NEED TO STOP THIS SHIT WITH LEO RIGHT NOW!”
Lincoln: “WHO DO YOU THINK YOU’RE TALKING TO!?”
Gray: “I DON’T GIVE A SHIT WHO YOU ARE! WE HAVE GOT COUNTRY TO SAVE! I DON’T CARE IF YOUR SON IS MAD AT YOU FOR, Oh wait what did you do again? OH YEAH, YOU LEFT HIM AND HIS BROTHER TO FIGHT FOR YEARS WHILE YOU GOT DRUNK! YOU HAVE YOUR RIGHT TO TALK TO PEOPLE LIKE YOU DO!”
Lincoln goes to take another swing of his booze but Gray uses the cloak of darkness to grab the booze out of Lincoln's hand. Lincoln begins to walk up to Gray with a murderous look on his face.
Gray: “What wanna sink into your sorrows again?”
Lincoln: “I’m going to give you three seconds.”
Gray: “3, 2…gonna say it?”
Lincoln raises his hand and goes to hit Gray, but is stopped by Ryo, who grabs his hand.
Lincoln: “Now you wanna get in on this?”
Ryo: “If you wanted to keep your alcohol you would have easily moved your bottle, and yet you didn’t. I suggest you go and cool off.”
Lincoln: “Fine, whatever. Once we raid the capital, it’ll be my last battle. After that, I’m leaving forever.”
Lincoln walks out of the house, leaving the rest of them to deal with what has just gone down.
Gray: “Oh god damn it!”
Gray shakes his head and slumps to the ground. Soku walks up to Gray and punches him on the head.
Gray: “I deserved that…”
Soku: “YEAH YOU DO! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!”
Jong: “YEAH! You stood up to a god of war!”
Soku: “THIS ISN’T A GOOD THING!”
Gray: “Sorry…he’s an ass hole.”
Gordon: “An ass hole that is our best hope at beating one of the pillars…if they show up that is.”
Ryo: “I assume at least one of them will appear. But Gray, I think standing up to Lincoln was a brave move. May not have been the best move, but a brave one.”
Gordon: “The Sect has so much over us…it’s a fever dream to get ahead of them…this raid may be a death with now.”
Rosemary: “If only we had something…a person with some great connection, or knowledge.”
Gray: “I GOT IT!”
Soku: “Ugh…what now.”
Peter: “I trust 'em’. So what do you “got”?”
Gray gets into a mediation position and seeps into his mind.
Rosemary: “What’s he doing?”
Ryo: “Ingenious!”
Gray seeps into his mind, all the way into his OD. It takes him a bit but once he feels that he has arrived he opens his eyes to find himself in the shadow garden.
He stumbles around the black and foggy area, trying to find Azalea. He feels a hand on his shoulder, and he turns around to see Azalea Smiling at him.
Gray: “Your black hair…it’s got brown stands in it?”
Azalea: “It’s beginning to revert to its normal color, great right!”
Gray: “Yeah, it’s cool.”
Azalea: “Usually I call out for you, why are you here?”
Gray: “Can you take over my body?”
Azalea is taken aback by the request, giving Gray a rather confused look.
Azalea: “Really? Why?”
Gray: “So you can tell my friends anything that they could use against the Sect.”
Azalea: “Why don’t I just tell you and you tell them?”
Gray: “I guess I could but it would take longer, and I might mess it up.”
Azalea: “And you trust me enough to give you your body back?”
Gray: “Yep.”
Azalea: “REALLY!?”
Gray: “You gonna do it or not?”
Azalea: “YES I’LL DO IT! Shake my hand!”
Gray shakes Azalea's hand and watches as she disappears in front of him. His mind begins to rush in all directions as his body is forced to another location. He finds himself watching through his eyes back in Gordon's house like it’s a TV screen. Gray's physical body begins to alter slightly, and everyone watches as his eyes begin to turn completely black except for his pupils, which turn white. His voice changes as well, sounding almost completely like Azaleas.
Rosemary: “Gray?”
Azalea: “No, not quite.”
End of Chapter Nine