Arc 6. A seemingly endless loss
Road to a Hero:
Three Chances in Another World
Chapter 1. And Thus the second half of their journey begins.
In an entirely different world, in a place thought to be walled off together, a family sits on a couch, each crying with a picture of their seemingly dead son. A mother with shoulder-length brown hair, circular glasses, and blue eyes holds her tall, muscular, short brown-haired husband, who is trying his hardest to hold back his tears. On their television they watch a man on the news talk about their lost son, and how the family had officially come to the understanding that their son was gone forever.
Newsman: “Sadly, we end today’s news with a grim story. One year ago today, the seventeen-year-old high school junior Conner Gray Kyojin, went missing. After going on a late-night grocery run for himself and his family, he got caught in a nasty storm. And sadly, he never came home. A few days ago the parents, Lilly and William Kyojin had a funeral for the lost boy...an utter tragedy. I think we all can wish the family good health, and hope that things can get better for them. And if young Conner is still out there, we hope he’s doing the best he can.”
Meanwhile, across the universe, in an entirely different plain of existence, Gray suffers his most recent loss. A loss of willpower, mind, and strength, right in the dining room of his house. Gray lies on the floor, having toppled over in his chair. With rage, loss, and discontent in his mind, all he can do is scream.
Gray: “DAMMIT!”
Gray stands up, puts his chair back, and sits down. He stares directly at the assailant who had caused him this monumental loss. Soku starts laughing while Gray resets the cause of his loss, standard checkers.
Soku: “Mph, you just get worse every game.”
In the seven months since the taking back of Walgonia, Gray and his friends have lived relatively peacefully. Looking older and growing stronger. Julius went back to Valatrocitus, Leo left off to the sea, Gordon had continued running the country, Lincoln had been running the Leviathan army, and Ryo had been assisting Gordon, while also visiting Gray in his astral form to train him on Saturdays. Gray gets up from his chair, messing with his shoulder-length brown hair, hair that looks almost exactly like his mother's, which he's chosen to keep in a half bun as his main hair style, unlike his original messy side part to the left.
Gray: “I feel like I have to be doing’ somethin' today…what are the others doing?”
Soku thinks to herself for a second, stroking her green hair. Since her hair had gotten burned off by Arthur when Ophilea passed, she has been letting it grow out, now finally being able to touch her back, but if she wants to get it as long as it was before, hair that was so long it touched her knees, it’ll take a while. She has also been using Ophilea’s red hairpin to keep her hair out of her face, instead of the front bit, as advised by Rosemary, she even lets it cover her right eye, swooping up into the hair clip above her left one.
Soku: “Rosemary’s trying fixing the water heater…and Edward’s getting a few parts for her in down in Getty village on Dema, so he’ll be back in a bit.”
Gray: “Dang, you think Peter would help her with the….PETER!”
And right then, Gray suddenly realizes he has completely forgotten about a promise he had made to Lincoln.
Gray: “I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT THE PROMISE I MADE TO LINCOLN!”
Gray runs as fast as he can around the house, trying to find his armor.
Soku: “What are you doing? What promise?”
Gray: “I SAID I WOULD HELP HIM SCARE THE NEW RECRUITS! AND PETER’S A PART OF THAT GROUP! LINCOLN’S GONNA KILL ME!”
Gray gathers all of his armor begins putting it on and puts his hair into a bun.
Gray: “Shit! Where’s the cloak!”
Soku: “Aren’t you wearing it?”
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Gray looks down at his neck, feeling stupid as he realizes he has forgotten about the fact he always wears the necklace that holds the cursed charm, the cursed charm that holds the cloak of darkness inside.
Gray: “THANKS!”
Gray is about to blast out of the door, then stops in his tracks.
Gray: “Oh, you wanna come!?”
Soku looks Gray in his eyes, completely serious. No joking, feeling like Gray had either forgotten about something or didn’t care. Gray realizes this, feeling terrible about it.
Gray: “Oh…yeah forgot, sorry, it’s only been a month or so right? Sorry again, I blanked for a second…I GOTTA GO!”
A bit up the mountain, struggling through the thick snow, a group of kids, about ten and twelve, is led by Lincoln, and embarrassingly, Peter struggles to keep up.
Lincoln: “PETER! IF YOU DON’T GET YOUR SORRY ASS RIGHT UP HERE TO THE FRONT, EVERYONE’S GONNA HAVE TO DO ANOTHER FIFTY PUSH-UPS ALONG WITH THE TWO-MILE RUN!”
All the kids groan and moan, yelling at him to keep up. Peter tries to speed up, but he’s out of breath, tired, and about to collapse from the exercise.
Peter: “I’M…SORRY…I…AM TRYING!”
Lincoln: “THERE AIN’T NO TRY! THERE’S ONLY DO AND DIDN’T DO, AND YOU AIN’T DOIN’ IT ARE YAH!”
Lincoln suddenly stops, looking around to find nothing. All the other kids fall over due to the sudden stop, giving Peter a second chance to catch up, and then to copy them to feel the cold snow on his hot and sweaty body.
Peter: “Why…we…stoppin’?”
Lincoln: “Ugh…never mind, I’ll kill him for lying’. Okay, run’s over, we’re goin’ back, you guys meet me there.
Lincoln dashes off, leaving everyone behind to catch up. Peter and the other kids get up, turning around to find a few of them missing. The kids begin calling out for their friend, “Larry! Come on!” “Don’t make Commander Lincoln kill us!”.
They hear a loud noise coming from the woods, taking all of their attention. Then once Peter turns around again, another few kids get taken. Peter falls into panic, completely afraid and unaware of what to do. A black tendril emerges from the woods, grabbing another one of the kids, then another, leaving Peter and the three youngest boys to fend for themselves. A figure cloaked in thick black goo drops down from the trees, terrifying the boys even more. The three boys all take out their wooden practice swords and rush the monster, swinging wildly. The dark monster easily moves out of the way, grabbing them by the leg and tossing them back. Peter, completely alone, freezes. He takes a deep breath, gets up, takes out his practice sword, and in the moment of truth, runs for his life screaming for help. The monster sighs, snatches him by the leg, and drags him in. Peter tries to save himself, but with nothing but snow to grab into, he’s done. Peter gets face to face with the monster, awaiting his death, but is met with chuckling. All the kids begin walking back to them, all hurt and confused. The black goo is sucked into the monster, realizing the identity of the strange beast to just be Gray, having coated himself in a thick layer of the cloak. Peter, now embarrassed, just like all the other kids, throws snow in Gray’s face.
Gray: “Sorry, sorry. Hehe…not my idea.”
Gray turns his head to Lincoln, who was watching the entire time.
Lincoln: “Alright! You all did okay I guess, but you failed to think of a strategy for children. You did your job, but as warriors in training, you’re very disappointing. let’s walk back. I’ll just end today's training now.”
As begin walking back to Greenvale, Gray jogs up to Lincoln, trying to apologize for being late.
Gray: “Look, I lost track of time…I’m so sorry. Soku wasn’t here at practice so I assumed it was a day off, I completely forgot! Can you ever forgive me?”
Lincoln: “You showed up.”
Gray takes a sigh of relief but realizes far too late that doing that was the wrong thing to do.
Lincoln: “BUT YOU WERE STILL LATE! AND YOU’RE TERRIBLE AT SLEATH, I COULD HEAR YOU COMING FROM A MILE AWAY! Stepping on sticks, shaking the trees, walking through bushes!? YOU SUCK! Now you gotta train twice as long tomorrow. Hehe.”
Gray drops to the ground, screaming out at the bright blue sky.
Gray: “NOOOOO!”
Gray gets back up and waits, choosing to walk beside Peter instead.
Peter: “Hey Gray is Edward back yet? I need a part from him to finish our project.”
Gray: “He should be back when we get to the house. Rosemary’s been waiting on that part for like thirty minutes.”
Peter pauses, staring at his feet.
Peter: “Has um…Soku said anything?”
Gray: “Look dude, I don’t wanna mettle with your guy’s choices. What happened, which was your fault by the way, gotta be clear about that, resulting in the only thing it could have dude.”
Gray gives Peter a stern look, but it’s mixed with a look of understanding as well.
Gray: “You just gotta grow past stuff like this man.”
Peter: “I’ve been told you did the same thing as me!”
Gray: “Those dirty… whatever. Yeah, I’ve lost my temper, and yeah I’ve made terrible mistakes because of it, pretty embarrassing ones, but I’ve grown from it, or at least I wanna think I did. Let’s stop talking about this, and get back to the house.”
They spend the rest of the walk in silence, an unusual thing for these two individuals in particular. Once they get back home, Soku pays no mind to Peter, which makes him feel bad. Gray says hi to her, and walks downstairs with Peter, to a small basement that holds all the things they use to clean and wash their clothes. Rosemary sits down writing in an old book, feeling embarrassed once she notices Gray and Peter near her. She gasps, sets the book down, and flicks Gray’s forehead.
Gray: “Sorry, sorry! How’s it coming along?”
Rosemary: “I’m about to be finished, but Edward still isn’t -”
Rosemary gets cut off by the sound of the front door opening. Though it’s muffled, they can hear Soku greeting Edward.
Edward: “GUYS, GET UP HERE!”
They all run back upstairs, meeting Edward in the dining room.
Gray: “Yeah, what is it?”
Edward: “When I was buying the part, I was told some mail was delivered a week late.”
Gray: “Why?”
Peter: “Oh, mail gets sent down there by the Capital. It’s so they don’t find us, though it’s only sent on Mondays, today’s a Saturday.”
Edward unfolds a letter and begins to read it out loud.
Edward: “Guys listen to this. “Hello, we have formally invited the Heroes of Walgonia to watch the unveiling of Valatrocitus’ new grand railway on November thirtieth. We would also enjoy it if they came to the New Year's event in Constal, to celebrate their saving of Walgonia. We will hold the Valatrocitus gate open for twenty-four hours, so make it there at least one day before the railway opening. We wish them luck - Julius and Cornelius Cromwell.”
Peter: “The Holy City!? THE HOLY LAND!? THEEEEE CONSTAL!?”
Rosemary: “THIS IMPORTANT OF A LETTER WAS SENT A WEEK LATE!?"
Everyone other than Gray is left star-struck, completely entranced by the idea.
Gray: “I’ve been here a year, and yet I still gotta ask, what the hell is Constal ?”
Rosemary: “It’s the most wondrous city in the world! Walgonia doesn't have any tourist attractions, but Constal is THE attraction of not only Valatrocitus but of the entire content of Saga! It's a big trading hub, a constant party! It's beautiful, but you're only allowed in if you have reason to be there, so it's kinda closed off. But you can pay to get in with a hefty fee.”
Soku: “Finally! Something cool we can do. Finally time we got a reward.”
Gray: “Welp, seems like we gotta gooooo, NOW!…SO WE’RE GOIN'' TO VALATROCITUS!”
End of Chapter One