[ Chapter 7 ] Recover

Hearts and Anathea walk out of the goblin cave, the sun beaming in their eyes. It had only been about 2 hours since they´d entered. The two kidnappees follow behind them. Walking back towards the City of Staya, the atmosphere was tranquil. Even though the two women didn´t see what happened they knew from their quiet, soon after they reached the city gates.

[ Anathea ] ¨Guards, we found 2 kidnapped from the goblin cave up in the mountains.¨

The guards come to the two women's side to guide them into the city. One towards rehabilitation and one towards a care center. Hearts and Anathea make their way to report their job done. The tension between them is mute. Reaching the adventurers' guild, they both make their way to the female clerk at the reporting stand. The name tag of the woman is Ceres.

[ Ceres ] ¨Hello! What mission would you like to… report done?¨

Ceres sees the tranquil and guilty look on both of their faces. Anathea takes out the paper that had the job they had done. Anathea with a depressed tone.

[ Anathea ] ¨We´ve come to report this mission done. We cleared out the goblin cave.¨

Ceres takes the paper, getting the coins out.

[ Ceres ] ¨I saw earlier today… weren´t there… 3 others?¨

[ Hearts ] ¨They´re dead… 2 killed… and the other…¨

Ceres eyes show remorse, she continues to get the correct amount of coins.

[ Ceres ] ¨Those three are dead… It hasn´t been that long since they´ve become adventurers.¨

Ceres finishes getting the reward amount of coins. She puts it on a tray, giving it to them with a forced smile.

[ Ceres ] ¨That´s sad but… hey… gotta keep going right. Live on for them.¨

Hearts and Anathea take their reward of 3 silver coins with 30 bronze coins.

[ Ceres ] ¨Since… the other three aren´t here no more… I´m required to give you both the rest of their earnings.¨

Ceres puts 9 silver coins and 90 bronze coins on the tray.

[ Hearts ] ¨I´ll take 4 silver coins, Ana. You need it more than me.¨

Hearts take her portion of the money, and Anathea reaches out to get her half.

[ Anathea ] ¨This feels… wrong.¨

Anathea takes the money and walks out of the guild. She is looking for a place to rest by herself. She walks around for a bit and finds the same bench she sat at when she first arrived. Anathea goes and takes a seat.

[ Anathea ] ¨What happened… today. So much happened…¨

Anathea stares at the sky, a red-orange color as the sun begins to set. She slouches a bit on the bench.

[ Anathea ] ¨What the fuck went wrong…¨

As Anathea loses herself in thought staring at the sky, Hearts sits next to her.

[ Hearts ] ¨Quite the day… yeah?¨

[ Anathea ] ¨Aren´t you sad?¨

Hearts hesitates for a moment then answers.

[ Hearts ] ¨Sad? I don´t know how to feel… Those three were such great people, we only got to know them today… But, I feel like… I kinda lost a part of me.¨

[ Anathea ] ¨I barely got to know them… why… did Pin kill himself?¨

Hearts looks down at the ground.

[ Hearts ] ¨I don´t know… nor will we know.¨

Anathea curls up on the bench, hugging her knees.

[ Anathea ] ¨Why did this happen…?¨

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[ Hearts ] ¨I- I don´t know.¨

As they both sit there in silence, footsteps are heard coming towards them. The shade shows the woman Anathea saved, she now wearing simple clothes and holding the coat Ana had given her. She approaches both of them.

[ Captured Woman ] ¨Anathea… right? I came to return your coat. I never told you my name. I´m Nora.¨

Nora hands her the coat Ana gave to her, it was clean and folded up.

[ Nora ] ¨I just wanted to thank you guys… for saving me. If it wasn´t for you… I´d probably be dead or worse.¨

Anathea takes her coat back, and Nora stands in front of both of them.

[ Anathea ] ¨There´s no need to thank us.¨

[ Hearts ] ¨Yeah, it was part of our mission to do so.¨

Nora bows to them.

[ Nora ] ¨Still… I just need to thank you…¨

Nora stands up straight.

[ Nora ] ¨I´m sorry about Pin… I wish I could thank him also.¨

Nora points over to an Inn.

[ Nora ] ¨If you guys are interested… my father owns that inn… I can ask if you guys want, my father can give you both a discount. It´s my way to thank you guys.¨

[ Anathea ] ¨Oh, I would appreciate that yes. I´ll come in a bit.¨

[ Hearts ] ¨Same here.¨

Nora says goodbye and walks off back to the inn. It goes back to silence with both of the two sitting there. Hearts decides to break the silence.

[ Hearts ] ¨I lost my grandpa.¨

Anathea looks at Hearts then looks back down.

[ Anathea ] ¨I´m sorry to hear that.¨

[ Hearts ] ¨Well… he wasn´t my grandpa per se but he felt like it to me. From what I can remember, I lost my parents when I was young. I don´t even remember what they look like. I was an orphan, not knowing what to do. Till one day, he found me. Grandpa took me in, cared for me, nurtured me, taught me martial arts, and helped me get my Will stronger.¨

Anathea listens to her story.

[ Anathea ] ¨He must have meant a lot to you.¨

[ Hearts ] ¨He made me who I am. Turned a lost girl like me and gave her life. I owe him my life. I still remember the day I came back home those years ago.¨

Hearts in her mind remember the scene. Young Hearts was around 13. The day was raining as Hearts was coming home after getting crops. The home was in a forest of some kind.

[ Young Hearts ] ¨Grandpa! I´m back!¨

Young Hearts opens the door, and Grandpa walks to Young Hearts. Grandpa had many wrinkles, wearing simple clothes resembling Chinese sifu´s, and had white hair due to age.

[ Grandpa ] ¨Glad to see you back young one.¨

Young Hearts goes to hug Grandpa.

[ Young Hearts ] ¨I wanna eat!¨

Grandpa rubs the head of Young Hearts.

[ Grandpa ] ¨Sodana, it´s about time to eat. Did you make sure you weren´t followed?

Remember these woods are prone to monsters.¨

Young Hearts smiles, running into the open outside their house making a good distance between them.

[ Young Hearts ] ¨Of course, Grandpa, I made sure no monster followed me. See!¨

Young Hearts laughs in the rain. Grandpa looks at Young Hearts giving a soft smile.

[ Grandpa ] ¨Sokka, then let´s go make something to eat.¨

Young Hearts begins to move back to their house, skipping happily.

[ Young Hearts ] ¨Okay! I can´t wai-¨

Time seems to slow down, as what appears behind Young Hearts' next second is a giant wolf. It was a White Fang, an all-white wolf. It appeared behind Young Hearts in what seemed to be a blink of an eye. The wolf swings its paw towards Young Hearts. Right as the wolf paw is about to strike Young Hearts, the wolf is blown away the next millisecond. All that was heard was a loud sonic boom.

[ Grandpa ] ¨Don´t touch her.¨

Grandpa stands there his arm extended out with some smoke coming from his fist. The clothes on his right arm dissipated showing the muscles of Grandpa. Hearts fall downs on her butt behind Grandpa. The wolf gets back from the strike, growling and showing its teeth.

[ Young Hearts ] ¨Grandpa…¨

[ Grandpa ] ¨Seemed like you were followed Hearts, you still have much to learn.¨

The wolf howls running at them zigzagging then jumping opening its jaw to bite Grandpa.

[ Grandpa ] ¨Will of Martial, Soaring Fist.¨

Grandpa pulls his arm back, tensing it, then punching the air. An air beam flies out as he punches going right through the wolf, leaving a giant hole in its face, killing it.

[ Grandpa ] ¨Next lesson. Don´t think, Feel.¨

Grandpa walks back into their house. Back to reality, Anathea looks over to Hearts.

[ Anathea ] ¨How did he die?¨

[ Hearts ] ¨During the night of that day…¨

The scene plays in her head again. Young Hearts wakes up in the middle of the night, she gets up from her bed walking.

[ Young Hearts ] ¨So thirsty…¨

Young Hearts walks outside getting a drink from the well outside their house. Young Hearts looks over to the side seeing Grandpa, looking into the moon and sitting down.

Young Hearts approaches him.

[ Young Hearts ] ¨What are you doing Grandpa?¨

[ Grandpa ] ¨Nothing young one.¨

Hearts sits down next to Grandpa close, she leans on his arm.

[ Grandpa ] ¨Young one… you´ve been such a great girl. I hope one day when you go on your adventure you go on an amazing one.¨

Hearts falls nearly asleep on his side.

[ Grandpa ] ¨Promise me… young Hearts… that you´ll live your life being yourself, following your dreams.¨

Hearts falls asleep on his side.

[ Grandpa ] ¨Even if this old man isn´t by your side, continue to be happy.¨

Grandpa stares into the moon one more time before he closes his eyes. Back to reality.

[ Anathea ] ¨What happened?¨

[ Hearts ] ¨When I woke up… he passed away. He was… smiling, holding onto me.¨

Anathea looks down at the floor.

[ Anathea ] ¨I´m sorry for your loss.¨

[ Hearts ] ¨Don´t be, I´ve already mourned long enough.¨

Hearts stands up from the bench.

[ Hearts ] ¨The moral of what I'm getting to here is, don´t let this stop us. Let´s continue going, for our sakes, and their sake. I´m sure if Pin was here, he would cheer us up.¨

Hearts extends her hand to Anathea looking for her response. Anathea takes her hand back.

[ Anathea ] ¨Right. Let´s continue being adventurers.¨

Anathea gets pulled up from the bench. She puts back on her coat. Hearts gives Ana a content smile. Now night time from their talk.

[ Hearts ] ¨Where to now?¨

[ Anathea ] ¨The inn.¨

Anathea and Hearts walk together to the inn that Nora mentioned to them, ready and prepared for their next action. They walk over to the inn, and as Anathea opens the door they see a simple yet warm atmosphere.

[ Hearts ] In her mind "I miss you Grandpa Donnie Lee."