I hated waiting for things, but I understood that I could never earn my wings this easily. And the wonder was not something I could just use as a puppet. I felt horrible thinking of the words I said to them.

Yet again, Vercin's lessons sank me even lower. He taught me that humans were to be manipulated.

I've yet to completely break free.

When I woke up, I didn't want to get up, still feeling ashamed. I had to go and apologize to them, but just words would never be enough to show them I understood. I got out and walked back towards the main hall.

It was past midnight, for sure. No one was around anymore.

I grabbed my ATs from where I had dropped them. My resolution couldn't be broken by anything.

"Where are you going?"

I sighed. I knew who was behind me.

"To see Vercin."

"Why would you go see the enemy?"

I jumped, turning around, arms wide open.

"To declare myself as their enemy!"

"What's the point?"

"You wouldn't understand."

His eyes widened, as if someone just told him something.

I assumed Akito was talking to him.

I used this moment to immediately run towards the inn Vercin surely was at, before Agito could stop me.

I couldn't find Vercin inside the inn. The truck was there, though. And I heard Caesar's snoring.

'The lake.'

I sprinted towards the forest. At night, it was completely obscure, so I tried to remain in the air, leaving the obscurity below me. I wasn't able to maintain flight, though. I jumped back up as soon as I reached the ground. I felt like some kind of frog.

I made it to the lake's shore in a few minutes. I saw Vercin riding the waves along with various giant fish. He looked like he had healed up well.

As a gravity child, his recovery skills were beyond amazing.

I sprinted on the water towards his wave, and before he could notice me, I also lift up a large wave, covering him and his friends, drowning him in the lake.

Of course, he got up immediately.

"Echo. What are you doing?"

"Freeing myself."

I immediately jumped, and tried to make a wind slash with all my might.

The small wind blow I threw simply brushed through his hair.

Vercingetorix's smile dropped.

"One last time. What the hell are you doing, Echo? Why are you not using water to fight me?"

"This isn't my road!" I screamed my lungs out.

Vercingetorix was startled.

"I am not going to waste my life chasing a power I don't want, drowning in your shadow. This isn't my road, Orca."

He shivered. It was the first time I called him by his nickname.

"What did the sky do to you, Echo?"

His voice was cracking. I could notice tears.

Hell, I was tearing up too.

He jumped to me, reaching me in a split second, and covered me with his arms, tightly holding me.

"The water isn't a cage, you're not drowning in it, you can breathe within it, can't you? The deep water is a kingdom. Our kingdom. Let's go back now. Please."

My face was covered in tears.

"No, brother...the water is a cage, to me. I don't have the ability to make it a kingdom. I wasn't born like that.

I am sorry. I have to leave you. I must find my own road. I need to see where my kingdom lies."

He backed up, head down.

"You're not going anywhere."

Suddenly, the water I was standing on covered my ATs and pulled me in. I couldn't swim around at all. Vercingetorix created a water swirl that completely submerged my body, unable to move at all.

I wasn't quick enough to catch air. I was drowning.

'This is what you get for hoping for something you could never reach. Only disappointment and pain.'

Suddenly, the swirl around me faded, and as I was about to lose consciousness, someone pulled me back up.

I was lying in Vercin's arms. He looked at me, still crying.

I was gasping for air desperately, when I heard him mutter.

"Why did you drown?"

With all the strength I had left, I shouted, breathing heavily in between words:

"The water…is.. a cage. I am.. drowning in it.."

"But how? Even if it's not your road, you still should be able to ride on it!"

Then he remembered something important. I wasn't a gravity child.

He sighed, and rode to the shore.

He dropped me gently, then left. I could swear he said something, but I couldn't hear.

'I won.'

Forcing Vercin to admit I could no longer stay on his road was my way out of it.

I got up and went back to the temple.