"Son! Wake up!"
Ryuuto's eyes fluttered open, gazing up at the worried face of Emily Henderson, his mother and the High-Queen of Rustcottmo. Her worries faded slightly once she saw he was awake. "Oh, thank the Heavens you're alright! You tripped on a rock and slammed face first into the barrier!"
That explained the pain. Ryuuto rubbed his aching forehead before smiling at his mother. "Hey mom. Didn't mean to worry you. I just… wanted to watch you teach!"
Emily sighed, before smiling back. "Oh, I suppose you deserve a break from your studies. Come on, I'm helping the Integrity children today." She helped him up and led him out of the cottage that she used as a second home-away-from-home. Ryu watched with awe in his eyes as his mother's students performed gravity-defying feats with their Magic. Walking up walls, using magic-platforms as staircases, jumping hundreds of meters into the air… it was all just astonishing. He wished he could do things like that.
...Maybe he didn't have to just wish. His mother was distracted. He could give it a shot. He carefully raised a foot as he imagined a platform appearing under his feet and using his Soul to try and push that dream into reality. He watched in awe as a faint blue circular platform appeared under his raised foot, and he pushed against it experimentally. He grinned as he kept pushing onwards, climbing up into the air, experiencing the thrill of being high up in the sky before losing focus and falling.
Ryu awoke with a start, placing a hand over his chest and taking panicked, deep breaths to calm his racing heart. A mixture of fear and confusion in his eyes, unknowing of what to do in this situation. Again? This was twice he had dreams of Rustcottmo. This was a little too much for Ryu to handle at the moment, as he breathed in and out heavily.
His eyes then widened as he looked up to notice two familiar maids before him, fretting over him… in a relatively cautious manner, however. "Sir, sir, calm down. You're safe here." Ram said.
"Sir, sir, be at ease. No one can hurt you here." Rem stated. Ryu blankly stared at them for a single moment and then at his arm, noticing how bruised it was. Did something force him to reset? Did he die? No, dying should have sent him back to his original save, back at the dinner table. Something was up.
He eventually sighed deeply, looking up at Rem and Ram thankfully. "Right. Just a little startling dream. Thanks," Ryu muttered softly, watching the maids shift from mildly concerned to wary and cautious. 'Building up their trust will be a headache and a half… but the Underground prepared me for this, right?' Ryu thought determinedly. "Where exactly am I?" He asked the maids despite knowing where he was.
"You are in the House of Margrave Roswaal L. Mathers. Miss Emilia brought you here." Rem answered, before bowing slightly. "I'm Rem." Then she pointed to Ram. "And that is my sister, Ram."
"It's nice to meet you, Sir." The pink one also bowed slightly, as Ryu immediately waved around his hands in actual panic to try and stop what he saw as unnecessary bowing. He was more concerned about his friends bowing to him than anything, unlike the last timeline.
"No need to bow to me, I'm just another guy." They did stop, but only so they could counter his response.
"But you are a guest in House Mathers. It is our duty to show respect to those invited into our house." Rem and Ram said simultaneously, causing Ryu to be mildly uncomfortable with the current state of things.
"Well, since you're technically doing your jobs, I don't have the right to complain," He smiled weakly, before realizing he had to redo all his progress with teaching the others Soul Magic as well as his relationships. 'Great, more problems.' He thought in annoyance.
"And like you said, the Underground should have prepared you for this," Ryushi teasingly said, causing Ryu to mentally flip the Dark Spirit off. First, to ensure his strange circumstances didn't change things.
"Where's Emilia?" Ryu eventually asked the maids. "Is she doing alright?"
"Emilia-sama is doing well."
"Good enough for me, I suppose." Ryu muttered, placing his hand on his chest yet again, drawing out his soul and staring at it. Not only to get the subject of souls and Soul Magic back into this timeline, but to also ensure his… death(?) didn't cause harm to his soul. Which seemed to not be a problem, thankfully. His soul seemed to be perfectly healthy.
"That object in your hand. What exactly is it?" Ram asked, grabbing his attention as he kept himself from smiling or smirking. He instead laughed softly, preparing himself for their disbelief.
"It's my soul." At their incredulous expression, he only laughed harder. "I'm quite serious about that. Where I came from, magic was mostly, if not entirely drawn from the caster's own soul."
"Surely that would bring harm to your lifespan?" Rem asked, causing him to shake his head negative.
"Nope. I'll explain all of this later, but let's just say Soul Magic is useful and mostly risk-free!" Ryu grinned widely, reabsorbing his soul quickly.
"And what exactly were you doing with your soul there, sir?"
"Yes, what was the reason you drew out your soul?"
Wow, okay. This repeating language was going to get old quick. He decided that he should finish this now. "I was just making sure my soul wasn't injured. Say, where's my actual clothes?"
"They were in need of a cleaning. We'll have them returned to you soon, sir." The maids bowed and left for the time being, leaving Ryu to his thoughts.
What happened in the last timeline, exactly?
RE: DETERMINED
Act 2, Chapter 02 - Fighting For Life (人生のために戦う)
"First and foremost, I need to check my Stats," Ryu swiftly brought up his statistics screen with a wave of his hand, looking over everything. "HP is unchanged. ATK and DEF are still the same. My LV and EXP have thankfully not gone up. I can ignore things like FUN Values since those don't apply here…"
Oh, perfect. His soul didn't need to restore his previously restored traits again, they seemed to be saved innately. "Well then, there goes my only concerns… now to build up relationships and my garden again…" He sighed. "Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet…" He encouraged himself before leaving the room.
...Or at least he tried to, before…
"Come on, son! These flowers aren't going to grow themselves!"
Ryu shook off the voice in his head, the uncomfortable flashback, before it could even begin. The past was the past. He didn't need to think about it anymore. He pushed off a wall and sighed as he opened a door, accidentally walking into the Great Library.
"Hmph, of course, a stranger somehow manages to get into the great library," Betty humphed as she looked up from her book. "Explain yourself."
"I… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come here." He smiled weakly as he bowed his head to her. "Honestly, I was just trying to get used to my new environments…"
"Hmph. You have some manners, I suppose." The girl huffed, closing the book in her hand as she stood up from where she sat and walked over to him. "Hold still."
This time, Ryu was prepared for what Beatrice was about to do, lowering his magic's frequency and allowing Beatrice to absorb his magic normally. Something flashed in her eyes, but quickly left as she drew her hand back. "I can see you're draining my magic, but in my eyes it's weird to draw magic from someone you don't know… so, my name's Ryu!" He greeted easily.
Betty paused. "You may call me Betty, I suppose." She muttered, before Ryu smiled widely. She eventually walked back to her stepladder as Ryu looked over the books in the library.
"This is a pretty big library. Do you just… live here?"
"Indeed. I don't leave this library very much, I suppose. Now can you please be quiet? I'd like to be able to read in silence." The girl waved him off as she opened up her book again. "Grab a book or leave. I don't care." Ryu shrugged and walked around the library, eventually drawing out a book about magic, pausing as he realized that he still couldn't read. He would need to fix that soon… hopefully within the same timeline.
"I'm heading out for the time being, Betty! Hopefully you'll see me tomorrow!" He waved to the girl before leaving. Betty looked up from her book momentarily, her blue eyes staring at the door.
"I'm almost sure of it… that energy… it's you, isn't it, Father?" She whispered softly, her small hands trailing across the blank pages of her Gospel with tears in her eyes.
From there, Ryu followed a script, repeating everything he said in the past timeline. Doing everything he did in the past timeline, to ensure he was brought back to his previous save.
When his Save Star appeared this time though, he noticed it was somewhat warped, a hint of purple mixed into the magical object. '...Totally not worrying,' He thought as he activated the Save.
*Despite the roadblocks, you continue to try figuring out your place in this world.
*You are filled with Determination.
*HP maxed out.
Ryu's eyes narrowed. Well, that wasn't worrying at all. He then looked up. "Oh, by the way…" Everyone's gaze shifted to him as he sheepishly smiled. "I don't know how to read…"
Roswaal hummed. "Yeeeeeees, that would make sense considering your foreign status." He then looked at his maids. "Would either of you like to teach our friend here?"
"Ram would be fine with it," The pink-haired maid agreed, to Ryu's surprise. "You have taught me skills I can use to benefit Roswaal-sama. I would like to return the favor by giving you the necessary skills to be a proper Royal Candidate." Ram then sneered in a half-joking manner. "After all, what kind of King's Candidate would be illiterate?"
"Well, I appreciate it, Ram…" Ryu eventually said, just thankful that she didn't use her nicknames for him.
"Please wait in your room for me. I'll meet up with you once my daily tasks are complete," Ram nodded.
"Children's fairy tales? Really?" Ryu blankly stared at Ram. "I know they're supposed to be easy, but couldn't you find something more interesting?"
"Even if they are fairy tales, they are the legends of our country. And as a future King's Candidate, you should know the tales and legends of Lugunica." Ram said calmly as she set the book down in front of him, as well as a paper and quill-pen. "Now, let us begin our lessons with reading and writing the basic I-Glyphs. Then Ro-Glyphs and Ha-Glyphs."
"Oh, perfect, three ways of reading and writing." He could feel a headache incoming from all the languages he knew. Lost Islean, English, Japanese, Monster/Ebott, and now 3 types of Glyphs. Just perfect. "Well, better start now…"
A few hours later, Ryu was able to read and write I and Ro-Glyphs, giving him the ability to read a bit from the fairy tale book. He strolled through it, looking for anything interesting as he went.
The Child of Animosity
The Sage of Winter
The Crimson Sword Saint
The Divine Dragon
The Metallic Guardian
The Witch of Envy
These five were the tales that most interested Ryu. Especially the one about the Sage. "Is it true that this Sage was able to create blizzards and snowstorms at will?" He asked Ram, who yawned tiredly.
"Yes, according to the myths and such passed down, the Sage was one of the most powerful beings on the planet at the time, along with the Dragon and the Sword Saint. Those three and their tales are more folk tales than fairy tales, based in fact and rumor alike." Ram replied, rubbing at her eyes.
Ryu's gaze shifted to the artistic representation of the Sage, smiling. "This guy sounds really impressive! By the way, I'm already two-thirds finish...ed…" Ryu blinked as he saw Ram lying down on his bed, sleeping soundly. He eventually smiled, standing up and carefully tucking the sleeping maid in. "Sleep well, Ram."
Things were going smoothly from there, with Ryu's theory being his mention of Saves to Emilia causing his forced Reset. Like how mentioning G's name back home caused reality to splinter. So, he just avoided mentioning it to… anyone, really.
And as for the rest? Well, Roswaal still made Ryu nervous to be around, Puck was just as adorable as ever, and Beatrice was an interesting one to be around. He visited the drill-haired girl every once in a while, and with how things were going in the mansion, with Ram teaching him how to read and write in exchange for the lessons in Soul Magic, he found he quite enjoyed visiting the Library and reading silently in Betty's presence. And from how she didn't complain or kick him out like he expected, he thought that she might have gotten used to his presence.
Still, there was one issue he had noticed. Rem's soul was weakening, and it was concerning him very much.
Ryuuto looked up at Betty, noticing she was still enraptured with her book, and then took the opportunity to bring up his files. Recently he had regained enough Determination to create his own Save Points, and with that he could load up any specific point in time he wished. A quite potent ability, and much better to deal with than doing a full RESET or literally dying. Keeping his files behind his book he looked at Betty again. "Hey, Bet."
Betty looked down at him from where she sat with mild annoyance in her eyes. "I thought I told you to stop calling me that, I suppose." She said, looking back at her book, which she saw as more important than her guest being annoying.
"Yeah yeah, whatever. Is there any kind of Magic that can drain someone's lifeforce? Their Mana?" At that, Betty stopped and looked at him.
"There is. One way is only able to be used by me and Pucky. The other is through Curses. Why do you ask?" It was at that moment Ryu got up in a panic. A curse? He didn't know what kind of curse it was or how curses differed in Lugnica, but he knew back home, curses were a death sentence that needed to be found immediately for any chance of survival. "...Wait here, actually. The others are calling for me."
"Wait, what? What do you mean by tha-" Ryu froze up as a flurry of whitish-blue strings wrapped around him, restraining him and tying him to the floor. "Hey! What's this about!"
"This is for your own safety, I suppose. I'll ensure that what's going on out there doesn't get you into trouble," Beatrice huffed, disconnecting the strings from her fingers and to the floor next to her typical seat. "Stay here until I come back." The Spirit then left the room, leaving one irate and tied-up Ryu behind.
"God-damnit…" He grit his teeth as he fought against the magical restraints. "I knew giving her her own Winter Jade Tea supply would come back to bite me in the ass." Black energy manifested around him as he channeled Hate into his body, before flexing his muscles all over his body and exploded outwards, shattering the blue strings. He then calmed down, quickly running out the library… only to be interrupted as he bumped into Emilia. "Emi? Oh, gods, I am so sorry. Here, let me help-"
As he reached out to help her up, she instead grabbed his arm tightly and pulled him along after pulling herself up. "Ryu, can I ask you a question?" The silver-haired girl asked, as Ryu smiled slightly.
"You just did."
"Ryu, I'm serious." Emilia said, turning to him with an expression that caused Ryu to quickly sober up. "Where were you all last night?"
"I was in the library with Beatrice, reading up about magical theory, why?" He asked, only for him to hear a bone-chilling cry from the room next to them. One coming from a familiar voice. Ryu paused. "No…" He slowly walked into the room, stopping as he saw Ram crying over Rem's unmoving body. One application of magic allowed him to see that Rem's soul was entirely drained of power, effectively killing her despite her soul not having shattered. "I was… too late…" His hands clenched into fists by his sides. "I can still do something!"
He channeled his Hate again, this time into his hands as he approached Rem's body, only for Ram to angrily swipe at him, causing him to take a step back. "Don't you touch her!" Ram snarled, tears marring her face. "Keep your hands off my little sister!"
"I can still revive her! She's not entirely gone yet!" Ryu replied, his voice soothing as he tried his best to ease Ram's worries. "I just want to help!"
"You were the one with magic that could heal souls! Why didn't you help earlier?!" Ram snapped, her anger and grief being the things in control of her mind right now.
"I didn't know what was causing it, and I needed an idea of why she was weakening! Yes, I saw it, but again; I'm the only one with healing Soul Magic aside from Rem!" He tried again. "I need an idea of what I'm dealing with to do something about it!"
"She seems to have died from weakness. A curse sapping at her strength until she fell into eternal sleep," Roswaal spoke up from the corner of the room, his eyes narrowing. "Any idea of how to heal death?"
"To be frank, yes," Ryu shrugged, to the shock of all in the room. "I just use a little unique Soul Magic to repair her soul and refill it with energy, before resurrecting her. Quite easy for someone like me."
"I'm unsure if I should trust you…" He heard Ram mumble as she looked at him desperately. "But if you can bring back my sister, please, do so! I'm begging you! Bring back my little sister!"
"As you wish." Ryu nodded, bringing up his hands as he surfaced Rem's soul, infusing it with his own Kindness magic while using the power of Hate as a medium. He watched as the gray-colored soul eventually repair itself and fill with colorful light. Mere moments later, Rem's breathing returned along with her lifeforce. The Prince sighed in relief as the procedure was a success-
"This was a deviation I wasn't prepared for," He heard Roswaal say from behind him, a chill running down his spine as he turned to see the Margrave's eyes turn dull and emotionless. He raised his hands as colorful orbs of light hovered above them.
Oh. Oh fuck.
Just as he was prepared for battle, about to summon his weapons, he paused as Ram stood in front of him and summoned her spear. "You brought my sister back… you gave me the chance to see Rem many more times in the future. You have given me many things, Ryu." Ram stated softly. "So, today I will repay the favor. Roswaal-sama, I have no idea what is going on in your head, but I will not allow you to kill my sister's savior."
"And I will not allow you to kill him either, I suppose. He's far too interesing to let go," Beatrice added, a sudden pressure filling the room. Ryu was startled by their sudden devotion to protecting him, but… as he looked into Roswaal's eyes, he saw something he didn't like.
This man would easily kill his friends if he wished it. But he couldn't let them get hurt. "Ram… Beatrice… Emilia… thanks for everything, but you don't need to die for me." Ryu said, just as he shoved his hand into his Interface, pressing RESET and LOAD at the same time swiftly.
Better to go back and lose progress than watch his friends die.
From there, Ryuuto used his Determination and his save points quite a bit, growing closer to his allies and fellow inhabitants of Roswaal Manor, especially Ram and Rem. He needed to make sure neither of them ended up with curses.
Call him a paranoid nut, but he felt like it was them in particular that were most in risk of being cursed. Especially Rem. He even accompanied the girls on trips sometimes, and on one trip to the nearby village where he taught the basics of Soul magic to the youth… he noticed that the puppy that one child was holding was emitting a strange aura around its soul. He didn't think too much of it, but still didn't let Rem or Ram pet the dog. In fact, he took the risk himself, where the dog immediately bit him. Thankfully, at that moment of time he had retracted Hate's essence from his bloodstream, so his blood was a normal red instead of red with black mixed in. That would have been impossible to explain.
Yet still, the bite hurt quite a bit, which was surprising considering his skin's defenses should have been higher than any puppy's bite. He was suspicious of what was going on but didn't comment on it yet. He didn't have proof of anything weird going on after all. He did some roaming before stumbling upon the door of the hidden Library, where Beatrice sighed from where she sat. "Yes, Ryu? I do you have a good reason to come barging in to my library, I suppose." He waved his hand in front of the girl momentarily, as she stared at it. "Ah. So that's it. You're cursed." She closed her book and stared at him expectantly. "Will you leave me alone if I remove the curse?"
"Yeah, yeah, I will. I'll even teach you about Soul Magic." That seemed to have caught the short blonde's attention, as she got up and glared up at him.
"You better keep that promise, or else." She warned, before raising a glowing hand and placing it on Ryu's chest, a dark mist soon emenating from his hand. "So, there's the Curse. Seems to be caused by a Mabeast." She then reached for his hand and snatched up the black mist, causing it to disperse instantly. "What are you going to do now?"
"Honestly? Kill some real monsters." He said, as he got up and left the room, as Beatrice stared at his retreating form.
"That boy is going to get himself into trouble, I suppose." She said in a dull tone to no one in particular. "I wonder if that dark scent coming off of him can help him in this fight."
Ryuuto, meanwhile, was currently furious. There was some sort of beast that cursed him, and cursed Rem back in the timeline before. And it was in the same village as the one where he had taught the civilians and children about the secrets of Soul Magic and his world's tales. He gritted his teeth as a determined look entered his eyes. But then a moment later he stopped as his sensitive ears allowed him to pick up on someone following him. He sighed to see Rem, with a bored look in his eyes. "Hello Rem. How are you this fine evening?"
"I am fine, Sir Ryu. What are you doing out this late?" The blue-haired maid walked out of the shadows, approaching the former Prince with suspicion in her eyes. "You do realize this is not only suspicious but dangerous for you, right? What if someone tried assassinating you?"
"Eh, I have no worries about assassins. I can handle myself. As to why I'm going out in a time like this, it's recently come to my knowledge that I've been cursed by a Mabeast." Ryu crossed his arms across his chest, his red and yellow-green eyes glowing slightly like a faint firelight. "And if I've been cursed by a bite, then others surely have been as well."
"Cursed by a… bite?" It took a moment before her eyes widened. "The children." She realized, as Ryu nodded. "If you are truly telling the truth, let me accompany you."
"I dunno, I mean I did teach you Soul Magic but Kindness is mostly defense and… support…" He stared blankly as Rem manifested a large ball-and-chain flail. "Do you actually know how to use that?" Rem smiled slightly.
"You can see that first-hand later, Sir Ryu. For your sake though, I do hope you aren't lying to me about this." With that, the two rushed off to the village, as Ryu had one goal in mind. Save the children.
Once they arrived at the village, Ryu noticed how empty it felt, with numerous torches around the village and the villagers themselves walking out and about trying to find something. The kids, obviously. He rushed over to the village chief, who recognized him immediately. "Ryu! You're here, thank the Dragon! The kids have gone missing!"
"Don't worry chief, I'm here to help." He replied to the man, before he closed his eyes and pointed his hand into the sky. "Soulsight." He said, as a wave of magic washed over the entire domain of Mathers, and Ryu opening his eyes to find the familiar Souls of his part-time students just beyond a nearby fence. "I've found them, let's go!" He rushed off, forcing Rem and the chief to run after him. He hopped the fence and looked at the footprints on the floor, finding traces of Mildo's Integrity magic amonst the prints. Once he heard footsteps behind him, he turned around and looked at Rem and the chief. "Found some clues just beyond here. Their souls left traces of their magic in their footprints." He focused his gaze on the village chief. "Chief, I want you to gather the villagers. I'm going in."
"You can't!" Rem suddenly said, as Ryu stopped momentarily. "We'd need to leave a decision like this to Lord Roswaal, and he isn't here right now!" He grit his teeth in response, as that was true. The Lord mysteriously left earlier, saying something about an important meeting. "And dividing our strength like this could be a diversion to leave the mansion vulnerable to attacks. How can-"
"If you don't trust me or don't want to help me, fine!" He snapped, as he turned to Rem with both of his eyes glowing a solid crimson, with his raw Determination overriding all other traits at the moment. "I'll do this myself! I'll save the kids on my own, I'll kill all the Mabeasts on my own! I'm the final candidate for the position of 42nd King of Lugnica, and if I'm ever to feel like I truly deserve a title like that… then I have to do what my parents would do! The greatest Kings and Queens I've ever known!"
"Why is it you're willing to push yourself so far for this village? You've barely known any of the inhabitants here?" Rem questioned, as Ryu looked at his hands, where he summoned his sword and shield. A bit of Hate dripped from the blade of his sword, and the dark essence also appeared in his eyes, but in a barely noticeable amount.
"You're right. I do barely know them. But that gives me more reason to fight for them, because I want to get to know them better. And not just that, but those kids… aren't just my students, they're like my family. My little brothers and sisters, with me as the older brother that they annoy." He went silent momentarily, before looking at Rem with a steely look in his eyes. "I promised those kids that I would help them manifest their weapons tomorrow, and I don't break promises. Never."
"...Right. I can see your conviction, Ryu." Rem smiled slightly, before turning to the village chief. "You heard him, go tell the others."
"Right, of course!" The chief ran off, but not before turning to Ryuuto. "Oh, and Ryu? Please, bring them back safely!"
"You have my word, Chief. I'll bring them back safe and sound, even if I lose an arm and a leg doing so." He swore, before rushing off with Rem jumping the fence and following him.
They carefully traversed the woods of the Mabeast Forest, with Ryuuto's grip on his sword tightening over time. He couldn't bare the thought of his students, his little siblings, being hurt by a curse. It was a moment later that Rem spoke up again. "I smell humans… They're very close by." She said, as the duo picked up their pace, with Ryu's hate and determination increasing over time and empowering the actual Magic held in his sword, as well as boosting his own physical strength. The duo shared info, with Ryu giving info from his soulsight, and Rem with her enhanced sense of smell. It didn't take long for them to find the still, small forms of Ryu's young protégés. He knelt before them, sensing that the curse hadn't killed them thankfully.
"Maybe I could…" Ryu knelt in front of the children and put his hands out, a green aura surrounding him and the children as he tapped into the Healing aspect of Kindness magic. Rem knelt next to him and helped, causing him to smile. "Thanks, Rem. I'm sure with the two of us working together, we can at least temporarily halt the curse's progress." Plus, Kindness magic healed not only physical harm but spiritual ones, which meant curses like these could be slowed down (if not stopped entirely) by sufficiently strong Kindness mages.
"R...yu…" The teen looked over to Petra, the young girl with a courageous heart and soul. "There's… one… more…" At that, Ryu's eyes softened slightly.
"Save your strength, Petra." He said, placing a hand on her cheek. "Big bro Ryu's got this. Just rest." The girl weakly nodded before closing her eyes to rest, with the only signal of her being alive being her soul's continued beating and faint glowing. Ryuuto then got up, as Rem grabbed his arm.
"Where are you going, Sir Ryu?" She asked, still focused on her task but looking at him from the corner of her eyes. "We can't go running off like this, especially when we don't know how strong the enemy is. I cannot let you, a Royal Candidate, run off into danger with a clear conscience." Ryuuto laughed at that, smiling slightly.
"Your concern is… admirable, but misplaced. I can handle myself, Rem. I'm a survivor, a fighter. A prince, yes. But I was raised to be a warrior first and foremost. I was built for battle… and no animal is going to be the one to best me. I've conquered and pacified the strongest and most vicious Monsters of the Forbidden Mount Ebbot as a young lad." He turned to Rem with a grin. "I'm not going to lose. Besides, I'm sure you can find me after I go. After all, I do have quite the dark aura around me."
"You know?" Rem looked at him in surprise, as Ryu laughed, pulling his arm back.
"Yep, known since I got here. And I've known about the Witch's scent for a little while now too. While I don't exactly know why I have the smell of a Witch on me, I can certainly explain the other dark Aura. I promise on the Dragon." Rem stared at him in response.
"You do know that's the equivalent of making an unbreakable oath, right?" At his nod, she sighed. "Fine. Once the villagers arrive, I'll come for you alright? And when this is all over, I want you to explain everything. Even if you don't know certain things, I want you to give me all your best guesses, got it?"
"Got it. Don't worry, my explanations should satisfy you." He grinned before rushing off, his grin immediately fading as it was replaced by a baleful look. He was going to find these Mabeasts and kill every single one of them until he had not only found a way to break the curse, but find the last kid. "Don't worry, I'm coming kid." He said to himself, before rushing off at max speed.
He soon found himself hiding in the foliage, turning off his soulsight as he saw his final student, Meili lying on the grass near a stump. Thankfully he was able to sense she was alive. Though the bad news was, this whole situation screamed trap. Tightening his grip on his sword and bringing up the invisible barrier around his body known as the Armor of the Red. He knelt next to Meili, about to stabilize her soul with his magic before he turned around and stood, pointing his sword at a nearby bush. Instantly, his sword shot off a crimson energy blast right at the bush, cutting up foliage, but also flesh from the wet sound of tearing that he just heard. He shifted into a fighting stance with his eyes focused on his surroundings. "Bring it on!" He called out, Determination filling him to the brim. Immediately, a one-eared demonic looking dog shot towards him, trying to take a bite out of his arm, but his shield and invisible armor effectively negated the damage entirely. He retaliated by slashing at the beast, spilling blood and guts everywhere as he vertically cut it in half. He sensed other beasts nearby, which in turn forced him to draw on more of Austin's power to ensure the board was tilted to his favour.
A group of three demon dogs shot at him, but as he was about to attack, they were eviscerated by a familiar ball-and-chain, which was then brought back to its owner. He turned to see Rem standing there, acting like she didn't just save his life and killed three demon beasts at once. "The villagers have taken the other children to safety." She said as she took a position near him. "I'd recommend that you try to preserve your Soul Magic. Didn't Puck teach you how to use your Gate?'
That reminded him! Extending his hand out, he envisioned the sun, bright and powerful, ejecting one of its solar flares. He opened his eyes, which were now glowing a golden-white in response to him summoning Light magic into his hand. "Jiwald!" He cast, managing to overcharge the spell, but not so much that he lost control. Instead, the blast radius and its power was enhanced, not to mention his Determination enhancing its potential further. It cut a clear path for him to take Meili back to the village, but he didn't know if he could protect himself, Meili, and Rem when his hands were going to be full. Ryuuto then grit his teeth in anger, guess he had to reveal more of his power. He picked up Meili in one hand and dispersed his sword and shield to Rem's shock.
"Ryu, what are you-"
"Golden Arc: Justice," He said as a gold aura surrounded his free hand, slowly forming an object Rem had never seen before. "Gun of Equity." He took aim with the object… before shooting out yellow pellets at unfathomable speeds, cutting into Mabeast after Mabeast. While the beasts were distracted by their wounds, Ryu dispersed his gun and grabbed Rem's hand with his free one. "Aaand now we run!"
It was difficult to simultaneously run away and fight, but it seemed that Rem was able to manage that balancing act along with him, with him slicing up or stealing the souls of any Mabeast that grew too close, and Rem eviscerating Mabeasts on her own end with her flail. It was only then did it happen, with the soil shifting beneath him as he soon recognized something was off. "Landslide!" He called out, turning around and about to use his magic to try and slow down the landslide, but he soon found himself pushed to the side by Rem, who took on the side all on her own. "NO!" He screamed as her body slammed to the floor, limp. He knew she was alive, he could feel her soul still beating. But the thought of his friend being injured to save him… enraged him. But as he was about to stand up and start a Mabeast massacre, his ears were graced with the sound of chains clinking as he looked over to Rem's direction, where the blue-haired girl stood up yet again. Just as he was about to internally commend her for her tenacity, he then noticed there was a sharp change in the nearby Mana capacity. A moment after that, a glowing, pink horn jutted out of her head as her eyes opened to show murderous glee underneath. He stared at her in fear momentarily as he could sense her power nearing his own, and not only that, but it was slowly yet steadily climbing with the Mana she absorbed from the atmosphere.
It was then that Rem began to laugh. Not a cheerful one or anything, no. It was the laughter of someone who was bloodthirsty and insane. Laughter he was all to familiar with due to his adopted family back in his home world. "Hahaha, Mabeast, Mabeast! More dead Mabeasts!" She giggled in glee as she began to swing her weapon around and began to devastate the population of Mabeasts around him. She continued to massacre the creatures, soon walking over to him with a gleeful expression on her bloodstained face. "My my, Ryu, this is so much fun! Why don't you join in! I'm sure there's more than enough Mabeasts to spare!"
"W-what… are you?" He asked warily, as the girl paused before smiling again.
"Ah, right! I forgot to take into account the different countries, different species. You probably never met an Oni before!" Rem calmly said, though her voice was still laced with insanity. "You needn't worry, Sir Ryu. I won't hurt you. Just the beasts. Only the beasts. You're special to the country after all." Ryu stared at Rem briefly before his eyes widened. He stood up and pushed the girl to the side, causing the girl's horn to disappear as quickly as it came as she was forced into a state of surprise. Ryu yet again cut a Mabeast in half, though this time horizontally. He then winced as the dog-like creature's disembodied head was stuck in his arm, and he manually pried the jaws off of him as his vision blurred from using too much Mana in one day. Unlike his Soul, his Gate was inexperienced and new. He forced himself to get up, the wounds of his arm closing up with the black essence of Hate.
"Listen, Rem. I don't care what you are. First and foremost, you are my friend. But still, when you're going to be 'interrogating' me later, I've got some questions of my own for you. Now come on, let's go!" The girl nodded and got up, as they ran, with his time Ryuuto summoning a massive barrier of crimson Determination to hold them off until they got back to Roswaal manor. Once they arrived, Ryu sighed before looking at Rem. "Hey Rem… I dunno how long I'm going to stay conscious at this point. I used up too much energy today. I'm going to need you to get the kid back to the village. I know I'm asking much of you, especially after the Mabeasts, but-"
"You needn't say anything, Ryu. I'll handle this. You get back to Miss Emilia and Puck, get that arm checked out for the curse. I'll handle the child." She took Meili from his hands, a charming smile on her face. With that, Ryu stumbled into the manor, as Rem frowned. "You rest well, Ryu. I'll handle the rest."
Ryu grew confused when he didn't feel any pain… in fact, it felt like he was still in the air. He slowly opened an eye, since he was wincing in preparation for an impact, and found he was in the air with a blue platform below him, held up by two familiar arms. He looked up to see his mother's smiling face. "Well, here's something you don't see everyday." The Queen commented, a proud look in her eyes. "Someone using Magic beyond their traits… Son, how would you like it if you came to Magic School?" Emily asked, to Ryu's awe and excitement.
From there, it was a long journey for Ryu, learning the other Magic types over the years. It was far from easy, as each tutor drove him to the brink of death and back. It was training straight from hell, but it was working. He took steps up a mountain, trying to use Integrity to defy gravity, but ended up falling into Emily's arms once he lost focus. The mother-son duo had a good laugh about that specific incident, with the otherworldly Queen always encouraging her son with love and positive reinforcement.
Two years later, when Ryu was 8-and-a-half-years-old, the Queen took her son out camping by one of the nearby mountains, amusedly watching her son talk about his dreams of being a hero and saving The Lost Isles from the Beast that was constantly threatening them, the Brown Leviathan. As the two then laid down to prepare for sleep, Ryu shifted his gaze from the night sky to look at Emily. "Mom, where did you live before you met dad? You said you came from a different Kingdom, and you were raising me to be *your* heir…"
"You want to know, hm?" Emily smiled knowingly, as she turned over to face her son, her pale lavender hair falling behind her. "Well, I came from all the way up there…" She said, pointing up at the night sky, as Ryu frowned.
"Momma, everyone knows no one lives in space, that's absurd." Ryu pouted. "Tell me the truth!"
"Oh, but it is the truth. And I can prove it." The woman sat up, as did Ryu, with Emily pointing her hand at Ryu. He watched confusedly as she put her pinky finger out for him to take. "When you're older, I'll take you to Alestia, and we'll have fun together. It's a promise." Ryu eventually hooked his own pinky finger with his mother's, as the promise was forged, with the boy grinning and crying out of joy.
When Ryuuto woke up, he felt like someone had just split his head open with a blade and stitched it back together haphazardly. Clutching his aching head in one hand, he looked up, his eyes meeting a dull brown wooden ceiling. "Oh. That's new." He muttered before slowly sitting up, wincing at the pain he felt in his arm. His mind instantly went back to the incident in the forest, with the only explanation for the pain in his arm being a broken Curse. His eyes scanned the room, before landing on his half-Elf friend Emilia, who was sleeping soundly on a chair next to the bed he laid on. "...How long was she there?"
It was at that moment that Puck flew out from behind Emilia and over to him, landing on one of his hands. "Yeah… about that… she totally drained all of her resources, right down to her Od to heal you. Your weird black stuff helped with the healing too, but not that much. It seemed sorta sluggish and fatigued." Was that right? He decided to check in on his soul's tenants.
'Hate? You okay, Aus?' Ryu asked worriedly, before he heard a monstrous yet tired roar in the back of his head.
"I feel like shit, if that answers your question." Austin replied in a tired and sarcastic tone. "Now if you don't mind, I need to sleep. I may have infinite energy, but since I'm in YOUR living mortal body, that infinite energy has been inaccessible for me."
'Sorry Aus. Get your rest. You earned it.' He then looked at Puck again. "Alright. What's next, bud?"
Ryuuto left the building he was kept in, raising a hand to block the sun from hitting his eyes as he hissed. "Bright day today, eh? He muttered to himself as he closed the door behind him. He then smiled as he saw Ram, the brutally honest twin of Rem (that he might have accidentally found himself crushing on, he didn't know. Emotions were weird and he was new to love and all that). "Heya Ram!" He greeted with a grin.
"Ah. Otuuyr. You're awake. Much earlier than I expected, too." The girl hummed, turning her gaze to him. "I suppose that means you can be a diligent one at times."
"Uh yeah… about that… where's Rem-" The moment he said that, he was interrupted by his growling stomach, which was aching for food both for sustenance and to restore his Magic reserves.
"Hmph, how shameful. You can't even control your own stomach, how will you rule a country at this rate." At that, Ryu groaned inwardly. He didn't ask to be selected for a random country's royal election or whatever! He just wanted to live a normal life! "Eat this." Ryu then found himself with a steamed potato shoved right into his mouth. He gagged briefly from the suddenness of the food's entry into his mouth, and pulled it out, wincing as his mouth was burned slightly from the heat of the potato.
"What the heck was that for Ram!" Ryu winced as his Magic tried to heal the internal damage in his mouth (even though it barely existed).
"It was good wasn't it?" Ram continued, as if she didn't even hear him. It took all of his mental willpower to not snap at her for that damned adorable smug look on her face.
"Yeah it was good, but you shouldn't go around shoving food into people's mouths! I could have died!" At that, Ram's smirk only widened.
"If you can't survive a steamed potato, how will you ever be taken seriously as a ruler?" She replied, causing Ryu's left eye to twitch in mild annoyance.
"When the hell did you make these anyways?" Ryu grumbled to himself, allowing him to finish the potato he was given. Anything to restore his power a bit more.
"Ah, these were freshly steamed!" She put on an adorable proud smile that caused Ryuuto to sigh. He hated how he couldn't ever get mad at or blame Ram. Fuckin' emotions. He could have gone without dealing with crushes, but nooooo, Ram had to be adorably smug 24/7. She then reached into her basket and handed him another. "Here, have another. Magic restores itself with food, right? This might not be magic-infused, but I bet it's just as good. I made it after all."He took the offered potato graciously. "And as for last night… you have my sincerest gratitude. You might be the ultimate dummy, but it was thanks to your efforts that so many villagers were saved."
"I didn't do that much… Rem was there too…" Ryu humbly tried to knock away any praise, as he felt uncomfortable whenever people praised him.
"That may be, but it was thanks to you that Rem was allowed to return home safely. Not only that… but when a domain's people suffers a loss, the Lord is held liable." She turned to face the village, as did Ryu. "I hate to think of what would have happened if that pack of Wolgarm had further endangered those children. You made the right call last night, Otuuyr."
"Wolgarm, huh? So that's what those dog-like Mabeasts are called, huh?" His eyes hardened at the thought of anyone else being endangered by said Beasts.
"Indeed." Ram replied, before walking off to the village, with Ryu trailing behind her. "But its alright now. I reconnected the broken barrier, so the villagers are no longer in danger. I kept an eye on it overnight to ensure there were no problems. Now, no Wolgarm should be able to cross over and enter the village. You can relax for now." Taking that as good news, he performed a quick search using his Magic, and checked up on the houses of his young students/friends. Each time he made sure that their souls weren't damaged in any way, as the most important thing to worry about after this crisis was going to be their soul's health.
He panicked when he saw that the parents of his students began offering him food and whatever they could muster as 'payment', doubly more so due to the praise he received. "Hey, hey! If I'm ever to be some King of this place, I can't just go around taking things you worked hard for!" Ryu repeatedly said to each family before rushing off. After running away from Petra's family, he encountered Beatrice, who had a bored/serious expression on her face. "Oh, hey Bet! I heard you played a large part in helping the kids and me the other day! Thanks for that."
"Eh, it was no big deal, I suppose." She said, looking up at him. "The only reason Betty helped at all was because Bubby asked, I suppose. Though, I have more important things to discuss with you right now." At that, Ryu's expression hardened.
"So, what's so important you had to drag me far away from the village to talk about anyways?" Ryu asked, leaning against the stone brick wall lining a nearby hill-turned-road.
"It's the Curse. Bubby and I removed it from your body, but according to what I see… it's somehow found itself stuck to your Soul. The strange Black essence on your Soul seems to be tirelessly trying to fight it off, but I am fairly certain you will die before the day's end from Soul Drain."
"...Welp, guess I should spend the rest of my life the way I want to and all that jazz." Ryu said in an unimpressed tone.
"You don't sound nearly as disturbed as I expected you to be, I expected you to at least be a little more disheartened, I suppose." Beatrice seemed a little bit more surprised from his dull tone, causing Ryu to laugh.
"I don't fear death anymore. I actively embrace it. Life is meaningless without death, an end, something that lets you know to make the best of your time." Ryu looked at his hand, and summoned up his Soul, looking at the foreign darkness that had latched itself onto his Soul. "I always make sure to remember death." That, and at this point, dying a few times barely fazed him. He already died over 600 times back home… and now he wanted to immediately repress that memory again, nope. "It's not like I can do anything to stop this, I don't have enough time to teach you or Puck about Soul Magic, and using more Magic to try and hunt down those Beasts to cancel those Curses just puts me at more risk."
"Hmph. Your realism is both refreshing and depressing to watch. I didn't expect the supposed Soul of Determination to give up so quickly though, especially when there was someone else who tried to fight this outcome off, I suppose." Beatrice replied, causing Ryuuto to immediately stiffen up as he looked at her with a panicked expression.
"Rem! Bet, tell me, where is Rem?!" He rushed to grab her by her shoulders, as she immediately released herself from his grasp and glared boredly at Ryuuto.
"If you were in her position, what would you do, I suppose?" Beatrice said, before Ryu sensed a presence approach and turned his head to see Ram standing above them on the road.
"I'm not going to ignore what you just said." The pink-haired… Oni (that's what Ryu heard Rem call herself) maid said as she jumped down to the floor with them, as Ryu sensed her slight panic. "Miss Beatrice, Rem didn't go off on her own, did she?" Beatrice nodded in the affirmative.
"Okay, but why? Why would Rem go to such dangerous lengths for me?" Ryu asked Beatrice, before he heard Ram growl and run off. "Damnit! Ram, wait up!" He reached out his hand and grabbed her arm to try and stop her while grabbing her attention.
"Let go of me, Tryouu! I'm not calm enough to be kind right now! Let go of me or I'll burn you!" Ram threatened, her eyes beginning to ignite with her Bravery Magic. "Release me at once!"
"I'm not trying to stop you! I just want to help!" At that, Ram finally stopped resisting as she stared at him, her Magic buildup being released.
"What… did you say, Ryu?" In her shock, she actually used his real nickname. Great, he was getting somewhere with her.
"I want to help you find and save Rem. She's your little sister, and she's my friend. I'm not going to let anything happen to her while I have the power to do so. I might have to rely on you a little bit though, my Magic is something I need to preserve right now." Ram finally pulled away from his grip before nodding.
"Fine. As long as you pull your weight without overdoing it, you can come. I can't have one of the Royal Candidates die abruptly in my care after all." Ram replied. At that, Ryu grinned, with his eyes shining brightly.
"Don't worry about that Ram! I refuse to be a burden!"
Ryu moved along in the forest with Ram, a serious look on his face as he held a new sword in his hand. He was thankful for it too, since he needed to be careful with how he used his Magic. Having a physical weapon allowed for him to preserve his currently limited amount of Magical Capacity. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a stone and a wrapped up… something that was visibly laced with Kindness Healing magic. He got them from the kids, his students. The sword was a gift from the village chief. "Huh. I really need to thank those guys later. Especially the kids, since I gotta reschedule today's training."
"You really do care about those children, don't you?" Ram turned her head to look at him, her one visible eye outlined with Bravery's orange Magic. "Not only that, but they seem to admire you. Honestly, there must be better role models to look up to. You're terribly average, especially for a King's Candidate."
Wow, that hurt. Especially coming from Ram. He sighed slightly. "I know your trait being awakened only amplified your brutal honesty, but could you tone it down a little? I kinda need to believe in myself in all if I don't want my Determination to go poof."
"How disappointing to know that the most powerful Soul Trait is so fragile," Ram replied, in no way lessening her blunt honesty. She then stopped in place after a few minutes, holding out an arm to stop Ryuuto as well. "Otuuyr, I'm going to use my Clairvoyance. Guard us in the meantime, alright?" The teenage King Candidate nodded as he drew his gifted sword, guarding him and Ram as she focused. "Otuuyr, there's something nearby watching us."
"Where?" Ryu asked, preparing his Gate to attack. Since he didn't want to use his Soul Magic too much, he had to rely on his Mana.
"Up there." As soon as she pointed it out, a Wolgarm jumped out at them, but it was immediately cut down by powerful blades of invisible wind. Ryuuto turned to Ram with a deadpan expression.
"Why point it out if you won't even let me do the job?" He asked, as Ram instead silently pointed to the hill next to them, with Ryu instantly reacting and bisecting a Wolgarm that tried to attack Ram. They then simultaneously killed the next Wolgarm with a unified blast of fire. "Well, that was something. But that wasn't the real pack. Their souls, while just as vile as the ones that attacked me and Rem, were not the same ones I know from that night."
"I had a feeling it would be that way. Come on, Otuuyr. We can't waste time." The pink-haired Oni walked off, with Ryu sheathing his new blade and following close behind. They walked in silence for a few moments, before she spoke up again. "I wonder why it is that everyone you come into contact with lose their head when they see you? Is it because you're an idiotic Prince?"
"No idea what you're talking about, Ram. I'm just being me, nothing too crazy or special." Ryu shrugged off the backhanded insult, he was starting to grow a barrier against some of her more hurtful words due to how often she insulted him. "Even if I wasn't royalty or anything like that, there wouldn't be a difference in who I am."
"Whatever you say, Otuuyr." Apparently, that was her new favorite nickname for him now. Ok then. He was fine with this. As he watched his surroundings, he yet again noticed Ram's Aura, the mostly-invisible energy field around her that represented her Soul when it was hidden. More specifically, he again noticed how there was something off about it, a missing piece when compared to her sister.
"Hey… so… weird question, but why is your Soul's magical Aura fragmented?" Ram froze in place at the question. "I-I mean-"
"No, it's fine. I should have expected a question like that from you," Ram said. "What you're seeing is almost definitely my missing Horn. I'm what you'd call a Hornless Demon. Long ago, after getting into a little trouble, I lost the only one I had. Since then, I've relied on Rem for everything."
"...Huh. Now I feel like a jerk for asking." Ryuuto muttered to himself, his grip on his sword tightening. He wished he could talk to Austin or Shi about this, but they were busy holding off the Curse in his Soul from getting any worse.
"It's fine, I've adapted. Since losing my Horn, I gained some things and even saved lives because I lost my Horn. Though…" Ram's lips tightened slightly. "I'm sure Rem doesn't feel the same about that."
"What do you mean by that, exactly Ram?" Ryu questioned, jumping up the roots of a tree and landing next to the Oni maid.
"Normally, members of the Oni race have two Horns. But twins like Rem and I only have one each, and are despised because of it. We're seen as bad luck, and are normally disposed of after birth. Rem and I were allowed to live though." Ram explained as they continued their journey to find Rem. "An Oni's Horns awaken their demonic instincts and allows them to consume mana from their surroundings, significantly heightening their ferocity and combat ability. But if they're reckless, the recoil will leave them worn and battered. I don't want to see Rem like that…"
"So, you're worried about her because you're her older twin. Makes sense to me." Ryu shrugged, twirling his gifted sword in his hands with practiced expertise. It didn't matter who was stronger between siblings, the older one was almost always going to be protective over the younger one(s).
"That's right. She is much stronger than I am, but that doesn't mean I'm not concerned for her safety." The duo ran across a stream as Ram said this, using the rocks as platforms. Ram then turned to him, a calm look on her face, but her eyes were filled with worry for her blue-haired younger twin. "No matter what we're told to do, she always does it far better. But in the end, I am still her older sister, and I'm never wavering in that position."
Ryuuto blinked at the sudden tenacious expression before smiling. "Right. I've got a much better idea of your relationship with your sister now, as well as your personality. Don't worry though, I have one sure-fire way of finding your sister." He smirked at Ram's now confused expression, before his expression tightened, with his eyes hardening. "FILE 0, set LV to 6. Release more HATE into Soul Aura." He commanded his Soul, as a faint black outline of Magic surrounded Ryu for a brief second. Within that brief second, a wave of Hate-based Magic was shot out of his body like an omnidirectional shockwave. Surely this would grab the attention of those beasts.
"Ryu, what did you do?" Ram panicked slightly as Ryuuto drew his sword, his eyes focused and ready for battle.
"I told you I had a sure-fire way of finding your sister. Now be on guard alright? Oh, and do try to ignore the evil scent from my Aura." Ryu grinned somewhat nervously, as he didn't actually expect to reveal his Hate so soon. And without Austin to properly moderate it, he was actually taking a risk here, but he didn't need to worry anyone with that little factoid.
"What does any of this have to do with Rem?" Ram asked, as she backed up slightly, now back-to-back with the sword-wielding teen. Ryu thanked HATE's positive emotion dulling effects since he did not need to freak out over a mild crush being so close to him. It also made sense in his mind, they could now cover each other's backs like this.
"My HATE's aura has a maddening effect on people, more so with mindless or animalistic beings. If this Oni State is what I think it is, then she would not only follow my Aura, but the Mabeasts coming this way too." And exactly as he predicted, dozens upon dozens of Wolgarm had followed them, their red eyes visible in the darkness of the forest. "Right. Like I said before, I'm going to have to rely on you a bit more than I normally would due to my current… condition. Forgive me for this, Ram."
"You owe me for this, Otuuyr!" Ram exclaimed as she sliced the air with her hand, sending a massive arc of Wind and Bravery Fire Magic at the Wolgarms.
Ryu groaned as he carried a limp Ram in one arm, his right hand occupying his sword as he ran from a pack of Wolgarm. "Gods damn it, Ram! If you really don't have good Mana reserves, why did you exhaust them? You have effectively infinite Soul Magic, for fuck's sake!"
"Forgive me, but weren't you the one who asked me to protect you since you had some Soul issues? I just did my best in the heat of the moment." Ram replied, causing Ryu to groan again as he stabbed a Wolgarm in the throat and shoved it into a tree before pulling the bloodsoaked blade out of the beast. He then sheathed his blade and pointed his free hand at the pack of beasts charging at them. He ignited his hand with Bravery's flames before calling upon his highly destructive Gate.
"Oh fuck this! Jiwald: Brave Ignition!" He roared, before a roaring inferno of fire and light cut into the forest, leaving the floor charred and smoking. He panted in exhaustion briefly before running off again with Ram still being carried. He dashed into the forest and hid as the beasts ran off, sighing in relief. "Is there any way we can get you back on your feet?"
"...No…" Ram replied, looking to the side while saying this. Ryu frowned and glared at her until she sighed. "There is, but I'd rather not do it with you."
"This is a life-or-death situation, Ram, and I don't want to leave any of us vulnerable." Ryuuto retorted, as Ram eventually caved in due to her knowledge of the Prince being more stubborn than a million mules combined. Ryu moved Ram's hair out of the way, noticing a faint scar hiding behind her hair, and touched it before flowing some of his Mana into her. He watched as a white light shone from around them, and he hoped that Ram would get enough Mana from this transfer to get up and running again.
Ram then got up and pushed him aside. "You've done enough. Now let's go find Rem." She said in the typical annoyed tone of voice she used when talking to him, but she did sound somewhat breathless at the same time. Ryuuto nodded as they snuck out of their hiding place. As they did so, more of the Wolgarms jumped out at them, barking loudly. Ryuuto drew his sword again and slashed in a horizontal straight line, an arc of crimson energy slicing through a dozen or so Wolgarms. To his right, Ram was giving a brutal beatdown to her half of the Wolgarm pack, incinerating them with her soul flames before they could bite her. So far, so good, he supposed. "These monsters are getting too close for comfort." Ram said again, as Ryu's eyes narrowed. That was the problem, he did like getting up close with his enemies, but with the Wolgarms; if they got too close, they could worsen his Curse.
"Oh, fuck it!" Ryu snarled as he raised his right arm, watching it blacken as his fingers turned into sharpened claws. His arm then increased in size, growing to the size of a large tree before bringing it down upon the pack of Wolgarms, crushing them with extreme prejudice. The raw power behind the strike also cracked the floor beneath them, sending them down a jagged slope. "Whoops! Too much power! Hang on!"
"You tell me this now, dumbass?!" Ram snapped, as Ryu turned to the panicking maid, extending his hand. A tendril of black Magic, Hate Magic, grabbed Ram as he drew her close.
"Don't mind this! Kindness!" He sent his focus downward, where a dozen faint green platforms appeared beneath them, slowing their fall drastically. Once they landed, with Ryu taking most of the fall damage with ease, Ram pushed him aside again, glaring at him.
"Stop doing things like that." She hissed, as Ryu rolled his eyes in response.
"I just saved our lives, Ram. You could at least thank me." He said in a dull tone, before drawing his sword. "And I spent more Soul Magic while doing so. I could have died if something went wrong."
"That would have been entirely on you, Otuuyr. But… I suppose some thanks are in order." She then nodded. "I suppose you get a free dish of steamed potatoes tomorrow after we find Ram and get back to the mansion." Ryuuto sighed. Better than nothing, he supposed. He then tensed.
"We've got company!" He said, causing Ram to look to the side, where another pack of Wolgarm had arrived, including the strange puppy Mabeast. He drew his sword yet again, frowning. "I should just keep this thing unsheathed at all times at this point."
"Probably for the better." Ram agreed, before her attention switched to the broken cliffside above them. "From above!" She called out, as Ryu looked up to see a few falling rocks… and a familiar flail, followed by a blue-haired maid landing in front of them. Her face and clothes were stained with blood, and he could smell the aura of death surrounding her. She really had been killing those Mabeasts all this time, huh. He didn't know how to feel about someone going out to kill so many of those things for his sake.
But he knew better than to call out to her. Not in this state of mind. "We need to stay quiet…" He whispered to Ram. Apparently, even whispering didn't keep them from being detected by Rem, as the girl turned her gaze from the Mabeasts to them. Ryu tightened his grip on his sword as he noticed the vacant, empty gaze of the demonic Rem. She slowly turned to them, almost like a zombie or someone who was possessed, and then swung her flail right at them. Ryuuto managed to evade, as did Ram, but he was sufficiently freaked out now. "Okay, without Hate, this is officially above my paygrade!"
"Then fucking use my power, you idiot! Just because we can afford to die, doesn't mean we have to all the time! If you can kill these beasts faster this way, then that's what you SHOULD do!" Austin commanded, snapping Ryuuto out of it as his eyes narrowed. He then immediately cut his mental connection to his internal allies, not wanting to hear what they had to say. Call him an idiot, he probably was one, but he wasn't going to use more Hate power than he needed to, especially when that was one of the only things keeping the Curse from eating him away faster.
For now, Ryuuto kept evading attacks from Rem and the Wolgarm, while also trying to figure out a way to stall for time without tiring himself out in the process. It then came to him, as Rem eventually turned her rampage and wrath towards the Wolgarm horde. If his Hate attracted them because of the enraging and malicious aura, and Rem was currently rampaging because of her Horn's mental effects, then… He jumped back, placing his sword on his back and holding it in place with a bit of colorless Gravity Magic. Of course, in doing so, he made himself a bit heavier and slower as long as he used his Gravity Magic, but that'd be fine. He put his arms out, his eyes glowing brightly as he channeled the power of his Hybrid trait, the power of Peace. "Peaceful Aura!" He said, as a wave of faint pale-green magic washed over the area, stopping the angry Wolgarm and Rem for a bit. That was his Soul's passive ability, only magnified. One of his trump cards for calming down people and ending fights. "Ram! I've got them slowed down for now! What can we do to get Rem to calm down!"
"It's her Horn!" Ram replied, bashing a Wolgarm's head in with a flaming Spear of Bravery, before slicing through another's. "If you manage to get in one good hit, you can force her Horn to retract! I think! I hope!"
"Not very encouraging, y'know!" Ryu pulled his sword off his back as he kept up his ability in his free hand, keeping up the field of positive and soothing power. He disabled the Gravity on his sword, and on him, before jumping into the air. He slammed his hilt into Rem's horn as she turned around, effectively knocking her out, and due to his field of power, she didn't fight back. He caught her limp form in his arm, before noticing an injured and whimpering Wolgarm right next to him. It seemed smaller than the rest of the pack, aside from the strange puppy that was acting as the leader.
"Ryu… don't you dare think of it…" Ryushi called out, before Ryuuto sheathed his sword and picked up the injured Wolgarm in his other arm. He sensed no malice from it, not anymore at least. He didn't want to question why or how, but he couldn't just leave an injured creature behind when it had no malicious intentions anymore. "You really do have a bleeding heart. Ugh…"
'Shi, just shut up for once and let me focus!' Ryu hissed at his alternate self, running off. "Come on Ram! Let's go!" The pink-haired maid turned to him, briefly confused, before nodding and running alongside him.
"Why are you carrying one of those unholy beasts?" Ram asked, as Ryu shifted his gaze to her and tried to shrug in response.
"I feel no malice from its soul anymore," Ryuuto replied. "It's calm, aside from the pain it's going through. We'll need to get it healed soon."
"If that beast causes us any trouble, you'll be to blame, Otuuyr." Ram threatened, with the white-and-red-haired teen only nodding in response. "Right. Come on, take a right now!" The two dashed to the right, past the forest of broken trees and foliage. They hid, with the pack of Wolgarm dashing right past them, unable to see or smell them. Ryu's gaze then shifted to his right arm, where Rem slowly started to come to.
"Wh... where am I?" Rem questioned, as Ryu kneeled down and helped the blue-haired maid sit. He then carefully put down his injured extra, looking over its wounded leg.
"Currently, we're hiding from a swarm of really angry Wolgarm in a forest," Ryu responded, before focusing on the dog and feeding it some Viridescent Healer tea. Being a magical drink, it wouldn't bring harm to any animals who drank it, thankfully. All he needed to do was monitor the Wolgarm's leg and ensure its leg healed properly. "We also managed to save you before you got in over your head. There were simply too many Wolgarm for you to fight, Rem. What were you even thinking?"
"I needed to make it up to you… and the children." Rem said. "This was all my fault. If I had only focused on the lead Wolgarm, then we could have avoided everything that happened last night. You wouldn't be Cursed, and we could have gotten the children help earlier…"
"This isn't your fight to finish alone, though." Ryu turned and glared at Rem. "If you died, I would have never forgiven myself. You're my friend, how am I ever going to be able to rest if you decide to rush off on your own! Now what we're going to do, is get you two back home. I don't care if you see this as some way to make amends. Putting my friends in danger is something I do not want to deal with. I don't want to lose anyone else." Ryu's eyes narrowed as he focused back on his task of healing the small Wolgarm. "Never again."
The Wolgarm slowly got up a second later, staring at Ryu as if judging him before nuzzling his hand once and running off. Ryu smiled faintly, as helping others always made him a little happier. He also let it go since he could feel that it wouldn't go telling the rest of its pack where they were, so it was fine. He then looked at Rem and Ram again, eyes faintly glowing with a tired expression on his face. "Right. You two go run, I'll meet up with you in a minute. I'll slow down and pacify the Wolgarm with another dose of my Magic."
"You idiot, that could be the final straw that kills you!" Ram retorted, as Ryu got up and smirked.
"Since when did you care about what I did, Ram?" He then looked out the foliage, as he let his own Hate, not Austin's, flow into him. "Besides, as long as I don't use too much of the power being used to keep my Curse at bay, I'll be fine. Now go!"
"Ryu…" The teenage Prince turned around, looking at a confused and worried Rem. "Why are you pushing yourself so far for us?" At that, Ryuuto only laughed before smiling at them brightly.
"Because you guys are all my friends! And I'd hate to lose my friends!" He then waved them off, with Ram holding her sister on her back. "Now go! I'll meet up with you in a bit!"
"You better keep your promise." Ram frowned before dashing off with her sister. Ryu waved before turning around, his expression darkening as he walked out of hiding.
"Alright, beasts! You want some?! COME AND GET SOME!" Ryuuto roared, as he manifested a black and red aura around himself, grabbing the attention of the Wolgarm as they growled and snarled at him. He then grinned and dashed off in the opposite direction from where Rem and Ram ran off to. He then narrowed his eyes as he noticed the nuisance of a pup surrounded by another pack of Wolgarm. "Well hello there, looks like you're ready to die too!" The pup growled in response, its eyes glowing a rage-filled red as a menacing red aura surrounded it, as its body began to morph and enlarge into an absurdly large Wolgarm that roared at him. "Heh, if you really think that'll scare me off, you've got another thing coming!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out the wrapped object, unwrapping it magically and putting it in his mouth. 'A Bocco fruit, huh? Alright then.' He felt all his wounds close up and his was stamina restored, He drew his gifted sword and laced it with Hate and Determination simultaneously, his eyes blacking out with his glowing irises being the only source of actual color. "Alright bastards, here we go! SHAMAK!"
Instantly, a massive beacon of black energy and smoke exploded from his body, only amplified by his own self-supplied Hate. He then dashed right at the Leader Wolgarm, stabbing at its neck with his enchanted blade, causing blood to erupt from it, before dashing back, spitting out the Bocco fruit, and summoning up his Hate to manifest a weapon. It formed into a scythe, as his eyes narrowed, swiping the blade as it slashed through the other Wolgarm. He shifted his gaze around as more Wolgarm poured out from the forest, snarling at him as they surrounded him and blocked off any escape paths. "Alright, I've got no problems with killing all of you." Ryu grinned maliciously, before he sensed a Wolgarm trying to sneak up on him. He turned around, about to slice at it, before noticing the scarred leg and its smaller stature. It nuzzled his hand once he offered it and stood by his side, causing him to grin even wider than before. "Looks like I've snagged myself a pet. Ready bud?" The Wolgarm next to him growled in response, though it was growling at the other Wolgarms instead of him.
But the moment he was about to start the fight (read: massacre), a familiar flamboyant voice called out from above. "UL GOA!" A massive bolt of fire hit the lead Wolgarm, followed by dozens of other firebolts, igniting the forest around them. Ryu summoned a barrier of Hate above him and his new pet, protecting them from the bullet hell of fire, as his expression shifted into one of disappointment.
"My my, you look so veeeery tired now don't you, Ryuuto.~" Roswaal said as he levitated in front of him. "Once I saw the massive aura of darkness, I knew you had something to do with it. After all, you're the only one I know who can use Shamak to summon up pillars of darkness."
"For once, my absurdly unstable Dark element worked out in my favor. Huh, good to know." He let the dark barrier fade, as he collapsed to a knee, tired. His new pet Wolgarm nuzzled his side worriedly, as he responded to it by stroking its fur. "Thanks for the save, Lord Roswaal. I didn't know how long I could have lasted without causing more damage to my soul."
"Please, just call me Roswaal. We've grown soooooo much closer now, haven't we?~" Roswaal smiled, before looking at the Wolgarm next to Ryu. "Now what do we have heeeere?"
"This is my new pet." He said defensively, as he drew the Wolgarm closer to him as it licked his cheek affectionately.
"And what's her name?" Roswaal raised an eyebrow curiously, as Ryu glanced at the dog-like Mabeast briefly before smiling.
"Teymin." He replied coldly.
Roswaal hummed. "Well then, she'll be your responsibility and yoooooours only!" The Margrave said, causing Ryu to nod in silent agreement.
"Lord Roswaal!" Ram's voice called out, as Ryu, Roswaal, and the newly dubbed Teymin turned to see Ram carrying Rem with one arm as they stumbled over. The two maids then bowed to Roswaal once they arrived. "I'm certain we've caused a lot of trouble for you. My apologies."
"Quiiite the contrary," said Roswaal, smiling as he usually did. "Truthfully, you all accomplished fine work in my absence. I'm quite grateful." Roswaal then shifted his gaze to Ryuuto. "And I'll certainly show that gratitude for what you've done for me. You have my word."
"Ryu!" Rem cried out as Ryu turned around, only to be knocked over and glomped by the blue-haired Oni maid. Ryuuto groaned from the sudden impact, and was about to yell at Rem for causing him more pain when he was already injured, but his words died in his throat as he heard Rem's crying. "You're alive! You're still alive! I'm so happy you're safe, Ryu!" Ryuuto softly smiled and moved a hand to stroke Rem's hair to slowly quieten her cries.
"Sorry I was a bit late with the rendezvous, Rem… I suppose I got a little carried away…" He apologized, but that only caused her cries to resume again. How… peculiar… he felt something radiating from Rem, a familiar feeling that made him comfortable. 'Heh, I'll figure that out… later…'
Ryuuto groaned as he came to the next day, his eyes opening to a familiar ceiling. "Hey, are you awake?" A soft voice said from beside him, as he turned his head to his right, eyes landing on Rem.
"Uh… yeah… I am…" He tried to sit up but noticed there was something different going on. Rem's hand was intertwined with his. "Oh… when did this happen? Did I just grab your hand while sleeping or something?"
"N-not exactly," Rem replied, looking a little bashful. "It was me, to be honest. I was watching you and you seemed to be in pain while you slept, so I…"
"You decided to hold my hand… thanks, I suppose. As long as that supposed 'pain' went away, I'll say what you did was for the best." Ryu replied, before noticing Teymin was resting on the floor next to his bed. He really needed to make a dog bed for his new pet… and set up a feeding system, since Wolgarms did feed off magical energy.
"I don't really know what to do in times like these," Rem admitted. "It's always so confusing and overwhelming, so I did what would have made me the happiest if I were in your place."
"I'd like to hear the rest of what happened last night. My Curse was obviously removed since I'm still alive, but how did it happen exactly?" Ryu's heterochromatic eyes looked into Rem's blue ones, as he searched for an answer.
"Lord Roswaal was meticulous and took care of all the Mabeasts in the forest. We were confused as to what your new… pet would do, but we took the chance that it wouldn't feed on you since you seemed to have tamed it in its entirety." Rem replied. "There's now no chance your Curse will ever activate."
"That's good…" Ryu released a breath he didn't know he was holding. He survived the Curse. Good… He then noticed Rem was bowing her head to him. "What's this about?"
"I'm so sorry, Ryu."
"Hey, no need to apologize to me, or bow for that matter! I'm always happy to fight for the people I care about!" Ryu waved his arms about as he freaked out momentarily. He then forced himself to calm down and smiled. "Just smile for me, alright? That'll be enough for me. You don't have to look so calm and collected all the time. I can tell that's not your actual self."
"I'm aware of my shortcomings," Rem said dejectedly, causing Ryu's mood to dip a little as well. "At the heart of it all, I'm an incompetent and powerless Demon clan dropout. So no matter what I do, I can never match my sister. I'm only her replacement, far inferior to her." She teared up slightly as Ryu watched her with a passive expression on his face. "I don't get it, why was I the only one between us who kept her horn? Why couldn't it be her? Why couldn't Sister be the one who got to keep hers? Why was she born with only one horn? I've caused her nothing but trouble since the day of our birth! It's my fault! Why did we have to come into this world as twins?" She then looked up at him and shook her head. "Ah, I'm sorry! That was strange of me to say!"
"No… I get the feeling actually." He looked up at the ceiling, as his mind trailed to much simpler times. "Back home, there was a power passed down my family. Black lightning magic. It always went to the most suitable host, a transferred power. It used to be in my brother's control before I was born. It left him on that day, and went into my possession."
"What happened to you two? Did he hate you for taking the power?" Rem asked, as he then shook his head with a sad smile.
"Nope. Far from it. My brother loved me unconditionally, even though I technically stole his power. In fact, he gave me tips on how to use it when I got older. He was the best brother I could ask for." He smiled nostalgically, which caused Rem to grow curious.
"You… said was. What happened?" The blue-haired Oni maid asked, causing Ryu to simmer down with a sparkle of sadness entering his eyes. Rem grew worried, as she had a feeling she had touched a sensitive topic.
"A lot of stuff happened. I'd rather not talk about it right now if you don't mind." He then reached over with his free hand and patted his student/friend's head, smiling again. "But still… I've gotta say something about what you think of yourself. It's because of you that I got to save those kids back there. Plus, it's because of you that I managed to get back to Roswaal Manor in one piece. I owe you."
"No, I-"
"I'm not the type to think about hypotheticals unless I can bring them into existence, Rem." He interrupted her, as Teymin finally awoke and walked over to sit by his side near the bed. "You were the one that helped save the lives of those children back then, and you were the one who drove yourself to the brink of insanity to save me just a while ago."
"If Sister had her horn still, though, she would have been able to beat all those Wolgarm on her own and saved you much quicker!" Rem shot back, causing Ryuuto to shake his head. "It's true! You wouldn't even have had to get up or raise a finger, it would have been so easy!"
"That doesn't really matter. Maybe that outcome existed in another timeline, but how am I to ever know about its existence or details eh?" Ryu gently flicked Rem's forehead with a smile. "This is the only timeline that matters right now. The one where you saved me, the one where I have Teymin sitting next to me like the good girl she is-" Teymin barked happily at that. "And the one where I'm sitting right here, having this talk with you right now. Sure, your sister helped, but if I'm being honest; you had a bigger impact than she did. And as for that hypothetical timeline, I really doubt she'd set out to save me like that unless it benefited her in some way or she was told to."
"I… I told you, I'm only my sister's replacement." Rem said. "Nothing m-"
"Don't look down on yourself so much. No one else here does. No one here is a replacement for another. You are Rem, a maid of Roswaal Manor, a Kindness Mage-in-Training, and my friend. I couldn't ask for anything else, since this is all I know. All I need." He slowly got up, taking Rem's hand as he led her to the window. "I've seen lots of things in my time, you know. I've encountered fantastical things and fought beings that if I told you about it, you'd laugh at me and say I have an active imagination." He then smiled at Rem, eyes glowing brightly. "And y'know what? I think I will tell you soon if it puts a smile on your face. And I've got a lot of stuff to talk to you about, as well. That's what we promised back in the forest, right? We're going to talk, and talk, and talk until our voices go sore. So look up, alright? We've got a bright future ahead of us, Rem. Let's take it by the hand together."
Rem stared at his now offered hand, before taking it as a tearful smile came to her face. "Thank you, Ryuuto!"
"Don't mention it, Rem." He grinned in response, before bringing Rem into a hug. In Ryu's soul, Austin faintly smiled. This was something new. An emotion he was familiar with was now budding in the soul of the young maiden, the opposite of his existence.
'Love, huh? Let's see where this takes him and his 'fate'.' Austin thought to himself amusedly.
Elsewhere in Roswaal's Manor, the owner of the manor was having a talk with his pink-haired maid. "By the way, Ram, did you happen to find the one who was controlling the Maaaabeasts?" Roswaal questioned.
"Yes, but the trail has already vanished. One of the children that Otuuyr and Rem brought back from the forest mysteriously disappeared from the village the next day." Rem replied dutifully.
"Was this connected to the battle for the throne as well, I wonder? The Bowel Hunter, Mabeast Masters, we've certainly gotten involved with some bizarre characters, haven't we?" Roswaal hummed to himself from his chair.
"No matter how many strange characters you face, you aren't the type of man to lose heart and turn tail, are you?" Ram asked, her pink eyes glowing in the moon's light.
"My my, you've grown quite audacious, haven't you?" Roswaal smiled, before beckoning Ram over. "Come here." The maid listened to his order, walking over to the older man. "Now then, shall we begin? After all, I was unable to attend to you for a whole night."
"I…" Ram froze, unable to find a way to tell Roswaal that she didn't need a Mana transfusion at the moment because of Ryu's assistance. And she doubted that she'd need to for a while according to what Rem said about Soul Magic being able to change into Mana. "Actually, Lord Roswaal… I learned about how to use my Soul to supply myself with Mana…"
"How veeery interesting… where did you learn this ability?" Roswaal asked, a curious expression on his face as he raised an eyebrow.
"From… Ryuuto…" She eventually caved in after a few moments of silence, as Roswaal then smiled inwardly, but kept a neutral expression on the outside.
"I suppose I should thank him for teaching one of my maids how to supply herself with Mana when I'm gone. Speaking of which, Ram…" He looked out at the moon. "I will be busy again for a time. I do hope you can supply yourself with Mana for that time."
"Of course, Lord Roswaal. I… belong to you." Ram bowed her head to Roswaal, with neither party noticing the black orb with red eyes watching them from the darkness.
_(SOULSCAPE)_
"Austin." Ryushi called out to the embodiment of all Hatred, who looked over at him with a bored expression on his 'face'. "What exactly do you get out of this situation?"
"I don't understand your question, Ryushinigami." Austin replied in a professional and dull tone of voice, floating over to the dark half of his host with his 'arms' behind his back. "Please elaborate."
"What do you get out of erasing the timelines with Ryuuto's death? What do you get out of spying on these girls in the mansion?" Ryushi elaborated, as Austin hummed.
"I'll answer your second question. It all has to do with my antithesis. Love."
"I don't get it." Ryushi's expression shifted into one of pure confusion. Austin smirked.
"It's quite simple. I'm keeping an eye out for Ryu's soulmates," Austin said, turning to Ryu's soul, where he waved a hand. With that motion, strings were revealed to be sent out from Ryu's soul, each colored differently. Some even were multicolored. "Bonds between souls are quite powerful as you know, and with Ryuuto weakened again, he'll need support to get back up. Both from friends and from anyone his soul is bonded to."
"That makes sense, I suppose, but why do you destroy those universes?" For what felt like hours, Ryu's soulscape was deathly silent.
"...Because I was contracted to." Austin finally responded.
"I've noticed something, Ryuuto." Ryu heard from behind him as he continued training with his Sword of Determination in an effort to continue growing stronger. "You're constantly getting hurt…"
"Eh, it's nothing new, to be honest." Ryu sent a wave of wind from his sword using nothing but his strength.
"You originally came to this mansion because you were hurt, though. And it's only been 4 days since then, and you've already gotten yourself hurt again!" Emilia said, as Ryu continued going through sword stances and strikes.
"And because I'm apparently a candidate for the throne, don't forget that Emi." He then dispelled his sword with his final strike that emitted a crimson jet of energy into the sky. "That, and I heal absurdly quick. I'm not worried."
"Ryu, please be a little more serious! You could have gotten killed! What if Roswaal hadn't shown up in time?" Emilia said, as Ryu sighed. He knew he could have handled himself using the true power of the Soul of Peace if he absolutely needed to, but Emilia didn't know. And she never would, if things went his way.
"Yeah, yeah… It's just I've had to deal with much worse situations than this in the past, so I've grown… numb to some things. Like the idea of dying. Forgive me, Emi." Emilia then glared at him somewhat cutely, placing her hands on her hips.
"Remember what I said Ryu? A million sorry's aren't equal to a singular thank you!" Emilia said, causing Ryuuto to laugh out loud and grin, eyes shining brightly.
"Right. Thank you, Emilia, for healing me back there." At that, Emilia smiled.
"I should be thanking you too, Ryu. You saved me again." She gave him a thankful expression as she placed a hand over her heart. "I brought you here to this mansion as thanks for rescuing me, and you've repeated that favor again without a second thought. So I want to say thank you!"
Ryu faintly blushed at the praise, trying to brush it off. "Hey, hey! No need for that, really! To be honest, I just have a hero complex! I didn't do this for any praise or anything, just because it was right."
"I know that, and it doesn't make me feel any better about you putting yourself in danger. We're friends, right Ryu? I really need to do something to show my gratitude." At that Ryu finally caved in.
"I see. Well, I would like to get back to the capital again. There's a certain red-haired knight that I need to talk to again… among other things." At that Emilia went silent for a brief second before nodding.
"I'm not exactly sure when I'll be headed to the capital, but I should be called up there soon with the Royal Selection going on," Emilia said. "And that would naturally include you, since you're the anomalous 6th and final candidate for the King's Throne."
"Well, that's better than nothing." Ryu then looked up at the moon, the light reflecting under his eyes. This was the beginning of something new and exciting, he supposed. He didn't originally plan to get wrapped up in royal stuff again, let alone politics, but he didn't care about that. He had a second chance at life now, and he was going to take it.
He was going to fight for the lives of his friends, his loved ones, in this new world just as he did back home. And with his Determination, nothing was going to stop him.
RE: DETERMINED
Act 2, Chapter 02 - Fighting For Life (人生のために戦う) - END