RE: DETERMINED
Act 4 (Heroism), Chapter 3 - One in A Million Bet (100万人に一人 ベット)
Next Arc: Arc 5 [Delusions of a Determined Prince] in ? chapters.
From the confines of Ryu's soulscape, Austin smiled. The Eldritch, ancient being genuinely smiled as he noticed a marking appear on Ryu's soul. A dark red lightning bolt-like sigil, carved directly into his soul and overloading it with Determination. But not to a lethal extent. It empowered him, and Austin could only feel happiness for his host. "Honestly, it took him long enough."
"I knew he'd be able to pull it off, though. If it would be anyone, it'd be our Ryu to become this Determined." Ryushi grinned, sitting on the being's back, as Austin had taken the form of a large black dragon-like lizard. "How long 'til we tell him about their soul fragments?"
"You mean the ones of his deceased Underground family?" Austin grumbled, as Ryushi nodded excitably. "Soon enough. Just lemme find the perfect time to do it."
"Righty-o, then!" Ryushi cheerfully said, before he calmly smiled. "I'm proud of him, y'know? He's destined for great things."
"Considering he is you, that's borderline narcissism," Austin teased lightly. "But I do agree. He's grown, and his Determination reflects it. I cannot wait until he grasps his fate and claims it as his own."
"I see," Roswaal sighed in disappointment. "Your resolve is strong, yet soooo misplaced." The clown-like man waved a hand over his face, his makeup instantly disappearing as he did so.
"I'm sure you've faced many of the problems that lie here in this Sanctuary, and outside as well." Roswaal continued as Ryu's face was covered by his hair, especially his left eye. "The order to have assassins attack the mansion… came from me, personally. You will soon be forced to make a decision, on what is important to you. Once you make that decision, you will be unable to take it back. I will mold you to become a perfect being that can only save one and no others."
Like hell. Ryu refused to give in to that insane man's delusions. 'Roswaal thinks that just because he's got a Tome of Wisdom, he can do whatever the fuck he wants, huh? That he's some sort of protagonist? Fuck that.' Ryu sighed as he trailed a hand over his face, walking throughout the forests of the Sanctuary to get some necessary air. To get away from Roswaal, the man who had changed so much from what he remembered in his memories. Roswaal A. Mathers and Roswaal L. Mathers were like two different people entirely, even though Ryu now knew they were one-and-the-same.
"Ryu-sama?" He heard a familiar voice inquisitively say as he turned around to face a particular Merchant-turned-Assistant. Otto smiled at him, standing a few feet away as he leaned against a tree. "I had a faint feeling you'd come here after Patrasche and I got you out of that tomb. You like peace and quiet, after all."
"She's doing alright, I hope?" Ryu asked, as Otto nodded in confirmation, relieving Ryu of his worries. Patrasche had gotten herself hurt dragging him out of Echidna's Tomb, and Ryu felt pretty guilty about that. "That's good. I would have had no idea what to do if she was still hurt."
"She's healing up quite nicely, all thanks to your revolutionary idea of merging Healing Magic with food; so don't worry about a thing, Ryu-sama!" Otto said, as he walked over in Ryu's direction. "But that's not why I'm here. I came here to check up on you. Ever since you entered that tomb, you seem…"
"Different? More confident? More… determined?" Ryu asked with a knowing glint in his eyes as Otto nodded. "Let's just say I had a realization in there, changed my outlook slightly, but just enough to fundamentally shift my soul."
"Ah, I see. Well, as long as that change turns out to be positive, then everything's good!" Otto laughed slightly, but then stopped as he noticed Ryu's serious expression.
"Otto, you're my friend, and my assistant. I'd like to call in a favor." He said, as Otto nodded, a more firm look in his eyes. His boss's determination was rubbing off on him, it seemed. "I'd like for you to listen to me, give me some advice. Basically, do the job I hired you to do."
Otto smiled, as did Ryu. "I'd be happy to… Ryu." Otto replied kindly, before his eyes widened as he noticed something on Ryu's left eye. Or, more specifically, under his left eye. A red marking, looking like a lightning bolt, extending from the corner of his eye and reaching down his face. Its color was exactly the same as Ryu's red eye, being bright in color and intensity. "Ryu-"
"It's time you learned a bit more about your boss, Otto," Ryu calmly said, unaffected by this as he knew of how he had changed after the Sanctuary's most recent trial.
"Alright, Roswaal, you creepy fuck!" Ryu called out as he slammed down the door to Roswaal's room down, with the margrave looking up at him, very startled by the sudden and loud entrance. "I propose a bet! Our hopes and dreams, our very futures, will be our chips!"
"...Your resolve ever grows more and more grating, Ryu-kun," Roswaal frowned, realizing that now Ryu's determination was directed against him, he was most definitely in danger. "I didn't expect for you to come face me directly… and so soon, at that."
"I'm doing my absolute best to fuck over your plans and go off-charts," Ryu replied with a confident grin. "This will be our final showdown, Margrave. I'm going to save everyone. Emilia, the Sanctuary, the mansion. I'll even find a way to beat the Brown Leviathan one way or another. And not even you will get in my way."
"You truly expect to defeat the Great Scourge?" Roswaal asked in a genuinely confused tone. "You said it yourself, your father was the greatest man in your kingdom, and even he couldn't as much as scratch it."
"I'm not going to let that stop me. One way or another, I will win. I'm determined to do so, and that's it! Nothing's gonna stop me!" Ryu slammed a fist into his open palm, his red eye and his marking glowing. "I'm going to complete my goals, and stop you from completing yours."
"You truly believe you can pull off a feat like that? It's impossi-"
"With that kind of attitude, I suppose I can understand why you think that!" Ryu cut in, as Roswaal seemed to grow more and more annoyed by the minute. Ryu could even see hints of fear, Roswaal feared his determination, and Ryu relished that for a moment. "In my opinion, you can't achieve anything without having the will to do it! And I have the will."
"You would abandon one of your greatest trump cards in a desperate gambit such as this?" Roswaal scoffed.
"No, it's not a desperate gambit," Ryu replied confidently. "My loops aren't the be-all-end-all of abilities. I'm going to beat you, my way, and you're going to be working for me. I'm going to be a savior, a hero, because I want to. And because I want to, I will. I have to."
"you're, uh, very determined, aren't you? you'll never give up, even if there's, uh… absolutely no benefit to persevering whatsoever. if i can make that clear. no matter what, you'll just keep going. not out of any desire for good or evil… but just because you think you can. and because you 'can'... you 'have to'."
Those were the words he heard back then, when he was on his wit's end, fighting an endless fight that killed him over 600 times. The words he heard from Sans as Ryu tried to find a way to get out of a hopeless situation. But now they took a different meaning. Ryu was doing this because he could, yes. But that wasn't the only reason, it was because, in his mind, he was obligated to. As a soul of Peace, a holder of Determination, as the only remains of his world.
He had to save his friends here, because that's what his old family and friends back home would have wanted him to do. He was going to make them proud. Ryu's determination didn't come from a singular being or wish anymore. It came from multiple, from families past and present, and the hopes and dreams he carried.
"What you're suggesting is absurd… what would you even get out of this?" Roswaal snapped, as Ryu calmed down slightly.
"It's self-explanatory, ain't it? I'll handle all the upcoming threats ahead of us, and not only will I get credit for it in the Royal Selection, so will Emilia. I'm just ensuring we get some extra points." Ryu said in a neutral tone. "Not only that, but if… no, when I win, you're going to burn that Tome and your ideals."
"You do realize how greedy you sound, do you not?" Roswaal asked, as Ryu laughed in response.
"I'm a greedy guy, I will admit! I want to help people! I want to shoulder the world's problems, to work on making this world a better place!" Ryu said as he extended his arms outward, taking a pose that was directly inspired by Echidna. "I'm greedy! I'm Determined! I'm unwilling to compromise! I'm unwilling to leave behind any of my friends, to sacrifice anyone! I am… the most Determined Mage in Lugunica! No, the world!"
Roswaal stared at Ryu, as he could see a faint silhouette behind him, the figure of a man he once looked up to, smirking just as Ryu was. Flugel Aicenfall, the Sage. Eventually, Roswaal smiled. "I recognize your resolve, Ryu-kun," He began, an unreadable look in his eyes. "But I warn you, you will not be able to break through this. Emilia-sama will be unable to stand, and the barrier will remain unbroken. The Sanctuary will be covered in snow, and the mansion will sink into bloody tragedy. And if what you say is right, the Great Scourge will destroy the capital, if not the entire country of Lugunica."
"Believe what you want, I'll just be happy to see you cry once I ruin your carefully laid out plans," Ryu shrugged, unfazed by his threatening words.
"I see…" Roswaal sighed as he was forced to recognize Ryu's determination wasn't just strong, but unmovable. Stronger than ever before. He doubted there was anything he could do to weaken it now, let alone shatter it. "I suppose it wouldn't be a bad idea to lay some groundwork for the next me."
"Alright, I'll take that as an acceptance to the bet!" Ryu grinned widely. "Good to hear, clown! I can finally get started on the actual important shit, then!"
"Ryu-kun," Roswaal interrupted as Ryu was about to leave. "The snow in the Sanctuary and the attack on the mansion begin in three days. And the Great Scourge seems to be a mystery to even you." Ryu was mildly annoyed that Roswaal was able to read that off of his expressions, but didn't let it faze him beyond just annoyance. "Do try your best to fight against them… and fail miserably, won't you?"
"Yeah, yeah, fuck off clown," Ryu waved him off as he left the room, but turned to face him one last time. "By the way, put on the makeup again. Seeing you without it is just wrong, you ain't A. Mathers." Roswaal seemed startled by those words, causing Ryu to grin again. "Plus, I'll need a jester once this is all over."
"How is your conspiracy going, Otuuyr?" Ram asked him once he had made his way outside, with the Prince smiling in the pink-haired Oni's direction.
"You'll see eventually, no need to say anything." Ryu shrugged, a positive look in his eyes as he said this. "What about you? Have you accepted what Roswaal's doing?"
"There's only one thing I value above all else," Ram said in a stiff tone. "There's no way that will change. Never. So don't bother waiting for me to change my mind."
"Had a feeling you'd say something like that, but it stings nonetheless," Ryu sighed in slight disappointment. Breaking Ram away from Roswaal was going to be a pain in the ass, he just knew it. "Oh well, gotta get over it. I'm sure that eventually, things will change. They always do. It's just how life works."
"Please be quiet, Otuuyr," Ram said, her tone a mix of polite and annoyed. She then paused. "Emilia-sama… you'll be putting your hopes in her hands, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am," Ryu confirmed. "I'm placing my faith in her, and I'm hoping she does the same. In times like these, we've got to support each other. The world is at its strongest when it's together."
"...Emilia-sama hasn't figured out why she's still struggling," Ram continued as Ryu's eyes gained a faint glint of light, taking note of what was being said. "Until she does, the same thing will just keep happening."
"We've already strayed away from fate on a fundamental level, from what was written in the books," Ryu said as his eyes narrowed slightly. "Roswaal is free now. Everyone is. I'm going to fix things, one way or another."
"...Good luck then, dummy," Ram said, as she closed the door behind her. Ryu eventually sighed. Better than having Ram entirely against him, he supposed.
"That went surprisingly well, Ryu," Otto said as he walked over, throwing some bushy branches to the side. "Perhaps Ram is warming up to you."
"If she heard you say that, she'd get pissed, y'know that right?" Ryu faintly smirked in Otto's direction. "How's the Soul Magic training going for you, Otto? I'll be really needing you to pull off our plan."
"I can summon small weapons," Otto said, as he raised a hand, an ethereal purple clawed gauntlet appearing around it for a few moments before dispersing. "It's not very strong, and it breaks after a while, but…"
"It'll do, Otto. I'm sure we can do this." Ryu put his hand out to his assistant. "I'll be depending on you, alright?"
"You can count on me to do my best, boss," Otto replied, firm resolve in his eyes as he shook Ryu's hand. Ryu wasn't regretting teaching Otto how to use Perseverance magic whatsoever, knowing that Otto would complement his strengths and cover his weaknesses. Determination was the will to keep going, pushing through any obstacle with brute force. But Perseverance was calmer, it took notes and wasn't afraid to stop and assess the situation. That was what Ryu was counting on. Otto's willingness, his instinctual ability to know when to stop and rest, to take a brief pause.
Ryu didn't want to overexert himself or fail, after all. He needed his friends to win, just as he needed them long ago.
"Next would be to deal with Garfiel, right?" Otto asked, as they eventually released the handshake. Ryu frowned slightly.
"That guy really could be a pain, but I think I've got a plan on how to deal with him," Ryu said, as Otto nodded and walked off to continue their work. "Ah, just one thing, Otto. It'd be fine if I went to do something, right?"
"That's fine by me, boss," Otto nodded in his direction. "As your assistant, I approve of whatever you're thinking right now. Just make sure to not go too far off-schedule, alright? I'll continue my part of the plan as discussed."
"Thanks, Otto. Take care of yourself, alright?" Ryu patted the man's shoulder and watched as he walked off before a frown settled on his face. "...I'm not gonna lose to anyone. Watch over me, everyone. I'm going to be a hero."
"Come on out, Ryuzu! I know you're here," Ryu called out as he leaned against a wall, staring at a large blue crystal. Ryuzu eventually walked out from behind the crystal.
"You talk like someone who knows me remarkably well, Young Ryu," She commented as she turned to face him. Ryu merely smiled in response.
"I suppose you could say I do," He shrugged. "I know just about everything about you, if I'm being honest. I even know of your goal here."
"Then the one who Young Ros was waiting for… was you," Ryuzu muttered.
"Yeah, no, that's all done for," Ryu laughed, finding it amusing to think that he'd actually work with the husk of Roswaal. Ryuzu looked up at him in surprise. "Right now, I'm in a face-off with Roswaal, you could say. An eternal battle. We're on opposing sides. But I genuinely want the best for everyone, so I'll be needing your help."
"Why not use your Authority as an Apostle of Greed to demand me to help you?" Ryuzu asked, causing Ryu's brow to furrow and frown. While it was true he still had the Authority to do so, he didn't want to force others to help him, he wanted it to be genuine.
"I don't want to rely on things that other people have given me. I may be an Apostle of Greed, as you put it, but first and foremost I am me." Ryu said, standing up straight as he stopped leaning against the walls. "I came here to talk to you, to get your real, genuine assistance. Not to force you to help me."
"...Young men are so quick to put up a tough front," Ryuzu said, as Ryu could feel her smile underneath her long cloak. "Tell me, what are you two arguing over?"
"In the simplest terms, the future and freedom of the Sanctuary, and how it will be achieved," Ryu replied as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm kinda unsure if you're okay with its liberation, though."
"Unsure if I'm okay with the liberation of the Sanctuary?" Ryuzu seemed confused, causing Ryu to briefly be confused as well.
"Wait, so you aren't opposed to it?" He cautiously asked, his mind quickly making changes to his plans if necessary. In his mind, this 'bet' with Roswaal was akin to a war, and he refused to lose. Ryuzu silently nodded as Ryu pursed his lips. Well, that certainly changed things. "Well, that's certainly a gamechanger."
Ryuzu sighed softly. "I cannot completely deny your suspicions, however. Tell me, what is your opinion on Young Gar?"
"Garfiel, hm?" Ryu scratched the back of his head as he thought. "I know for sure that there's no way to avoid clashing with him. He's headstrong, hotblooded, and won't listen to anyone." In those regards, Garfiel sort of reminded him of Undyne, who he was only able to befriend after a long hard-fought battle (and a lot of fleeing). "But even still, I'm also sure that once the dust clears, I'll be able to befriend him. After all…" He smiled slightly. "Back home, a lot of my strongest friendships came from fights. But even then, I'd like to learn more about Garfiel to achieve this goal of mine."
"...You are quite good at deceiving and manipulating the elderly, Young Ryu." Ryuzu eventually relented. "You asked her about me, did you not? The Witch?"
"Half that, half… something else." Ryu hummed. "Can't exactly say what for now, but I can say I've been given some beneficial information from a donor." If said donor was his soul transferring memories of his past life to his current mind.
"And if I may ask, who is this donor?" Ryuzu questioned, looking over in his direction with her blue eyes.
"Even if I told you, you'd either just not believe me or get in the way of my plans, sorry Ryuzu." He apologized. "But still, I'd appreciate what you can tell me about Garfiel."
"...Are you aware of Young Gar's family situation?" Ryuzu finally said as she turned around to fully face him. Ryu took a thinking pose, wracking his mind for anything he could about Garfiel.
"I know Frederica is his sister from a different father, and that unlike Garfiel, she has less non-human blood and was able to leave the Sanctuary because of it…" Ryu began before his eyes widened. "There's something more to this story, isn't there?"
"There was another one of us Ryuzu clones, Ryuzu Shima, who violated the contract with the Witch who created us." Ryuzu explained. "She entered the graveyard to bring back Young Gar as he broke the rules and attempted the trial. I haven't seen Shima since she was stripped of her duties, but I wouldn't be surprised if Young Gar has been meeting up with Shima."
"So, you're saying the past Garfiel saw had to do with Frederica's leaving?" Ryu asked, a curious eyebrow raised.
"No," Ryuzu shook her head negative. "What he saw was most likely the moment Young Gar and Fred were left behind by their mother when they left the Sanctuary." Ryu had to suppress a wince as he could vaguely understand that idea. Having a family member suddenly not be apart of someone's life could be traumatic, his old Determination-less days could attest to that.
I have one thing to say to you, Ryu-kun. That poor, young Garfiel fears the outside world. If you want to free him, you must break him out of that spell. Echidna's words echoed in Ryu's mind for a moment, as his eyes narrowed slightly. "So, he's against liberating the Sanctuary out of fear, huh?"
"The truth of that would only lie with him and Shima, I'm afraid," Ryuzu replied. Ryu sighed, recognizing that he might have to make some minor changes to the plan on his side. He just hoped Otto didn't run into any problems on their end.
Emilia.
Helping out his friend was his next goal, and he wasn't going to give up on her. Ryu walked into her room after knocking, a faint smile on his face. He then blinked and looked around the room in confusion before noticing a small bump at the edge of Emilia's bed. One blink of soulsight later, he had confirmed that it was Emilia. "Emi, I know you're there."
"A-ah, Ryu-kun…" Emilia smiled weakly at him as he made his way over, a half-concerned and half-resigned expression on his face.
"Emi, you can't just sit on the floor, that's definitely not comfortable," Ryu sighed as he sat next to her anyway.
"I'm, uh… a restless sleeper," Emilia said, as Ryu's eyes flashed a dull blue, signifying a lie. He also noticed her own eyes flash as well, her own soul reacting to her lie as she sighed. "I'm sorry… I lied. The truth is, I couldn't get any sleep." Emilia then smiled up at him again. "But don't worry, I'm sure I'll be able to get plenty of sleep tonight."
"Yeah, that's not gonna cut it, Emi. I can't have my friend running on fumes all day," Ryu sighed, scanning through his mind for anything that could be useful. He could try to make Sea Tea, that was an effective energy drink. And it wasn't harmful to the body or soul, which was a bonus. He then stood up as he extended his hand out to her, with Emilia taking it with a grateful smile. "I'll cook something up for you to get your energy up."
"That's very kind of you, Ryu-kun, thank you," Emilia said in a soft tone, bringing a smile to Ryu's face.
As they made their way to one of the nearby kitchens, waiting for Ryu's secret Sea Tea blend, the Prince spoke up to try and cut the tension. "Emilia, are you feeling up to telling me about what you saw in the trial?" He asked, his red eye looking over in her direction as he kept most of his focus on the tea. Magical food and brews were sometimes unstable, if he messed something up it could be catastrophic in many ways. He could end up with a poison, or even blow something up. Which would be unpleasant, to say the least. Emilia seemed somewhat frightened, which caused Ryu to try and ease her fears a bit. "I'm not gonna say anything like you telling me is gonna magically make you feel better… but if I know what's up, I can hopefully help you more. Friends support each other, right?"
"Ryu… why? Why do you have so much faith in me?" Emilia asked as the Prince was able to see a more fragile, vulnerable side to his friend. He pursed his lips slightly as he watched the brewing Sea Tea before him. He eventually poured a cup of the drink once it was prepared, cooling it a little with ice magic, and placed the cup in front of Emilia silently. "The… the past I saw…" Emilia began as Ryu's eyes widened slightly. Was she really going to tell him? "It was a memory before I went to sleep, I think."
"Sleep?" Ryu took a seat next to Emilia at the table, a faintly concerned look in his eyes.
"I never told you that I was frozen in ice for a long time, did I?" Emilia smiled weakly. "I was frozen in that forest for so long… until Puck found me and got me out, I had been sleeping in the ice."
"How long?" Ryu asked hesitantly, wanting to know more. Not just to benefit his plans to help everyone, but to also better know his friend and running-mate.
"Since I was six or seven-years-old, maybe?" Emilia said, staring down at the clear cup of Sea Tea in front of her. "We all lived together in the forest before it froze, I think."
"You… think?" Ryu's concern only grew as his eyes softened. If this is what he thought it was, he could genuinely empathize with Emilia.
"I don't remember much from before that happened…" Emilia said, confirming his suspicions.
"And your family?" He asked in a gentle tone.
"My family wasn't in the forest. But there was someone who was like a mother to me…" Emilia then began to shake as she covered her mouth with a hand. "My… mother…" Recognizing that Emilia was on the verge of an emotional breakdown from repressed memories, he reached over and held her close, gently stroking her hair as he released some of his unique Peaceful Aura.
"It's okay, Emi. Take it slow. You don't need to tell me everything at once if you don't want to," Ryu murmured, his tone as kind and gentle as his touch. "But if you can tell me, and only if you really can, what happened to them?"
"The… same as me…" Emilia whimpered, bringing more pain to Ryu's own heart. He didn't want to hurt Emilia, but he genuinely needed to know, he wanted to help her, and to do that he needed to know her. "They were frozen in ice… I lived in the forest, waiting with Puck for all of them to wake up. But that day never came…" Ryu listened closely the whole time, as Emilia's whimpers began to calm down as a side-effect of Ryu's calming aura. "So… I left the forest and joined the Royal Selection."
"Wait, what does that have to do with anything?" Ryu asked, though his tone didn't change much, if at all.
"Roswaal promised me…" Emilia began, as Ryu's eyes narrowed slightly, thinking back to the clown that he now genuinely despised. "He said that if I succeed at taking the throne, he could that the ice around the forest…" She hesitantly looked up at him as she said this. "I hope this doesn't make you think less of me. All the other candidates are participating with solid goals and resolutions, but my reason is so… so personal."
"So, that's the selfish reason you told me about, huh?" Ryu murmured. At her nod, Ryu sighed. "Emi, there's nothing wrong with wanting to save the people you care about. While some might see it as selfishness, I think there's nothing wrong with being selfish if it means you're saving people. Whether it be a few or a lot, it doesn't really matter as long as your intentions are pure."
"Ryu-kun… thank you… so much…" Emilia softly said, her voice slowly dying out as he noticed her body go limp as she fell asleep against him. Ryu smiled slightly.
"Guess my aura coupled with her exhaustion finally knocked her out, huh?" Ryu waved a hand, fixing up the cup of Sea Tea and drinking it himself since Emilia was asleep. He felt the magical rush of energy increase his physical stats, as well as give him an energy and speed boost. He then picked Emilia up, carrying her in a bridal carry and taking her back to her room, where he tucked her into bed. "..." His gaze eventually focused on Emilia's crystal, as his eyes narrowed in focus. "Sorry, Emi," Ryu muttered, as he reached out to touch said crystal, but found himself on the receiving end of a blast of freezing cold air. Ryu brought his hands back, as they instantly thawed due to his cold immunity, but that didn't mean he didn't feel annoyed. "Hey, Puck, least you could do is not try to freeze my hands off!"
"Oh, I knew you'd be fine," Puck's voice echoed from Emilia's crystal, his tone filled with amusement. "I just needed to warn you to not try that again!"
"Yeah, well consider myself warned," Ryu then sighed. "You know, your disappearing act hurt. It especially hurt Emi when you ran off."
"I didn't exactly run off," Puck's voice said. "I've always been inside of her. It was a good thing for you to call me, though. You're a smart one, Ryu."
"Yeah, yeah… you probably know why I called you, though," Ryu told the crystal, as his eyes narrowed. He knew this could hurt Emilia, but it was for her sake, to make her stronger and hopefully help her with the Trials. "I'm gonna need you to…"
"Emilia, I hope you're feeling alright…" Ryu weakly smiled at the girl, noticing the broken crystal and Emilia's heartbroken emotional state. He knew his actions caused Emilia pain, but he just hoped he could counteract said pain soon. He would do anything for Emilia, for his best friend.
"Yeah…" Emilia gave him an equally weak smile. "I'm sure… I will be. I want to believe I'll be just fine by morning." She eventually touched her crystal necklace, as Ryu's eyes softened considerably.
"A- I think you shouldn't fret over these kinds of things, I'm sure things will turn out okay in the end!" Ryu kept up his positive outlook for Emilia's sake, wanting nothing but to soothe his friend's pains after what he had done. Not just soothe them, but to send them into nothing but a numb pang, unnoticeable. "If there's anything I can do for you…."
He then felt something grab at his hand and looked down to see Emilia's intertwined with his. "Stay… stay with me for tonight. If you can… I think I can…" Ryu could hear the fragility in Emilia's voice as he bit the insides of his mouth slightly. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry. Please…"
"If that's what you want, Emi," Ryu said in a kind tone, closing his eyes with a genuine smile. "I'll stay with you for as long as you need." Ryu's eyes didn't flash to signify a lie, as in his own perception, what Emilia didn't need wasn't a new crutch. He wanted to see Emilia grow, to overcome her past, and become stronger. He cared about Emilia, but right now he needed to do this from a distance. As Ryu watched Emilia fall asleep, he sighed. "Shi, you're the tactician. What next."
"Next, we leave," Shi told him a matter-of-fact tone. "Follow my lead, it's about time I did my part to help you out with your crazy-ass plan."
"Right," He nodded, before gently squeezing Emilia's hand one final time. "Sorry, Ice Queen. You're probably gonna hate me for this… but its for the best."
Was this the best course of action? Ryu genuinely had to believe so, if he was going to save everyone he cared about, he couldn't regret things or have doubts this far in. He knew Emilia would run off and hide after his leaving, but according to Shi, this course of action was the best way to go along with things. Even if it was a gamble, this was the highest chance situation of things working out. Now, everything lied in his hands to fix. "Finally found you, Emi." He hummed as he walked through the stone-cold pathways of the Tomb, a faint, sad smile on his face. He looked down at Emilia as she stared up at him, before sitting down right next to the half-Elf. "I know you've got a lot to say to me, so… let's talk, eh?"
"Ryu…? You're… here?"
"You really thought this through, didn'tcha? No one would have thought to look for you here." He hummed softly, his eyes glowing faintly in the darkness of the Tomb, like dim lights.
"Why are you here, Ryu?" Emilia asked him, causing him to go silent. "You don't…"
"Get forced back as hard as Roswaal?" Ryu said, raising an eyebrow slightly as he then sighed. "I'm here, yeah, but right now I'm really just feeding off a whole lot of Determination that was fueled by the hopes and dreams of others. Probably the only thing keeping me from falling into a stress-induced coma or something." He tried to laugh off his own misfortune, knowing anyone else in his situation would have given up when faced with the threat of the Brown Leviathan.
"I… see…" Emilia murmured. Ryu bit the insides of his mouth again, steeling his resolve to support his friend one way or another.
"If I'm being honest, I didn't just track you with soul-sight or something like that," He said in an even tone. "This was all just wishful thinking, part of me wanted to think you'd be here, and luck turned out in my favor for once. But I'm relieved to have found you so quickly."
"Just… relieved, huh?" Emilia looked at him, faint hesitance in her eyes. "You're not angry?"
"What for?" Ryu raised an incredulous eyebrow. "I don't see a reason to be angry with you. I'm just happy to see you're alive and well."
"I see… you're not angry…" Emilia held her knees close to her chest. "You're not angry with me… you won't even get angry. Why won't you get angry?" Her eyes filled up with tears as Ryu could only watch his friend cry. "What I did was selfish, wasn't it? I caused trouble for you, didn't I? I worried you by leaving without saying anything!" Emilia then looked down as faint tears streamed down her face. "Are you not angry b-because you didn't expect anything from me in the first place? You're kind to me even when I mess up because you aren't even disappointed in me, right? Because you know it'll never go right?"
"No, Emi!" Ryu instantly denied, unable to even tolerate the idea of not caring about or putting down his friend. "That's not what I think at all!"
"Then why?!" Emilia snapped through her tears. "Why didn't you keep your promise?! You and Puck both broke your word and went away… you went away and left me behind! You're a liar, Ryu-kun! Puck is a liar! Liar…" She openly wept as she lost her composure and ended up leaning against Ryu. "You shouldn't break a promise! You shouldn't lie! It's wrong!" She cried while weakly hitting her hand against Ryu's chest, as if angry with him and wanting to actually hit him, but she didn't have the energy or drive to do so.
Ryu silently looked down, feeling a bit of self-loathing for bringing this much emotional pain to Emilia, but immediately found that feeling being stolen away by Shi, just as he said he would if he ended up hating himself for following through with the plan. But even still, he wasn't entirely sure on how to proceed. "...I-"
"It's time you learned the truth of the situation, little Prince," He heard Austin's voice say as the world went gray and time stopped in its entirety. One moment later Ryu found himself back in his soulscape staring up at the massive spiky lizard-esque form of the Hate Origin. "About your soul, about your destiny, and of your Destined Ones."
"I know it's a lot, little brother, but trust me when I say this information is crucial," Ryushi said in a soothing tone once Austin had dumped about three tonnes of exposition on Ryu's head. He now knew of how he had been given… soulmates. Or more specifically, he had more soulmates in his current life than he did as Flugel.
Apparently, as Flugel, he had two or three possible soulmates, with Satella being one of them.
But now his number had increased since Flugel was merely a shard of his soul, it made sense in a way. He had Flugel's possible destined ones, in addition to more recent and newly living ones. One of which being… he looked at Emilia as a more determined look settled on his face, time resuming shortly afterward. "Emilia… I…" Was it strange to do this? In some ways, yes. But in others…
Soulmates weren't just rare to come across, they were immutable. Something that, if encountered, was inevitable and unbreakable. That was a factor in his current thought process. If Emilia was truly his soulmate, which was confirmed by the faint multicolored thread that he was now able to see connected him to Emilia, colored cyan, blue, red, and yellow; then it only made sense for him to accept what was meant to be, right? Plus… even back then, in that timeline, he detected no lies when Emilia said that she loved him. This was a gamble. Ryu was going to take it, because he wasn't afraid of losing. He was going to win this, support his friends, and save the day somehow.
"Emi, I love you." He eventually declared as his eyes narrowed, the red one, in particular, having its color set permanently, a solid red with little-to-no shine. His Determination was far from fragile or limited now. "Every single day, you try your best to save the Sanctuary, going back to the same damn trial. I know your past hurts, I can understand that, probably better than anyone." He continued as Emilia stared up at him. "But the past is just that, in the past. It has no more control over us than we let it. It's up to us to learn from it, learn from our mistakes and keep going, for the people who cared about us if nothing else." His hand eventually reached over to grasp at his own jacket, as he closed his eyes. "I know that even if I wanted to take up these trials for you, even if I wanted to carry these burdens, you would deny me and insist you could do it. And I believe in you. I have back then, and still do now."
"R-Ryu…"
"But what I will not tolerate is seeing you cower in fear, Emi, because I know you're better than this. Greater than whatever damn trial is ahead of you," Ryu's eyes narrowed once he opened them and looked directly into Emilia's. "Especially now. Sure, Puck's run off or whatever, but does that mean you should really abandon your duties and the people who depend on you just so you can sulk and cry? So you can hide in fear?"
"I… you're right…" Emilia shivered slightly as she smiled weakly. "I can see why you would think of me that way…"
"But even still, I care about you, Emi. I've grown to be fond of you, and I will admit there were times I felt something towards you." Ryu confessed. "You're so much stronger than you think. You've got the heart of a kind person, and for someone in your position, people need that more than ever. I'm still processing things, and I'm admittedly a sheltered idiot when it comes to some things, but I am sure of this. I've grown to love you."
"How?! How can I believe you?!" Emilia tearfully asked. "How can I be sure you aren't lying to me? If you really love me, why did you break your promise? Why did you leave?!"
"...I can't tell you that, Emi," Ryu said, resolving himself to not give in or break, he refused to give when he was close to completing Phase 1. "I wish I could, but I can't."
"If you had just stayed with me until morning, like you promised… Maybe… just maybe, I could have believed you." Emilia softly wept as tears began to fall to the floor. "I could have believed you and entrusted you with everything." But that wasn't what he wanted, he didn't want to be entrusted with everything, he wanted to share the burden so she could grow and learn; not hide. "But you… you didn't, and ever since Puck left, my memories have been slowly coming back. Sights in my mind that I don't recognize… conversations I don't remember… more and more of them keep coming back…" Emilia began to hug herself, as Ryu looked to the side momentarily. "I thought I remembered everything all this time, but I went and forgot them, as if they never existed. When all the memories come back, what's going to happen to me? Is this me… really me?"
Ryu could genuinely understand her plight, as he once had thought the same in the past, when his own memories returned; when he realized Ryushi was technically who he would have become if he didn't have his memories suppressed all those years ago. But even still, he was sure Emilia could overcome this just as he did because she was his friend and his soulmate. "I forgot so many things," Emilia continued as Ryu let her vent out her feelings. "I even forgot about mother. And yet, I'm not wrong?"
'What can I do…' Ryu thought before his eyes widened slightly. Eventually, he smiled. "Emilia, no matter what happens in the future, nothing's going to change who you are. I really do love you." He reaffirmed. "I always will. There are going to be moments in your life where you will doubt everything. You'll doubt yourself, you'll doubt your friends, you'll doubt your ability to help others. But I know you'll be able to overcome them with time."
"I can't believe that," Emilia denied as she shook her head vehemently. "Even if you say that now, are you really saying-"
"Emilia, I know how you feel and you know how I feel," Ryu interrupted her as his eyes hardened slightly. "I know you love me, and while there's a part of me who doesn't understand it, there's another that accepts it because I've grown to feel the same way." He then smiled as he reached out to gently touch Emilia's cheek and wipe away a tear with his thumb. "You don't need to worry, things will turn out okay in the end, alright Emi?"
"You're a liar! I can't believe you!"
* Ability - "SAVE" is available for usage.
"Then let me prove it to you!" Ryu declared as Emilia looked up at him. He quickly took her hands into his own, a faint rainbow glow surrounding them both as he immediately used his SAVE ability in a different way. To not just 'save' Emilia, but to transfer and show emotions.
Emilia's eyes widened as a torrent of emotions washed through her, the tears in her eyes magnifying as she recognized the source as Ryu. The boy that she admittedly had grown to love after he saved her and those children at the risk of his own safety. Ryu smiled at her as the glow slowly faded. "Do you understand now, Emi-!" He was cut off as Emilia quickly leaned in and stole his lips, kissing him passionately… but he didn't fight back.
Ryu felt something strange rush through his body, like a burning flame being fed oil and wood, amplifying its strength and heat. Moments later, he felt… stronger. More confident. More determined, as a side-effect of accepting the love of Emilia. Eventually, they both drew back as Ryu smiled. "Looks like you do understand… we'll always be together, Emi. Whether we be friends or something more, it doesn't matter to me as long as I have my first friend in this world on my side." He said in a kind tone. "Even if the whole world is against you, I will always be by your side. The bond we have, the bond of two friends who care about each other is strong, stronger than anything in the world."
"You… really love me?" Emilia hesitantly asked as Ryu nodded, his eyes shining blue. Emilia smiled slightly as tears ran down her face, this time being tears of happiness.
"I'm sure you've got a lot going on with all these unfamiliar memories going through your mind, that you're feeling anxious and scared. But I'll be here to guide you through it all," Ryu said, while inside of him both Austin and Shi smiled. "I'm not going to carry all your burdens, but I will help you handle them. This path you've taken, all the work you've put in to achieve your dreams, won't all be for naught. We can do this. You're going to be fine, Emi."
"How can you say that for sure, though?" Emilia asked him, both worried and curious. "How can you be sure that everything will be okay?"
"I have faith in my strength and the strength of my friends, to help me through my problems," Ryu calmly said. "I have hope that in the future, I'll be able to help all of the people I care about achieve their goals. My singular wish, my one dream, is to help others and make this world a better place with my Determination. All people are capable of greatness, it's just up to them to fight for that cause, for their goals. You'll be fine, Emi. I've always been on your side, and I'll continue to do so even in the future. We'll find a way to make it through this, and even if you're still scared, we'll find you a reason."
"A… reason?" Emilia asked again, as Ryu smiled again.
"A reason to fight, to continue," He replied in a kind tone. "I once lost my own way a long time ago, but found it and my Determination to go forward again through the help of someone who refused to give up on me." It wasn't Rem's love that restored his determination, per-se, it was her faith in him. Even when he had lost all hope, she didn't, and Ryu's determination at that time returned because he subconsciously wished to prove her right. He wanted to believe he was the hero she said he could be. "Every soul has Determination, I just have more of it than others, so it surfaces as an actual power. I want to help you, to give you a goal that you can keep running after with a smile on your face. I know you can do whatever you put your mind to."
"My own reason to continue… my own Determination…?" Emilia softly whispered to herself as she held her crystal close to herself and smiled sadly. "I wonder if it's among all these memories I've been getting back…"
"It is in there, I'm sure of it, Emi." Ryu said. "And when everything is said and done, I'll still be here, supporting you to the very end."
Emilia looked up at Ryu with tears and love in her amethyst-colored eyes. "Yes… thank you, Ryu-kun."
"He did good," Ryushi told Austin from within the soulscape, watching the scene with a genuine smile on his face.
"He did a lot better than I was expecting, that's for sure," Austin yawned slightly, feeling exhausted as he hadn't gotten proper rest in while. Ryushi laughed in response.
"Whaddya mean 'better than you were expecting'? It sounds like you expected him to fail somewhere!"
"This is Ryu we're talking about, of course I thought he'd mess up!" Austin shot back, though his tone was lazy. "You and I both know Ryu is emotions first, plan second. I was expecting to see him go on an emotional tangent and fuck something up."
"Well, you should put more faith in Ryu, then," Ryushi then sighed contently. "I'm proud of him… I believe he can pull this off."
"Good, can't have you against Ryu like Sei was," Austin sighed tiredly. "Fucking hell… 'spirit of purity' my ass."
Back in the real world, Ryu and Emilia had made their way out of the Tomb as the Prince glared down at the bloodied and damaged form of Garfiel. "I probably kept you waiting, huh, Garf?"
"Ain't like I was waiting for you," Garfiel scoffed, as Ryu could feel the impending fight. But… he was ready for this. He didn't expect for Garfiel to be defeated by Otto, just for them to be held back, and his assistant did just that.
'Thanks, Otto. I really owe you one.' Ryu thought to himself, now ready for whatever was tossed at him since he had conquered the 'tough' part.
RE: DETERMINED
Act 4 (Heroism), Chapter 3 - One in A Million Bet (100万人に一人 ベット) - END