~*Improviso Vir*~

Unexpected Hero

Lucas didn't think he had ever been this tired before.

Not during the night Mom had died, not during the moment he had woke up from the sunflower field after his desperate jump to touch the angelic form of his mother.

Not during his cram session with Fuel for school.

Nothing compared to the sheer exhaustion he felt. It was like lead weights were on his chest, shoulders, and feet. He was kneeling over, struggling to get to his feet.

Around him, Kumatora, Duster, and Boney were doing the same. They stumbled forward, Kumatora's steps a little more steady than the others, and they looked down on Lucas with both scared and hopeful eyes.

The boy, the boy that had grown up so much, lifted his eyes to each of them in turn. They saw, in his blue gaze, the intelligence of a leader, the strength of hero, the patience of a saint. The boy who hadn't grown up in years had suddenly become a man over their adventure.

Lucas sometimes wonders how this all happened, and if it was good or bad. Was it good that Claus was dead once again, right after he had just seen him, right after his eyes had cleared of the dead, soulless stare he had once had?

Was it good that he had friends now, an adventure was about to end, and the world would be reborn instead of being controlled by the pathetic man in the pod behind them, trapped forever?

Sometimes Lucas wonders, and now was one of those moments.

Flint's voice, rough, as always, came to his son's ears.

"Lucas, it's time."

Did he dare pull the Needle? The same Needle Claus was going to pull? He stared down blankly at his dead brother's body, a single tear in his eyes but not yet shedding.

Kumatora said something, but Lucas ignored it.

So much had happened, but he was just…fatigued. He had never been this weary before. Blackness encroached on his vision, and nothing seemed to stand still. Everything swam and ducked as if to avoid his gaze, and Lucas just shook his head and struggled to stand up, laying down his brother's head gently.

He wrapped his fingers around the handle, feeling the smooth, electrical energy build up from within. He tugged, holding it above his head briefly before letting go. The Needle seemed to fly.

Flash!

In a brilliant streak of light, the Needle vanished into the sky; the darkness that crackled around them in their miserable island out here in the nothingness seemed to roar in agony as the Needle was removed.

The ground shook viciously, and when Lucas looked up, he realized something was talking to him. He struggled for balance, hearing the voice in his mind. The voice was like a choir, singing in angelic tones but was all one clear, understandable voice despite the impressive echo.

You called?

Lucas hung on to a spire, closing his eyes tight.

You pick rebirth, the voice continued. The voice of the Dragon, Lucas realized. Very well, I shall do as you command.

Was that a boy voice or a girl voice? Lucas couldn't tell.

Fire howled, the winds screeched, everything was going insane.

Was it a good move to pull the Needle, he asked himself? Was it? With Pokey gone maybe it wouldn't have mattered anymore…

Lucas saw, in his mind's eye, a creature looking at him. He saw a vaguely serpent like figure before it retreated, and then all he saw was its eyes.

The eyes were AMAZING.

They were circle, like all eyes, but the pupils and the colors within changed constantly. One second it was a purple, square shaped pupil in a black background, the next second the pupil was green, triangle shaped, and in a pink background. The constantly changing eyes were mesmerizing, and Lucas felt drawn to those eyes.

But that wasn't what troubled him.

Was it possible, that instead of saving the world, Lucas had doomed it?

The pressure of a hero is immense, and he wonders now if he should have decided something so significant all alone.

What happens now?

The unspoken question hung in the air, and Lucas didn't know what to say to his friends, whose scared eyes looked at him, begging for answers.

~***~

Woo, thanks to Huggawugga2 for the ideas, I plan on continuing the Dragon bit later on.

Thanks everyone else for the reviews too, this drabble collection will now have less angst!
If that's bad, let me know for more sadness dribble, otherwise, review!