Arc 4: What families entail

  Road to a Hero:

  Three chances in another world

  Chapter 1. Greenvale

  After all the events at the capital and his time with Rosemary last night you would think he would sleep in, but Gray wakes up early, gets dressed, and starts to walk downstairs.

  Gray {Mmmm…that smell…pancakes!}

  Gray enters through the living room too a cozy kitchen, noticing Edward cooking breakfast.

  Edward: “You weren't supposed to wake up this early.”

  Gray: “I've been sleeping a lot lately. Oh who told you how to make pancakes? I love pancakes.”

  Edward: “Oh...Ophelia showed me.”

  Instantly the mood soured, with the lingering sadness around her weighing heavily on their hearts.

  Gray: “Have um…have you talked to Soku?”

  Edward: “No. she’s been sleeping since yesterday.”

  Gray: “When Ophelia died I saw Soku...well it looked like Soku awakened.”

  Edward: “A Mark of Providence… one awakened on the back of her neck. Apparently she hadn't awakened it yet. Hopefully She will know what it does when she wakes up.”

  Gray: “So, where are we?”

  Edward looks out through the kitchen window while Gray stars straight through a screen door. Outside was a soft wonderland of snow blowing in the soft wind, the light blue sky above it.

  Edward: “Greenvale. A hidden village in the mountains where the leviathan army live and train.”

  Gray: “For a place called Greenvale it’s super cold! It’s even snowing outside.”

  Edward: “It's not always like this, but for the most part it is kinda snowy. You want some coffee?”

  Gray nooded his head as he walked closer, taking the cup from Edwards hands. He then leans against the counter as he sips it.

  Edward: “So are you and Rosemary a thing now?”

  Gray, managing to keep the coffee in his mouth, coughed and wheezed as he choked from the question.

  Gray: “OH! Um, yeah I guess. I've liked her for a while. I didn't think she liked me, especially since we just met. Guess we're both a little weird then."

  Edward stares back with a smirk, continuing to cook away.

  Rosemary: “A little huh?”

  Gray: "EEK!"

  Gray slithers around the kitchen, sitting right beside Rosemary at a small kitchen table while Edward looks down in a look of defeat.

  Edward: “Man everybody's woken up early, wanted to surprise everyone with the food.”

  Rosemary: “Well I’m glad you made it, thank you.”

  Gray: “See now I have to say thank you, but I look bad because I didn't say it first.”

  Edward: “Well eat up, we gotta go talk to the captain.”

  Gray: “Captain?”

  Edward: “His name’s Gordan Hill, the best archer in the world, and the secondary head captain to the Leviathan army, but now that Musashi has…well, now he’s the head captain.”

  Again, the looming ocean of despair washed over them once again. Kioshi, Ophelia, and Musashi. Gray had known her for his entire time in this world, Rosemary had lived with her for the last few months, and Soku has knew her for all of her life. Then Musashi and Kioshi, the strongest amongst them. Core pillars of this worlds strength, collapsed. Leaving wholes in many lives. Edward was feeling the heft of it, now bearing the massive cross that is being the last Helsing. Without Al, a mother and father, and any place he used to call home. Making the burning anger within him burn even brighter, melting away at him.

  Rosemary: “Should we let Soku sleep…or?”

  Gray: “We can let her rest, now let's go talk to Hill.”

  They hear a crack behind them, and they all look to see Soku standing in the doorway dressed in winter attire ready to leave.

  Edward: ”...hey!"

  Rosemary: “Soku, are you alright?"

  Her tired eyes, the aura of sadness, it all vanished with Grays loud words.

  Gray: “FINALLY SLEEPY HEAD! We gotta go and you’re the first one dressed in the right clothes, wait for us here because I’m not walking out in that snow with just a jacket. I'm terrible in any kind of rough weather.”

  He quickly walked past her after shuffling her much shorter hair, triggering everyone to move.

  Soku: “Alright I’ll wait for lazy asses.”

  They all walked back to their rooms, leaving Gray and Rosemary to speak with each other. However Edward stepped in, leaving them all alone to speak about the elephant in the room.

  Rosemary: “Shouldn’t we console Soku?”

  Gray: “In my experience…holding in emotion means it’s gonna all come rushing out at some point…and we’ll all be there for her, ready to take on her pain with her.”

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  Edward: “Seems a little hopeful.”

  Gray: “Well with that giant ass fail we just took, hope is all we got.”

  Edward: “I agree with you there.”

  Gray: “Wait where the hell's Julius?”

  Julius: “Right here.”

  Gray, Edward, and Rosemary all scream out, never noticing him for a second.

  Gray: “Don’t sneak up on us like that!”

  Julius: “But…I was here the whole time.”

  Edward: “Uhhh…yeah now that I think about it you’re right…sorry bout that.”

  Rosemary: “Come on now let us get dressed!”

  At the same time Sokus loud voice shook the house from bellow.

  Soku: “I have been waiting for like ten minutes, GET OUT HERE!”

  They all stumble out of the cottage, dressed in thicker clothes. Rosemary wore a bigger blue sweater, thick black pants, and snow boots, while Gray wore a sweater under his jacket and a pare of blue pants. That left Edward and Soku, both wearing a sweater. However Soku still had on her large brown jacket and a red scarf.

  Julius: “There you are!”

  Once again they all scream in unison.

  Julius: “Why are you screaming miss Soku? I came out here before you did.”

  Soku: “Oh…uhh that’s on me my bad.”

  The village is warm, filled with homes covered in snow. Kids playing with their parents in the snow, and others training, all active. They say so many faces filled with joy, walking through the same crunchy snow they are.

  Gray: “Pretty chill for a war village, no pun intended.”

  Soku: “I’m gonna swing at you.”

  Gray: “Whatever. You ever figure out what your Mark of Providence did? Or how did you even get it in the first place?”

  Soku: “It’s weird…after I awakened it…it felt like I always had it…like I always knew how to use it and what it did. It just happened, all the mana I could spare without dying funneled the mark and then blasted its way out at full force. I'm good enough at it yet to use it, so until then it's either all or nothin. Kinda like your mana.”

  Gray: “That dosen't happen anymore.

  Soku: “Don't worry, it's not uncommon for dudes I here.

  Gray: “I don't like what you're insinuating!"

  While they walk Rosemary snags Gray away from Soku while Soku scoffs like a queen.

  Soku: “Yes, go, you foolish jester!”

  Edward: “I saw him when we got here but there was too much going on. We were all injured so we just got a house to stay in, but if my memory serves correctly then his training facility should be around here…oh there it is up that hill!”

  Gray: “Damn it’s cold!”

  And that's when Gray sees the home. It looked like a Japanese styled dojo, with red wood, decorated pillars, and a style of roof, all the same to what Gray is used to. Whether that be a coincidences or not is left to be decided, although, it's interesting either way.

  Rosemary: “It looks warm up there though.”

  Soku: “So is this guy nice or….”

  Edward: “Well…uhh…”

  Edward knocks on the sliding door, then slams it open and an old man stands uneasy.

  Gray {This guy got one of those top not things, and you can see a few white hairs in his beard. This dude gotta be around his forties or fifties then. And is he wearing a kimono!? What the hell's that about?}

  Edward: “Hill.”

  Gordon: “Helsing.”

  Gray {Uh oh.}

  Gordon: “Nice to see you again boy.”

  Edward: “You as well!”

  Gordon: “Come on inside now, and tell me anything you learned from that horrific encounter."

  They stepped inside, finaly feeling warm. It was a large open room with a balcony in front of them from the second floor.

  Edward: “First, I wanted to tell you we learned about the Pillars' abilities.”

  Gordon: “Spit it out then!”

  Gray: “I think Prometheus is the leader, and he made Kioshi...explode. Like he controlled her flesh or something, and he could heal. He was able to take a giant strike from Musashi and come back like it was nothing!"

  Rosemary: “And that Litch, Lazurus…his scythe stole Musashi's soul with single strike."

  Soku: “That snake man Severus didn’t do much…he could stretch his scaly limbs and heal them too.”

  Edward: “And that girl in the bird-like black armor. I think she was the one removing Kioshis Marks of providence."

  Rosemary: “That Rosine girl, she had a necklace that resembled her face. It was Pandoras cursed charm.

  Soku: “And that same girl wasn’t at the ballroom when we got attacked.”

  Gordon: “The necklace is passed down through the generations, but that doesn't rule it out. Which means the Princess of Ravoria might be a traitor, or Ravoria is will the Sect.”

  Edward: “It is a possibility.”

  Gordon: “Alright we gotta talk about what we’re gonna do. The Sect can’t stay in control of an entire country.”

  Gray: “Right on the nose there.”

  They walked into a separate room closer to a fire place, sitting on floor mats in a circle.

  Gray {These mats and this table reminds me of Japanese furniture too. Did japanese dude get isekai'd here too? That usually is the trope after all.}

  Gordon: “We need to come to an answer. Julius, you aren’t a spy are you?”

  Everyone stopped, not knowing whether or not to laugh or listen closely. Julius hadn't come across very well since the start, continuing with his bad look through the knight exam as he acted strangely toward Edward and the rest of the group. On top of that, Arthur is a traitor, and Julius was a squire under him.

  Julius: “No I am not.”

  Soku: “I can’t read him.”

  Gordon: “Me neither. But how do we know if we can trust you. And is it worth risking it."

  As they stayed silent, nobody knew what to do. Gray and Soku didn't like him very much, Edward didn't know how to feel about him, but Rosemary, she stood out amongst the others.

  Rosemary: "Arthur killed his brothers and was inches away from killing him. Arthur couldn't have planned for Kioshi to attack right then and there, and doing that all to get him in our group wouldn't make sense. And, I trust him."

  Gray: "If she's alright with him then I am too."

  Edward: "I agree with her logic."

  Soku: "Ugh! Yeah he's cool."

  Gordon: "Alright then, but I'll keep an eye on you. A very close eye."

  Julius: "Thank you! I hope that I can be a help to your cause. If I assist you, I will be able to make an even greater name for myself. And to repay you, for saving me."

  Rosemary: “But what is our cause? How can we win. We can’t go on an all-out war with them, not without Kioshi or Musashi.”

  Edward: “And if we do…Valatrocitus might think we turned against them…unless they planned this.”

  Gray: “And Ravoria might be against us too.”

  Soku: “So we need to be able to take out the Sect without drawing attention…”

  Rosemary: “I assume those Future pillar guys won’t always be there though. They seemed to like it wasn’t all that important to them. Like they were proving a point, taking another step in a larger plan.”

  Gray: “Wait…what about Athens? I was told they were in a civil war so they weren’t at the candidate's selection. So it sounds like they aren't compromised. If we help end their war we might be able to get their help in taking back Walgonia.”

  Edward: “It’s a shot in the dark but it’s all we got.”

  Gordon: “I agree…it might not be sound but what else can we do.”

  Soku: “So do we leave immediately…or?”

  Edward: “I say we stay here for a bit, a month or so…then we go out.”

  Gray: “You guys are fine in strength but Soku and I are lacking. We'll need the time to get better.”

  Soku: “Yeah we are kinda behind.”

  Gordon: “Look I can help Soku but I’m not a master swordsman, so I can’t do much for you Gray, other than hammering in the basics. But on the top of this mountain…A god of war named Ryo Hollis, a master of the spiritual arts. That’s more your forte for what I've been told. But I want to ensure your ready before you go. ”

  Edward: “I just need to keep training…same with Rosemary. In terms of strength it would go, Julius, then me, Rosemary, Gray, and lastly Soku. Sorry Soku.”

  Gordon nods his head, standing up and moving over to Gray. Staring him down.

  Gordon: “Musashi sent me letters talking about you, and how you would lose too much stamina too quickly. You damage your body without thinking of what might happen after. You're reckless, quick to anger. But you have heart and more will than anybody he had ever seen. He said all you have to do is keep your head up and your eyes open, and if you can do that, you could be the best of us. So live up to his word, and don't fail my best friends dying wish. That goes for all of you!"

  The room once again took a shift, with all of them looking closely. Hanging on every word.

  Gordon: "Musashi gave us hope. He saved you all. You're all prodigies in your own right, you're all special. You attended the knight exams, and you passed. You're all knights now, knights of Walgonia. And you have to help save it. It needs the heros of the new era, and that's you all. So get to training! All of you! But rest, until New years. That'll be when you go to Athens. This should give me an enough time to plan out and go over everything, because Walgonia is gonna fall into chaos very soon."

  With a nood, everyone goes to leave, but Gordon stops Gray for just a moment.

  Gordon: "From what I've heard your body can only handle about ten or so percent of your mana. With the idea that one hundred is the limit, y'know, since you a hundred times the amount of mana that a normal person does.”

  Gordon: “Dang I have that much!? And I can only handle about thirteen?"

  Gordon: "i see it as a good thing, in a month your body has grown fast, and your skill is following suit. you might feel like you're behind everybody else, but once you have a grip on what you want to be and how you want to do it, you'll soar past them. Maybe not Edward, but stay hopeful. Wait until the new year, that’s when you’ll go to Ryo while the others go to Athens. So spend your time getting over what happened back in that nightmare of a castle.”

  Gray: “We’ll get right on that!”

  End of Chapter One.