Roy shouted from the cockpit, “How would we know that you and Sora would suddenly feel like doing a little sky diving?”
“Are you two alright?” Stella Blight asked.
Vikram replied, “Well, we won’t die, that’s for sure. But Sora needs some major burn treatment and I really need to have a doctor see my leg.”
“What’s that golden box you’re holding?” the lightning contractor asked.
Vikram was about to answer when suddenly everybody heard this message on the radio:
“~ This is Sam Lorenzo, Lucifer’s Fall S rank contractor. I want everybody to retreat to the area where the rescued hostages are kept. Don’t worry about the Dark Alliance soldiers. We’ll take care of them. ~”
“~ I’m all fired up! You guys in the city have only one minute to get out of there! You don’t want to get caught in our fight! I, Kai Fullbuster, am ready to give them hell along with all the Lucifer’s Fall S rankers! ~”
Sora was kneeling down near a blood-covered body. He had no idea how he had gotten there. But another look at the boy beside him made him forget about it.
“Riku?”
Riku smiled at Sora. But he was not the same young boy who had died in his arms. This Riku was just like how Sora had imagined he would’ve been now if he was alive; older, taller and handsome, but with the same smile he had given all those years ago.
“You’ve grown so big, Sora.”
Riku’s voice sounded like it was coming from somewhere very distant, almost a dreamy kind of voice. But that was because it really was a dream.
Sora spoke with tears in his eyes, even though he knew it was all in his head, “Riku, I’m sorry. It’s not fair that you died while I’m still alive. But I swear I will not die till I avenge your deaths. I will kill every one of those people, who destroyed our home.”
To Sora’s surprise, Riku shook his head in sorrow. “You are not a killer, Sora. You were never meant to be. Even now, the thought of killing is eating into you, making you suffer deep down. You are trying to shoulder too much burden all on your own. You have every right to walk away from all this and live your life to the fullest.”
Sora disagreed. “I’ve come too far to walk away, Riku. There is no way I can just let it all go.”
Riku let out a sigh as he placed his bloody hand on Sora’s.
“If that’s your choice, then listen to me. You mind is now clouded and the truth has been hidden from you. Before you seek revenge, you must seek the truth. It is very important that you do so, Sora. After all, your choice will affect the fate of the world as we know it.”
Riku then lifted his arm and placed it on top of Sora’s head. “You are not alone, Sora. You have some wonderful friends now, ones that you can trust with your life. Just remember, you are not alone in your quest. Now close your eyes and wake up to reality.”
Sora slowly closed his eyes and suddenly realized that they were opening. He was now staring at a white ceiling and a familiar face.
“You must really like my company, Sora. You tend to drop in quite regularly.”
Sora sat up, saying, “Just the bed, Dr. Reed. I sleep like a log every time I’m on it.”
Sora looked around to see that he was in the guild infirmary. He was unusually calm, despite remembering every detail about what had happened. But for him, it was as if he had seen the entire thing on a television screen and had no control over what he had done.
“Doctor, is everybody else okay?”
Dr. Reed smiled. “There were a few badly injured, but no casualties. Your friend, Vikram was one of the worst with a nerve being cut perfectly inside his leg. It took me quite a while to fix it. But he’s all right now. It’s been three days, after all.”
Three days… Sora lay back on his bed and sighed. Suddenly, a monstrous growl erupted from his stomach.
The doctor chuckled and said, “I’ll bring you your breakfast.”
Sora said in embarrassment, “Thanks.”
The doctor left the room, leaving Sora alone. He got up and staggered towards the window and opened it.
The morning sunlight filled the room. Sora stuck his head out and felt the warm breeze hit his face. The usual sound of Gildartz city’s morning traffic made it feel as if the past two weeks had never happened.
The door opened behind him and in walked Kai, carrying a big golden trophy shaped like a dragon, bearing the Royal Government symbol and the words, “CHAMPION.”
“You’re awake! That’s good,” Kai said as he placed the trophy on Sora’s bedside table. “You have to thank me for picking up your trophy from the royal palace.”
“Thanks,” Sora said, with a grin. “By the way, what did those guys in the palace say about this whole fiasco?”
“Well, in truth, many were pissed. You ignored a direct order from Captain Heinz and even ran away without meeting the princess. Many thought your title as a guild contractor had to be stripped for it. But the fact that your actions saved the lives of hundreds of innocent people could not be ignored.”
Sora’s face fell. He gripped his bed covers tightly and said, “Not everyone could be saved. Even after pouring my blood, sweat and soul into training myself, I could do nothing but watch a man who had helped me so much all those years ago die in front of my eyes. I was… weak, pathetically weak. If only I had been stronger… better… I could’ve saved his life.”
“I heard about the doctor’s death. But let me tell you this… Nobody, who is truly weak, could’ve defeated Gorath Lans. And don’t tell me it wasn’t your own power that defeated him. From what Vikram told me, you were unconsciously able to control the black flames.”
Sora stared at him, who nodded and said, “He had seen too much. So I had to tell him the whole story. Vikram seemed to understand why you wanted Gorath dead so much.”
Sora bit his lip and said, “It’s true I wanted him dead. But when I actually stood in front of his body on the floor with my Wind Fangs raised, I was actually scared. If I was in my right mind, I could never have stabbed him… I felt so pathetic. After all that big talk I gave about taking revenge, when the time came, I hesitated.”
Kai sighed and said, “Sora, hesitating to kill somebody does not make you weak. It makes you human. Your hesitation proves that you have a conscience, a heart and a sane mind.”
Sora was quiet for a long time. But just as Kai decided to leave, Sora asked, “By the way, what happened to that legendary contract of the dragon?”
Kai stared at Sora. “I see Jake has been poking his nose in places he shouldn’t again. Well, that contract, the Cannon of Flames, has now been kept under the protective custody of the royal government in Aboyr. It was a good thing you and Vikram managed to bring it back. Otherwise, the Dark Alliance would’ve gotten away with everything they wanted.”
“Wait… do you mean… you couldn’t find the location of the children they had kidnapped?”
Kai shook his head. “They disappeared without a trace. We have no idea why they were taken either. The only information we have on them is that all of them were from the orphanage, which was attached to the hospital. And the doctor who died was in charge of them. Poor Dr. Gotry. He was a good man.”
Sora looked down at his feet. But Kai ruffled his hair and walked out, saying, “Sora, you were able to act on your instinct and trusted your friend’s words over those of government officials. By doing so, you were able to save hundreds of people. You gave up your pride and agreed to work together with those you considered your rivals. You defeated one of the captains of the Dark Alliance. And to top it all, you were able to retrieve a legendary contract from their grasp as well. Say what you like, it doesn’t stop you from being a hero. And I’m proud of you, especially because you ignored Captain Heinz’s orders. That guy’s a total jerk!”
Sora laughed. He felt even better when Dr. Reed brought him breakfast. And later, the whole guild came to his bed one by one to congratulate him, saying what an amazing job he had done, that he deserved to be cal
led a champion and stuff like that.
But what really mattered to him was Zack and Jake’s presence beside his bed the whole time, keeping him company and laughing along with him. Jake felt completely indebted for what Sora did, as he was able to save his mother. The bonds Sora shared with Zack and Jake deepened even more, and Sean, Conner and Katie were always ready to help him as well.
When Sora stepped out to do his first mission after he was discharged the next day, he felt a strange lightness around him. It was as though a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. As the people in the guild wished him luck on his job, Sora realized that what Riku had said in his dream was right.
He was not alone.
He never was, even from the beginning. And some part deep down inside him echoed the feeling that, whatever they might face in the future, they would always do it together.
And thus, Sora’s true journey had begun.
– TO BE CONTINUED…
Table of Contents
About the Author
Title
Copyright
Preface
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Contractor: The Legendary Contract of Vento Page 39
