[5] Promises
1 (Shana)
Blood.
So much blood.
My body froze as I stared at the blood that washed the floor red. My heart felt as if it might break out. The lungs in my chest was like a deflated bag and I struggled to breath.
The voices around me felt distant and narrow. My feet staggered as I took a step back.
"Hey."
A hand touched mine and a soft voice landed upon my ears. I turned my head to the sight of a wary Alice.
"Let's go," She said with that calm, placid, and certain look she perpetually wore.
I bit my lips.
She was always so dependable. . .
Even when we were younger, she would always be there by my side when I needed her the most; either defending me from the unknowns of the world and the harshness it could sometimes bring, or consoling my tears away.
I felt her warm hand as she dragged me through the halls of the castle I had only just come to know.
Even now, in this fantasy world where I had the chance to be strong. To be brave. To finally be there for others. She still took me by the hand to make sure I was fine.
I felt the warm tears touch my cheeks.
"Thank you. . ." I muttered.
"Mhmm."
How was I a hero and she was not?
I couldn't understand it.
It felt so wrong.
2 (Alice)
It took a moment for her to calm down. The way her body had frozen reminded me of the first time I saw that much blood as well. She raised her head from her wet palms and I realized she had cried for a different reason.
"I'm sorry," She said as soon as our eyes met, "I-I don't understand it."
"Understand what?"
I was beyond confused. What was she on about? It seemed to me that her new worry overshadowed the sight she had witnessed.
Her lips trembled as the hands upon her lap shook.
"I don't get it. . ."
"You're always so calm. . .always so brave. . .always so. . .why aren't you the Hero. . .?"
Ah, so that was it. This girl really does lack confidence.
"Sometimes the best person for the job isn't picture-perfect. . ." I muttered.
I sighed, standing, and walked before her to wipe her tears. She shuddered and looked up.
"Don't worry about me," I waved my hand, "Hero or not, I'll stay by your side. You just continue doing what you think is best."
I wanted her to be strong in her own way. To be as she wished. She had always been timid, afraid of things, but it seems this fantasy world she had read so much about might be just what she needed.
I smiled.
"So just be a hero, Shana. Be the best one you possibly can."
Part of me wished the best for her. Another spoke my wishes upon her. That part reminisced about the countless wars I had been engulfed in. The countless lives I had taken. And the fog of battle my mind constantly ran on.
So, I told her.
"And don't forget where you started."
Because I had.
At some point, I had been like her as well. I had been the one with the idealized image of a hero. I had been the one who wished to save the lives of the worlds I was summoned into. And at some point along the line, I had changed. I had changed to fit my environment.
That was not the path of a hero, I thought.
"Never change to fit the world around you, Shana," I muttered, "Only change the world for the better. And only evolve for the better."
That was my wish to her.
"Umm. . ."
She quieted down after my words, fidgeting upon the bed as her eyes danced between me and the room.
Still, she eventually nodded.
"I'll be a hero," She said, "A hero that will make you proud."
"Promise?" I asked.
She wiped her tears and smiled. That warm smile I had become familiar with throughout my life. That smile that was worth anything to protect.
"I promise. . ."
Her voice was like a soft breeze.
". . .as long as you promise to stay by my side."
Did she read I would suddenly abandon her? I smiled, not remembering a time I was ever not at her side.
"I promise."
3 (Shana)
Sweat ran down my forehead. My body ached and the mana within me dwindled. Still, I had never felt more alive in this moment.
A clank rang and I made haste to sidestep the next strike of the man.
He smiled as I drove forward to counter.
These were real swords clashing.
A single mishap and I could slice my fingers off.
That thrill alone was something.
But holding
Its black luster shined under the light of the room and the runes etched on its desolate blade seemed to gleam even more prominently.
I gripped the weapon with hasty breaths. My arms felt heavy, but I held it up to face my instructor.
Alice was watching.
I couldn't be weak here after the promise I made to her.
The weapon in my hand seemed to listen to my wish.
I slashed.
My mana was like a raging flame.
My weapon was its conduit.
I was the hero that would wield this power.
It felt natural.
"
A strike blazed into the air in flames and expanded forward into materialized fire that shot past a speed I could reach. It was in the shape of a blade wave.
A ding rung in my head as Mr. Mass blocked the attack with a strike of his own, dispersing the flames and ignoring the small explosion with the radiant beauty of blue light.
"Congratulations," He said, only the minimal of sweat on him, "You've reached level 15."
I bowed even as my body felt tired.
I had reached level 5 in mana quality, and quantity, and level 10 in swordsmanship. Marking me as nothing more than a novice in this world.
"Thank you, sir."
I would become a hero.
For myself.
And for those who cannot.