The Decision

〘Date: 2/6 - Wednesday〙

〘Time: 8:00 PM〙

〘Location: Texas, San Antonio - Trinity Valley Dormitory〙

I stood outside on the balcony of the dorms, leaning against the rails and staring up at the sky, watching the stars twinkle upon the night sky. The conversation I had with Charlotte played over and over in my head, my decision deciding my fate and the rest of the world's.

I closed my eyes, my mind swirling with multiple what ifs and outcomes. I loved the simple life, but I could admit that having a simple life limited my emotional range to avoid truly connecting with someone. However, taking on the mantle would mean having free range over my emotions, but many dangers came with it.

'Maybe some sleep would help...maybe I could try connecting with Dad tonight, knowing the impossibly of that,' I thought, getting off the railing and turning on my heels to make my way inside the dorm building.

'Dad, why couldn't you be here to teach me about this... something you perfected, something only I now have access to. Why couldn't it be you... teaching me about the True Art of Love,' I continued mentally, walking down the halls with my hands in my pockets, my gaze fixed on the ground.

As I walked down the halls, I felt someone bump into me, the impact causing the two of us to stumble backwards. I looked up, noticing a few papers flying everywhere with Allie standing amidst the chaos with surprise etched all over her face.

"R-Ryder, I'm so sorry..!" Allie profusely apologized, crouching down to pick up her papers.

I watched as she picked up each sheet one by one, deciding to get down on the ground to help her pick up her notes and other papers. "It's no problem, Lee...I wasn't watching where I was going."

Allie's movements paused momentarily at the sound of me calling her a nickname I haven't used in years, a small smile forming on her lips. "Well...I guess it's time for you to wake up."

I rolled my eyes at her witty comment, picking up the last few pages off the ground. "Yeah, I'm wide awake now."

After picking up the next few pages, we were on the last page, the two of us reaching for the page at the same time. Our hands ended up touching, time seemingly coming to a complete stop for the both of us. Neither of us moved away from each other, the moment slowly settling in for us.

As I began to move my hand, Allie's hold in my hand tightened, causing me to stop my movements all together. She held my hand in hers, cupping my hand with both hands, her nostalgia filled gaze meeting mine.

"Wait...I just—" She began, her words getting caught in her throat, her thumbs gently brushing along my skin. "It's been forever since we've ever been this close...and I kinda miss the way things used to be between us.."

My eyes lingered upon here, my breathing deepening as I watched her glide closer to me. "Allie, things between us won't ever change..."

"Then why does it feel it has..?" She asked softly, reaching out to caress my cheek, leaning closer to gently press the tip of her nose to mine, similarly to when we were kids.

"Why do you feel so distant now..? It's like...you're blocking out your very soul. You used to have these dreams and aspirations...dreams of being like your dad. Now...you're just in business?" Allie questioned, using her free hand to move strands of my hair from my face.

I couldn't look Allie in the eyes, my lips only able to form a guilty smile. "Dreams...can change..."

Allie, always a patient girl to me, gently yet firmly pressed her finger against my chest, shifting her body to meet me face to face. "I know your dream hasn't changed...I know you Ryder and the Ryder I'm seeing right now isn't you..."

"I don't know what happened to you that changed you before our move to San Antonio for college, but I miss the old you...the you I've chased since kindergarten," Allie whispered somberly, gently rubbing the tip of her nose against mine.

I closed my eyes, my heart aching at her confession toward me, but deep inside I knew I couldn't speak of the day that changed me for the worse. "Allie, I...I'm sorry..."

Those two words were the only words I could muster, but I allowed my actions to speak for me, my arms pulling her into my embrace. Allie didn't resist, allowing herself to be pulled to me, her arms wrapping around me.

She buried her face into my chest, her fingers running through a few strands of my hair. I could feel her heart beating against her chest, hear the sounds of her shaky breaths. Words couldn't express, how much Allie meant to me.

After a few moments of being in each other's arms, Allie finally let go of me, wiping her eyes and fixing her hair. She glanced at me, sniffling softly with a warm smile on her lips. "Sorry...I didn't mean to get all emotional on you..."

I shook my head, giving her a soft smile and gently tapped the tip of her nose. "You don't need to apologize...I should be the one saying sorry," I said, standing up and offering my hand to help her stand.

Allie stood up on her feet, picking up the last piece of paper from the ground in the process. She couldn't let but to let out a nostalgic exhale, her glossy gaze never leaving mine. "I know there's a lot on your mind, but...just know you're one of the most important people to me in my life."

"It's been you and me since diapers...you can tell me anything. Okay?" Allie said, stepping closer to me, slightly closing the gap between us.

My eyes never left hers, everything around me growing blurry as my tunnel vision focused on Allie. "Yeah...I know. And I'll open up more, but there's just some things I can't tell you.."

"I know, and I know you'll tell me if anything is bothering you. I just want you to be more emotionally honest with me. Let me see how you truly feel again..." Allie said softly, her face inches away from mine, strands of her hair covering my face.

At this moment, I could feel my heart beating harder for Allie, my hand instinctively finding its way upon Allie's waist. We were mere seconds away from meeting each other's lips, our breaths intermingling with one another.

The intimate tension was high, her body slightly trembling with unspoken longing and need. At the height of our desire, an unexpected tune began to play, the upbeat melody a contrast to our moment.

Allie took her phone out of her purse, glancing at the screen and groaned softly. "I'm sorry, it's my roommate..."

"Yeah...yeah, it's no problem," I said, clearing my throat and letting Allie go, straightening my clothes.

Allie straightened herself out and let out a deep sigh, looking up at me with a tender, affectionate gaze, a soft chuckle escaping her. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay..?"

"Right..." I said, watching as she began to make her way toward her dorm. "Have a good night, sleep well if you can!"

Allie looked back at me with a playful grin, sticking her tongue out at me. "You too, Ry~"

I chuckled softly at her, turning to make my way to my dorm, looking back to take one last glance at her. Letting out a soft sigh, I continued forward to my dorm, my mind made up with my decision.

〘Date: 2/7 - Thursday〙

〘Time: 8:30 AM〙

〘Location: Texas, San Antonio - Trinity Valley Dormitory〙

The next day arrived, and the sun gleaming through the dorm windows to serve as a natural alarm for everyone in the dorms. I was already up early and ready to head out to Windcrest Park to meet up with Charlotte, sitting on my bed to put on my shoes.

Matt finally woke up, sitting up on his elbows on the bed and looked at me with a sleepy gaze. He looked at his side, grabbing his phone to check the time then stretched. "Damn bro...you're up early as hell. Our first class isn't until the afternoon."

I looked up from my shoes, glancing at Matt then chuckled softly. I stood up from my bed, grabbing my hoodie and put it on. "I know, I'm just gonna go to the park to get some exercise in. I'll be back before the class even starts."

Matt watched as I grabbed my room card and left the room, wiping his eyes then laid back down, closing his eyes and yawned. "Exercising at the park...yeah, I've used that excuse too bro..."

I began making my way down the halls, traversing through a crowd of early birds in the halls to get to the elevator. Once I reached the silver doors, I pressed the down button to take a ride down to the lobby.

Stepping inside with a few other students, I leaned against the wall of the elevator, crossing my arms and began replaying the conversation between me and Allie last night. The conversation hit me hard, opening my eyes to what I was slowly becoming.

'Despite all that...my mind is set. I know what choice I have to make. I'm just hoping it's the right one,' I thought to myself, feeling the rumbles of the elevator stopping then watched the doors open.

With my dominant foot forward, I made my way toward the exit, leaving the dormitories and treaded toward the parking lot to my car. I made it to my car and got inside, pressing the buttons to start it, the roar of the engine attracting a bit of attention.

"Alright, Ryder...If you go there, there's no turning back. But if you stay here..." I said to myself, feeling myself doubting my decision. I took a few deep breaths, closing my eyes too allow my body to my my final choice for me.

I sat back in my seat, taking one last deep breath then exhaled slowly, clearing my mind completely. Without having to think, my hand began moving independently, finding its way on the knob to shift my car into drive.

"Alright... we're going," I said, placing my hands on the wheel and began to drive out of the parking lot.

The roar of my engine echoed out through the campus as I began to race toward Windcrest to beat the early morning traffic. With a focused gaze, I kept only three people on my mind as I drove to Windcrest: My father, my mother, and Allie.

〘Date: 2/7 - Thursday〙

〘Time: 10:00 AM〙

〘Location: Texas, Windcrest - Windcrest Park〙

I drove into the vacant parking lot of the park, parking my car and stepping outside. Glancing around, I noticed only a couple other cars parked in the lot as well, but no sign of Charlotte.

I began to walk toward the park's trails, taking the scenic forest route to enjoy the sight and sounds of nature. Along my walk, a few bucks and deers began trailing across the lush woods, one doe stopping to stare at me.

I stared back at the doe, noticing she had a light green sigil upon the white fluff on her chest. Out of curiosity, I walked toward her, the doe taking a step back and causing me to pause. 'These are docile creatures...but this one is different...'

The doe continued to stare at me, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. She stepped toward me, leaning her head down to sniff near me, my movements still to not accidentally startle her. The doe raised her head, taking a step back then pranced off into the forest with the rest of her family.

I watched as they pranced off, noticing their steps generating small amounts of wind as they trailed off. My lips curled into a small smile, the sight of nature putting my mind and spirit at ease. I continued along the trail, glancing around to see if I could find any other anomalies within the park.

While wandering around for a while, I found a bench to sit on and decided to take a rest from all the walking. I took my phone out of my pocket, checking the time and let out a soft exhale.

"You actually showed up," A voice said a distance away from me.

I sat up on the bench, quickly turning to look at the person speaking to me. Immediately, I recognized the person, a gleam of recognition reflecting in my eyes. "Charlotte..."

The gorgeous woman before me is one of the many legends amongst the Old Destiny Women, Charlotte White. Charlotte exuded a commanding, yet compassion aura, having beautiful fair skin, luscious blonde hair, shimmering blue eyes, and a beauty mark under her right eye.

She wore a white suit and tie with a white brim felt hat with golden accessories attached to her outfit, white heels, and a white commander jacket around her shoulders. Her outfit hugged her figure excellently, her outstanding figure on full display for all to see.

"Honestly, I had my doubts about you actually coming here. I even made sure to be a couple minutes late to see if you'd even come, but seeing you here now..." Charlotte said, walking toward the bench and sat down next to me.

I looked down at the ground, leaning forward and resting my arms against my knees, watching the soft breeze carry a leaf along the pavement. "I also had my doubts. I mean...after that day, I knew normalcy is what my mom, my sister and I need. After seeing Mom get attacked like that to protect me..."

Charlotte placed her hand on my back, gently rubbing it in slow circles and let out a quiet sigh. "Ryder...Desiree can't take your place forever. She isn't compatible with any of our gear despite how well trained we make her. I know you're afraid right now, and I want you safe as well but—"

"The world needs their hero...and the only one who can fulfill that role is the son of the Destiny Hero, the one who inherited his Crest Abilities," Charlotte finished, watching as I sat up and took her hand off my back.

"I don't know...I am truly grateful for my sister taking my place in this so I can live my normal life, but knowing she's in such a dangerous position because of me," I said softly, leaning back against the bench to look at the sky, noticing the Golden Star still twinkling even in broad daylight.

"But I know in my heart, the only right thing to do is to say yes to your offer, but I also don't want to leave everyone else behind," I said, turning my gaze toward Charlotte.

Charlotte met my gaze, seeing the split between duty and desire for normalcy in my eyes. The corners of her lips stretched into a small smile, an idea hatching in her head. "Well, you don't necessarily have to ditch your normal college life completely. I still want you to enjoy your life, but also see the bigger picture."

"20 years ago, Shiro was a part time student and a part time hero, although once things picked up, he started to become a full time hero. Your story mirrors his, except we want you to enjoy life outside of this war," Charlotte continued, placing a gentle hand upon my shoulder.

"So... what's your verdict..?" She asked, quietly waiting for my answer with a hopeful gaze.

I narrowed my gaze, taking one last moment to think about my answer, the decision that seals my fate. Closing my eyes, I began to think about the very day the Lost Syndicates attacked my family years ago, that trauma still living with me today.

Despite that fear and trauma, knowing so many people are counting on me, I knew I had to step up and be the hero I needed to be. I looked at Charlotte, my eyes gleaming with determination and resolve. "Alright... I'll do it. I'll join your agency."

Charlotte's eyes widened with joy, her first instinct being to pull me for a tight embrace. "Great! I promise I won't let anything happen to you, darling. As my Ace, you'll be the most protected person in my agency..~"

I could feel the overwhelming love Charlotte had for me, her very touch slightly overwhelming my nerves and body. "Th-Thanks, Charlotte...you're kinda squeezing me hard..."

Charlotte finally let go of me, standing up from the bench and smiled happily at me. "Alright, come with me. I'll take you to my HQ and I'll get you all settled before your classes."

I nodded, standing up from the bench as well. "Alright."

With that, the two of us began to walk along the rest of the park trails to enjoy the scenery a bit more before heading back to her car to go to the Alamo. Knowing my decision was made, I knew there was no turning back.

My double life as a college student and Destiny's Hero starts now.