A Connection and a Cry

Chapter 15: A Connection and a Cry

The dream world was different this time.

Soft mist rolled across a sea of pale flowers, under a never-ending twilight sky.

Standing amidst it all was her — Fran.

Silent. Nervous. Beautiful in a tragic way.

Riya stood a few steps away, arms crossed loosely.

"You gonna keep looking at the floor, or...?" he teased lightly.

Fran fidgeted, her hands gripping the hem of her tattered dress. Her shoulders trembled, sparks crackling faintly along her skin.

"I'm not gonna bite," Riya said. "Unless you're into that, then, uh... maybe."

A tiny sound escaped her — halfway between a sob and a laugh.

She lifted her head just enough to meet his gaze.

There was so much fear in those eyes. Fear of hurting him. Fear of being hurt.

And yet... she took a trembling step forward.

"I'm not a good guy," Riya said softly. "I'm selfish. I'm doing this for my own sake. But if you walk toward me — if you surrender yourself to me — I'll accept you."

Another step.

Then another.

Fran reached him — hesitated — and pressed her lips against his.

Not long after that they started "connecting."

It was warm and wild and aching. And it sure felt good.

The dreamscape shattered into light —

And Riya jolted awake with a gasp.

He blinked at the cracked ceiling of the tiny apartment, heart pounding.

For a moment, he almost smiled.

Finally... one more bond.

Then the communicator buzzed.

it was the old man. The mysterious old man who had first given Riya the relic that pulled him into this insane war.

An encrypted message glowed on the screen:

Town #17 — wiped out.

Chiron — dead.

Hassan of the Shining Star — dead.

Master of Assassin — dead.

Beowulf — minor injuries.

Fiore Forvedge — severely wounded.

Caules Forvedge — injured (left arm severed).

Riya sat frozen, staring at the screen.

The words blurred.

He clicked his tongue sharply, throwing the device onto the bedside table.

"Great," he muttered. "Just great. It seems that they're dropping like flies huh...Dammit"

Muramasa stirred in the other room but didn't approach. He knew better.

This wasn't a wound you stitched with bandages.

Riya slumped back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling again.

His mind twisted with ugly doubts.

Can I really win this?

Can I really fix the timeline?

Or am I just going to die here, alone, while Mom, Dad, and Ayame keep waiting for me at home... never knowing...?

A sharp breath left him.

His chest felt too tight.

The apartment suddenly too small.

He closed his eyes—

And heard it.

Voices.

Soft and firm.

A chorus inside him.

First came Jack's mature sultry voice:

"Ara~ don't be so gloomy, Master. You have us now... and we won't let you down."

Then Fran's voice — faint and crackling but determined:

"Protect... together..."

Jeanne's voice followed, clear and strong like a bell:

"Riya, even if the world turns against you, I will not. Have faith — not in fate, but in yourself."

Finally, Merlin's lazy, teasing chuckle floated in:

"Honestly, kid, you worry too much. You're stronger than half the kings I knew... and twice as stubborn."

Each word stitched him back together.

Each voice dragged him back from the darkness.

The dam cracked.

A tear slid down Riya's cheek before he could stop it.

He wiped it away angrily with his sleeve.

"Pff. Stupid... noisy... freeloaders..." he mumbled, voice shaking.

More tears fell.

He couldn't stop them.

Still, he grinned through it all.

A broken, exhausted, but real grin.

"Fine," he whispered. "You wanna bet everything on me? Fine. Let's burn this whole damn war down."

Outside the cracked window, the first light of dawn broke the darkness.

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RIYA RIOT STATS:

Frankenstein:

Skills:

Mad Enhancement:(D)

Magic Resistance:(EX)

Riding:(E)

Galvanism:(B)

Wail of the Falsely Living:(C)

Overload:(C)

Noble Phantasms:

Bridal Chest:(C)

Blasted Tree:(B+)

Bridal Blade:(C)

Skewered Plasma Blade:(B)

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