Youngest Brother: Aoin

When I opened my eyes, everyone was in front of me. Hiroshi, Lezlie, Babu, and four other people whose faces I couldn't see were standing in front of me. They were looking at me but no one was saying a word. Somehow I realized that I was standing, the surroundings were quite blurry, and I started walking toward my friends who were standing in front of me, thinking that I was having trouble seeing because of my injuries. As I moved towards them, they suddenly disappeared. A fire started to rise around me and I was faced with a situation I did not want.

As I got closer and closer to my friends, I realized that they were actually lying wounded on the ground. But how could this happen? Hiroshi looked at me angrily and said, "Kid, you didn't have to go this far. You know that, right? Why were you so stubborn?"

"Hiroshi, What are you saying?" I asked.

He was covered in blood and breathing roughly. The atmosphere was chaotic. "If you keep this up, your actions will get us all in trouble," he warned.

Suddenly, I woke up in a cold sweat. It had all been a bad dream. Hiroshi approached me and put his hand on my shoulder. "Hey, kid. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I replied. "I just had a nightmare."

I looked around and realized I was in the infirmary. My shoulder and chest were wrapped in bandages. There was pain, but it wasn't unbearable. "Hiroshi," I asked, "how did I get here?"

"According to our wizard girl," he replied, "when you fell, the King caught you and ordered the doctors to heal you."

"And Babu and Lezlie? Are they okay?"

"They're fine," he assured me. "They're preparing a plan with the King for the upcoming war."

"How long have I been asleep?" I asked.

"About a day and a half," he replied.

"We've wasted so much time because of me," I said. "We have to get back on the road."

"Calm down, kid," Hiroshi said. "I have good news. According to the information we've received, the First Epic has returned to his castle because of the false information you gave him. Since he's back in his castle, it'll take him a long time to get to the battlefield. That bought us some time."

"How much time do we have?" I asked.

"Probably another week or so, but that's caused a problem. Somehow he found out that we saved the King and that he would fight with us. Because of this, he's gathering his men and creatures on the shores, in the mountains, and throughout the First Kingdom for battle," replied Hiroshi.

"What about the King? The last time he spoke publicly, he said he would fight alongside the First Epic," I said.

"He gave another speech and explained the situation to his people. Now, the public trusts him again," said Hiroshi.

"I understand. But I have one more question," I said.

"What is it, kid?"

"What if the first epic asks for help from epics in other kingdoms?"

"According to the King, they must leave three weeks in advance to make it to the war. That means they can't arrive in time," said Hiroshi.

"How's your eye, Hiroshi?" I asked.

"Sturdy as it should be," he sighed. "I can see, but there's a claw mark on my face now."

"Can we speak to the King? I'd like to tell him a few things," I said.

"Are you sure you can stand up? You're pretty banged up," Hiroshi advised.

"Don't worry, Hiroshi. I'm fine. I'll recover as I stand up," I replied.

Hiroshi shook his head. "As you wish, but don't stand too long. We need everyone strong for battle."

I got dressed and left the infirmary with Hiroshi, making our way to the King's palace. When we arrived, the King saw us and approached with a smile.

"Here are two of our heroes, It's good to see you here, but I wish you had waited a little longer for your wounds to heal," he said.

"Thank you for your concern, but we're fine now," Hiroshi assured him.

"I'm glad to hear that," the King said.

I didn't want to prolong the conversation by getting straight to the point.

"I want to talk to you about the war ahead," I said.

"Before that, I want to thank you. I saw what you and Lezlie did upstairs. I don't know how to repay you, but on behalf of my kingdom, I thank you," the King replied.

"You don't have to thank me. It will be a great honor for us to have you with us in the war," I said.

"Now that everyone is here, let's go to the table and continue our conversation there," The King said.

At the King's words, I realized that Babu and Lezlie were standing in front of us and they waved to us. Following The King's suggestion, we went to the dining room and sat at a big table. The king was talking to us while the cooks served us food.

"I assume you have heard of me as a king, but I have not learned your names since you arrived," The King said.

"I'm Ryuu," I replied. "Our cowboy friend is Hiroshi, that girl is Lezlie, and that panda is Babu."

"I'm glad to have met you all," The King said.

Hiroshi spoke, interrupting. "I thought you'd be too old for a king. But I see that the years don't seem to have affected you much."

"Yes, I am the youngest brother among the Kings," King replied. "But let's not talk about me tonight, you are the guests tonight, right? So I would like to ask you, why did you want to take on this battle? Why did you want to go against the saga? After all, these are not things that everyone can do."

"Frankly, we're doing this because we want everyone to have freedom and justice," I said. "Even if we act unprepared, this is our own sense of justice. We can't just leave people helpless. Everyone in this world deserves peace and happiness. That's why we started doing these things."

"Don't get me wrong, Ryuu," The King said. "But I can see in many of your eyes that what you want is not only justice."

"Why do you think like that?" I asked.

"As kings, we have a duty to understand the feelings of our people and plan accordingly," King replied. "I've seen the pain in their eyes when they lose a loved one and the burning desire for revenge. It's almost identical."

"Yes, many of us are here for other reasons, but what we all care most about at the core is people's freedom," I said.

"As a king, I advise you not to seek revenge," King said. "If you act out of revenge, all you'll get is pain or loss. The more you live, the better you understand."