I am the Hero of My Story!

Mayumi was practically carrying Arata to the portal, his feet dragging across the floor, his blood trailing behind him. “You’re okay! Look, the portal’s here, just… I…”

“Mayumi.” Arata spoke sharply. “Help Elara…” his voice shallow.

The archer carefully dropped him nearby the portal, seeing the wound ooze more and more - she knew she didn’t have the time to worry now. “C’mon Elara, let’s get you out of here.” She said as she offered a hand. Elara’s condition was that of a car crash survivor - beaten and bloody, her crushed arm a horrendous sight to behold.

Mayumi wrapped Elara’s arm around her shoulders and lifted her slowly, but she stared into the portal - into a future she fought for and now, felt nothing for. She stopped Mayumi, now focusing on Arata. “Our truce has ended.”

“Yeah.” Arata grunted. “We did it.”

“Fight… Ela.” Dolos’ echo returned, a call from beyond the void - another voice telling her to move forward, but her heart told her the opposite.

“Leave me.”

Arata and Mayumi froze. “W-what are you talking about?” Mayumi muttered, awkwardly laughing.

Her legs were planted, and nothing Mayumi could do would move her.

She wore a pained smile, a gentle ruse that wasn’t as effective as she would have liked. “I can’t go home. When I first came here, I thought I wanted revenge but… it’s gone. You saw it, Arata. Elysian was a hero, failed to save Dolos and while the city celebrated, he cried. All I could think of was a way to kill him for what he did… I don’t deserve to go home.”

Plenty of words were in Mayumi’s mind, plenty of ways to knock Elara out and drag her through the portal… she just couldn’t do it, no words would dare to escape, any thought of harm died before it reached her heart.

Soon, against her will, she wept. “While other people were struggling, I was blissfully unaware. What he did… he was a monster and yet, I can’t let go of him. Truth is that side of Dolos was dead before I had a chance to mourn. I feel like I’m walking on a road that’s crumbling behind me… the way ahead is broken and I’m trapped, all that’s left is to take a step forward into the end.”

The blood was pooling at Arata’s side, draining him of all senses. The portal was fading fast. It made sense to Arata, she had died in her world once - unable to bear a life without Dolos, maybe staying behind was the only option left for her…

It made sense, but he hated it.

“So that’s it?” He asked bluntly, Elara looked stunned. “You’ll fight to survive then give up at the end? Because the way forward is broken?”

She wiped her eyes. “There’s no other way-“

“There’s always another way!” He replied sharply. “Don’t you dare give me that crap! You think sacrificing yourself will magically sort this?! Stop following his path, Ela!”

“What do I have left, Arata?” She whimpered. “You want me to fight. What am I fighting for?! Revenge against someone that tried to save him? I can’t go back to how things used to be.”

“But that doesn’t mean you give in.” Arata’s voice now had grit, and Elara could not respond to him. “If you carry on going, Elara, all of this is meaningless. But you know that isn’t true… you wouldn’t still be here if it were.”

Mayumi jumped in. “He’s right. If this was all just pointless, if you truly wanted to give in, you’d have died fighting Martel. Instead, here you are, right at the end with us!”

It took great willpower, but Arata bit his lip and managed to lift himself onto his feet - doubled over and shaking, but standing nonetheless. “If the road ahead is broken, and there’s no way to keep on walking… then rebuild, from the beginning, brick by brick… until you find your way again…”

For a moment, just a flicker, she saw Arata, she saw Dolos. Both looking at her with great determination, overlapping each other. “Live… Elara.”

It took a lot more strength then, as her legs gave way, for Mayumi to carry the teary eyed warrior to the end. The whirring of the portal drowned out, to the sounds of a broken hearted warrior’s tears.

*-*-*

Just one minute remained, the trio stood beside it… readying their goodbyes.

“Mayumi…I”

“Save it.” She interrupted him, much like their first meeting… only this time, she pulled him close for a hug. “I’m gonna miss you, Arata.”

“Yeah… I’ll miss you too.”

“Oh? No tears?” She jested.

“Well, all joking aside, I am losing a lot of blood here…”

“Ah, yeah, no worries. Let’s get you through the portal.” Quickly she dragged him to the closing exit, but his hand clenched hers. “I promise, I’ll make Gale Force the greatest story ever… I won’t let you die.”

She smiled gently, nodding as the illusion of a tear formed. He stood in the portal, taking it all in one last time. “Ela.” He called. She was still sat nearby, her eyes bloodshot. “I’ll check up on you when I get back. So don’t you dare give up on me.”

“Couldnt if I wanted to.” She whispered back, her smile weary and saddened.

With a saddened smile, and a laboured exhale - Arata took a tentative step through the veil, into the void. He turned, one last time seeing his friends.

And as the portal took him, Elara’s final goodbye echoed in his heart.

“I’ll rebuild myself… from zero.”

*-*-*

The silence started to fade into chaos. Screams and panicked mumbling all around - with the flow of water as the backdrop.

She awoke in the cold flow of the river, dazed and blinded by the sun above.

“Ela!” She heard. “Can you hear me?!” He was still blurry in her eyes. Unseen but recognisable.

“…E…Elysian?” She murmured. “Where am I?”

“Hospital. Some fishermen found you floating an hour ago, doctor says you’ll be fine.” The hero explained.

“Ah… so I survived the fall. I was summoned to that world before I could die…”

“Listen, Elara…” Elysian whispered, she could see him clenching his fists on his knees - the pain in his voice that betrayed him, and the tears forming. “Dolos is dead… because of me.” His voice trembled. “I thought if I could catch him, and then he… I couldn’t save him. And now it’s led to you wanting to die… because of me… I, can’t apologise this away, I failed you, I failed Dolos… I…” she stopped him, placing her hand on his, with a saddened smile accompanying the almost unconscious state.

“I forgive you.”

“I won’t ever forget you… but I also won’t follow you anymore. Now it’s my turn to build the road ahead… brick by brick.”

*-*-*

“Sir?”

The shade finished his drink, now a bit more sloshed than he had realised. “Yesh, my dear?” Staring at the silhouette’s chest area…

“Whatever happened to your new project? The artist from Earth?”

He grinned, guffawing like a moron despite his desire to sound sophisticated, and mysterious. “That one?”

A man sits above the clouds on a mountain peak, a worn fur jacket fluttering in the wind - and unkempt black hair trailing behind. His glare was a razor, off into the horizon, to the new worlds.

The shade continued. “That one, has become the World Saviour… the Editor.”

In the man’s calloused hand… a g-pen.

“I will protect you… every single one.”