Chapter Seven

The sun radiates its warmth on the kingdom of Basintroll with the sea reflecting it back up to the sky. The azure is naked of clouds, and the wind is fierce as the ocean waves.

Deep in Saltwater Woods, Eden packs up his stuff to leave while Sanders prepares the boat. "I'm gonna miss this place," Eden frowns.

Eden takes one last walk around his training grounds. The golden trees and its leaves, the small clean pond, the obstacle course, and the wooden dummy. A yellow leaf flutters in front of him, and he catches it half smiling. Then Eden walks towards the wooden walls that surround the circuit; he pats them and lets out a long sigh. Lastly, to the wooden man, he smirks; it's all scrapped with scars and dents from all the training they did together. The wood's grain lost its color over the year turning dull, and the platform it stood on had sunk, securing it into the ground. "So long, partner,” says Eden, fist-bumping the dummy’s arm.

The wooden dummy is like a friend to Eden; it’s always ready to train with him no matter how beat up it gets. The obstacle course is a playground he never had; no matter how many times he goes through it, his heart races. Eden sadly smiles and bows to the trees, fruits, pond, bugs, birds, and deer. "Thank you," he mutters.

Turning his back on the training grounds, leaving the wooden dummy and obstacle course behind; he walks away without looking back and faces forward.

The birds chirp, the bugs buzz, and the trees wave farewell. From the corner of Eden’s eye he catches a glimpse of what he thinks is the deer with the sword like antlers from the time it guided him here, but only shadows meet his eyes. He bows to the darkness anyway and departs from the spooky path. Light shines from the other end of the woods and the crashing ocean waves perk Eden’s ears, making him smile. The sound of the sea grows louder with each step he takes. Eden quickly dashes out of the darkness, passing the creek.

The salty smell of the ocean hits Eden's face as he pops out of the woods, his grin still shining as he nears Sanders and the boat.

"Eden, what took you so long?!" says Sanders.

"Sorry," Eden laughs.

Sanders takes the wheel and sets a course for home. Eden sits on the deck, still smiling, and watches the forest grow smaller as they sail away.

Eden stares at the woods and reminisces. Summoning his Armament, training, and hanging out with Sanders and the other fishermen made it enjoyable. “I’m gonna miss this place.”

“Yeah, me too, son.”

Eden turns to Sanders as he steers the boat toward the growing kingdom. “Thanks uncle.”

Sanders glances back at and laughs. “For what?”

“There were times where I had doubted myself, and you were there to set me back on track. I would’ve limited myself and not be able to do the things I can now.” Then he pauses, thinking back on the times Sanders had been there for him. “You made me run an insane amount of laps and sets of workouts to make me stronger, you built me a wooden dummy for me and the amazing obstacle course too, and you even went beyond by inviting some friends for me to train in real combat. When I had doubts, you were there to set me back on track. So thank you, uncle.”

Sanders says nothing for a while and glances back at Eden. “It’s your dream, son. I’ll support ya all the way.”

“Yeah, and now, I can do things that I never would have thought I could do!” Eden strikes the air with his fist and twirls them around like he’s practicing on the wooden dummy.

“Ha! Fighting like Gauntlet Legions got you all fired up, huh?”

“You bet! With this, I am one step closer to becoming the True Hero!”

Sanders throws his fist into the air, cheering along with Eden with the view of their kingdom enveloping in Eden’s view as if the ocean waves brought the docks to them.

"All right, we're home," says Sanders as he drops the anchor into the water.

Eden waves at nearby fishermen, welcoming him and Sanders home. They approach them looking gleeful. "So how was training today, boys?" One of them asks.

"No training today," Sanders replies with a smirk.

"Oh, so he is ready?"

"Yup, I have successfully created a man." Sanders snorts in satisfaction with his hands on his hips.

Eden scratches his head and chuckles; they all burst out laughing at him as he avoids their gazes and warming the pier with humor.

Back at Sanders's home, Eden changes out of his training wears into something more comfortable while Sanders prepares a pot bubbling with the smell of herbs engulfing the house. Eden pops out of a room, wearing a brown leather jacket with the collar up and sleeves rolled half way up his arm along with two long straps on his back that reach down to his knees. A navy blue button shirt under the coat that’s tucked in his black pants with a yellow stripe on the sides. Eden picks up his Armaments and carries them on his back.

“Foods ready, Eden,” says Sanders while slurping a spoonful of fish soup.

Eden sees the food on the table and grabs himself a warm bowl. The smell of ginger and herbs travels up his nose and fills his stomach. He swallows then quickly consumes the bowl.

"You, going somewhere?" Sanders asks.

"Huh, oh." Eden looks at his clothes and smiles at Sanders. "Just going to pay my debt," he smirks.

"Ah." Sanders gulps down his food with some water and exhales. "I'm going too," he smiles back.

After filling his belly with some fish, Eden along with Sanders make their way through the docks. Passing groups of fishermen around as they notice them.

A fisherman approaches them and asks, "What's going on?"

Eden turns to him with a furrow brow, "Oh, just going to pay back my debt," he smirks.

The fishermen all raise their eyebrows then nod their heads. As if they now know what they're up to, so they wave their hands at each other and follow Eden and Sanders. As one by one, a stream of people, almost the entire pier trail behind Eden like an army marching through town.

Eden and the large mob of fishermen cut through the streets of Basintroll; the townsfolk all make way for them, with looks of confusion Some of them walk up to ask the group of what's happening.

"Our boy is going to pay back his debt."

The townsfolk raise their eyebrows, even more confused, so they follow too.

In the town square, people pace back and forth. Eden widens his eyes and recognizes the person he's looking for. They have on a green vest with a golden collar and over a white dress shirt. They have tan-colored pants on, black boots, and a brown sword hangs on the side.

"Hey, Travis!" Eden calls out.

Travis turns around to the sound of his name with a raised eyebrow. He widens his eyes upon seeing Eden Alistar.

Travis turns around with a raised eyebrow. He widens his eyes and a grin stretches from his mouth. With his hands in his pockets, he casually approaches Eden. "Where have you been?" He asks. "I thought you ran off and died somewhere."

Eden smiles back, "Training."

"Training?" Travis sputters. "Doing what, hunting bears?"

Travis and his friends all laugh at Eden. "Oh, that's right." Travis wipes the tears from his eyes. But his amusement breaks down to a half chuckle as he raises his brow at Eden, still smiling. "Anyways, You still owe me money for your house, " he says, clearing his throat.

"Right, so I am here to pay you back," Eden grins.

"Okay, well then..." Travis's expression draws a blank but quickly shrugs his shoulders at Eden. "Since it's past overdue, you now owe me…” Travis counts his fingers while looking up and back down to his hand. “Let’s say, 2,878,800 coin," he smirks.

"Yeah, I'm here to pay you back." Eden's grin still plastered on his face.

The smile on Travis's face turns upside down, his expression tightening. "What's so funny, something on my face?"

"No, I'm here to pay you back."

"Knowing you don’t have that kind of money on you, how exactly are you gonna pay me back?"

The grin on Eden's face grows wider, slightly chuckling. From behind him, laughter spread like wildfire among the fishermen. Travis glares at the crowd, gritting his teeth like a snarling dog.

"A match," says Eden.

"A match?"

"Yes, I'm giving you the chance to kill me."

Travis bursts out laughing uncontrollably. "You can't pay your debt, so you offer your head?" He turns to his friends, and they follow suit with hilarity. "That won't still suffice, One Star. You'll have to offer yours and all the heads of your little fishing party!"

"Then we shall offer ours as well," yells a fisherman from within the crowd

The army of fishers all shout, standing tall behind Eden with their arms crossed, then they all smirk at the young noble.

Travis closes the distance to Eden with only a few inches away from his scowling face. Eden’s expression fights back, turning his delightful facade into a fiery glare. The air around him, sears. Flashes of their first duel, getting slapped around by the side of Travis’s blade, and humiliated in front of other Legions burns within his mind. Fists clench at his sides at the ready.

"Stop!"

The shout breaks Eden’s focus on Travis, drawing his gaze behind the noble. It’s the knights. A large number of them march toward them with their swords drawn.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Travis smirks then turns to the knights. He opens his mouth like he’s about to give orders but flinches. A tall man in heavy gold plated armor advances toward them. Raphael Bigge, the captain of the knights and Travis’s father.

Eden stares at the knight’s captain. Raphael is composed as ever; Eden can’t tell if he's angry or not. The expression on the man is unwavering, just like the time he met him at the training camp. The pounding of his chest reaches his ears as Raphael narrows his eyes at Travis.

"Travis, what are you doing?" Raphael asks.

Travis doesn't reply; he averts to the ground, not even glancing at his father. His expression pinched.

"I thought I told you to leave the One Star alone and focus more on your training?" Raphael growls.

"This is a challenge, father. Please stay out of it," Travis finally answers.

Raphael’s stare at Travis feels like hours, just standing next to the young noble not even blinking once. Then he takes out a cigar from a satchel on his hip and lights it. Dark clouds of smoke flow out along with a sigh, then Raphael turns his back. "Very well. I shall allow this." With a wave of his hand, the knights sheath their weapons, backing off. Then they push the citizens and the fishers, forming a wide circle around Eden and Travis.

Eden smirks and so does Travis, looking up from the ground and now at him. Taking a few steps back, he creates a wide distance from Travis before the fight can begin.

Travis diligently draws his sword; he gives it a few swings. The blade slashes through the air, whistling in the wind before firmly holding his weapon in both hands close to the side of his face, pointing the tip toward the sky. Then finally placing his feet apart.

Eden draws his Armaments from his back, sword on his right, and shield on his left. He lets out a slight chuckle as he moves into his stance. Eden raises his shield up to the side of his face like a guard and extends his sword arm out with the blade slightly tilted.

"What is that supposed to be?" Travis laughs, dropping his stance.

"You'll find out," says Eden, feeling lightness in his chest.

Travis shrugs and returns into his previous posture.

The atmosphere grows silent; no word is spoken or a peep of sound, nothing but the gentle breeze whistling. Winds begin to pick up; the scattered leaves on the pavement float in loops around Eden. The nearby trees along the cobblestone road wave their branches as if they’re cheering on the fight.

Clonk!

The sound of an acorn crashing on a house's roof echoes, breaking the silence.

Eden's foot twitches, then he lunges forward. Travis widens his eyes at him. In seconds, Eden closes the gap between them; he raises his sword above him and cuts down.

Travis brings his blade up, barely blocking the attack, then he loudly grunts and shoves Eden’s weapon away. Travis's eyes bulge out in shock; he grinds his teeth together and swings his bronze sword, clashing with Eden’s blade.

The swings of Eden’s Armament swift through the air like a blur, forcing Travis into defense; another quick slash only inches to his opponent’s stomach. But Travis quickly spins his sword, blocking the attack, then he jumps back. But Eden will not allow it. He darts forward, unleashing a storm of sharp steel. In the barrage of attacks, Eden mixes slashes and thrusts, giving no room for Travis to strike back.

Travis grunts and matches Eden’s speed, clashing against all of the attacks, but he still can’t strike back. Every swing Eden throws, forces him to retreat.

Travis's Armament is a great sword, which means he won't do well if I'm in his face! Eden aims at every possible opening without breaking a sweat. Then he directs his sword at Travis's gut but it clashes with Travis’s blade instead. Eden twitches.

Pow!

Travis lets out a loud groan and a look of surprise.

Eden snaps his fist with the shield as a gauntlet back to his side from his opponent's gut.

"Did you just punch me?!" Travis yells. He loudly sucks in air and tries to move away.

But Eden closes in; he turns his body around, pushes his right leg off the ground, raises it up, and shoots his foot into Travis’s stomach. A yelp of pain, shrieks from his opponent as he is sent flying across the cobblestone pavement then landing on the ground but continues to roll backward.

"What the hell was that?" Travis glares up to see Eden with his leg raised and extended out. He narrows his eyes at him and rises back to his feet.

Eden drops his leg and returns to his fighting stance. Travis spits on the ground and charges at him while letting out a loud roar. Eden leaps forward as well. Their Armaments meet; they greet each other with sparks, flying through the air like fireflies. Eden’s heart races as he slashes against Travis’s sword; their clashes’ picking up wind and the flickering blaze become explosive, almost as if both blades are at a heated argument.

Eden raises his shield in time against a thrust from Travis then takes a step forward, making his opponent flinch and lurch away. Eden swiftly swings his sword sideways, but Travis reacts firmly holding his weapon slightly tilted in front of him. Their swords connect. Eden quickly takes the opportunity and lunges his fist, striking Travis in the face, making him grunt. As Travis rapidly blinks at him like he’s not believing that he actually got punched, Eden follows up with his sharp edge but his opponent reacts and raises his weapon against it.

A thrust from Travis approaches Eden’s face. A twitch in his neck yells at every nerve in his body and makes him tilt his head to the side; he doesn’t blink as the bronze sword darts past his peripheral vision, keeping a strong eye on his opponent, then he shoots his fist, crashing into Travis’s gut. Eden doesn't stop; he clashes against his opponent’s Armamnet with his sword then simultaneously landing blows with his fist. The shield's face bashes on the side of Travis's head then he retaliates, swinging his sword down and roars.

Eden raises his shield up, the bronze sword collides, sending a mild vibration through his arm which is nothing to him. Pushing the Armament off, he slaps Travis in the face with the side of his blade.

Travis widens his eyes. He grits his teeth, wildly slashing his sword in an arc, aiming for the head.

Eden slightly ducks and raises his shield against the attack, clashing. There! His arm twitches then zips, smacking Travis on the other side of his face. While his opponent tightly shuts his eyes from the hit, Eden lands a blow in the gut with his fist then swings his sword and runs the side of his sword across Travis’s face again.

Travis bursts in a fit of rage, furiously slashing at Eden like a raging animal.

Eden quickly lifts his guard up against the first coming attack. A heavy blow sends him to skid across the cobblestones, struggling to maintain his footing. Travis's attacks are much more scary and powerful now. Eden changes his strategy; he holds his shield up close and focuses on defense. Every swing clashes with the shield and staggers him back; he gives it all he has, keeping his guard up.

His attacks are aggressive; each of his swings is fast and heavy, but using this much strength requires a lot of stamina, plus he's also shouting. Eden's eyes are trained on Travis's sword but also his mouth. He keeps his guard up, bearing through every impact. His arm tingles with numbness, but stays calm, only focusing on blocking and waiting. Then Travis raises his sword high.

NOW!

Eden immediately twists his body; he pushes his feet off the pavement, bends down, and swings his leg as Travis hacks his sword downward with a roar. Eden kicks the blade, diverting its path. A look of surprise on Travis’s face like he can’t believe what just happened.

"You're open!" Eden moves in. Swiftly, he smacks Travis's face with the side of his blade, leaving a bright red pentagon shape on his cheek.

Travis grunts and squints his eyes shut.

Eden takes in a quick breath and steps forward. He bashes Travis's head with the shield, then he lunges again, striking at Travis's stomach. Eden quickly brings his arms together, then reopens them with even more force than before, and exhales a shout; he slams his shield against the same spot he struck, sending Travis rolling.

Travis cries out and lands square on his face. He pounds his fist on the ground and glares at Eden while gasping.

But not a single bead of sweat on Eden; his eyes are steely as ever, looking dead at Travis.

The nobles all pace at each other then back at Travis. "Come on, Travis! You're a Five Star! Kick his ass! They chant his name while throwing their fists in the air.

"Shut up!"

The crowd of nobles goes silent.

"I don't need your pity!" Travis struggles to get back up, his knee buckling, but he uses his sword to pull him up. "I will kill this One Star!"

Eden stands calmly unfazed and watches Travis. The noble shouts, then swings his sword wildly like a maniac and charges at him. Eden lunges forward, readying his shield. He follows Travis's sword with his eyes; he watches as Travis swings his weapon vertically, horizontally, and diagonally. It's coming! The bronze blade thrusts directly for his head. Eden drops his guard then brings his sword up, clashing it one last time.

But Eden's Sword slides across Travis’s blade creating sparks and making a high pinch zipping sound. In a flash, he closes the gap and elbows him in the face. His opponent falls back again, but Eden immediately grabs hold of Travis’s head with both hands. Stepping on the noble’s thigh as a platform, he leaps off the ground. Eden launches his knee up and smashes into the center of Travis’s face.

Crack!

Eden lands on his feet as Travis falls, dropping his sword and blood gushing out of his nose like a geyser.

Silence, nothing but Travis's groaning while holding his nose as to clog the blood from running his nose.

"YEAAAAHHH!" all of the fishermen behind Eden burst out cheering.

Whereas, the nobles, knights, and other commoners gape at the unbelievable sight.

"I told you I was gonna pay you back," says Eden in a calm voice and standing over Travis as he looks up to him, glaring and baring his teeth like a mad dog. "I'm going to become a Legion.” His eyes light up like a fire. He doesn’t smile from winning or even intend to mock Travis. Eden simply wanted to send a message.

Travis doesn’t reply.

Eden sheaths his Armaments, turns his back, and walks away. Approaching the army of fishermen, they all smirk and nod their heads at Eden, including Sanders. He gives them a slight smirk and makes his way out of the town square with his friends going ahead.

"A One Star becoming a Legion? Ha! Don't make me laugh."

Travis’s snarling voice stops Eden and the fishermen. He glances back with a pinched expression.

Travis's sword, Bronze Talon, engulfs in flames; it spirals around the copper colored blade then spreads, surrounding Travis in a fire.

The Armament glows bright orange; the inferno stretching into the air like arms reaching for the sky. Heat blasts around Travis, making the nearby crowd shriek and retreat. Fallen leaves on the pavement crack and disintegrates into ash. Travis grips his sword in front of him as the fire surrounding the noble bursts as if the flames themselves roared. "You won't stand a chance against my Artes!" Travis raises his sword above him then angrily slashes down. "Flame Wing!"

A flare erupts from Bronze Talon and soars across the cobblestone. The fire takes shape, forming into an enormous bird's wing engulfed in flames.

Eden turns around and unsheathes his Armaments. The fire rages rapidly toward him with only a few feet away.

"EDEN!" Sanders cries out.

The size of the engulfed wing grows, looming over Eden as it closes in.

Eden firmly grips his shield; as he turns to face the fire, holding his guard up in front of his chest. Then he swings.

Flames shatter into a billion embers; the shards of fire sparkle around Eden like glowing rain. He still stands with his left arm extended behind him.

"He just parried it." says one of the nobles.

Travis bares his teeth, growling. He raises his weapon again and violently swings with all of his might. A guttural roar howls from his mouth as the sword rages down, smashing his Armament into the ground.

Flames explode from the Armament; the fire engulfed wing rages toward Eden more massive than before. Its heat burns the nearby leaves of aligned trees.

Sweat trickles down Eden's face as the enormous wall of fire rapidly approaches him. He charges forward. He lunges his shield into the flame.

The wall of fire bursts into small flames surrounding Eden; the sparks around him ignite a light reflected from his sword and the eight pointed grey star on his shield, giving the Armaments an amber glow.

Travis openly stares at Eden in shock and hurries for another swing.

Still charging, Eden leaps, he tightens his fist, raises his arm, then he shouts once. Supplying every ounce of strength into his left arm, his fist soars through the air, whistling like the wind.

Bam!

Eden's shield smashes into Travis's face, crushing it and sends him twisting in the air.

Travis grunts loudly as he tumbles onto the ground. Then finally slowing into a stop, his body lies spread out like a corpse on the pavement with blood covering his unconscious face, and his clothes, soiled with dirt.

The crowd surrounding Eden gape at the sight like stunned to witness a Five Star Legion lose to him, a One Star.

The nobles run to their friend shaking him to get back up, but Travis lies unmoving and out like a light. Eden watches them as they carry Travis out of the square. Then turning to the captain of the knights, he meets his gaze with a strong eye contact. After defeating the captain’s son, he expects some sort of response or resentment from him. Instead, the old knight looks unfazed, like it doesn’t matter to him as he lights another cigar. But Eden detects a slight and slow nod from Raphael Bigge or at least he thinks he saw him acknowledge his victory.

Leaving it at that, Eden turns his back, sheaths his Armaments, and walks away. He nods toward Sanders, also nodding back then returns to the pier along with the army of fishermen behind him.

Before going home to rest, Eden heads to the tavern in the Trench with Sanders and a smaller group of fishermen. "Did you guys see what I did to him?! I sent him flying!" Eden stands on top of a table and is shouting in the bar while holding a glass of milk in one hand for he is still too young for alcohol and jabbing his finger at others.

Everyone raises their glass and shouts in celebration, then they chug their drinks to the last drop. The fishermen slam their cups onto their tables, clattering together then laughter spreads throughout the bar.

Eden jumps down from the table and proceeds to the counter for another glass. The bartender comes with a jug and refills his cup. Then Eden picks his drink and raises it in the air. "Everyone, I have something to tell all of you." His voice reaches across the tavern, capturing everyone’s focus. Taking a deep breath then sighing, he faces toward the crowd of fishermen and Sanders at a center table, looking back at him with a smirk. "I'm leaving tomorrow."

Silence fills the room. Understandable, saying this out of the blue and right after defeating Travis. His heart slightly sinks as his mind registers what he just said. Leaving, meaning goodbye to everyone here in the pier… and Sanders too.

"To Eden! And his dream!" Says Sanders, raising a tankard in the air.

Then everyone in the bar also raises their cups, smiling at Eden.

"Son, you are going to travel the world and have all kinds of adventures." Sanders faces everyone. "We, as fishermen, have a job here in Basintroll and that is to fish." He and his friends nod their heads then turn back at Eden with a smile. "But you, you have a dream. A dream to travel the world beyond the walls of Basintroll. So go. Go and have an adventure, son."

"To Eden and his dream!" The fishermen all roar in unison. They all down their beverages, Eden follows with his cup then laughter booms within the tavern.

* * *

The bright warm sun breaks the skies; its rays of light peek through holes in the clouds and kiss the Kingdom of Basintroll. The entire pier along with their families stands together along the kingdom's front gates as Eden arrives. He steadily passes them, grinning ear to ear, saying his goodbyes while getting pats on his back, rubs through his hair, and parting gifts from everyone which Eden stores in a bag he carries over his shoulders, and his Armaments hang on his back.

As the tall open gateway looms over Eden, he spots Sanders standing to the side in front of the entrance, his expression blank and unreadable. He approaches him with a smile and nods his head; Sanders does the same and places his hand on Eden’s shoulder.

I'll be going now," says Eden.

Sanders doesn't say anything; he gives him one last nod and pulls his hand back.

Then Eden stands in the threshold between the kingdom’s gate and the outside world. He stares down at the dirt path that lay before him, leading to new wonders and adventures. The sea salt taste of the morning air travels through his nose as he takes in a deep breath, then he takes his next step then another and another.

"Eden."

The sound of Sanders's voice immediately stops him in his tracks.

"Stay safe out there."

The dirt path blurs with tears in Eden’s eyes and instantly streams down his face. He turns around to face Sanders and the others. "Now, why would you do that?" He sadly smiles.

"Damn it, Sanders! If you would have kept quiet, we wouldn't-" Erik's voice cracks before finishing his sentence.

One by one, masks fall like rain, bursting into tears. The fishermen and their families cry and weep together.

"You fools! We weren't supposed to cry!" Sanders's voice quivers. He wipes away tears that also seem to have welled up too. Then he gives Eden his best grin.

The smile on Eden's face flips upside down. His tears flow like waterfalls; he turns toward the sky and covers his eyes with his arm.

Images of Sanders and the people of the pier flood his mind. The time his father passed away, the time of his destroyed home, the time of his training, and finally his match with Travis. Sanders and everyone has his back, always there for him.

But today, he will start alone, without Sanders or his family of fishermen. His dream of traveling to different and exotic places. The belief that there is more than just fishing everyday of his life and experiencing a life full of adventure and action, finally begins here and now. Onward to the unknown but toward a certain capital in mind. "Sanders, everyone, thank you!" Eden gives one last smile at his family with his eyes wet from tears. He throws his fist into the air and everyone does the same back. He roars and they roar. "Bye, everyone! I'll come back and visit someday!" Eden waves his arm and walks his own path. Tears rain down his eyes and snot streams from his nose.

Sanders and the rest of the pier all wave their arms. "Farewell, Eden!"

"Stay safe!"

"Have fun on your adventures, boy!"

"Go kick some ass!"

The gates of Basintroll rain like a fountain; even the knights guarding cry along with them."This is so sad." One of the guards takes off his bracers and wipes his tears.

Eden faces forward to the dirt path leading into the horizon, wiping away the last of his tears and snot. With each step he takes, the fire inside him flares. Finally on his way to be a Legion. No. To become the True Hero.