The Inevitable

The next day, at Goro’s tavern...

Roman woke up. “Uh, my body hurts all over.”

“Hey, stupid little brother!” Julia said.

“Uh, what happened?” Roman asked, puzzled when he saw Shinra, Julia, and Torou sitting around him.

“Roman, you lost control of yourself, then you attacked all of us. Kenue and Kong were seriously injured. Don’t you remember what happened?” Shinra said calmly.

“I remember when Kenue followed me into the forest. He said ‘Don’t worry Roman. I’m your friend. You can tell me all your problems. You have helped me. It’s my turn to help you now.’ After that, my head hurt so badly. I don’t remember anything after that.”

“Okay, take it easy. Take a rest,” Torou said.

Shinra told Roman what happened to Kenue and Kong. The two of them were the worst victims of his rampage.

“Where are they?” Roman asked.

“Last night, they were immediately taken to the castle by the Torto. He said he left all his medicines there. Instead of having to go back and forth, it’s better to take them there,” Shinra replied.

“They were escorted by Goro,” Torou said.

“The three of us have to wait for you to wake up and make sure you don’t go berserk again. You stupid little brother!” Julia said.

“I’m sorry,” Roman said.

“Roman, let me explain. Darma and Terry are now married. They have children, you see? Brahma needs his parents’ attention. They are torn between two choices: to keep training with you or to focus on living life with their child. They definitely still think of us all as family. Roman, we are all family. We take care of and protect each other,” Torou said.

Twenty years ago...

Lyra had a rare, incurable disease. On her deathbed, she told Roman:

“Roman, you’re a good boy! I believe one day you’ll be stronger than your father and protect your older sister. I believe you’ll grow up to be a brave man who never breaks his promise. I’m so sorry, Roman. I can’t stay with you any longer because I have to rest. Promise me that you’ll take care and love everyone around you: your father, your older sister, your friend, your teacher, your friend’s friend, and especially you must be able to take care of yourself and love yourself. Because we’re all family.”

“I will, Mom,” little Roman said.

Moments later, she breathed her last. She left behind so many beautiful memories for Satria, Julia, and Roman. Satria could not hold back his tears. He bent down before her lifeless body.

Currently...

Roman cried and lowered his head. Instantly, he remembered Lyra’s words. His memory had recovered completely.

“I remember everything. I remember everything that happened in the past. I remember everything Mom and Dad said. I remember training with Torou and Big Sis. I remember Mom and Dad’s faces clearly. I can remember everything!” He couldn’t stop his tears.

“Is that true, Roman?” Julia immediately hugged him tightly. “I’m so happy!” she said with tears in her eyes.

“Welcome back, Roman!” Torou said.

“Congratulations, Roman,” Shinra said.

“Thanks, you guys never left me even when I can’t remember anything in the past.”

A few days later...

“Torou-sensei and I are going back to the castle. We’ll meet a few months from now. Don’t stop training either, okay?” Shinra said to Julia and Roman.

“Don’t worry, I’ll continue to train my Inner Power. I’m sure, once I master it, I’ll be able to defeat those monsters!” Roman said.

“Take care, okay?” Julia said, waving to Shinra and Torou.

Shinra waved back. “See you later.”

“See you, Julia and Roman!” Torou said.

Shinra and Torou returned to the Sacred Hawk Kingdom. Meanwhile, Roman continued his training with Julia. He trained his Inner Power and Julia trained her strength. They were getting stronger by the day.

A few days later, in the Sacred Hawk Kingdom...

“Hey, Shinra, what are you doing?” Kong walked over to Shinra who was sitting on the training ground.

He stood before Shinra. “Shinra, what are you doing?” he asked, bringing his face closer to Shinra’s.

“Whoa!! What are you doing, Kong?” Shinra asked, startled. He fell from his chair.

“You were silent when I called you.”

“Ah, no. I’m doing breathing exercises.” Shinra made strange movements out of nervousness.

“Suit yourself. I want to tell you that Darma and Terry sent you a letter. Tomorrow is their son’s third birthday. Are you going?”

“Will Julia come? Ah, I mean will others come, too?”

“I don’t know. They might or might not come. They invited you because you’re Brahma’s uncle.”

“I see. That means Julia won’t come,” Shinra said in a low voice.

“Well, I’ll be going out for a bit to find a gift for Brahma.”

“Okay.” Shinra couldn’t wait to see Julia again.

The next day...

“Hello, little Brahma.” Shinra came to Darma and Terry’s house.

“Hi, Big Bro. I heard that Roman got mad because of me and Darma, huh? I’m sorry. I’ve sent an apology letter to Roman and he has replied. How is Kenue doing now?” Terry asked.

“He’s getting better. Several of his ribs were broken. Roman is absolutely terrifying. I didn’t know he’s that much stronger now.”

“Yeah, that’s right. I was shocked, too. His punch was so strong, maybe on par with Satyr. If it wasn’t for the pill Torou gave me, I might’ve died. Luckily, I heal faster than humans, as long as you don’t stab my heart,” Kong said.

“Hahaha. Thank goodness, Kong,” Darma said. “I haven’t had the chance to see Kenue yet. Maybe I’ll visit him again tomorrow.”

“It’s okay, he’s recovering little by little,” Kong said.

Then, they celebrated Brahma’s birthday. Shinra looked less than happy. He wished Julia had come.

“Stop daydreaming, Big Bro,” Terry said.

Shinra walked out of the house.

“Yes, that’s right. Lately, he’s daydreaming a lot. I don’t know what happened, either,” Kong said.

“That means he’s in love. I was like that once. Haha,” Darma said.

Shinra plopped down in front of Darma and Terry’s house. When he was daydreaming there, Julia and Roman came up to him.

“Yo, Shinra,” Roman greeted.

Still daydreaming, Shinra replied, “Hey, Roman.”

Roman walked on and entered Darma’s house. “What’s with him?” he asked Terry.

“Beats me.”

Julia approached Shinra. “Hey, Shinra, how are you?”

“Hey, Julia, nothing much. Eh?? Julia??” Shinra was shocked and could nt believe what he saw.

“You look like you just saw a ghost,” Julia said.

“Wow, is that really you, Julia?” Shinra looked at her up and down.

Julia slapped him in the face. “You pervert!!” She walked into the house, leaving him behind.

They exchanged stories. Roman showed his Inner Power that he had been training all this time.

One month before the monster leader election...

“Firouza, Lord Vladmir is calling for you,” Ghoul said.

“Really? I’ll be right there,” Firouza replied.

Firouza and Satyr were half-brothers. They shared the same father but different mothers. Their father was the Monster Prince. Actually, Firouza did not like Satyr because Satyr was chosen to replace him as the monster leader on Earth. He thought that Satyr was too young and emotional. Being a leader required stable emotions and wise decisions. He was 2,800 years old and Satyr’s was 1,500 years old.

“Firouza, I want you to do something for me,” Vladmir said.

“What is it, Milord?”

“Find out what’s happening on Earth. Looks like something is amiss.”

“Very well, I will be going to Earth soon.”

“Remember, don’t be late. The monster leader election is less than a month away.”

“I will not be late. Excuse me.”

Vladmir suspected that something bad was happening on Earth. Then, he sent Firouza to investigate.

Vladmir was the Supreme Leader in the Milky Way. All the movements of monsters on Earth and on some of the surrounding planets were at his command. He had subordinates, namely: Tormentor as the Warlord, Shadow Ghoul as the General, and Ghoul as the Deputy General. They had an elite monster army of 10,000 soldiers. These elite soldiers were tasked with raiding and colonizing planets. After they had conquered the planets, they sent some monsters to occupy the planets.