The Mystifying Ship

I couldn't do anything even though she was just taking steps in her direction. Slowly and steady, making hard and singular sounds. While making me go numb much harder as my eyes were involuntarily closing.

All of those footstep sounds were going round and round in my hand and making it vibrate.

I was falling into sleep, deeply and heavier than I normally did.

I was out of control at that point.

And after that, I had seen that she had pulled a finger-sized glass bottle out of her pocket, grabbed the princess's head hard, and pulled it to herself, holding the bottle she was carrying under her eye, and forcing her to give some tears.

She was torturing her, mentally forcing her to do something and making her believe it would be worse otherwise. It was a trap nonetheless. But Mila wasn't going to play along with her and decided to save me by finally giving up. She slowly cried, clenching her teeth, and looked at her with furious eyes. She just lay there and waited for her to finish.

And when she took the tears, the epic looked at them grinning and examining, and slowly waggled it,

"Just for some couple of tears, you two had put up a very good show for me. It was short, and wasn't a cup of my tea, but still was fun to see a little boy like to try something. I would expect a lot from you since you had powers that the others didn't have."

She then crouched in front of me and added,

"But look at you now. How pathetic."

"You...."

I couldn't control myself and tried to crawl in her direction.

No matter what, I was ready to face death. Even if it hurt a lot, every time I breathed in. Even though I felt like all my veins were breaking off, my bones were breaking over and over again, I moved forward by sticking my nails in the ground. I pitied myself so much, it was another level of pain to see someone whom I could have saved give what she had to protect me.

And it was all for nothing at this point. I didn't know what to do. I was in an unreturnable situation.

But just at that moment, when I thought that everything was over, my eyes opened.

Opened to somewhere completely different from what I have ever seen.

I found myself, laying on the ground, and I was in a very different land. Much more different from somewhere normal. And I didn't know where exactly I was located, since I was just behind the epic laying on the ground painfully. But now I had found myself in a place, that was completely empty.

Only mists and silence covered the air, as the ground beneath me shook like thin water.

It was as if, I was in a long dream, that I kept finding myself falling just before.

It was a very quiet and peaceful place. It was also impossible not to think that my soul had left my body and appeared in such a land, such as it was like I was sitting in an endless void. It was a quiet, lifeless place with no movement of any kind. It was just, just a place where my eyes see and my hands touch.

But even so, as soon as I started to fall into doubts and thought, someone appeared in front of me.

Somebody that I haven't seen for a long long time.

It was my Uncle.

His white tangled beard, tired eyes, soiled clothes, and blood-stained clenched hands. Every point on his body was like sharp and well-deepened wounds. Although he was getting older, his tired eyes and the lines under his eyes showed how much time he had spent there and how long he had been waiting here.

He was so cold, his gaze felt like the scariest thing alive.

He just stood there looking at me.

And I just looked at him back, trying to convey my deep emotions to my body and understand the deep shock that I got from out of nowhere.

It was so precipitous.

My uncle. The person that I haven't seen for so so long, was in front of me.

I even tried to talk to him, but words just shakingly got out of my mouth,

"U-Uncle. Is that you?"

I was having the hardest time of my life trying to keep my emotions away.

All this time, I kept everything inside me and the presumptions that I made about him. His disappearance all of sudden. His fight before we left. And all of the people that lost their lives that night. Everything that was about him was filling my head and I couldn't even get myself together to look at his face.

But he didn't shout at me.

Even though his horrifying aura, he just started talking softly.

"It's been a long time, Ryuu. How are you feeling? Are you alright?"

He sounded so kind. His voice just entered my ears, and just like a peaceful wind, it caressed it, like it was like a good melody that wasn't heard ever before. He stood still in front of me, while he did with touching my hair.

I didn't know what to say at that moment, I was just thinking and trying to figure it out. How it could be possible that I was here.

"Uncle, why are you here? Why are we standing here without anything at all? What is this place?"

"We're inside your brain right now. More precisely, we are in your thoughts."

My brain? But I was just with the Epic a second ago. I remember closing my eyes and falling deeper until I fainted. I just got hit many times, I lost the ability to control my body fiction and even started to daydream about things.

But since it was like that and I was in my head now, did that mean I was dreaming?

Was the person in front of me really my uncle? Or was I still daydreaming?

So on, I asked my Uncle confused,

"But why are we here? Shouldn't I have been awake by now?"

"You need to listen to what's in front of you before you try to tell me something, Ryuu. I told you about this."

It was maybe the first time I have seen my uncle after a long time, but I was still getting scolded.

"Because I came here to warn you. The war you're in. You're losing it."

"I know I'm doing something wrong. But I'm trying to do what I can. And even if it's desperate, I'm trying to look around and figure out what I should do. But I don't know what to do and how to do it! I've never met anyone with such power before. She is very strong and I don't know what to even do to find a weak spot of hers. It is nothing like the training I had with Ronk, and I can't even activate the power inside me!"

"So Ronk trained you, huh?" *sigh* "I hope he has educated you on the issues I'm thinking about, because you can't show any of the performance you need to show right now."

"He did teach me many things, but what are you talking about?"

"The reason you are losing is nothing about her being strong. It is just you being weak and acting scared in front of her."

For a moment, thinking about what my uncle said, I agreed with him. I acted scared all the time and maybe even tried to run away from her. Not even once attacking and trying to defend myself.

Maybe I was scared, just like he said.

"Yeah. Maybe you are right."

"But you are lucky too. Your father was just like you and he managed to get through his problems."

"Really? What did he do?"

"He sure got away from his problems, but with many efforts that he put in and hours he planned out every side of every war. He got away with it, with time."

"Did he succeed?"

"Yes, he did. But the reason for his fear was not who he was dealing with. If he had lost, every single person he loved would have been hurt, and maybe they would have lost their lives. That was his real fear. He was ready to do everything to protect your mother and you. So that is why, he faced everything he had to, even though he feared many things."

*For my mom, and me....." I thought to myself, it was just to think about what he really did.

The same person I heard about minutes ago, the brutal Alpha Prime who killed people, the ruthless one that covered many deaths of many people, and the one I've heard information about, whether it's true or false, was now a man, as my uncle told, was a man who hid a meaningful purpose on what he did.

Having just been in a war, I realized that it might have been something threatening for me and my mother so had done something like that.

And I never thought that I could be good as him.

So I thought to myself, would I ever achieve something at a moment.

"I'm not my father. He maybe had done that to save us and maybe he fought many wars. But I never did those. I never got the same experience as he did. And even though I did, I'm scared right now. My hands are shaking like it was never before."

Then looked at him and said, "I'll never be a hero like him."

My Uncle looked at me as if he saw the misery in my eyes.

But just with that, he didn't give up.

"Yes, you can't be. But you can be better than him."

"Huh?"

"After all, if there's one thing I've learned in all the years I've raised you, it's that you have a pure heart. You believe more than anyone that you can change this world, and you've already come all the way with your friends. If you just give up on all of this halfway, who is going to carry them along? What will happen if you give up now? You've done all the preparation and exposed them to the consequences of something like this. Do you think they have to endure their pain even if it doesn't come to an end? Is there any reason for you to give up here when they are trying their best and having a hard time for that purpose that you created? You'll have let them down. And doing so will push your life back more than you ever think it is possible."

He then put his hand on my shoulder, and said,

"You can't give up now, Ryuu. Not now."

My uncle was right. All the things I fought for brought me here. Hiroshi, Babu, Lezlie, and everyone else. Everyone here was here for a purpose and there was a reason for the struggle that they all had. Maybe there were times when we didn't act for the same purpose, but the things we did, felt, and hoped for on each battlefield were becoming one. I couldn't turn my back on people who carry and deal with these feelings. I had no such right. So it would be ridiculous for me to give up on something, that I wanted more than anything and everyone else.

To earn the respect of people and bring them justice. To make humanity laugh once again in peace without any problems and to live a carefree life.

That was what I was aiming for.

And I never was going to give up.

Never.

"Remember that there are quite strong people in this world. And over time, this power will come to them like nothing. That's why you need to work harder, develop your strength, and fight. Learn to use your strength. Otherwise, the forces you are fighting against in this world will not wait for you. They won't even wait for you to decamp from every shadow. So be careful. "

"I will do it, Uncle. I will try once again."

"That's what I wanted to hear. Suppress your fear and fight it. Don't fight thinking about who you're dealing with, because it will not matter. Fighting to know who you are, yourself and what you are dedicated to will pave the way. So once again, stand in front of her and look into her eyes. In the most profound and brutal way possible."

And before I tried to wake up, my uncle stopped me for the last time and said something else that stuck with me at that moment,

"Also, Ryuu."

"..."

"I'm so proud of you, Ryuu. Don't let go of what you dream of and your character. Always search for truth and act according to that. That way you can find what you are hoping for."

I nodded with a great feeling of honor and trust planted inside me. Even though I knew that would probably be the last time I saw my Uncle nor did I would see him once again, I pushed my body to its physical limits and tried to wake up from that dream.

And forcing myself hard, finally, I woke up.

When I opened my eyes, I saw that she had already mixed the waters and prepared the immortality water. She was now taking a good look at the liquid in the bottle in her hand, And clearly showed that she had completed her plan.

And now, all she needed was a victim. A victim who will say the words and take their own life.

And because there was no one but the princess, and because she thought I was unconscious at the time, she turned to her again. She was ready to take her life, so she confidently grabbed the bottle and headed for her.

But it couldn't have been like this for long, and her to act like this.

I had to stop this.

So taking a deep breath, I opened my eyes once more, and out of the darkness, suppressing my fear, as my uncle had said, I sought within my body the power of what they called "The claw of brutality."

As seconds passed, I didn't feel something at first, but then I felt as if my body was getting drained from everything I felt and thought, and getting completely empty for something new to fit in.

And as that did, I finally felt something getting inside me and forming into a shape.

It was a very powerful force. One that flowed through me, just like before in some fights, that I felt vivid and memorized well.

It passed through my veins, traveled through all parts of my body as if it were my blood, and filled up to each point, becoming solid, as if I were turning into something very different. It could have been the way I felt before, but I've never felt this power so deeply and with such certainty. This was the first time, and I finally realized that I had activated my power.

The one, that I needed.

Not even knowing how to control my strength yet, I surrendered myself to the inner impulse inside me and suddenly I witnessed my body moving against my will.

I suddenly caught Epic by the foot and looked into her eyes.

I didn't know how to attack her out of anger, but I had stopped her from attacking Mila. Meanwhile, she got pretty angry about it and tried to hit me.

"You little!"

But I didn't get hit by her attack.

I just jumped behind her, right as she did, and with my hands turned into pointed nails, I raked her back, leaving a wound. This caused her to let out a short scream in pain.

Then, pressing her elbows inward, against my chest, she pushed me back, but I turned and swung a blow with my left arm. As she bent down, I hit the bottle in her left hand with my knee and made the bottle come out of her hand.

When the bottle took off, I caught it in the air. I grasped the bottle tightly, and tried to land with that in my hand. But as I stayed in the air for such a short time, I saw that she came close to where I was, and dealt me a pretty hard blow, using both her arms.

Since she hit me so hard, I had dropped the bottle and regressed due to the impact of the blows.

But my focus was still intact.

As soon as we both landed, she picked up the bottle from the floor and looked me in the eyes.

Her goal was to turn me into stone, since her power told her to be working on every person she fought before and she was known for doing that in a battle.

But luckily, her eyes didn't work on me.

As soon as she did that, she just got shocked because of me not getting affected by it, and just stood there with pure shock on her face.

Because of this power, which was something completely newborn to my body, my eyes showed only in a tone and proportion. It was a force with a red color of blood as if I could thermally observe the human body and the environment, and showed my sight in those tones. That's why I couldn't use my eyes after this instant change, and I was moving more with sounds and smells neither than using my eyes to see my surroundings.

I wasn't affected by epic's eyes, just even a little bit.

But on the other, I was sick of her attitude too, and talked to her halfway,

"What is it to you? What will you gain from this?"

"Hmm, so you are still on that matter. *sigh* What a boy..."

"You must have something to do with it, so answer me!"

"The same has to be asked to you? What will, "you", gain from something so miserable? Just dying out here for nothing and getting the same on the back."

Then she spoke with a much scarier voice and added,

"You are just a pathetic human being that is been getting on, what I have been trying to do, longer than you should have. You are just worthl-."

"Getting the same thing back isn't what it is about."

"Huh?"

I cut her speech halfway through once more. Knowing that she wasn't going to talk about something that actually meant something. And just go out talking about her evil desires and how much she is blinded by them but not admit it any time sooner or later.

So I opened my mouth and said what types of people like her hated most hearing,

"I'm here for some purpose that you will never understand."

"..."

"Spending my time and putting my faith in people, trying and getting hurt on things even though I know I will not like them. Because I know it will create an effect."

"How will that be?"

"Because pain is temporary. You can get hurt, cry, scream, shout, or be loud. You can do whatever you want. But in the end, if you just stop thinking about how much the pain hurts you, and focus on the actual thing that is happening and how to fix them, you will see how useless to focus on an emotion that can cause you unimaginable outcomes.

Because it will never matter in the end. Not even close, being compared to the future you are creating for yourself and the ones around you."

"How so, what is the assurance to that?"

" "The ones who are blinded to the light, will never see the darkness." that I have been taught. and I will never go back from teaching."

*sigh* "These games of justice and heroism, your desire to help people and all that. You keep grumbling about these things every single minute, kid. And you're not giving me any proof of how this is going to contribute to me, and you're just keeping yourself compared with me by getting on my nerves. Spit it out, or else I will plan for you." She said as she was getting angrier with my speech.

"We are not the same person, but we are both living creatures in the end. We are both humans and seek the same thing. Maybe you just covered your head around somewhat of a dreadful purpose, and go on because of the psychical joy it causes, but what matters and carries us on as the same race, is the meaningful matters of life. Even the ones you care about are created by the ones that I'm telling you."

"The pleasure I get from this perfect plan I have set up and my earnings are based only on me and people who do not have pure reasons like you for this purpose. What you're saying is just nonsense. You're just going to save the life of a couple of worthless people and return them to the system you call "peace" and "love". But what about your people? After your people have fought for this cause, aren't those kings who will create a house for people like me, even worse than me? And being in your kingdom, causing more people to die? Oh, little boy, you're so naive."

"I'll deal with them too."

"What did you say?"

"I'll deal with every problem I can see through. Even though I know I can't reach all of them. Because the real and the only assurance to my faith and my friends's glory is, consistency. I have been here and worked so many months just to get here, because I had created a path to walk on. I know, that not everything is the same and people are just like sculptures, changing on the effects that have been created around them. But getting to the core of life and changing it is possible by human hand. This world is created with honor, but shaped by envy in the end. Found peace, but tangled hatred. Saw justice, but seek war. And I'm here, because those rules of the world, truly exist, just because of the beauty of acting "Brave.""

"So well if that is it..."

And raising her head slightly, she said loudly and added,

"Quite interesting! Looks like I'm going to kill you, using my hands!"

She hung the bottle on the hanger around her waist and ran toward me. Just like I ran towards her.

And our war has started once again.

I swung my left fist at her head, and after blocking it with the front of her arm, she aimed it at my chin with her palm. I drew back and took hold of her arm, which she held close to me, and drew it to me. But she rolled over on my back and gave me a kick in the stomach.

I grabbed her kick, but she shook her fist with her other hand.

Taking the incoming arm under my armpit, I locked it. Then, I shook my claw at her stomach. Although she took the blow and I scratched her again, she was still limited and determined. Because of this, holding my arm, which I punched, she threw me backward.

I could have stopped her from making this move, but instead, I focused on getting the bottle around her waist.

And even though she threw me out, as my body rose from the side of her waist, the bottle was in my hand. I finally got the bottle and even if I got hit, I got rid of her again. I also got rid of hitting the wall by pressing my feet against the wall, but after seeing the bottle in my head, the epic turned her head slightly to me, and looked at the bottle.

"Showy brat."

After her words, she flew towards me with her kick. But I dodged the blow by leaping to my left side, and caused her to break the column behind me by hitting it.

And this, had brought an idea to my mind.