The Strangers

"Now tell me, what is your war with these epics."

My grandfather repeated the question one more time after my silence.

He noticed the expression on my face, he posed this question again as if he knew I hadn't heard him.

"Lezlie?"

Of course, I hadn't heard of him, and I most wanted the questions in my mind to find answers.

I was going to tell him directly, but I was afraid that he would react in any way that would change anything. Afraid of making him upset again, or because that he could understand something else from it.

After all, the topic that we talked about with each other was already not something simple from the very beginning. It was a topic that we were both extremely sensitive about, and were afraid to talk about.

It was rather a situation where we could say something and would hurt each other.

But at the same time, it was something that we had to warn each other about.

So I didn't want to stop either, but it seemed like a bad idea to upset him.

"We were gathering a group, a group that will go after the Epics, and many evil forces of this world to put an end to things that we can, while a very long time that it has passed." I then raised my eyes and look at him, "I actually was going to stay in the village and help our people. But one of my mother's last words was that I should be even safer with Ryuu, on this long road, and that I should go with him."

"What did you think of it?"

"For my knowledge, we wouldn't know how long it could have taken as it did happen like this. But still, so I thought it would make sense to take this path from the beginning. So I felt more comfortable following my mother's wishes, and following something that I may truly want."

Maybe what I said didn't make enough sense to him. Maybe I didn't give him enough reason to understand.

Maybe it was just that I couldn't think of anything but the sadness we were facing right now.

But at the same time, of course, this would be difficult, and what we learned about this goal was as new and well-hidden as they were for them to hear it from us for the first time.

We were in a world where we discovered new people, new lives, new problems, and suffering in every new region we went to, with many regrets, hopes, and dreams.

I could not expect an understanding from him as well.

Just as there would be unanswered issues in my head.

As his eyes gazed upon my friends, and their looks, he once again turned to me, as his questioning face became more visible,

"Are you planning to rebel against these huge armies together with the people here? Against all those soldiers, all those troops?"

My grandfather knew how powerful the epics ahead were. He knew very well how many "creatures" there are that kill people for blood, and even put an end to each other's rule even for reward and land.

But the enemies we faced, were already the people he was talking about. They were the people he told they were so hard to even beat, were the people that we got the chance to stop with Ryuu's help.

And if we have managed to come up with Ryuu to this day, then doubting him as a leader would only take us a step back. So it would be very hard to explain to him, but it would be harder to keep everything unexplained.

"We know that those against us are strong. But until we got here, we did a lot of things because we had faith, that would eventually lead right to the point that we have arrived here. And since Ryuu stepped just for us, to another day with just the same ambition and dreams he had, we did it so that our suspicions would not get to us and interfere with our goals. His help has certainly changed the worlds of all of us, but we did it because we have set a goal and a goal that we can all advance by believing in something together. We did this by filling that gap between us and our goal. And eventually, everything found its place."

It was as if my grandfather had heard these words I had said before from someone he respected, He responded to me with a different attitude to what I said,

"Perseverance, eh? Perseverance brings a lot of things, but besides strength, perseverance is just a wasted effort."

"But is it possible that any of these things can happen if we don't put in an effort that will show this determination and bring out this power? If there is no situation that will trigger any of them, then why should they occur from the very beginning? After all, there would be no world of strong people, and a place that they will remember us, if there weren't any people that chased after perseverance."

My grandfather smiled slightly at the words he heard. He seemed to like what I was saying, but at the same time, his eyes closed, as if he was being thoughtful once again.

"I taught your mother that word. I never thought she'd teach you and use it against me." He then turned his smiling face to me and added, "But nevertheless, I think that's how we can feel her presence a little bit."

"I can feel the strength of your friends because of the power-sensing abilities that our people have. That's why we've been taking precautions against you all along, from the moment you entered. And as you said, the strong powers are shaped inside of them in such a way that they are all in a different form. Starting with your friend in white clothes, making it more obvious." He then looked at me once more, with slow moves to his hands, "But the forces here are not enough for all the enemies you will face. Because there's more to it than you see."

"If so, more are out there, please tell us. What is there that we have to hide so badly?"

"The epics you will encounter are very powerful, and since each of them has a separate specialty and strength in the field of combat, they are also all dangerous. These are people who have been able to hide well from society for many years, and who have taken over their management from the background of the government. That's why they are quite feared by people, and no one knows about their weaknesses."

"So they are unknown even to the government?"

"We do think so as that way. Since they are people who hold big power in their hands, it is possible that they are cut about communicating with each other or even giving false information to others. And to think they have been lurking for years, behind every corner, proves that they might have."

"That means you do not know anything either?" said Hiroshi, as he pushed his chair back and forth.

"That is correct. But although we do not know about all of them, we know the third epic very well. Since he was a wizard, and he was someone who was directly related to witches, he is somebody that we at least got information about."