All These Years

I stood on the roof of an unfamiliar house, the cool breeze brushing against my skin as I waited for Lena to speak. She seemed to have a lot on her mind but didn't know where to begin. I could relate. My mind was buzzing with questions that I wanted to ask her.

Before Lena could start talking, I found myself breaking the silence. "I thought you were dead," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "How did you survive after the big destruction in the town?"

When Lena realized that things were calm for the moment and that we were safe, she approached me and joined in. "After the destruction of the town," she began, her voice heavy with emotion. "Many of our people died, but a dozen or so survived. The survivors were soon taken prisoner. They threw many of us in jail and tortured us relentlessly."

She paused for a moment, as if gathering her thoughts. "When I thought I would never get out of there," she continued. "I was rescued by a big man in fur.

Curiosity burned within me and I couldn't help but ask who had saved her. "Did he come from our lineage?" I inquired.

Lena shook her head. "No," she replied. "He was the third epic."

I was confused. I couldn't understand why someone who was considered evil would do such a thing. Lena had more to say and she continued to speak quickly, her words tumbling out in a rush.

"I made a deal with him," she explained. "I worked for him and in return, I asked him to protect my lineage. He agreed."

I couldn't believe my ears when I heard that Lena had made a deal with the epic. "Are you crazy?" I exclaimed. "Everyone knows you can't trust epics."

Lena, thinking that I didn't understand her situation, responded to me sternly and with an attitude. "You think I didn't know that?" she said. "I had no choice."

What I wanted to tell her was that despite everything, there is always another option. That what he was trying to do wasn't necessarily bad, but bad results can lead to bad choices. I told her this.

"There is always an option," I said firmly.

Lena looked at me in surprise. "Oh yeah?" she asked skeptically. "Like what?"

I hesitated for a moment, not sure if it was a good idea to tell her, but I trusted Lena and I wanted to show her that I was strong now. I wanted to tell her about the team I was on and what we had achieved.

"I have made many friends on my journey," I said. "Together we fight against the sagas. Our goal is to bring peace to the kingdoms and I am sure that together we can save our lineage."

Lena looked at me with a puzzled expression when she heard my words. She said something that was important to her but unclear to us. "No," she said. "Don't tell me that you are the heroes on the posters."

We were both heroes and criminals. How could this be? Lena's words were getting more and more complicated. I felt like I had to burn another pro.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"After the defeat of the first and second epic," Lena explained. "The king issued a proclamation. You and your friends are now highly wanted in this kingdom."

"Why would the king do such a thing against us?" I asked, confused. "I thought he was enemies with the epics."

"Believe me, I know nothing," Lena said. "All I know is that you and your friends are in big trouble. If the soldiers find you, you will be punished more severely than the elite soldiers."

"What can we do?" I asked

"You need to warn your friends," Lena said urgently. "You need to stay out of sight as much as possible. You need to hide and warn them about this before it's too late."

Suddenly, we heard voices from the east side. Hundreds of feet were heading towards the square, towards the area where my friends were. Lena and I could see it clearly. But how could I get there in such a short time without attracting attention?

Lena turned her head and explained the plan she had in mind. "I can distract them for now," she said. "Go downstairs and find a hiding place. When I give the signal, run to your friends. After I warn them, you must meet me in the south of the town at midnight. I have many more things to tell you and I need your help."

I couldn't refuse Lena's help. I owed it to her. We had helped each other many times in our youth and we had always been honest and generous with each other. So I nodded in agreement.

"Okay," I said. "I'll be back at midnight. Be careful."

"You too, Hiroshi," Lena replied.

I did as Lena told me and without wasting time, I took the stairs and went down the building. I had to be very quiet and careful. I kept moving through the alleys to avoid attracting attention. When I heard the footsteps of the soldiers, I hid among the barrels in an alley, shrouded in shadows.

The soldiers were searching everywhere as they advanced. It seemed inevitable that I would be caught. As the seconds ticked by, they got closer and closer. I put my hand on my hilt, ready for any possibility. But fighting these people would make me a bad person. Just when I thought it was all over, a flare was fired into the air.

When the soldiers saw the flare, they immediately focused on it and moved away from the area where I was hiding. "This must be the signal," I thought to myself. I emerged from my hiding place and made my way towards our people. Lena was strong and smart; I was sure she could take care of herself. The question was: what had we done wrong against an entire kingdom?

I knew that everyone was waiting for me in the square. My only task was to get there quickly and warn them. The townspeople were not angry or scared when they saw the soldiers; that meant they were good people. So why was a good army after us?

We had to investigate and fight to find out if the king was still in control like he had been in the first kingdom. When I arrived at the square, Ryuu and the others were already gathered and waiting for me.