Year 2: The Scorched Remains - Chapter 8

Guy Simeon had had a rough time when he first arrived in Aangapea.

With little memory of who he was or why he’d even been chosen, he found himself in a room with twenty-nine others, one of whom knew him. He didn’t recognise Yve, but the in-depth stories she shared with him about their past convinced him she was telling the truth.

However, unlike what Harmonia had said, his memory was still weak in places.

He could remember a lot, but simple things like what he’d eaten for lunch or what time he went to bed, alluded him.

To make matters worse, his team wasn’t exactly united, nor were they divided.

They were just awkward with one another.

Eerika was quite shy and only really ever spoke to Delwyn, who served almost as a mediator between her and the rest of the team. Talon was Talon, which meant she was either alone or off investigating potential traitors, and she didn’t speak a word to Tomar after their falling out a few months ago.

Reis had been shaken a little by his combat experience and a few traumatic episodes involving the Robe of the Fire-rat burning his enemies to death, and the lingering smell of ash that seemed to cling to every fibre of his clothing.

To try and make things better, Guy and Delwyn proposed that the team ate out in the town a few times a week for dinner, which they had done minus Talon for a couple of months now. It hadn’t solved all of their issues, but Guy could tell that Eerika was slowly creeping out of her shell.

Normally, the whole team only gathered for evening meals or assignments but, today, Delwyn had invited them into the town to shop. Tomar and Talon had both refused their invitations, leaving just the four of them.

“Do you think she’ll ever forgive him?” Reis wondered.

“I doubt it, I doubt anyone would in her shoes,” Delwyn groaned. “I wish I could just tell them to get their act together for the sake of the world, but they’re both trying their best in their own ways.”

“…I just wish Talon didn’t have to be so abrasive.”

“I do too, Guy, but that’s who she is. None of us know exactly what she went through, but I bet I can take a good guess.”

“W-well, let’s leave that to one side today, shall we?” Reis suggested. “Today, let’s just forget about the heavier stuff and just have a fun day out.”

“Not a bad idea, maybe someone should invite everyone out to shop,” Delwyn joked, slapping Reis on the back gently. “Now then, anyone have any preferences, or do you just want to-?”

“Ah, mama, look! It’s the heroes!”

“So cool!”

“They look strong, don’t you think?”

The four stopped and turned towards the voices, smiled and waved, much to the delight of the crowds that had formed along the opposite side of the street.

While they had gotten used to the attention they received in Rhodes, it still felt a little surreal to them. After all, they had all been normal people back on Earth, not celebrities who everyone looked up to and admired.

“Sorry about the commotion, heroes,” a nearby guard said as his patrol jogged over to them. “They don’t mean any harm or-”

“It’s fine,” Guy answered, holding out his hand to the man. “I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure, my name’s Guy.”

“Actually, Lord Guy, this is our third time.”

“Oh, really?! S-sorry, I-”

The guard laughed and shook his hand. “Don’t worry, I remember. Anyway, if they do ever go too far or get in your way, just let us know and-”

“We’ll be fine, thank you,” Delwyn said. “If anything, seeing how happy everyone we’re protecting is gives us extra strength.” She grinned. “Of course, as long as it’s in moderation.”

***

With a mighty grunt, Tomar threw his Divine Artifact down the shooting range, at a target over thirty metres away.

It landed firmly in the red centre of the paper, much to his joy.

Then, he held out his hand and the weapon flew back to him within seconds.

Tomar’s Divine Artifact was Vel, the divine javelin that always returned to its user no matter how far it’d been thrown.

After much training, it could fly with the force of a moving train if Tomar willed it to. However, right now, it was closer to a heavy stone being thrown, and he could only manage a range of about forty metres, not the hundreds he’d been told it was possible to achieve.

“More!” He threw it with greater zeal than before and it nearly split the hay target in two. He called Vel back and threw it again, chipping off a large piece off the right side. He called the javelin back again and stopped right before he threw it.

It’s too exhausting to do it like this. He walked over to a nearby table and picked up a glass of ice-cold water that a maid had brought him ten minutes ago. He drank half, used a towel to wipe the sweat from his brow, then returned to the firing range.

“The target will be moving on the battlefield and could react to and dodge the javelin. Worse.” He threw it a little lighter and it planted itself firmly in the target, making it sway backwards and forwards a little. “If they catch it as its returning to me, they could stop me getting it. Everything needs to be faster and have more impact. Everything.”

He called Vel back again and stared at it.

It was an exquisite weapon, a bold gold with no obvious marks or patterns and it made a satisfying sound as it flew through the air, signalling victory and the death of his enemy whenever it landed. Or, at least, it was supposed to.

It could smash skeletons and kill human soldiers, but would it be effective against the demons and Dread Knights? Would it do anything to an emperor in entirely dragon-metal armour? Was it even possible to properly use it in melee combat should the need arise?

Dante had assured him it would be, but Tomar couldn’t make sense of it. His movements were awkward and stiff, as his body refused to do what he wanted it to, so he settled for focusing entirely on his ranged capabilities.

However.

“I’m not improving too much,” he grumbled. “Ah, it was so much easier to get good at stuff back on Earth with just some hard work and a bit of studying!” He ruffled his hair in frustration, before sighing. “Why can’t we go back? I’m sure every-”

“…Die.”

Tomar said nothing more.

Then, he sat down on the ground, resting Vel on the table beside him.

The day before the Scarlett Skulls raided the north, he had had a fight with Talon, a very, very big fight, one that had almost shattered his team beyond repair.

Even now, Talon didn’t speak to Tomar.

His apologies meant nothing to her.

No, it was worse than that - he meant nothing to her.

Back then, he had made an off-handed comment about his past life, how much better everything had been and how easy it was compared to the life of a hero.

Talon, however, called him out and said not everyone had been as privileged as him.

“Says the hot white woman from France who probably never had to work a day in her-”

Talon had nearly killed him for that.

Guy and everyone else had taken her side the next day, though he didn’t know why. Then, he started to piece things together based on her actions and her ruthlessness in battle.

“I just wanted to apologise for-”

She’d started walking the opposite way the moment he opened his mouth.

He realised his own ignorance and how cruel he’d been, but the damage had been done.

The lengthy argument into the night forever broke any relationship he’d had, or ever could have, with Talon and nothing would bring it back. In battle, he tried to cover for her, to prove his worth, but she was too powerful for him to keep up.

She didn’t need protecting or help; in fact, she even told Guy to tell Tomar to stop.

“She says she doesn’t need protecting.”

Tomar knew he was wrong, but it didn’t matter.

All I can do is my best, keep practicing and hope that one day I might have a chance to make things up to her. He stood back up, called Vel to him rather than pick it up, and went back over to the practice range.

“I wonder if anyone would want to swap teams around, just to make things easier on Guy and the rest,” he thought as he threw Vel for the ninetieth time that day.

***

The palace library was always a busy place, but it was often rare to ever see two heroes together in there at the same time, studying at the same table.

The librarians and regulars were familiar with Stephanie and the members of her team she occasionally dragged in to help her find books, but they had never seen Dao Chen and Talon together.

They were sat at the same table, across from one another, a collection of books from all genres of fiction in piles between them, leaving just enough space for them to see one another. Both were fast readers, so the pile of Aangapean books was not difficult for them to get through.

If Dao put down a book, Talon was probably about to do the same.

They had been like this since dawn and neither seemed to be showing signs of slowing down. They hadn’t even stopped to have breakfast or ask for more than a drink from the servants who felt obliged to serve them during their time at the library.

Yet, neither said more than a few words to the other over the course of an hour.

“That was dumb.”

“What was?”

“The twist - it didn’t make sense.”

“Right. Won’t bother then.”

Then, another hour or two would pass.

“Cool.”

“What?”

“There’s a deep-sea fish colony that comes close to the surface once a year in Yun.”

“Cool.”

Their conversations were brief and often without much to say to one another, but it wasn’t uncomfortable for either of them.

If anything, that sort of distance was just right for them.

It was reassuring for them, the lone wolves, to have someone to relax with, even if they weren’t friends.

For Talon who had lost everything and only knew suffering at the hands of others, this level of mutual trust and distance was perfect.

It seems to be the same for Dao, she thought. Though, something’s different about her today. Ever since her team got back from their assignment, she’s been slightly off…well, it’s not my place to ask.

Talon stopped looking at Dao and went back to her book.

“Why don’t you ask?”

“…Because it’s not my place to.”

“…Most would ask.”

“I still wouldn’t. If I were you and I were asked, I’d refuse to answer.”

Dao’s lips curled ever so slightly upwards. “Right.”

I knew it - this level of distance is perfect for us.