Private - The God Fist's Anthem

Heavy. It was oh so heavy, the weight of the world, as it choked the aspirations out of him, sealing inspiration and spontaneity underneath the gravitas of the myriad paths that he could see oh so clearly. Even now, the words of warning that the Beholder of the Iris spoke to him reverberated through his eardrums, of the storm that grows behind her and the collapse of a brilliant star that would bring his downfall alongside her if he ventured too close.

A hundred different paths, from the spectrum of horrifyingly terrible to miraculously good, and he was chained by his need to consider each one of them separately. Crystallized Zalra was not safe for her, not when the minions of Rose Garden Resident lurked constantly, farming for more tributes to their master. But Brisshal, Pormont, Dormont, Dunnstads, and Druuk Island were much too low leveled for the forging of a new hero, while the hallucinatory lands of Esuilus…well, after that encounter with the Kitaljre, Cain wasn’t in any particular rush to go back there. That left only the unchartered Eastern Mountains and the Bloodied Peaks of Norfova, both rough terrain, both a Pandora’s Box brimming with unknown dangers. A part of him screamed against the fear of the unknown, the possibilities of an ancient evil slumbering beneath the accursed land, but a greater part of him pushed back against the paranoia, reminding him that he had been here before, had slain monsters here before, had fought and bled and survived and become stronger as a result of those efforts.

And the sight that he witnessed was a brilliant one indeed. Overhead, thick clouds loomed, the curse of the heavens still present upon his shoulders, but in the distance, the dying sun had set the fanged horizon ablaze, glorious oranges and reds accentuating the painted ranges. Soon, the temperature would begin to plummet. Soon, the predators would come, thirsty for the blood of the weak. For now though, he could enjoy the ascent to the summit of this mountain, and look forward to the challenge of surmounting the next one. Turning back to see Seigi climbing up the perilous goat trail that he had simply teleported past, the midnight haired muse spared a challenging smirk, both insulting her strength and encouraging her to redouble her efforts. It was a ‘training camp’ of sorts for the wannabe hero, a proposal he had launched a day or two after their encounter at the Dark Harveste. Their masteries didn’t align, and their fighting styles didn’t either, but one thing that both of them could train was their guts, their effort, and their ability to tenaciously surpass their former selves.

He clenched his fist. The last of the day’s light was fading quickly. The true battle would begin soon.

“Is that all you’ve got, Seigi?” Cain called out boisterously, refraining from calling her by any of the titles that he had envisioned in the past, “Are you not a hero? This goat trail should be nothing for one who aspires to ascend through the tallest, narrowest path of all. Pick up the pace and keep up.”

The howl of some hemomancy plagued beast sounded in the distance, like daggers scraping against a glass spine.

“The real fight hasn’t even begun, and we still have another peak to climb over before we can break for dinner, kiddo. And knowing my luck, we’ll be looking at a hurricane soon too.”

A pause.

“Ah, but you could quit at any time, if your resolve is flint instead of steel, kiddo."

 

To achieve greater heights, one's aim had to be even beyond that. Wanting to climb a hill? Aim to climb a mountain. Want to slay a Dragon? Go slay a World Eater. There was no growth if one was content with what they had. If one was okay with the cage they'd been set in. It wasn't about doing what others were telling you. It wasn't about doing what made sense. It was, simply, about doing the undoable and aiming for a height impossible.

Thus, even if listening was a bad thing, having like-minded individuals that realized such a truth were a good thing. It was less about each other walking the same path but rather one being a support for a more stable adventure. For a true hero, to be on top, it had to be alone. But it did not mean to dismiss those below. They weren't underlings. They weren't inferior. They were the people who put their hands up in the air in the darkest of times where even the brightest light started to fade. One may just be a tiny flame, but all together, they became a beacon of hope.

Such thoughts, however, had ultimately no place here and now. Something for the uncertain future. Something Seigi would, should , achieve naturally. Today, the kung-fu girl had the support of one such 'support' who tried their best to kickstart Seigi to a height she has not attained yet.

"Don't... worry..." The girl said with a panting voice as she got closer and closer to the current summit. The hill before the mountain. Or was it the heap before the hill...? This was hard. But harder was better. What didn't kill you only...

"I will not be undone by something trivial like this!" Never. Ever. Starting to pick up the pace despite initial exhaustion. "Also, quit calling me kiddo! I have you know I'm a heroic...hero!" She got closer and closer. "YOU KNOW...." Nearly there. "These people that stand up even after they got stabbed through the heart a million times!" And there she was. Willpower was, ultimately, the strongest weapon.

Then again this small hurdle didn't require anything too dramatic. "EASY!" She said, not even daring to wonder for a break. "Now, where to?"

How did they even end up like this? Seigi could still recall that memory, the kiss, they had. All an at, sure. But it had been, initially, embarrassing enough that the girl had a hard time just even speaking to him!

 

And there was that invigorating declaration once more, the intangible will power that pushed her past this hurdle and kickstarted her off onto the second. Ah, looking at energetic kiddos like Seigi really did make Cain feel old, even if he was much the same. The strength to stand up after being stabbed a million times in the heart. The ability to turn suffering and anguish into more power. The ability to press on and on and, after braving the depths of the abyss, to come out of the other side with a declaration as bombastic as ‘EASY’.

“Of course, Ms Heroic Hero,” Cain said, doing a few stretches to prevent his own limbs from getting too sore, “And where to?”

The midnight haired muse chuckled, even as the clouds above rumbled ominously, ready to release a deluge of lightning bolts and icy rain.

“Aren’t you a hero? There’s only one direction for the brave youths that challenge their accursed destinies.”

One finger jabbed towards the jagged peaks immersed in the brooding thunderclouds, as more howls resounded throughout the range, Blood Plagued Hyenas signalling the start of the Wild Hunt.

“Up, up, up! To a peak that breaks past even the highest heavens, while striking down all obstacles that try to claw at you and impede your path.” A feral grin surfaced, anticipating the challenge whilst his mind scrambled about to internalize every environmental factor and every possibility that it could go wrong. There was danger there, but there was glory as well, glory that would bring them to an eternal fountain of power. “So let’s go, Seigi! Crack open the Fiendish Box and slay all the evils within, so we can grasp the brilliance of Hope with our own bloodied hands!”

With the glorious declaration of his soul, the midnight haired muse spent no more time slacking, turning his attention onto the fanged mountain before him. Droplets of rain splattered off the rim of his hat, heavy and cold, and within far off shadows, he could see red eyes glistening like murderous rubies, but all that just fired him up. He took one breath to stabilize the beating of his heart, turning it into a drum that empowered his limbs once more, before he rang off, the midnight purple mane streaming behind him as purple tinged light exuded from his form.

Powerful steps and careful hops allowed him to scale the perilous side of the mountain with dogged speed, the muse not afraid to get his hand dirty in order to ascend to the next narrow edge. It wasn’t truly climbing yet, but it was just as difficult, a single misstep equating to a horrible tumbling off the edge and down to the life devouring stones below. Stone crickcracked beneath his feet while rivers of water turned dry soil into mud, the rain picking up and soaking him with ice cold ferocity, but Cain paid it no attention. He just had to push and push and push and set an example for his companion to follow. The tenacity to rise to new territory without regards to broken nails, soaked clothing. The stubbornness to continue onto the path he had taken, for the weight of the world would choke him out the moment he questioned that direction. The bravery to not give a fuck!

And within the storm, he could see them now, the starved demon wolves that stalked the edge of his vision, running far away, but parallel with the two adventurers, stalking all the while. Ah, the next challenge, the next adventure. He could already feel it, the bloodlust and the hunger of those monstrous existences, and even as he quivered in fear, Cain grinned at that killing intent.

“Get your fists ready, Seigi! And don’t you dare slow down! We have some uninvited guests to our training party, so let’s kick them out!”

 

For a moment, Seigi was a tad surprised how Cain now decided to walk too rather than teleporting. Maybe he simply didn't have another fast travel point saved beyond this? Or was he trying to put up a good example for her to follow? That was... nice? But did it really matter? Was it advisable to start chasing someone's shadow? Wouldn't the aspiring Hero just lose sight of what she truly wanted to achieve?

It didn't matter anyway. Right now, Seigi simply had to focus what was in front of her. Doing something like this in real life would have been more effective but what were the chances her father would allow her to do that? Not to mention the actual possibility of death, the subconscious thought, was an entirely different kind of pressure.

Sure, here, right now, dying through a miss step could happen just as well. But here death was only building character. Coupled with a complete lack of fear as she, quite literally, couldn't die in a video game, made this entire adventure surreal in a sense.

"I should race you." Seigi whispered under heavy breath to herself. If the path would allow for more than one person to actually traverse besides each other maybe that would have been an exciting idea. But under these circumstances, whoever was behind, would just risk pushing off the person in front of them.

Even if death wasn't something Seigi had to be afraid of, unless an NPC, the willingness to still commit to the actual act of murder was something entirely different. Maybe, one could argue it wasn't any different than having a controller in the hand and killing someone in PvP, but the entire virtual reality aspect put it all up a notch. Then again it wasn't like Seigi wasted her time reading anything about VR-Games and their influence on Gamers mental state.

As Seigi continued her ascension to greater heights, close behind Cain, she could feel how the blood-thirsting gazes of the various starving beasts up and below various rock formations tried to drill a feeling of dread inside her. Yet, they still kept their distance.

"COME AND GET ME, IF YOU DARE!" Seigi cried out as Cain talked about their 'uninvited guests'. It didn't matter if it was just one, ten, a hundred or more. She'd beat them all the same. They were, nonetheless, a pack, and even if used to these surroundings the treacherous terrain was even more lethal for them than the two that carried the Power of Immortality.

"There." The kung-fu girl wasn't sure if it was Cain that put her attention to one of the beasts or she simply realized herself. One of the beasts - covered in scars and looking like it had already starved to death - rushed down from some upper formation of stone before going for a big leap - multiple seconds in the air, aiming to slam directly into Seigi.

Maybe it just couldn't wait anymore, maybe it was an outsider, or maybe it was simply just smart enough to realize that, as narrow as the path was, Seigi had a solid rock wall to one side that would stop both of them from stumbling into certain death together.

"Too easy!" The girl had enough time to equip her already loaded Tinkerer Fists. Still prototypes. But just as lethal as against a certain pack of goblins. With the underbelly of the Hyena exposed, barely meters away before the collision, Seigi punched out. It did not matter as the monster shifted its balance in a way for its face to meet Seigi's already stretched out fist. Biting down on the solid metal with only a few teeth finding their way to actually skin, but ultimately held back to bite entirely down. Brutally to look at, yet merciful swift, as the actual lethal part of the weapon went to work, striking down like thunder.

The individual parts of what once made up the head of a starving hyena flew away from Seigi, the shockwave strong enough to press her against the solid stone-wall to not fall off. Splatters of blood covered the heroine's face as she looked upon Cain. Were these dastardly hyaenas really in such a rush to die themselves? Or was that singular, starving, individual just an exception? Having a full blown fight in their current position was bad for either side.

 

Wow, that was certainly a very gory weapon to be using as a hero of justice. As the first of the blood cursed hyenas was turned to chunks of meat, its dark blood and steaming offal splattering all over Seigi, Cain simply continued his ascent, bounding from stone to stone with a singular focus to reach the top. It was an effective attack, but it was a dangerous one as well, the shockwave enough to drive the attention of those beasts to her. She now wasn’t only just a threat, but one that was stained in thick, appetizing blood. And, as one, those mangy beasts scaled the boulders and the sheer faces, clawing against stone in their blood induced frenzy.

Eager to die? No, Cain hadn’t chosen Norfova as the land to forge a new heroine because the monsters here were suicidal. Death was never an option, after all. What he chose was a land that naturally bred monsters who would survive no matter how difficult things became, who never gave up. They may be cursed by blood magic, and they may have lost their minds, but the tenacity to devour, the tenacity to overcome the odds in a terrain so lethal and nightmarish that any lesser beasts would have long been cast into oblivion.

And, despite the treacherous terrain, despite the hunger that gnawed away at their stomachs, they ascended swiftly, as surefooted as mountain goats, snapping their jaws and surrounding the scarlet hero below. With that mighty strike, she had aggroed the entire pack onto her. With that mighty strike, she had isolated herself from the midnight haired muse, as the storm broiled all around, as the gale force winds screeched banshee like, streams of mud pouring off the sides of the mountain. He would not help her. No, he could not help her.

Because the path of a hero was parallel with others. Because the greatest strength they could hone is the strength within. A cold breath amidst the rain sent white mist skywards, as the first lightning bolt flashed from one cloud to another, a serpentine dragon leaving nothing but an afterimage in its wake. Below, the howling pack continued their assault, gnashing their teeth and promising a slow death, a life threatening fight.

“Don’t let riffraff like those slow you down!”

Without turning back, Cain raced for the cloud covered peak.

“Reach the summit with your own heroic might, Sunset Sage! The day has not ended yet!”

 

This was only the beginning.

Had Seigi really hoped that taking care of that little pub would scare off the rest? Did she, really? Why? Because she was scared? "No..." The hero-in-training whispered to herself. She wasn't feared. She still had to find the right answer if... fear was a weakness or not, but she'd definitely wouldn't be scared of a few hungry critters that just happened to be rather savage.

"COME AND GET ME!" The red-head roared as the swarm descended from all sides. At the beginning, it wasn't even that difficult, making good use of her gadgets and mechanical weapons to protect and attack. Bodies hit the floor, fell down the cliffside, stacked into an impenetrable wall to give the hyena's less and less openings to fight.

All they had on the heroic girl were numbers. Something that shouldn't matter. Yet, slowly but surely, they wore her down. Every claw that could have been avoided. Every bite she blocked with her metallic fist. Every tackle she turned into a counter. The longer it went on, the clearer Seigi could hear it. A voice calling from deep within herself. Sounding like someone she loved. Someone she recognized. Wendy, her family, her sisters. Yet, it sounded like nobody at all. A voice that was the most familiar yet foreign at the same time.

It asked her. Offered her. Tempted her.

You're weak. You can't do it. Your strength is lacking. We give you power. Accept it. Let us in.

"SHUT UP!" The Sunset Sage roared. Yes. She was weak. Her body was frail. Her strength lacking. But... "I don't need those!" With her next punch against another one of the countless vultures, the metal that held Seigi back finally broke. The first step of ascension.

...
...
...

An in blood-covered figurine entered Cain's vision further up the mountain. Covered in wounds, with a big chunk of flesh taken out of her left shoulder, Seigi lifted her right arm up to give a thumbs up. "EASY!"

Despite only a single word spoken, blood spilled out of her mouth. Was it a miracle that the girl was even still alive? Did she feel no pain? Or... was she addicted to it? Nonetheless, the hero-in-training did her part. Now it was the Flagbearer of Miracles task to patch her up for even greater dangers.

 

What rose up onto the summit of the mountain was not a girl, nor a hero, but instead, a crimson avenger, drenched in the blood, both of her own body and her foes. The blood cursed hyenas no longer howled below, every one of them dashed upon the jagged rock and turned to lifeless corpses. Pieces of her were missing, but the bold declaration still echoed through the mountain range. Had she turned pain simulation to the lowest setting? Had she simply broken past whatever mental inhibitors humans had? Had she, through a nigh master-class feat of discipline, sealed off her own senses?

No matter what, it was clear as the dying sun that she was on her last legs, and as lightning struck, heavy rain falling on the two of them, Cain grasped the pitter pattering of the rain drops. They resonated with his Harmonics, a soothing, warm light reversing the damage dealt by those hyenas, as well as the damage she dealt to herself. Those were some truly horrific injuries, the stuff that would have killed a normal human ages ago. And yet, there she was, the Sunset Sage indomitable in the face of incredible agony. As a fighter, she had definitely ‘passed’.

But heroes were not just good fighters.

Once most of the damage had been reversed, Cain began working on setting up a tent next, pulling the necessary items from his pack to make a comfortable little tent for himself. Long, iron stakes kept it from being blown off, with the tarps themselves were heavy and thick enough to deflect the rain that was now blowing sideways.

He really had the worst luck when it came to weather, didn’t it? Still, night had truly fell at that point, meaning that there was only a few things left to do before the night wrapped up. Finding a comfy rock to sit on, the midnight haired muse motioned Seigi to sit down with him. With the rain washing off all the blood, the orange haired martial artist looked slightly more presentable at this point, outside of the amount of clothing damage she took. If he was any other man, perhaps, he’d be turned on by the ripped clothing, but Cain was the Flagbearer of Miracles, the Double Blessed of Idna and Iedi, the Father of Heroes. It’d definitely take more than that to get him flustered!

“First things first then,” he said calmly, voice travelling clearly despite the heavenly cacophony, “You succeeded as a fighter, as an adventurer, but you failed as a hero, Seigi Ling Ling. Imagine if you were to walk up like that to the person you had protected, say, a child? Do you think anyone would be able to stop crying when you appear to have taken a bath in the blood of your foes? Do you think you’d be able to wipe away the tears of the grieving when your hands are stained with blood and gore?”

A pause, before he offered a flask of hot water to her, the only mercy he would show that night.

“A hero is not made of victory alone, nor are they made purely of struggling and determination. Throughout all that suffering, they must remain pure and beautiful, individuals that ‘shine’ instead of ‘rage’. Keep that in mind, Seigi. Heroes aren’t slaughterers of evil. They are protectors of smiles, their appearance alone able to soothe the hearts of those in danger.”

The serious tone dropped, before he broke out in a gentle smile.

“Well, don’t take it too negatively. You still managed to survive that, which is more than I can say about a lot of people. What happened to your metal fists though?”

 

For someone who sat in the backlines, not even bothering to watch, Cain Darlite sure had a lot to say. A Hero doesn't do this. A Hero doesn't do that. True purity was a subject of mind, was it not? It was... a weird subject.

Seigi agreed with Cain, but not completely. If she were to follow his advice completely, was it truly her own path? No. He could give advice, but the Crimson Hair had to find her own path. Make her own experiences.

"Those..." Speaking still hurt, her body bandaged all over. At least she could enjoy the cold taste of water. "...broke." Simple as that, or was it more?

"I'm not going to rely on tools anymore. Just, my own strength. Prototypes or not, they served me quite well. Yet... hindered my growth." The girl took a pebble from the ground with the arm that had been mostly undamaged. Gently closing her fist, she applied pressure. This pain was nothing in comparison to before.

"I... only need to rely on myself." A Hero had to be a guiding light for others. To guide, one had to be ahead. But being ahead was also lonely... just a small sacrifice?

Opening her palm, the pebble was crushed. She still had ways to go but it wasn't an easy feat nonetheless. "Weapons are made for murder. I will keep my hands free so I can hold onto everybody..." She said those same lines before, but only realized their true meaning now.

At the very least the numbing pain kept these darker thoughts more easily at bay. Now, that she was out of immediate danger.

Her void-of-life face finally regained in shape, color, and warmth. Despite the slaughter a while ago, Seigi Ling Ling gave the Flagbearers of Miracle a warming smile. "That is my lesson I carried out of this battle."

 

Cain watched her carefully as those expressions changed, as something within the hero changed. It was a lonely path indeed, hm? The strong and the brave would always be taking the route that leaves them in isolation, for they were the vanguard, the forefront of all conflicts. But still…

He flicked Seigi on the forehead, his smile still remaining. “That’s nice and all,” the Flagbearer of Miracles spoke, “But don’t refuse help when people offer it, alright? A Hero with allies is better than a Hero without, cause there always needs to be someone who can pull you back if you go too far.”

A slightly stricter gaze settled as the rain continued to pound away at them. Taking back that flask of warm water, Cain gently took Seigi’s hand in his own, pouring the warm liquid over her palms before gently scrubbing away the accumulated dirt, grime, and gore, the pebble dust that had mixed within. He worked slowly despite the worsening weather and the wind that seared their skin. Brushing away slowly and surely, red flakes removed by methodical cleaning, until the Sunset Sage’s hands, at least, were completely clean. Pink stains remained on his pants, where Cain had wiped his own hands, but he was satisfied, at least, by the effort.

“There you go,” he said cheerily, “If that’s the lesson you learned from your fight, then you better learn how to clean yourself up next time, Seigi! Without your fancy gauntlets on, your hands really will be getting pretty dirty now, so be sure to carry a bar of soap and some water with you in your inventory, alright?”

He patted her on her head, his hands still warm and toasty.

“Hero as you are, you can’t neglect your appearance, seriously. Got that? How are you supposed to slay evil and save the innocent if you can't even keep clean?” Cain laughed, as he dug out a jar of preserved meats and offered it to the Sunrise Sage.

 

"On top, but not alone..." Seigi murmured as Cain decided to clean the girl's hand. "I... kinda get it?" In fiction and stuff, the good guys always fought together while being formidable warriors in their own right! And as contradictory as being alone but together was, a Hero was a living example of making the impossible possible.

"But..." Who else was there? Valdrada had still to be shaped into form. "I haven't really met anyone with the same amount of conviction. Sure... there are a ton of people who say they're heroic, and justice and all but... I don't have any right to judge, they have done nothing wrong... but they lack, mhm, Spirit?"

Maybe the Martial Artist was too exhausted for now that she could wrap her head around it to explain properly. "I mean, you don't NEED to lots of gusto to be a Hero but, say, if there's an innocent boy to be sacrificed for the greater good? The moment you start to consider if it's okay to let him go and think about the pros and cons you already failed being a hero! And, somehow, the heroes I meet give off that vibe, you know?" Seigi sighed, not like it mattered.

"There's one person, who got me into this game, who is cut to be greater than myself - I really look up to her. And then there's you, too, you don't even consider yourself a Hero, but... you're more like this Coach kind of person in Televisions that the main character has a training montage with! ... An ex-hero?" Seigi chuckled as her mood lightened up.

Thankfully taking some of the preserved meat the girl made an annoyed, but still cheerful, face. "Guess even a hero-in-training doesn't get around cleaning, huh?"

 

“Yeah,” Cain replied, leaning back against a wet rock, “Heroes are rare amongst us adventurers. After all, this IS just a game, and an illegal, hyper realistic one at that. There’s no third party programs that can link one’s virtual identity to their real selves, and…”

The midnight haired muse paused. Considered it. Decided that Seigi was reasonable enough to be aware of the blackness of many who ventured within the lands of Terrasphere.

“…it’s really just a cesspool of uninhibited violence. Have you noticed that, even after it’s been months since Astorea has been made, there hasn’t been any sort of peacekeeping force organized? No guards, no police, nothing. Adventurers are strong enough and numerous enough that the common human can’t do anything against them. And ultimately...”

He was getting a bit darker now. The topic was becoming a little bit more sinister now.

“…an innocent child in this world is either just a computer generated personality or an immortal avatar. With that justification, you could do plenty of terrible things. I’ve been a part of the interrogations that went straight to mind-breaking torture. A Duke was there, even, and he didn’t have any method at all of punishing the perpetrator. They got off scot-clean. Adventurers apparently see Astorea as a refuge, but they also don’t see themselves as beholden to laws, and ALL of them have no second thoughts when it comes to murder.”

Cain narrowed his eyes, before shaking off all the nasty darkness that was clinging onto the back of his throat.

“But yeah, that’s a pretty bad talk. I guess it makes sense for heroes like you to be outnumbered anyways, right?” He punched Seigi’s arm cheerfully. “Better not seeing me as an ex-hero tho, Sunset Sage. I'm more of the ancient bard, you know? The one that records a hero’s journey and provides them with enigmatic advice, but ultimately doesn’t do much himself. And yes, always gotta be clean. Who knows what sort of virtual diseases those monsters had? Better off not risking it, you know?”

…well, considering how both of them were pretty much just ignoring the horrible weather at this point, maybe they could fight off disease with guts and effort alone.

“That being said, who’s your friend? If they’re an even more famous hero than you, I’d imagine I’d have heard of them before, Seigi.”

 

"Urgh..." There it was again, Cain spoke about things that had gone through Seigi's head a few times. Just a game to have fun. Treating killing like nothing terrible at all. And some political jazz?

"Have... you ever played a game as realistic as this one? Some people treat it simply for what it is: A game. Heh... I'm very well aware of my own immortality anyways, too! While for others it seems like a second life." Not like she was any better, hiding from her actual problems through the noise of the virtual world.

"But... with how 'alive' this feels, I think if you wouldn't be yourself you end up losing yourself." That was a lot of 'yous'. "I... killed too. That makes me also just a murderer, digital data or not, but I can't stop, won't stop, for all the sacrifices would be in vain." Gosh, this sounded cheesy.

"Hehehe..." The girl scratched her head. "I just wanna have fun myself. Not that I make light of the hero-deal." Didn't that mean she took the game all too serious already anyways? "But I like challenges... and while I admit doing what I want to do is way harder than I imagined, I won't stop!" Seigi nodded. "And one day, I'll just be so strong to beat bandits up to near-death, keep them from getting killed by others, and make em all into good people!" Seigi now gave the muse a thumbs up. Initially, she was bothered by this darker thoughts, too, but all seemed fine now.

"If everything could just get along it would be a way happier place. Now, beating up Monsters, on the other hand, is totally no problem!"

"As for my friend..." Despite her uplifted spirit just now, things changed to be a tad darker again. "She plays this game, too, but..." Seigi shook her head. Wendy was an exception, right? No need to terrify others! "...she refuses to tell me who her character is! Hmpf." It wasn't a lie. A hero never lied. Nonetheless, her painful smile was too obvious.

 

Damn, she really was a sunflower child, wasn’t she?

“Well, that’s what you’re here for, isn’t it?” Cain replied, brushing wet strands of hair out of his face. At this rate, they definitely were going to get sick from all the cold, miserable rain pounding down, but at the same time…he didn’t care too much. Not when talking with Seigi kept him warm on the inside. “Gotta get strong to the point where people won’t even consider putting up a fight against you, right? Just walk around and turn bad guys into good guys with your gaze alone. After that, when the super evil comes, you add more glory to your legend by clenching that fist and punching them into the sun! Mayhaps then, they’ll call you the Sunrise Sage, the warrior philosopher that brings around a new dawn, the mightiest ally of justice.”

The midnight haired muse chuckled about that, before standing up, brushing some mud off his pants. Fanciful stuff like that was always nice to joke about, wasn’t it? But still…

“I’ll warn you about making too many sacrifices though, Seigi,” he said, raising his head up towards the next summit, towards the pounding storm, towards the oppressive thunder. “Walking up a mountain only gets more difficult with the more burdens you bear, you know? Heroes gotta be as light as possible, whenever possible, or they won’t be able to run when they need to.”

That dark bitterness was in Seigi’s smile again, and Cain flicked her on the forehead. Geez, she really did have to get her act together.


“Well, if your friend's keeping her identity secret, there’s only one way to interpret that message, right?”

He rolled his shoulders, and began the next ascent.

“She’s telling you to hurry up and get stronger, so you two can meet again as equals. ‘s long as the two of you are alive, things can always change for the better.”

Hand over hand. Foot over foot. The storm was wonderful after all. Seigi may find it easy to fall back to past regrets, but Cain could bury them all, as long as he kept moving.

 

"Yeah, you get it! That's exactly how strong I want to become. Another thing this wannabe-justice-people don't understand! Mhm, once I'm there, I should teach others my way too. Sounds annoying, but that's the step after, right? Retirement and teach a new generation!" That's how it went, didn't it? There was always the next generation! Unless the anime industry milked some show. Well, Seigi was just half-joking anyway.

Standing up, the girl stretched herself. This weather didn't matter at all! "Light as possible? Heh, just need to be strong enough to carry more while still able to run!" This time, the hero-in-training gave Cain a mocking grin. She felt in high-spirits again. "Anyway! You're right about my friend, I suppose. So... how about we continue?" Yeah, it was a silly thought. Wendy was kept alive by the VR-Headset but that didn't mean she was actually inside the game! Unless... but this wasn't anime.

All this talk did help though, but ultimately, she needed physical training grinding too.