I sat beside Clara as she lay on the bed, her gaze distant.
"Who told you about that phrase?" Clara asked suddenly.
"What?" I replied, genuinely confused.
"The phrase, 'maybe I just wanna be a hero.' It was something my brother used to say all the time." Her voice was quiet, weighed down by memory.
"Your brother?" I asked.
"Yeah. He was the kindest, most gentle soul this world had ever seen." A bitter smile flickered across her lips. "Too bad he had to be born on that hellish continent."
Flashback: Clara's Past
His smile had been brighter than both suns of Akira, his soul even brighter.
My parents worked as servants for my uncle and his family. We didn't mind—they were kind to us, treating us like family. They helped around the house, and life was simple. By far the simplest life on that wretched continent.
But then, everything changed.
My parents were accused of stealing from the royal family of Dunkle Tiefen. I didn't know if they were guilty, but an accusation was all it took. My uncle, a renowned scientist in Ritsgaurd, wasted no time in showing his true colors.
He strapped my brother and me to chairs, dirty rags covering our mouths.
"Now tell me," he began, circling us like a vulture, "why did you decide to steal a ring from the royal family?"
It clicked. My parents had given me an emerald ring—native to the continent—as a birthday gift not long ago. The ring was still on my finger.
"Don't worry, though. You'll be well taken care of down here," my uncle said.
They lied. Again and again. Their noses grew longer before being cut off by him. He was insane. But what could I do?
Then, laughter.
I turned my head slowly to see my brother biting the cloth, tears streaming down his face. His laughter grew louder each day.
Finally, it was over. My parents were dead. After four days of hell, Paul and I were released.
"Hey, Clara, we need to run," he said, grabbing my hand.
Of course, they weren't going to let us go. The king's guard chased us all the way to Shizuku's Ladder. The airship was leaving as we arrived, packed with people.
With no time left, my brother hurled me into the sky. I barely caught the ladder.
"BROTHER, WHY?" I screamed.
"I WANNA FEEL LIKE A HERO, CLARA!" His voice glowed brighter than any sun.
"So, I wanna know—who told you about that?" Clara demanded, snapping back to the present.
"I think we're talking about two completely different things," I admitted, explaining what Hange had told me.
Her face grew redder the more I spoke.
Finally, she exploded.
"I HATE YOU!" she yelled. "YOU DON'T THINK YOU COULD'VE TOLD ME SOONER? BEFORE I SAID ALL THAT?"
I was stunned. "Your nose grew," I muttered.
"GET OUT!" She slammed the door in my face.
Iben was waiting outside.
"Did you two settle things?" he asked.
"Yeah, but it was more like clearing the air. We didn't really talk about anything."
"Well, that's better than nothing," he said, walking away. "Get some sleep. We head out tomorrow."
The Journey Through Flauma
The next morning, we set off through the mountains. The first two days were smooth, but everything changed on the third night.
We huddled around the campfire, sharing stories. Iben, despite his hardened exterior, was one of the kindest people I'd ever met—second only to Hange.
"Hey, Arthur," Iben said through a mouthful of food. "You should learn Limit Break."
"I've been teaching Clara for the past three years. We train in the mornings—you're welcome to join."
I glanced at Clara. "As long as she has no problem with it."
"Why would I have a problem with it?" she said, picking at a piece of meat.
"Then it's settled. Arthur's learning Limit Break," Iben declared, clapping his hands.
"I'd like to join as well," Kyo said, birds pecking at him as he sat there. We laughed.
Then—darkness.
Not just night. Deeper. Thicker. Like the world had been swallowed whole.
"DON'T MOVE!" Iben roared. "We've been swallowed!"
"Eaten by what?" I demanded.
"By the Larvagon," Iben's voice faded into nothingness.
"CLARA! KYO! IBEN!" I screamed.
"I'M HERE!" Clara's voice echoed back.
"STAY THERE! I'M COMING!"
We reunited, her grip tight on my shirt.
"This is easier," she muttered.
"IBEN! KYO!" we shouted together.
"No need to scream," Kyo's calm voice cut through the dark. A small flame flickered in his palm.
"Have you seen Iben?" we asked.
"No. But he's stronger than all of us combined. We'll find him."
We walked for what felt like eternity. Then—
"Guys, I think my foot touched something," Clara said, her voice trembling.
Kyo brightened his flame.
There was Iben—curled in a fetal position, nails bitten to the quick, murmuring:
"Dark dark dark dark dark dark dark dark dark dark dark." His voice getting faster and faster as he kept going.