Road to a Hero: Three Chances in Another World

Arc 4: What Families Entail

Gray Kyojin found himself simply awake. Wearing the same clothes he was transported in, in the same body he was transported in, staring at his callused hands. He could only think of Musashi, Kioshi, Ophelia. The hellish failure they had to run from for him to lay in this soft bed. Beside him was the sleeping Rosemary, holding herself tightly with sorrow. He was in a two story cottage, atop the tallest mountain range in Walgonia, within the secret home of the Leviathan army. Greenvale. Pushing everything away and wanting to step forward with this new chance, this third chance at life, he would stand and form a smile on his face. Feeling the necklace around his neck, holding the golden crescent charm. 

Gray {So this is the Cloak of Darkness. Where the hell is the cloak!?}

He would push past that, never taking it off, and moved down stairs after smelling something delicious. 

Gray {Mmmm…that smell…pancakes!}

Gray quickly moves out of his room and down the stairs, enters through the living room too a smaller cozy kitchen, noticing Edward cooking breakfast.

Edward: "You weren't supposed to wake up this early."

Gray would sit in the small table against the wall, leaning forward and staring to his right. Looking out through the screen door to the snowy and windy outdoors.

Gray: "I've been sleeping a lot lately. Oh who told you how to make pancakes? I love pancakes."

Edward: "Oh, Ophelia showed me."

Instantly the mood soured, with the lingering sadness around her weighing heavily on their hearts.

Gray: "Have uh, have you talked to Soku?"

Edward: "No. she's been sleeping since yesterday."

Gray: "When Ophelia died I saw Soku...well it looked like Soku awakened."

Edward: "A Mark of Providence. One awakened on the back of her neck. Apparently she hadn't awakened it yet. Hopefully She will know what it does when she wakes up."

Gray: "So, where are we?"

Edward looks out through the kitchen window while Gray stars straight through a screen door. Outside was a soft wonderland of snow blowing in the soft wind, the light blue sky above it.

Edward: "Greenvale. A hidden village in the mountains where the leviathan army live and train."

Gray: "For a place called Greenvale it's super cold! It's even snowing outside."

Edward: "It's not always like this, but for the most part it is kinda snowy. You want some coffee?"

Gray nodded his head as he walked closer, taking the cup from Edwards hands. He then leans against the counter as he sips it.

Edward: "So are you and Rosemary a thing now?"

Gray, managing to keep the coffee in his mouth, although he still coughed and wheezed as he choked from the question.

Gray: "OH! Um, yeah I guess. I've liked her for a while. I didn't think she liked me, especially since we just met. Guess we're both a little weird then."

Edward stares back with a smirk, continuing to cook away.

Rosemary: "A little huh?"

Rosemary was laying against the doorway behind the two, smiling while Gray leapt into the air.

Gray: "EEK!"

Gray slithers around the light wooden kitchen, sitting right beside Rosemary at a small table while Edward looked down in a look of defeat.

Edward: "Man everybody's woken up early, I wanted to surprise everyone with the food."

Rosemary: "Well I'm glad you made it, thank you!"

Gray: "See now I have to say thank you, but I look bad because I didn't say it first. You truly are Evil, Rosemary."

As she chuckled Edward would continue cooking, staring off through the window in front of him in a sudden focused daze.

Edward: "Well eat up, we gotta go talk to the leader after."

Gray: "Leader!?"

Edward: "His name's Gordan Hill, the best archer in the world, or one of them at least. He was the second head commander, but now that Musashi has, well, now he's the head captain."

Again, the looming ocean of despair washed over them once again. Kioshi, Ophelia, and Musashi. Gray had known her for his entire time in this world, Rosemary had lived with her for the last few months, and Soku has knew her for all of her life. Then Musashi and Kioshi, the strongest amongst them. Core pillars of this worlds strength, collapsed. Leaving wholes in many lives. Edward was feeling the heft of it, now bearing the massive cross that is being the last Helsing. Without Al, a mother and father, and any place he used to call home. Making the burning anger within him burn even brighter, melting away at him.

Rosemary: "Should we let Soku sleep, or?"

Gray: "We can let her rest, now let's go talk to Mr. Hill."

They hear a crack behind them, and they all look to see Soku standing in the doorway dressed in winter attire ready to leave.

Gray: "Hey!"

Rosemary: "Soku, are you alright?"

While Rosemary went to rush toward her both Soku and Gray stopped her, leaving them in their awkward silence. Her tired eyes, the somber aura, it all vanished with Grays loud words. Sucking Soku into is antics, dashing forward and rubbing her much shorter and shaggier hair. Once stretching down to her hells, now just below her ears.

Gray: "FINALLY SLEEPY HEAD! Now sit and eat!"

Gray would yank her into her seat while Edward put down their plates, sitting with them while Gray continued to speak out.

Gray: "So what's this new commander like?"

Edward: "I've only met him a few times, but he's pretty strict. Harsh, and a mostly logical man. No nonsense, no jokes. He and Musashi were pretty different to say the least."

As they ate they all felt a weight fall onto their hearts, a burden of anxiety. All of them ate as their faces sunk, Edward being the only one with a constant smile. However he was the one with the second heaviest eyes, the hand holding his cup of coffee trembling. Gray and Rosemary couldn't help but notice, holding each others hands under the table to ease their own troubles.

Gray: "So what's this house about?"

Edward: "Technically it's in the family. It was Musashi's and my fathers when they were children, my grandparents house. But they hadn't lived in it for long time. Gordon was kind enough to let us use it, since it had been kept up all these years by the army. Mostly for history's sake."

As they ate, Gray would stretch his arms out and yawn right after finishing. Standing up as everybody else finished their plates.

Gray: "Now! Let's be off!"

However when they opened the door and saw the rushing snow they would instantly shut it.

Gray: "Let's go get dressed!"

He quickly walked past them, triggering everyone to move behind him in a hurry.

Soku: "Alright I'll wait for lazy asses."

They all walked back to their rooms, leaving Gray and Rosemary to speak with each other. Rosemary would put on a thick light blue scarf, along with a set of black gloves. Gray would put on thicker black pants instead of his joggers, but would be forced to wear a set of earmuffs found by Rosemary. Edward then stepped in, wearing a thick brown waffle net sweater, thick black pants, and dark shoes. Leaving them all alone to speak about the elephant in the room.

Rosemary: "Shouldn't we console Soku?"

Gray: "In my experience…holding in emotion means it's gonna all come rushing out at some point…and we'll all be there for her, ready to take on her pain with her."

Edward: "Seems a little hopeful."

Gray: "Well with that giant ass fail we just took, hope is all we got."

Edward: "I agree with you there."

Gray: "Wait where the hell's Julius?"

Julius: "Right here."

Gray, Edward, and Rosemary all scream out, never noticing him for a second.

Gray: "Don't sneak up on us like that! And to be honest I kinda forgot you came with is."

Julius: "But…I was here the whole time."

Julius Cromwell. After having his only brothers, adopted or not, burned alive in front of him by his squad leader, continued to keep his constant snake-like smile. Having tagged along with them after being saved at the castle, he stood proudly alive and ready to help, his rapier by his side.

Edward: "Uhhh, yeah now that I think about it you're right, sorry bout that."

Julius: "No matter that. Soku needs to use this time to grow, to better herself and insure nothing bad can happen like that again. I think this situation is a great moment to go forward, a bright side of things if you will."

Gray: "Mmmm, kinda creepy but whatever."

While they wanted to keep talking, when they heard Soku's loud screams for them to get a move on they all came rushing down the stairs, meeting Soku right at the door.

Soku: "I have been waiting for like ten minutes!"

They all stumble out of the cottage while Rosemary forces Soku to wear her own set of light green ear muffs on top of her red scarf and oversized brown coat. They would quickly walk through the door and off of their porch, seeing the large village around them. The village is warm, filled with homes covered in snow. Kids playing with their parents in the snow, snowmen and forts all around, and many solders training in their back yards and sitting under the snow to train their resolve. Screaming and swinging their blades, squads running through the streets in nothing but shorts, climbing and falling out of trees, breaking themselves with pushups squats and anything else they could do; their was so much life, far different than the packed overwhelming capital. This was closer to a real home. So many faces filled with joy, so much life to look forward to. Doing so with smiles on their faces as they stepped through the snow. 

Gray: "Pretty chill for a war village, no pun intended."

Soku: "I'm gonna swing at you."

Gray: "Whatever. You ever figure out what your Mark of Providence did? Or how did you even get it in the first place?"

Soku: "Honestly it's kinda weird. Mark's of Providence are supposed to be something you're born with, but it's like mine was dormant." 

They would move through the snow covered streets, following Edward up the hill and and moved passed more and more people.

Gray: "How does that even happen?"

Soku: "Well to be honest, my past is a little strange."

The moment she said that the would all stop, letting the snow fall onto them as Sokus tone fell.

Rosemary: "What do you mean?"

Soku: "The first thing I remember is waking up in Ophelia's house with her mother when I was seven. With nothing but a name and a scar over my eye. Since then I've been living my life."

Julius: "You are all quite interesting."

Soku: "Neverminded that! Just keep going!"

Soku would use her wind to blast forward, causing the snow behind her to splash onto the group and cover them in the thick freezing snow. They would struggle to step through and follow her, all shivering and trembling from the frost.

Edward: "We're gonna get frostbite if she does that again."

Gray: "Damn it's cold!"

And that's when Gray sees the home at the top of the hill, the house of the commander. It looked like a Japanese styled dojo, with red wood, decorated pillars, and a tiled style of roof, all the same to what Gray is used to when thinking about traditional Japanese shrines. Whether that be a coincidences or not is left to be decided, although, it's interesting either way.

Rosemary: "It looks warm up there though."

As they moved up toward the top Soku would slam her fist on the door to knock knock knock, using her wind to empower her knocked causing Edward to rush forward in fear.

Edward: "Wait!

Just as Edward stopped her the sliding door would fling open, causing Edward to drop to his knees to beg for forgiveness.

Edward: "I'm sorry Commander Hill! We just wanted to speak with you!"

It was an older man roughly in his sixties, taller and lean with stern hawk-like eyes. A proud stern build, a piercing gaze, and a constant annoyed frown. He would send out a wave of anger that sent chills through them all, some how carrying more weight with his strength even more than Musashi and Kioshi. Even with the tremendous gap between his strength and theirs. Rosemary frozen, Gray stared on with both awe and fear, Soku instantly stood behind the group after her harsh knocking, and Julius never wavered for a second.

Gray {This guy got one of those top not things, And is he wearing a kimono!? What the hell's that about? How many damn people have been sent to this world!?}

Gordon Hill, with all of his ferocity. 

Gordon: "Stand up you baby! And quick knocking on my damn door so hard! You have to fix it if it's broken! And come inside! You're lettin all my hot air out, and you'll catch a cold and frostbite!"

They stepped inside, finally feeling warm. It was a large open room with a balcony in front of them from the second floor. Within the room they stood in were armor of Legendary Leviathan figures to their left, a hot fire burning to their right, and a soft red rug under them. One they would all sit on with Gordon, warming up while he sipped on some tea.

Edward: "I wanted to tell you we learned about the Pillars' abilities. First at least"

Gordon: "Spit it out then!"

Edward: "Well uh, we think Prometheus is the leader, and he made Kioshi..."

The moment Edward wavered, when his heart fell and his eyes shook with an inability to accept this impossible reality, Julius would speak instead.

Julius: "Kioshi Van Helsing fought on, as well as Musashi, but no matter the damage Promethues would always regenerate. He could control the bodies and flesh of the dead and the living with ease, killing Kioshi the moment he placed a finger on her. The skeletal Litch, Lazarus. His scythe stole Musashi's soul with single strike. Severus, a powerful Snake Demi-human that can create and control his scales. He can heal as well. Then the figure dawned in dark bird-like armor, who was most likely nullifying the Marks and mana within Kioshi and Musashi."

Gordons could only break against the words, unable to believe the Sect could truly defeat such strong individuals. That he couldn't believe the Sect had finally won. But he had to remain focused, he had to remain the commander they needed. And so he did, wiping away his anxieties and replacing it with his annoyed face once again.

Rosemary: "That Rosine girl, she had a necklace that resembled her face. It was Pandora's cursed charm."

Soku: "And that same girl wasn't captured along with us."

Gordon: "The necklace is passed down through the generations, but that doesn't rule it out. Which means the Princess of Ravoria might be a traitor, or Ravoria is with the Sect."

Edward: "It is a possibility."

Gordon: "Alright we gotta talk about what we're gonna do. The Sect can't stay in control of an entire country dammit."

Gray: "Right on the nose there."

They walked into a separate room closer to a another fire place, sitting on floor mats in a circle while a servant passed around tea.

Gray {These mats and this table are like Japanese furniture too. A Japanese dude get defiantly isekai'd here too. That usually is the trope I guess.}

Gordon: "We need to come to an answer. Julius, you aren't a spy are you?"

Everyone stopped, not knowing whether or not to laugh or listen closely. Julius hadn't come across very well since the start, continuing with his bad look through the knight exam as he acted strangely toward Edward and the rest of the group. On top of that, Arthur is a traitor, and Julius was a squire under him.

Julius: "No I am not."

Soku: "I can't read him."

Gordon: "Me neither. But how do we know if we can trust you. And is it worth risking it."

As they stayed silent, nobody knew what to do. Gray and Soku didn't like him very much, Edward didn't know how to feel about him, but Rosemary, she stood out amongst the others.

Rosemary: "Arthur killed his brothers and was inches away from killing him. Arthur couldn't have planned for Kioshi to attack right then and there, and doing that all to get him in our group wouldn't make sense. And, I trust him."

Gray: "If she's alright with him then I am too."

Edward: "I agree with her logic."

Soku: "Ugh! Yeah he's cool."

Gray couldn't help but shake a sick feeling in his stomach. Thinking of Ophelia, of his failures, and now staring toward Julius. That if Julius was a traitor, if he caused even more harm, how could he live with himself? And was it really worth risking? He was bombarded by the thoughts, the thoughts to not trust that snake-mouthed man with everything he could, but he had to fight against that inner voice. Not knowing whether or not it was one he could trust or not.

Gordon: "Alright then, but I'll keep an eye on you. A very close eye."

Julius: "Thank you! I hope that I can be a help to your cause. If I assist you, I will be able to make an even greater name for myself. And to repay you, for saving me."

Rosemary: "But what is our cause? How can we win. We can't go on an all-out war with them, not without Kioshi or Musashi."

Edward: "And if we do, Valatrocitus might think we turned against them! Unless they planned this."

Gray: "And Ravoria might be against us too."

Soku: "So we're alone then."

The room grew more sour by the moment, the disparity and true loss of their situation being nailed in every second they thought out it. The strange and impossible abilities of the Sect, the complete loss of Walgonia, the harsh foreign nation all possibly against them, and the loss of their greatest strengths. 

Rosemary: "I assume those Future pillar guys won't always be there though. They seemed to like it wasn't all that important to them. Like they were proving a point, taking another step in a larger plan."

Then came a light bulb, one formed after trying to go back on every little bit of info he had been told about the politics of this world.

Gray: "Wait! What about Athens!?"

Gordon: "They've been in an all out civil war for the past four years, without any contact with us."

Gray: "Yeah so we know they're not working with the Sect! If we help them then can't we get their help?"

Edward: "It's a shot in the dark but it's all we got."

Gordon: "Mmm, the Civil war is between the country and the Red Arrows. We must decide which group to back up before we can do anything."

So they looked between each other, mostly agreeing internally with the fact that they had mostly no idea of the outer political inner workings of the nations. The only ones informed enough to even speak was Edward and Julius, looking toward Gordon together.

Edward: "Athens has been a country on Walgonia's side since it was created. The Valentine family was integral to The Helsings staying alive during the later stages of mana decay. If we go, shouldn't we assist the king?"

Soku: "Hell no!"

The others all looked toward Soku in surprise, both because she spoke against Edward so harshly, and because she apparently knew exactly what they were talking about.

Soku: "I've been hearing about that war and that king is a bastard! That damn war started because when he became king he shifted all the laws against the non humans! The Red Arrows were started by the Kings younger brother, and they've been fighting against that damn king with everything they have. Trying not to destroy or hurt anybody, while the King couldn't care less!"

Edward: "Well then, let's help the Red Arrows then!"

Gordon: "Ugh you all are a lot, but yeah that is the right choice. Leo Valentine is the leader. I've never met him but he's supposed to be quite kind and powerful, so if you manage to find him and his group, you may be able to take down the king and his forces from the inside out."

Edward: "So we stay here for a bit, a week or so, then we go out?"

Gray: "Hey you guys are fine in strength but Soku and I are lacking. We'll -

Soku: "Soku and I!? What does -

Gray would sigh and push her face away, continuing to speak while continuing to keep his hand against her face.

Gray: "We'll need more time to get better. We keep almost dying again and again, so I'm gonna need a little push to really keep my head above the water."

Soku: "Yeah we are kinda behind."

Gordon: "Look I can help you all but I can't do much for you, especially for Gray. Other than hammering in the basics or archery I'm not that great of a mentor. I'm no swordsmen, hell I'm hardly a fighter.. But on the top of this mountain lives A god of war named Ryo Hollis, a master of the spiritual arts. If we can get his help it'll be a great shift, and it'll give Gray a better teacher. But I want to ensure your ready before you go, to get the best out of our time."

Edward: "I just need to keep training, same with Rosemary. In terms of strength it would go, Julius, then me, Rosemary, and then Gray and Soku are about even. As a group we're more powerful but individually we're a bit one dimensional. So more time would be great."

Gordon nods his head, standing up and moving over to Gray. Staring him down.

Gordon: "Musashi sent me letters talking about you, and how you would lose too much stamina too quickly. You damage your body without thinking of what might happen after. You're reckless, quick to anger. But you have heart and more will than anybody he had ever seen. He said all you have to do is keep your head up and your eyes open, and if you can do that, you could be the best of us. So live up to his word, and don't fail my best friends dying wish. That goes for all of you!"

The room once again took a shift, with all of them looking closely. Hanging on every word.

Gordon: "Musashi gave us hope. He saved you all. You're all prodigies in your own right, you're all special. You attended the knight exams, and you passed. You're all knights now, knights of Walgonia. And you have to help save it. It needs the heroes of the new era, and that's you all. So get to training! All of you! But rest, until New years. That'll be when you go to Athens. This should give me an enough time to plan out and go over everything, because Walgonia is gonna fall into chaos very soon."

With a nod, everyone goes to leave, but Gordon stops Gray for just a moment.

Gordon: "From what I've heard your body can only handle about ten or so percent of your mana. With the idea that one hundred is the limit, y'know, since you a hundred times the amount of mana that a normal person does."

Gordon: "Dang I have that much!? And I can only handle about ten?"

Gordon: "I see it as a good thing; in a month your body has grown fast, and your skill is should be following suit. You might feel like you're behind everybody else, but once you have a grip on what you want to be and how you want to do it, you'll soar past them. Maybe not Edward, or Rosemary in strength, but stay hopeful. Wait until the new year, that's when you'll go to Ryo while the others go to Athens. So spend your time getting over what happened back in that nightmare of a castle."

Gray: "We'll get right on that! And thank you, this will be a great next step down this long long road."

Gordon: "What the hell are you talkin about!?"