Night Seventy Four
Age 1981
The village of Calendulas
"Dad..."
"Yeah Irene..." The tired man said as he patted his daughter on the head for a moment. The two of them were on the old rickety wooden wall that covered their tiny ice village.
"Why... Why do you let them live... The Bestia Macht... They killed mom... So why don't you ever stop them..." She asked her voice cracking a bit as her icy blue eyes stared at the man.
Her father let out a small hum as his smile seemed to fade for a moment. "I... I'm just not strong enough." He said cocking his head to the side. "This Equation in me... Ice powers don't work on ice beasts... I'm just to weak... But... That's why I'll improve myself..."
"What? By training?"
"No." He shook his head as his smile came back. "Not through training... There comes a point where that stops working... Only a few people can break past their limits and go beyond 100% and I'm just not one of them. The power I have now is my limit... It isn't very fair but some people are just stronger than others... Some are able to get stronger through hard work and others are able to be strong without any work... And then there are people like me... Stuck at this level of power unable to get stronger even if we train... It's a horrible situation... Unable to save the ones we love because we can never get stronger..."
"Then... How will you get strong?" She asked. "That just isn't fair..."
"I'm going to meet a man... Or rather I should say I have been meeting a man. Someone who can let me cheat and get stronger." Her father said laying back on the wall and staring up to the smog covered sky which rained down snow. "He's been doing his best to improve me... He'll even give you all the strength to fight as well. You kids will be able to be strong thanks to him."
"But how?"
"He says... He has a Dragon that can Dream."
"I don't get it?"
"Neither did I." Her father laughed. "But... I really do trust Mr. Hyde with my life... I'm sure he will help. He's a good man... Him and that Dragon have helped me out. They've messed with the Equation that is within me morphing it a bit... He called that power... The Risen-Dawn..."
"He has a real Dragon huh..." Irene slowly set up as she crossed her legs and stared down at the ice cold field watching her twin brother North run around through the village with the other kids playing with her other brothers, and sisters. "I think i would like to meet a Dragon." She said nodding her head.
"What? Why?"
"Because... Dragons are strong... And... I could ask the Dragon for help. Help to protect my family. I don't want to see anyone else get hurt. Never again..."
Her father gave a small smile for a moment a he reached up patting her hair. "You're a good girl Irene... You're a good girl..." His smile faded as he suddenly looked up. "It's back... The one that killed your mother is back..."
From the skies something slammed into the ground letting out a loud roar. It was covered in icy white scales, and had two powerful long white wings. It had a large body and walked on all four legs and twisted its long tail back and forth. Ice seeped out of its mouth as its red eyes glared at the man and girl who rested on the wooden gate.
Threat Level Earl...
Irene watched her father stand up and step off of the gate dropping down onto the snow below. "Get the others inside..." He said calmly staring at the Earl. "I got to get back to work..."
And that was the last time her father ever fought a Bestia Macht...
He had been right...
He wasn't strong enough.
His power just wasn't enough...
Not without using the power that 'The Dragon' had given him...
A dragon with snow white hair and ruby red eyes.
A dragon that went by the name of...
Her father landed in the snow as he took a deep intake of air. His hair began to change becoming a snow white as his eyes morphed into a ruby red and a golden glow began to seep out of his body forming the image of a dragon around him.
"Risen-Dawn..."
And his final battle began...
***
Age 1991
Outside Of The Enforcers Main Building...
'Oh, I get it... You're afraid you're gonna have to see that white haired boy get hurt aren't you. It's so obvious, and that's why you're acting so weird. You're afraid of him getting hurt right! Now I get it right... I get it. I do have one friend in this Squad. His name is Eins. He's a little older than me and a higher rank, and next in line to be the Vice-Captain of our Squad. He's a good friend and I worry about him all the time, so I use that worry to improve myself... Eins is so strong I don't want to be left behind by him. I bet you feel the same right?'
Fear...
"Ha... Ha... Ha! I'm not scared!" Irene said with a fake grin as she played with her hands in her pockets moving a small ice cube back and forth to give herself something to do. "Or am I... I admit I worried when he had been hurt but I was worried when they were all hurt... Ken, Kitsune, Light, and Hero..." She went quiet again as he paced back and forth at a fast speed. "What is being scared anyways? I can't afford to be afraid. All of them are idiots..."
'You can try to claim that you don't all you want but I understand the feeling of being behind someone. Watching them improve faster than you.' North hadn't even understood the irony of those words. The thing that brought her so much anger... The reason why she was mad. They were twins. They had the same power. They were both strong. And yet he got a letter and she didn't. He got on Squad One and she didn't. He was well known after one year in the Enforcers and nobody knew her name.
How could he be just so much better...
'Eins had a lot of bad things happen to him. He's gone through a lot. Even being so strong he watched an entire city be burnt down by the Bestia Macht. He saved that Shelly girl. I think he wants to keep being near her. He's scared of losing her as well. Part of it drove him to a dark place. That's why I decided I'll get even stronger so we can prevent that. He won't have to go through it alone, I'll be there with him next time. I heard about your last mission and how you guys failed. That must have been horrible right?'
He still had no idea.
She was so mad she failed. They could have won, they could have passed that mission, and prove themselves as Enforcers and yet they didn't. Worse yet everyone but her improved so much already...
She wasn't interested in being strong. She never cared about power, or fighting. The only thing she ever truly wanted was the annihilation of Bestia Macht...
"What the hell is wrong with me..." Irene sighed shaking her head. "Why can I not figure out what I want to do anymore..."
"I don't know but I'm starting to get annoyed of watching you walk back and forth and talk to yourself..." The Gatekeep, who stopped people from entering past the golden gates, snapped as his eyes lazily watched the girl march past his gate several times. The girl had been walking around going, back and forth, muttering to herself, for nearly two hours now and she didn't seem to be letting up any time soon.
"You aren't a part of this equation so butt out!" Irene said simply pointing at the gate keeper. She let out a sigh for a second before bowing her head. "Sorry for snapping at you... I just feel like I'm under a lot of pressure at the moment... I'm just thinking about stuff..."
The gatekeeper sighed shaking his head. "Look, kid. What's wrong? What's got you so scared?"
"Screw you! I'm not scared!" She snapped again making the man let out a chuckle.
"Sure... That's why your face is pale, and your body is shaking. Look. I heard about the mission-"
"Oh! Of course, you did! I guess everybody knows!" Irene threw her arms into the air as she let out a loud yell of frustration before trying to quickly calm her nerves back down. "Why do I feel just so angry all the time now... It started ever since I saw that Dragon..."
"I heard about the mission. I'm pretty sure everyone has heard about it at this point. Master Storm is a weird man that guy is... Thought it would be funny course he left out some details but for the most part everyone knows now... When that old man says something you listen..." The man said nodding his head and folding his arms. "You shouldn't be so afraid. I don't know what exactly went on fully but I heard Gold Rank Enforcer Hannah was sent out with you guys to watch over the mission and make sure things went well. If that is the case then it should have fallen upon her to stop the mission from escalating to such a point that you all failed. You kids have nothing to be ashamed of. You shouldn't have even gone on that mission at all. Personally I think you all did pretty well for your first actual mission..."
"N... No... You're wrong Mr. Gatekeeper..." Irene said slowly bowing her head and clenching her fists. "We asked to go on that mission ourselves... Ken wanted to go, and I also did... I thought we could have handled it... Hannah shouldn't have bailed us out of the mission... We should have won... I'm just... Well... It's just... I'm not strong enough... I'm never strong enough. The power I have. I don't want it... I never wanted to be the best or the strongest. I don't like fighting but I do it because I have to."
"You have to?"
"When I was younger my mother and father taught me to always protect my siblings, and always keep a promise no matter what... And I promised that I would slay every Bestia Macht... I promised I would create a world where Humans didn't have to battle those vile beasts anymore... Rather I help find the heart and we use that to stop them, or we just kill all those monsters I don't care which... But... I still see I'm not strong enough... I can train more. I can train my body get more fit, and practice using my powers more, but in the end it won't be enough. I only have a shard of an Equation. To weak and small to ever evolve... So this is the limit of my power unless... I decide to walk down a path that honestly terrifies me... I don't want to walk down that road yet, but I fear that I will if I want to get stronger... And if I did... I don't think I could look Hero in the eye ever again. Especially since I yelled and stopped him from doing the same..."
The gatekeeper let out a sigh for a moment as he stared at the blonde girl. His hand came out and he placed it gently on her head. "You're so young and inexperienced. You don't have a good reason to fight, and you don't have a reason to get stronger."
"What. Yes, I do."
"No. You clearly don't." The man retorted as he folded his arms. "You may say you do. But you don't. If you're hesitating like this, then whatever goal you had been pretending to have is breaking. You do not have a reason to go on, and keep pushing yourself so now you're running away. Whatever it is that you are seeking is slipping away from you... Fading away into nothingness. You've gained a small inkling of fear and you're hesitating now..."
"I'm telling you, I have a goal! I just don't have the power to chase after that goal... Not like this. To gain that power I'd have to... Well..."
"Are you prepared to die for that goal. And I don't mean die, and complete the goal. I mean are you prepared to die, in an attempt to follow after this goal. Die knowing that it could have all been for nothing. Knowing you might fail. If you aren't prepared to walk down this path which will lead to pain, agony, and loss, then you have no right to call yourself an Enforcer. And as an Enforcer, you have no right to die. You must be prepared to die chasing after your dream, but you must still go on. Being an Enforcer means you will die. There isn't a question about it. If you don't have any goal, that will push you to this certain death, then why are you walking down this road. The fact is. You will die, being an Enforcer if you continue to lack a goal. Or. You can die holding onto a goal, and maybe, when it happens, because it will happen, you won't be afraid. Because you know it was what you wanted. Because you know you stuck true and followed that path. We all die as Enforcers. But at least if we have a goal to chase after we can say that we struck true to who we are..."
Irene didn't say anything as she turned away from the man.
"Do you think you understand now?"
"Not a clue..." Irene said giving a sheepish smile. For a moment her mind went over to the event of Hero letting off all that dark sinful energy. "It's just... So hard sometimes..."
The gatekeeper let out a loud sigh. "Get the hell out of my sight."
Irene smiled as he began to walk off. "Hey... Umm. Thanks for trying at least... A goal huh. Something that I can work towards dying for."
"Think of it as a promise. Even if it is something impossible, as long as you made it, and it means something you won't have to worry about it. You said you have a goal already. If you really care about it you won't let these small fears stop you."
"I'm still a little lost..."
"Oh my God!" The gatekeep took a deep breath as he let out another sigh. "Find. Something. You. Will. Die. For. Make. A. Goal. Than. Make. A. Promise. That. Will. Let. You. Follow. That. Goal."
"Okay!" Irene nodded as she gave a small wave. "I still don't get it but I won't bother you anymore about it. I won't decide yet... I'll put it off for now. When the time comes... I'll walk down that road if I have to... I just hope that boy won't be there when I do... Because I know he'll try to stop me. And I know he will stop me. Just like how I stopped him and saved him, he'll do the same to me... But for now I'll keep working towards my goal. A world where Humans don't need to fight the Bestia Macht anymore... Even if that is such a foolish dream, it's still a dream worth having..."
The Gatekeeper let out another sigh as he turned away. "Later kid..." He muttered out before a small smirk came to his lips. "Just one... Just find one thing that will let you keep going forward." He said quietly.
Irene walked off as he let out another sigh. "So. I need to find something to combat the fear... My goal... Well... My goal is to kill them all... But... I can't do that if I'm this weak. But I can't get stronger if I just have a shard. I could only improve small ways... If that's the case..."
Her mind went to him. His snow white hair, his ruby red eyes. That goofy smile he gave off. His strength. His determination. His hope and his fear. She remembered him nearly walking down the path and stopping when she pulled him back.
He would do the same for her again, and again, and again...
That's why...
"If that's the case... I'll cut all ties with you Hero Law... So when the day comes that I take the plunge down that road I know you won't be able to drag me back... I just hope you'll stay by my side when it happens..."