"Feels like it was only yesterday I was up here." Kaden said as they emerged on the surface. "I guess it was the day before yesterday."
"It's fairly overcast today." Mai pointed out. "It may rain sometime later."
"Hopefully we could get this over with before then." Kaden replied.
"You don't like the rain?"
"When I was a kid I use to get sick easily because of the rain."
After glancing down for a brief moment, Kaden noticed that Kenzo's usually empty sword holder now had a handle extending out of it.
"The swordless swordsman found his blade." Kaden said while walking ahead.
Kenzo glared at him without responding before following behind him.
"There's water in it right?" Mai asked.
"Yes, it makes forming my blade easier." Kenzo replied. "The water already has its shape so all I have to do is solidify it and draw the sword."
"Hopefully you won't need to use it today." Elder Treya stated.
.....
Kumori was walking around the outskirts of the village because she was feeling frustrated about what she heard the day before.
"Everyone always says bad things about Miss Mai. She never does anything though. But I guess people talk bad about her because she doesn't do anything. That isn't true though, Miss Mai can do a lot of things."
She aimlessly trekked through the forest, picking orange leaves off of trees and mumbling to herself. After a few minutes she came across someone walking ahead of her. She didn't recognize them at first but after tailing them for a bit, she realized it was Elder Aira. Kumori decided to continue following her in secret.
.....
A dense white mist once again engulfed Aaron as he stood clueless in the white room that he's already visited once before.
"I'm back here?" He questioned.
"Yup, welcome back." The mysterious voice said. "Oh damn, I keep forgetting..."
Suddenly the figure of a man appeared directly behind Aaron.
"Yo." He said into Aaron's left ear.
Startled by the voice, Aaron stumbled forward and quickly turned to look behind him. At first glance, he looked directly into the only area of darkness that could be found around him. Where the mysterious man head should be in his hoodie was clouded by unsettling darkness.
"You're... N." Aaron said.
"I'm glad you remembered my name. Or I guess my letter? Doesn't matter."
"Who are you? How did you know Kaden was in Aestus and why were you helping me find him? Also how did you know my name the last time we spoke?"
"Whoa whoa whoa, calm down buddy." N said as he walked closer to Aaron. "We should have more time to talk than last time but our time still is finite. Let me say a few things before I answer your questions. Firstly, both you and Kaden ended up in this world simply by chance but I plan to use the both of you for my benefit. What I'm trying to accomplish will take time so I won't speak much about it right now as that information won't be useful to you. Secondly, you really made things more difficult than it had to be. If you had called out to Kenzo when you first arrived in Aestus things would've went a lot smoother. You're still alive so I won't criticize you much."
"How do you know things would've went smoother?" Aaron questioned.
"Oh, I can see the future."
"..."
"I can't see that far into the future though, and interacting with living creatures like yourself offers the possibility that the future I see can be changed."
"...What exactly are you?"
"Now that's a question worth asking." N said as he leaned in closer to Aaron. "Unfortunately, that answer doesn't concern you right now."
"I thought you said you'd answer my questions?"
"I won't give you information that I believe is irrelevant to you at this moment." N answered. "Just know that I am an ally."
"Saying only that is suspicious."
"Well I don't know what else to tell you."
The white room around them then began to fade into a dark gray.
"Damn, this was hardly longer than the last time." N exclaimed. "Listen, when you wake up you'll be visited by one of the Elders of Aestus. Open up to her about your relationship with both Kaden and Via. That should help your current situation."
"Why are you trying to help me?" Aaron questioned.
"If I help you now it'll be helping everybody in the future."
The room once again dimmed from gray to pitch black, leaving N himself as the only remaining light source.
"Take care of yourself Aaron."
"..."
Aaron's eyes twitched open as he found himself back inside his confinement with Via who was still peacefully sleeping against him.
I've come to terms with this being a fantastical world with unbelievable creatures, people and environments in every direction. But whatever this 'N' guy is seems even more peculiar.
"Are you awake?" A woman's voice asked Aaron.
"He looked towards the entrance of his holding and found Elder Aira standing just outside the doorway.
"If you don't mind I'd like tol ask you something." Aira stated.
.....
"When you said this place was an hour walk away, I completely forgot that your guys' pace of walking is essentially light jogging." Kaden exclaimed. "Gotta set up a bus route out here or something."
"If this is tiring to you then maybe your expedition to the other lands is still a ways away." Treya stated.
"Yeah that's looking more and more difficult everyday."
"Once we return to Aestus we could administer a physical training regiment along with his essence training." Mai suggested.
"I respectfully decline." Kaden replied.
"It should be coming into view now." Treya said.
As the group walked parallel to the mountain range surrounding Aestus, they finally closed in on the archway that was carved into the face of the mountain. The Gate of Pride.
"It's... much taller than I thought it'd be." Kaden stated.
"...I cannot detect any nervousness coming from you." Treya exclaimed.
"I haven't been given a reason to be nervous yet. There are several things that I am scared of, but the unknown isn't one of them."
"Alright then. When you're ready, place your hand on that blue stone to activate it."
Kaden walked over to the rune as the others looked on from a slight distance. He placed his right palm on the rune which resulted in it beginning to glow. Following after, all of the markings on the gate began to emit a white light, starting with the ones close to the ground and extending upwards. Kaden took a few steps back as he and the others behind him observed gate's activation. That white light then began to occupy the space between the pillars until the entire gate was a wall of white light.
"Now this is a bit more unsettling." Kaden said as he looked back.
Mai portrayed a look of concern, while Kenzo was more amazed by the sight in front of him. Elder Treya was almost completely unfazed and was obsering Kaden rather than the gate.
"You're about to step where few others have before you." Treya stated. "Best of luck to you Kaden Adams."
With a single nod of his, Kaden then confidently strutted into the light.
.....
Where am I? What is this? It's just like when I first woke up in this world. I can't feel my body.
"How long are you gonna lay their?" A male's voice asked.
That voice... no, it can't be.
Kaden's eyes peeled open as he searched for the origin of the voice he heard.
"After all this time you're still a lazy piece of shit."
The blurriness from his eyes quickly went away as the man who was standing before him came into focus.
"Dad?" Kaden questioned.
"It's about time." The man replied. "C'mon get up."
The world was pitch black around them, as if they were the only two objects in existence. Kaden quickly regained control over his body, and stumbled back onto his feet. His dad turned his back to him and looked around into the vast void of emptiness. He wore the outfit Kaden usually associated with him whenever he remembered his dad. A blue jeans jacket over a plain white t-shirt, ripped long jeans pants and a Tampa Bay Bluejays cap that covered his unkempt hair.
"W-What are you doing here?" Kaden asked.
"My questions are the only ones that's gonna get answered ya hear?"
"..."
"You hear me?!"
"Yessir." Kaden replied softly.
"What makes you think you should be allowed to go back?" The dad questioned.
Kaden's eyes widened as he stood unresponsive to the unsuspected question from his dad.
"Cat got ya tongue boy? Say something!"
"...What do you mean."
His dad stared at him in frustration then snapped his fingers. The void surrounding them was then replaced by Kaden's flat from the other world.
"This is-"
"Not a bad place you have here." His dad said as he inspected the flat. "Definitely better than the place we were in when I was living. What about your mom, is she here too?"
"No, no she isn't."
"How much money did you win again?"
"...8.4 million." Kaden hesitantly replied.
"Shit, you know how many people get to see a million in there lifetime? And you got that times eight."
"Yeah..."
"Didn't work for a dime of it though. The biggest bail out you could ever ask for in life, and what did you do with it? I could tell ya what ya didn't do. Ya didn't give a penny to your momma. Didn't invest a single dolla into your own future!"
"You're saying that like I don't have any money left. I still have over six mill waiting for me."
"And what were you plannin' on doing with it?! Honestly tell me if you even had it in the back of your head to give somethin' to your momma. What kinda man doesn't even think of helpin' out his mom!?"
"Why you talkin' like you ever did shit for her yourself!?"
Without warning his dad balled his fist and cocked it as far back as physically possible. Kaden immediately shut his eyes and braced for an impact, but that impact never came. When he opened his eyes again, the surroundings had changed once again.
"Take a look at this mess." His dad stated while walking away.
Presented before Kaden was his own dead body along with Aaron's corpse on the basketball court where they both were killed.
"...Why?" Kaden questioned.
"Not only did ya ignorance got you killed, but it also took the only other person that actually gave a fuck about your worthless ass. Not them gold digger bitches you was messing with, not Stan or any of them other guys you use to buy drinks for. You don't even know if your mom cared about you since you decided to get rich and ditch. Nahhh, it was only this kid. Aaron Cooper. You two were friends from grade... 8?"
"Grade 7." Kaden replied with his anger flaring.
"Mmm. What a shame, he actually was goin' places. This year he would've gotten his associates degree in... biochemistry was it? A mom and dad and not to mention a little sister who he loved and cherished, but now they're probably in mourning. And why? Cause he got caught in your fuckery. And you really think you deserve to go back? There's nobody who wants to see you again. No friends or family who cared and obviously there's nobody you gave a shit about. Honestly if you weren't killed here, how much longer before you offed yourself."
The world around Kaden proceeded to crack away before shattering like glass, leaving him once again in that endless void of nothing. Clinching his fists so tight that he nearly drew blood from his palms, Kaden stood in silence as all of his chaotic emotions rendered speechless.
"Why don't you just do everyone a favor and just stay dead. Your entire existence is just pitiful. Can't believe you were my son."
Kaden's dad faded away leaving Kaden to suffocate in his own emotions. First gate: Gate of Pride... failed.