"It seems to me they did great for first-timers," Hideoki murmured in satisfaction as he watched the progress of the battle from beginning to end from one of the high-rise buildings in the town near the battlefield.
He looked up to the blue sky as he smiled upon seeing the image of his smiling wife, Mariko.
"The children had already chosen this path, Mariko. But I still need you and the others to guide them to this journey wherever you all are right now. I can't do this alone, you know..."
The wind blew soft which made him close his eyes. It felt like it was his wife's hand, caressing his face with those gentle hands. When he opened them again, the sun began to shine bright. Come to think of it, it would already be near noon. He might as well prepare something special for those kids to eat when they get home.
Though he doubted that they would be eating it anytime soon.
= = = = = =
"Thank goodness, that's over. I thought I have to deal with those Gargonema all day," Misae said as the five of them walked together.
Erika took out her Hyakureider from its holster on her side as she looked at it alongside her Celestial Shifter on her wrist. "But surely, it was quite an experience, right?"
"It nearly got us killed, though! Never in my life have I thought that I would deal with those weird-looking jerks," Eichirou complained.
"But it did open our eyes to the truth and the battle that our parents had faced for so long. It opened our eyes to the new life that we have to live now," Itsuki added without looking at any of the other Vessels as he continued walking.
Shuichi was watching Itsuki as he trudged along with Misae. "But what did you feel about that, Itsuki? About the fact that we learned from all these commotions?"
It made the said composer stop in his tracks. The others soon did the same. No words were spoken for a few moments. But they patiently waited for Itsuki to answer.
And he did... after heaving a sigh and facing the biker.
"We can't change the past that took the lives of the people we cared for more than anything else," Itsuki started before taking out his Hyakureider from its holster on his side. He held it tight as he eyed the lotus symbol etched on it. "But our parents gave us another chance to live and protect each other. They gave us a chance to help others using the powers that we inherited from them. Their deaths opened the path for us to take. Hideoki-san and Nanami-san nudged us to walk toward it. Now it's our turn to choose whether to stay on that spot that made us unable to do anything, or to start moving forward to put an end to this once and for all."
The other four exchanged looks at each other before smiling upon realizing that Itsuki was right. A simple nod from each of them was enough as an answer.
"Now that settles it. I think we should head out to the place we need to go today," Shuichi suggested as he started walking again. "After all, we can't keep them waiting for us today, right?"
= = = = = =
It should have been a normal day for the five Vessels. But right at that moment, they all knew it wasn't going to be that way starting that day... and it would never be any more.
Not after all that, they've learned on that fateful day.
Right now, they were all at the cemetery with all of them bringing bouquets of their respective deceased family members' favorite flowers.
Shuichi brought a bouquet of azaleas upon visiting his parent's graves. He placed them neatly on top and cherished a few moments of silence with them.
Eichirou—with a bouquet of white lilies in his hands—visited his mother's grave even though her death anniversary was the other day. He didn't get to talk to his mother that day so he would take this opportunity to do so. He placed the bouquet atop the gravestone with the engravings of Mariko's name, date of birth, and date of death on it. A bittersweet smile curved the man's lips as he faced the gravestone.
Misae went to her parents' graves bringing along a bouquet of pink and white carnations with her. They were the flowers that started her parents' relationship, besides the fact that the white carnation was also her favorite flower. She placed it on their graves before lighting up some incense she brought and started praying for them.
Itsuki and Erika each brought a bouquet of stargazer lilies which was the flower emblem of the Hoshiyama family. With a wistful smile and unshed tears, they began praying for the two people who had deliberately risked their lives to protect the siblings at all costs.
But their deaths had indeed opened a path that those five individuals were destined to take. Their parents' deaths made them realize the destiny that lies ahead of them and it was bound to the mission that was passed on to them.
On that fateful day, the five of them knew their lives would change drastically from that day onward. After all, they were all now resolved to face the responsibility of becoming the new Vessels. Now, they were all honor-bound to face a new life filled with the power and desire to pursue justice and ensure the world's peace—though it was also going to be a life of bloodshed and battle for the sake of the protection of the world.
But it doesn't matter.
They were going to do all that they could to defeat the Tareans, and no one could stop them.
End of Episode #1