"H-Hey guys…must we really go this far?" Reis asked nervously.
"Next is…A BATTLE ROYALE!" the students declared as they all charged to attack Reis.
Reis smiled cunningly.
"Better not regret this guys!" Reis declared as he released his aura!
The other students stared at his aura in awe for it was like staring at a rainbow which continuously changed colours without repeating a colour it had once glowed with.
"Wow, that's so beautiful" the girls marveled at Reis' aura.
"TCH! Annoying showoff!" the boys growled jealously.
"HYAAH! I GOT HIM!" Evil Eghan exclaimed as he suddenly appeared behind Reis and gave a great punch that caused dust to envelope the area.
"Heh heh! It must be dead by now!" Dossou laughed evily.
But as the dust cleared, Reis was seen holding Evil Eghan's hand with little effort.
"You were saying?" he said with a cunning smile.
"Ah…how can this be?" Evil Eghan stared in shock.
"Tsk Tsk Tsk. That's not how to throw a punch…THIS IS!" Reis exclaimed as he gave Evil Eghan an uppercut so great that it sent him flying to (guess where?)…the Lake of Kagua Beasts of course!
"Anyone want some more?" Reis laughed evilly but everyone was listening to (the sound effects of) Eghan's fall. When they heard a splash, they opened their eyes in horror. The whole place became so silent that you could hear…
"OH NO! NOT AGAIN!" they exclaimed just as the scent of Sika's just released epic weapon of biologic warfare diffused into the atmosphere.
"Don't tell me?!" Dossou exclaimed in shock.
"Heh heh! It's exactly what you're thinking. I sent Evil Eghan flying to the Lake Of Kagua Beasts aka Kaiser lake" Reis said in a mischievously unconcerned way.
"I don't believe this! Reis' level of evil is off the charts! Darak registered a level 50, Armageddon registered a 1000 but Reis registers a level ??? also known as 'the unknown depths of ultimate evil!'" one boy who could perceive the levels of evil within people said. He knew everyone in the guild's level of evil to such an extent that he was known as Evilmaniac.
"What are you trying to say Evilmaniac?" Cudjoe asked.
"I'm saying that Reis is more evil than Armageddon!" Evilmaniac informed them.
"Thanks a lot author! With your constant interference, you've managed to turn me into the antagonist of this story. When will you stop trying to be such a know-it-all!?!" Reis yelled angrily.
"Reis! Did you just dare to insult me?!" I, the author yelled angrily.
Hey, told ya this ep was going to be a farce.
"Who else do you think I'm talking to?!" Reis yelled.
"You are so ungrateful! After all I've done for you! I'll teach you to respect me. (Yeah, I guess even us authors have our precious moments of pettiness). Announcement! All Dragon Rangers…no, all characters of Dragon Ranger, I hereby order you to commence the Grand Battle! Your opponent is Reis. The character that refuses to get involved will be eliminated from this story henceforth!" the author called angrily.
Wow, this suddenly sounds like a dictatorship.
"You idiot! The characters are all over Ryugaeia, they will never be able to get here in time. You can never be rid of me hahaha!" Reis mocked me with his eyes shut. When he opened his eyes, all the characters of Dragon Rangers from his grandfather through Sabrefang to Galigaos and even Erikkus Di Devilli surrounded him. Even the other students of the school leapt through their class windows and entered the scene.
"Well, you forgot one thing Reis…I'm the author. Hey wait a minute, there are about three hundred and ninety nine million characters here but one person's missing. Hey! Where's Jinrai the lightning blade!" I yelled angrily.
"Author, he's asleep in some unknown place!" Lord Galigaos answered.
"Tch! As expected. Why am I not surprised? GET HIM!" I yelled and in the next moment all the Dragon Ranger characters were charging towards Reis.
Reis stared at them in terror.
"D-Dad. If you can hear me…what should I do?" Reis wondered.
"Son! It's time to unite the Light and Strength Of Your Heart!" Jinrai called to Reis. "After that, blast the unnecessary characters to where they belong".
"I must unite the Light and Strength Of My Heart…" Reis called as he shut his eyes.
The other characters charged towards him.
Suddenly, Darak, Kyla, Shin, Erasa and Aurora leapt to Reis' side.
"Take your time Reis, we'll try to hold them off" Aurora said.
"Whatever you're planning Dragonhaӓrt you'd better hurry!" Darak called.
"I know, just give me some time!" Reis said as he focused.
"We'll try!" Aurora said as she released her aura.
"WATER ELEMENT! WATER DRAGON TECHNIQUE!" Aurora called as a huge water dragon knocked the fighters to the ground.
"FLAME SWORD ABILITY! PYROGEYSER TECHNIQUE!" Darak called as he pierced the ground with his Pyro Blades.
There was a tidal wave of fire which knocked the assailants to the ground.
"EARTH ELEMENT! DEVOURING CREVASSE TECHNIQUE!!!" Erasa called as she stomped the ground.
A terrible earthquake rocked the area and a huge crevice opened up and swallowed a third of the people.
"Wow! You rock Erasa!" Shin complimented.
"Thanks Shin, now why don't you show us what you've got?" Erasa asked with a smile.
"My pleasure! PSYCHIC ELEMENT! MIND PARALYSIS PLUS PSYCHIC BARRIER TECHNIQUE!" Shin called out and all the other fighters froze and were surrounded by a barrier.
"Wow, that's amazing Shin! Two techniques in a single go! You're pretty talented!" Erasa complimented.
"Thanks" Shin said shyly.
Meanwhile, Erikkus Di Devilli who had not been affected by the mind paralysis technique awakened Sika.
"Don't celebrate yet! With this boy as my trump card, I will dispel your technique! Now show those fools what you're made of by unleashing the epic weapon of biological warfare!" Erikkus Di Devilli roared with a triumphant look on his face.
"H-H-H-He r-r-released S-S-Sika from the technique" Kyla stammered in horror.
And in the next moment… "REIS HELP!" everyone screamed in horror.
Reis opened his eyes.
"NOT THIS TIME AUTHOR…HHAAAAAHHHHH!!!" Reis roared as there was a huge release of sudden light from his body.
A powerful wind raised him into the air and two powerful wings spread apart to reveal Reis with long golden hair and golden armour. He wielded the cross-shaped sword.
"You've made me really angry!" Reis said with a very serious look on his face.
"WHAT ARE YOU?!" the author screamed in dramatic shock.
"I AM THE GOLDEN DRAKENGAӒRD!!!" Reis declared with a roar.
Aurora stared at Reis in shock.
"I don't believe it. Reis is a…" Aurora said with her eyes wide open.
"SIKA! DO IT NOW!" Erikkus Di Devilli roared and in the next moment the epic weapon of biological warfare was released.
There was enough toxic gas to fell an elephant. However, the Golden Drakengaӓrd breathed over the air and it became perfumed. This caused the other characters to awaken from the mind paralysis technique.
"DESTROY REIS!" they roared as they charged on their dragons towards Reis.
"Stay within Shin's psychic barrier which I have now reinforced. I will now get rid of the excess characters. LEGENDARY ART! FARCE DISPEL!" Reis roared as the excess characters were returned to their original locations.
"Hmm, I didn't think you had already mastered the legendary literary art…farce dispel" I said.
"Now Author! It is…YOUR TURN!" Reis called as he charged with such speed towards the sky that he looked like a golden shooting star.
"H-Hey w-wait a minute Reis" I pleaded.
"Don't try to talk your way out of this!" Reis roared.
"Oh no! The classical backfire!" I screamed.
"It's over for you!" Reis roared but suddenly…
"To my beloved character Reis Dragonhaӓrt Of Ryugaeia and his classmates, I hope you have the courage to face the challenges that come your way in the future like you faced the world today…Sayonara! Hahahaha!" I said and there was a sudden brilliant flash of light.
"You running away?!" Reis screamed.
"It's called…a strategic retreat" I said and…
And then, he opened his eyes. The entire experience had been an incredible dream caused by the mixture of all their auras. Reis opened his eyes to find himself releasing his rainbow coloured aura from his body and the other Dragon Students staring at him in shock. Then they all collapsed to the ground in an unconscious heap. Reis panted and stopped releasing his aura. Suddenly, the bell was tolled for the next period to begin. Reis collapsed as well.
"I don't think they will recall any of the events that just occurred" Mistress Kira thought as she sat on her desk. "But I suppose through this hallucination of sorts, they may start to realize their hidden potential" she sighed.
Reis woke up two hours later. The other students were staring down at him.
"He's regaining consciousness" the girl who ran from him earlier that day said.
Evil Eghan stretched out his hand to help Reis to his feet.
"Welcome back to Dragon High Dragonhaӓrt" he said as he helped Reis to his feet.
"I'm sorry I ran from you this morning" the girl apologized.
"I don't blame you. I must have scared you all back then. I guess I was kinda moody on the day I wreaked havoc" Reis said.
"You don't need to make excuses. We all know it was Armageddon that was controlling you" Dossou said.
"What time is it?" Reis asked.
"It's about closing time" Evil Eghan informed him.
Almost immediately, the bell rang for classes to close.
"I guess we've been fighting the whole day huh?" Reis asked.
"I guess so" Sika said.
"I don't know why but I do not feel a bit of resentment towards Reis anymore" Evil Eghan informed everyone.
"You're right, neither do we" the others realized.
"And why is that?" Mistress Kira suddenly asked.
She had been approaching them from behind.
Everyone turned to look at her.
"I guess it's all thanks to the author" Reis said with a smile.
"What do you mean Reis?" Aurora asked.
"It's better for you not to know about it. It was quite a horrifying experience for all of us" Reis informed them.
Everyone stared at him in surprise but they had no idea of what he was talking about.
"Aurora, Darak, let's get going" Mistress Kira called.
"Hey guys, about the 'all you can eat' tickets, let's meet at Old Lady Kamikaze's at sunset" Reis informed Darak, Aurora, Kyla, Erasa and Shin and they all agreed.
"Reis, let's get back home before Master Jin arrives" Kyla suggested and they left for the Ayenhayze residence.
On the way, Kyla and Shin pressured Reis to tell them what really happened and he told them. They found it hard to believe him but Shin was glad when Reis told him of Erasa's compliment.
"I wish I could remember" he said with a laugh.
"But in the end, I guess I really owe the author one. He's a real good guy though he's crazier than a bat!" Reis raised his voice on the last words.
(I heard that!)
"Well I wanted you to hear it. Thanks for helping me make friends" Reis said.
"Oh crap! He's talking to the author again" Shin said in a bored tone.
Soon, they arrived at the Ayenhayze residence. Kyla unlocked the door and they went in.
"I think I'll catch some shut-eye" Shin said as he walked to the room.
"I'll prepare lunch" Kyla volunteered and went to her room to get changed.
Reis decided to get changed as well. He entered his and Shin's room and found Shin lying awake on the bed. Reis changed into his regular clothes and sat on his bed watching Shin.
"What's bugging you?" he asked.
"I'm just nervous. I've never been anywhere else with Erasa besides school…since I arrived in the guild" Shin said worriedly.
"You really love her don't you?" Reis asked.
"She thinks she knows me but…she's already forgotten me" Shin murmured sadly.
"What do you mean forgotten you?" Reis asked.
"It's in the past. I don't want to talk about it" Shin said.
"Then I won't bother you but you should let stuff like that out you know?" Reis advised.
"Maybe I'll tell you about it this evening" Shin promised.
"Anytime you feel like sharing, just know your bro is here to listen okay?" Reis said worriedly.
Shin nodded.
"So how are things between you and Aurora?" Shin asked.
"She doesn't hate me anymore, that's for sure. And I've confessed my feelings to her" Reis said with a smile.
"How did she take it?" Shin asked.
"Well, she didn't really say she felt the same way. She just said it made her glad to hear me say that" Reis answered.
"I'm sure if I tried that with Erasa, I'd only win a slap for myself" Shin joked.
"Maybe you're just not trying hard enough" Reis said thoughtfully.
"Yeah sure, did you try anything in particular that won Aurora's heart?" Shin asked sarcastically.
"I just admitted that I don't know whether Aurora feels the same way for me or not but now that you mention it, you know it wasn't easy for me" Reis said defensively.
"So what should I do?" Shin asked.
"Just be yourself and follow your heart. I don't know what happened in the past between you and Erasa but I don't think she's forgotten about it. Maybe you just looked too different when you met again or something happened that made her think you were dead" Reis said thoughtfully.
"Hey Reis! I hope you're not reading my mind 'cos you're talking like you already know what happened!" Shin yelled angrily.
"I wouldn't dream of invading your privacy" Reis said seriously.
Shin sighed.
"You get so emotional whenever we talk about Erasa. You should learn to be a bit more passive" Reis suggested.
As the two boys sat talking together, they heard the door downstairs open.
"I guess Master Jin's home" Shin said.
"I guess so. Let's go welcome him" Reis suggested and the two boys raced down the stairs.
"Reis, Shin, Kyla, how was school today?" Master Jin asked.
"Today was a really crazy day but it helped me in making lots of new friends" Reis said cheerfully.
"I see" Master Jin said happily.
"Lunch is ready!" Kyla informed everyone.
They looked towards the table to see what food Kyla prepared and realized that the lunch comprised of groundnut soup with rice balls. Shin frowned.
"What's the matter Shin?" Reis asked.
"Kyla! What were you thinking in preparing such a heavy dish?! Do you want to ruin our appetites before this evening?!" Shin yelled angrily.
"What are you talking about?! I went out of my way to prepare all this for you guys because I thought you'd be hungry after the battle we waged in school this morning!" Kyla yelled angrily.
She was very offended by Shin's ingratitude.
Shin sighed.
"I'm sorry Kyla. I guess Reis was right after all. I should learn to be a bit more passive" Shin sighed sadly.
"Let me guess, you're thinking of Erasa again aren't you? Jeez you're so easy to read!" Kyla muttered.
Then she smiled and patted him on the back.
"Well I don't agree with Reis. Ever since I found you in Rubble Village five years ago, I felt that you had a strong heart" Master Jin said.
"Master" Shin stared at him in surprise.
"You were beaten up by those worthless soldiers who ran the village. But you survived because you yearned to change that village. You yearned to make the world a better place. I'll repeat the words you spoke to me back then. 'This world wouldn't be a fun place without you in it'. You've really made this family and this guild a fun place though you might be unaware of it. You're a noisy extrovert who likes to joke in dangerous situations and you are at your best when you are just you. Be yourself. That's all you ever need to be…Shin Ayenhayze!" Master Jin inspired Shin with his words.
Shin smiled.
"And I always thought you were such a serious person. Nyaah! I'll remember that Jin Ayenhayze!" Shin made faces.
"I think I'd prefer it if you would still call me Master or maybe Dad" Master Jin said.
"Keep dreaming" Shin coughed so that Master Jin wouldn't hear his words.
"I think I'll just call you Old Geezer" Shin joked and everyone laughed.
After they had all eaten, Reis and Shin helped Kyla to clear the table and wash the dishes.
"Hey Kyla. Do you think I'm all that Master Jin says I am?" Shin asked.
"I'll just say I'm just glad to have you as a brother" Kyla said as she left the dishes and hugged Shin.
"H-Hey Kyla! Stop acting so weird! You're getting soap in my hair!" Shin complained.
Kyla smiled cunningly and pushed Shin's head into the soapy water for a second.
"How's that? The soap will wash your brains clean" she joked and Reis laughed.
Aurora meanwhile was sitting on her bed feeling confused.
"I know I said Reis and I could be nothing more than friends but…the more I get to know him, the harder it is to stop thinking about him" Aurora thought silently. "Why didn't I see it before? Reis was always so kind yet I kept hurting him on purpose. It might hurt him even more when I tell him I don't intend to be more than just friends with him" Aurora thought.
"Sir Jinrai. Please forgive me. I think I'm falling in love with Reis" Aurora thought nervously.
There was a knock on her door. She walked slowly to the door and opened it. Darak stood there already dressed for the occasion. He wore the ceremonial attire for flame wielders.
"It's almost time Aurora. Won't you get dressed?" Darak asked but Aurora didn't reply.
She looked like she was hurting inside.
"Aurora, what's troubling you?" Darak asked.
"Darak, I don't think it's right for me to be around Reis" Aurora admitted.
"If you're thinking of that promise you made to Jinrai, let it go already Aurora! You can't possibly think of not attending. You know it will hurt Reis' feelings and honestly speaking, if I were in his place, I'd never forgive you!" Darak said seriously.
Aurora stood silently for a while.
"Besides, Jinrai did not have you betrothed to his son and he certainly did not ask you to ruin your life!" Darak scolded Aurora.
Aurora stared at him in surprise.
"Whoever Jinrai's son is, he's not the only one that has lost a parent and he'll get over the pain and move on. In my opinion, it will be even more painful to have a memory of Jinrai lingering around him" Darak said.
Aurora sighed.
"I'll go but that doesn't mean I won't keep my promise to Sir Jinrai" Aurora said.
"You're as stubborn as always when it comes to defending your promise" Darak said with a smile.
"Give me a moment to get dressed" Aurora said.
Darak nodded and walked out of her room.
In the Ayenhayze residence, Shin, Reis and Kyla were fully dressed for the occasion. Reis and Shin decided to dress simply but Kyla as a girl wanted to look her best.
"It's weird how a simple 'all you can eat' invitation can seem like a romantic dilemma" Reis said with a laugh.
"Hey Reis! Don't jinx our luck alright?!" Shin warned.
"Okay, I'll be quiet" Reis laughed.
"I can't wait to see Aurora. I'm heading to Team Kira's residence" Reis said impatiently.
"Then I'll be heading to the Senshiiro residence" Shin informed them.
"What will you do Kyla?" Shin asked.
"I…uh…I…well…Reis, mind if I tag along with you?" Kyla asked nervously.
"Not at all" Reis said kindly and Kyla smiled.
"Master Jin, we're off!" Shin called.
"You know your time limit don't you?" Master Jin called from his room.
"Yes, we'll be back three hours before midnight!" Kyla promised and they left.
Shin walked nervously towards the Senshiiro residence. He felt his stomach perform somersaults when he finally saw the Senshiiro residence in the distance. He was not quite sure of how Erasa would treat him.
"I must not get my hopes up. I no longer exist in her life" Shin continuously told himself.
Soon he stood in front of the front door of the Senshiiro residence. He knocked three times.
"Hold on Reis! I'll be right with you!" Erasa's excited voice sounded.
Shin felt downcast.
"All she ever thinks about is Reis" he thought silently and then the door flew open.
"Reis let's…oh, it's you Shin" Erasa sighed in disappointment.
"Ouch Erasa. What kind of a greeting is that?" Shin said with a pretend laugh.
Erasa remained silent.
She looked around.
"Where's Reis? Isn't he with you?" she asked.
Shin shook his head silently.
"It's just me Erasa. I'm sorry to be such a disappointment" Shin said quite angrily and turned to leave.
"Shin?" Erasa sighed.
Shin stopped in his tracks.
"I'm sorry. That was rude of me. Care to come in for a drink?" Erasa asked.
"Sure, if it's not too much trouble for you" Shin said glumly.
Erasa felt quite guilty for the way she had treated Shin at the door. As she poured some water into a glass for him, she nervously watched him from the corner of her eye. He seemed so out of place and nervous that for a moment she actually thought he was cute.
"Here" she said as she handed him the glass
Shin drank the water quickly.
"Care for some more?" Erasa asked politely.
"N-No, thanks" Shin said nervously.
"So where is Reis?" Erasa asked again.
"Don't worry Erasa. He'll meet us at Kamikaze Restaurant and before you ask, he's with Kyla" Shin said kindly.
He did not want to hurt Erasa's feelings by telling her that Reis went to get Aurora. Erasa smiled.
"So shall we be off now?" Shin asked Erasa.
"Sure, I'll just tell my mom and we'll go" Erasa said as she ascended the stairs.
Immediately she was out of sight, Shin walked outside. He felt very uncomfortable being in Erasa's house. Soon, Erasa came down the stairs and found him outside.
"Let's go Shin" she said and they were off.
Meanwhile, Reis and Kyla were almost at Team Kira's residence.
"Reis, slow down. I can't walk as fast as you can in this dress" Kyla complained.
"Sorry, I'm just a little excited is all" Reis said as he slowed down his pace.
"I understand you wanting to be close to Aurora but try to control yourself okay?" Kyla advised.
"Sure" Reis chuckled.
Soon, they could see Team Kira's residence in the distance.
"We're almost there!" Reis said excitedly.
"So how do I look?" Aurora asked Darak and Mistress Kira as she walked down the stairs.
"Like a princess" Mistress Kira said with a smile.
Darak just stared with his mouth wide open. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
"It's probably Reis" Darak said as he opened the door.
When he saw Kyla, he was almost dumbfounded. He just stood at the doorway staring.
"HEY DARAK! IT'S RUDE TO STARE AT PEOPLE LIKE THAT!" Reis scolded.
"Is it Reis?" Aurora's voice sounded and in the next moment, she was standing beside Darak.
It was Reis' turn to stare with his mouth wide open.
"You should probably take your own advice!" Darak scolded Reis.
"So…uh how do I look Reis?" Aurora asked nervously.
"Well it might be insulting to say you look like a princess" Reis said robotically.
Aurora looked confused. She didn't know how to interpret his statement and began to feel a little disappointed when Reis added.
"You look…like a goddess!"
"He's right. You two make us look insignificant" Darak complimented.
"Really?!" Kyla and Aurora exclaimed excitedly.
"Really really" Reis and Darak said together, then they all started laughing.
"So shall we?" Reis and Darak said as they took Aurora and Kyla's hands and led them away.
They were quite a sight to see as they walked away together.
Meanwhile, Shin and Erasa sat facing each other in Old Lady Kamikaze's Restaurant. They exchanged nervous glances for quite a while, each one feeling strangely shy to speak to the other. Then Shin sighed suddenly.
"Uh…did you say something?" Erasa asked nervously.
"Well I'm finding it kinda hard to tell you just how beautiful you look this evening" Shin said with a nervous laugh.
Erasa remained silent. Shin looked away and sighed with a scared expression on his face.
"Did I just say that?" he wondered.
"Wh-Why don't you give it a try?" Erasa asked nervously.
Shin smiled.
"Well, you see the sky?" he asked.
"The sky? What about the sky?" Erasa asked.
"A clear sunny sky is as blue as a person's soul. I think your beauty can be equated to what's beyond the clear blue sky" Shin said with a nervous laugh.
Erasa blushed shyly.
"You're just saying that" Erasa asked modestly.
"No, when I look into your eyes, I see a purity that's clearer than calm waters. Erasa, I'm not just talking of your looks but of the person you are" Shin said.
"Who am I?" Erasa asked.
"You're a great, kind, strong, beautiful and intelligent person" Shin said and then he stopped himself from saying more. "I'm sorry Erasa. I'm just making you feel uncomfortable aren't I? It was probably a bad idea for me to come but there is something I need to tell you. Erasa, you need to know that I…" Shin was saying when…
"Hey guys! You got here before we did. That's great! Hi Erasa!" Reis greeted.
Erasa looked very uncomfortable.
"Is something wrong? Why do you look so uncomfortable Erasa?" Aurora asked.
Erasa looked away.
"It's nothing" Erasa said.
Reis and Darak pulled seats for Aurora and Kyla respectively.
"Well then, let's get this party started right Shin?" Reis said with a smile.
Diane soon came to their table and they ordered their meals. Reis ordered for the Saggeesian delicacy; Kaiser-wolf meat which he had missed for quite a while. Darak and Shin also decided to try it and in the end, everyone ordered for it.
"This is really tasty Reis. I've never tried it before" Aurora said after tasting the meat.
"Well now that I'm friends with a Kaignis-wolf, I'll have to ease up on these kinds of meals or Sabre-fang will never forgive me" Reis said and everyone burst into laughter.
All except for Shin and Erasa who still felt quite out of place. Reis noticed their uneasiness.
"Hey guys, is something bothering you? You guys have been silent for the past thirty minutes" Reis asked.
Erasa remained silent.
Shin didn't know what to say.
"Fine then, if you don't want to talk about it, at least try to have some fun okay?" Reis pleaded.
"We'll try right Erasa?" Shin asked.
Erasa avoided his eyes.
"I guess" she said.
"Okay! Spill it! What was going on between you two before we arrived that's making you so silent?" Aurora asked.
"You don't need to know everything!" Erasa yelled suddenly.
Everyone was taken by surprise.
"Erasa…I'm sorry if I offended you" Aurora apologized.
"You're not sorry! Just stop pretending! All you've ever tried to do was stand in the way of my happiness!" Erasa yelled.
There were tears in her eyes.
Shin stood up.
"Calm down Erasa, I'm sorry for making you feel so uncomfortable but you didn't have to say that" Shin said.
Aurora seemed very hurt by Erasa's words.
"If you don't want to be here, I'll escort you home" Shin volunteered.
"Stay away from me Shin! You lied to me! You didn't tell me that Reis had gone to get Aurora! And don't ever talk to me like you just did! I think it would be best if you just kept your distance!" Erasa yelled as she ran out of the restaurant.
"Erasa!" Shin called but she ignored him.
Shin felt his eyes beginning to get warm and teary.
"I don't exist to her" Shin said.
Aurora was even more shocked. Tears were flowing down her eyes. She stood up.
"Excuse me" she said as she ran out of the restaurant.
"Aurora wait!" Reis called as he chased after her.
It was already dark.
Darak and Kyla were left all alone after Shin decided to leave as well. Darak stared at Kyla who also couldn't understand what was happening.
"For a while I thought you were also going to try and escape" Darak said.
Kyla laughed.
"There's nothing for me to escape from" she said.
"And I suppose you're not as scared of me as all the other students of our school are?" Darak asked.
"Nope, I think you're really funny though" Kyla said.
"Really? Why?" Darak asked.
"Mostly because you don't realize you're funny" Kyla laughed.
"Well pardon me for being ignorant about my own sense of humour" Darak said seriously and Kyla laughed.
"See? There you go" Kyla said.
"I for one have no intention of wasting Reis' all you can eat ticket. If I let this opportunity go to waste…I'll have to apologize to my ancestors" Darak said.
"I agree" Kyla said with a laugh and they ordered some drinks.
Meanwhile, Reis was chasing Aurora through the streets of the guild.
"Aurora wait!" Reis called but she wasn't listening.
She tripped on a stone and fell to the ground. After that, she just knelt there crying. Reis caught up to her.
"Aurora, are you alright?" he asked her but she ignored him and continued to cry.
Reis knelt beside her and helped her up.
"Come on, don't get your beautiful dress all dirty" Reis said with a smile.
"I don't care about the stupid dress! Erasa hates me! She hates me" Aurora wept as she hugged Reis for solace.
Reis patted her affectionately on the back.
"It's okay Aurora. Erasa'll get over it" Reis said.
"My best friend…hates me" Aurora wept.
"Aurora, don't cry anymore. It breaks my heart to see you so sad" Reis said as he wiped her tears with his thumbs.
"My life is such a mess! Everyone I love keeps leaving me. First my parents, then Sir Jinrai, Jared and now Erasa. Am I meant to be alone in this world?" Aurora asked.
"No Aurora, you're not alone. You're never alone. I'll always be with you. I'll always protect you, I'll never abandon you Aurora…because I love you" Reis promised.
"Do you promise Reis?" Aurora asked.
"I promise" Reis said.
"Then you won't like what I have to tell you" Aurora said sadly.
"What is it?" Reis asked.
Aurora wiped her tears and took in a deep breath, then she sighed.
"Reis, we can never be together" Aurora said seriously.
Reis looked surprised.
"Have I done something wrong?" he asked.
"No, it's not you…it's me. I can't be with you because…I made a promise to be with someone else. Besides that, it's very clear to me that Erasa loves you. I don't want to hurt her and I don't want to hurt you too. I don't want you to suffer because of me" Aurora said. "I want you to be happy".
"My happiness is with you Aurora. You are the one I love and I will never pretend to be in love with someone I'm not in love with. I won't give up on you Aurora. Not even if I have to wait an eternity to be with you" Reis said.
Aurora smiled.
"Thank you Reis" Aurora said.
"Now shall we get back to Old Lady Kamikaze's Restaurant?" Reis asked.
Aurora took his hand in hers.
"Of course…my dear Dragonhaӓrt" Aurora said and they left for the restaurant.
When they arrived at the restaurant, they met Kyla and Darak laughing happily.
"Hey Reis, Aurora, are you guys okay?" Kyla asked.
"Yep, we resolved our problem. Aurora's feeling much better already" Reis said.
"Then let's enjoy the remainder of this party" Darak said as he ordered more drinks and food.
"It's too bad Shin had to miss this because of Erasa" Kyla said quite angrily.
"Let's not talk about it. We'll order some food to take away for Shin" Kyla said.
"I hope he's alright because it seemed like he was hurting pretty badly" Reis said.
After the meal, they decided to go home.
"Reis, we'll escort you home this time. You're always the one doing the escorting. I think it's about time we did the same for you" Aurora said.
Kyla agreed.
So Darak and Aurora escorted Kyla and Reis home.
"Goodnight guys and see you tomorrow" they waved each other goodbye.
Reis and Kyla decided to go straight to bed. Reis found Shin lying awake in the room.
"I'm sorry about today Shin" Reis apologized.
"No Reis, I'm sorry. I've decided. Since you're my brother, I want you to know everything about me" Shin said.
"What are you saying?" Reis asked.
"I'll tell you my story" Shin declared.