Ford was back, is what the group had wanted to say, but instead everyone was silent. Of course, they were surprised, but so surprised, that they were speechless.
One person, Cecilia, would hug Ford, which was the first display of affection ever shown to Ford by Cecilia.
"Cecilia..."
Cecilia, at this point, was now in tears, as she said--
"Thank you... For coming back"
Ford was unable to speak, so he would close his eyes, make a slight smile, and hug Cecilia. This was truly a heartwarming moment.
Just as the rest of the group was about to say something, a giant door in the middle of the circular room had opened, revealing a long circular staircase.
The group made their way up, revealing the door to the second floor being open. When they step foot into the second floor, Rallden had immediately felt a dizzying sensation.
Vincent, would stop Rallden from walking out, as he said--
"It is now your turn..."
Rallden had fainted.
********************
A familiar building. Neat design, could be described as a manor, but it wasn't. What was it? It was the Knight's Barracks in Crowlan capital.
A familiar city, the very city that Ford was summoned to. The time was different though. Ford had yet to be summoned in this time. In fact, it was years before that day.
Rallden was forced to relive a certain moment in his life, and possibly make a different decision. One could assume the trial's goal was for Rallden to come to terms with the decision that he had made.
What was that decision?
The decision to leave someone to die, or save them. Now, how was Rallden put in the position to make this decision?
It all started with a distress call from a contact mirror. On the other end of the mirror was a woman. How the woman managed to get in contact with Rallden is unknown.
All we know is Rallden's hero mentality would have caused him to want to save that woman on the spot, which is what he did. The woman had reported that a group of men were looking for her, presumably thieves.
Could they be the same murderers that Ford ran into in the alley? That is unknown, and will probably never be revealed, as instead, the woman's true intentions would be revealed.
As soon as Rallden arrived on the scene, he would be shocked to notice that the woman was there, but had a smile on her face. Almost like a scene straight out of a horror movie.
Why would a woman be smiling after presumably being brutally tortured? What if the truth is different.. What if the woman was never tortured?
Well, that was the case. Rallden had walked straight into a trap. The woman held a knife to Rallden's throat, which would normally be an idiotic move, considering Rallden's immense power.
Rallden wouldn't stop the woman though, he would let her threaten his life.
He had a feeling that the woman didn't want to be doing this, but was being forced, and would he be correct? Yes.
The four men who were "chasing" her would arrived on the scene after the woman had finished capturing Rallden.
??: "nice job, Reda"
Reda: "hehe, it was no problem, boys. This fucker walked right into our trap"
Rallden would finally speak up--
"Come on, there's no need for this.. Reda, was it? I know you don't want to do this..."
Reda, upon hearing Rallden speak up would immediately put on a defensive attitude, and say--
Reda: "you don't know what the hell you're talking about!"
Rallden: "Well, maybe I don't.. In that case, let me just free myself"
Rallden had then suddenly pushed the woman off of him, as he turned to face the 5 people standing before him.
5 against 1 would be a bit of an unfair battle--
For the thieves. Rallden would be able to flawlessly defeat all of them, completely unscathed.
But he didn't want this situation to come to that.
He had wanted to free the woman from her obvious captivity without harming anyone.
Of course, the 4 men would still be sent to jail, he just didn't want to tell them that.
" I'll let you all walk free if you let the woman go"
Suddenly, Rallden heard the voice of a man in distress behind him, begging for help.
He turned around, to see a man crawling towards him, covered in bloody wounds.
This is what created the dilemma.
The decision should have been simple, but for Rallden's hero mentality, it wasn't.
Rallden didn't even know the man. The obvious decision would have been to leave him to die, or he could have called for help.
Why didn't Rallden call for help? The reason is simple:
Selfishness.
You could say Rallden was a bit like Ford in the past.. although recently, he and Ford have changed for the better.
Anyway.. Rallden eventually chose to leave the man to die. The right decision, according to him.
Leaving an innocent man to die, of course, would stay on anyone's mind... And Rallden was no exception.
This event has haunted him for years. He has since vowed to save anyone in distress, no matter the circumstances.
Did Rallden end up coming to terms with his decision?
No, he hadn't..
******************
Rallden woke up, the group all looking down on him.
The third floor of the tower was now opened...
He had failed his trial. This is sure to have consequences in the future...
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