Chapter 43: Chapter 42: Mysterious Woman? [Valor]
"So…hot springs?" Everyone looked at Valor before deadpanning, "We'll die before we can even make it halfway to the hot springs." They walked away to go somewhere else while I decided to split from the group to look around. He had decided to chill around the less noisy side of town where the people who actually lived there stayed. He walked down and rethought about everything that had happened.
"Fuck…why in the hell didn't I do something? Why was I so fucking useless during that whole fight? I literally almost had him and he slipped away in less than a second. I had him on the ropes and everyone joined in even Jay and he got his fucking leg stabbed by an arrow before that! Gods, they gave me an opening and I couldn't finish it. We lost and almost died because of me. Because I'm nothing but a useless…stupid fuckin-"
[Waste of space!]
"...I need some food.." Valor continued walking dejectedly, as an apple rolled towards his feet. He picked it up before seeing an old lady.
"Sorry about that dear, I just lost my balance for a second." Valor looked around to see many more apples on the ground. He picked each of them up and pulled out a handkerchief before cleaning each individually. He just smiled and focused on cleaning without having his mind on anything other than the now dirtied apples. The old woman smiled at him, as she sat down on the nearby bench. The sun was already starting to set, as they had arrived in the middle of the day. Valor sat down next to her and just waited for something to happen.
"Is…is something the matter?"
"No, but I feel that something is bothering you? Would you like to talk to me about it?"
"No…I'm alright….I'm alright.." He didn't sound convinced himself, as he kept repeating the same thing in his mind.
"Well, if you are sure then how about humoring me? Can I tell you a story?"
"I love stories."
"There was once this boy who lost his family. His father's side was incredibly powerful, but they were stuck-up and treated him like nothing. His mother's family was…very close to each other, but rejected him. His mother was his only light that shined so brightly, but sadly one of his father's jealous exes killed his mother. The boy was young…too young, but the sadness he felt was unlike anything. He started to believe that the words of his father were true, but his father's sins caught up with him. He was brought to justice, so the boy decided to disappear. He was left alone until he found his new family."
"So he found his mother's side?"
"No, he made a new family with the friends he made."
"A person's family can't be their friends! A person's family has to be their own blood or someone they're married to!"
"I've lived for a long time and I once held a similar belief, but I've come to realize that a person's family can even be a friend. A bond made by two people isn't weaker than one of love or of blood. If anything it might be stronger because your blood isn't the thing keeping you together."
"Did….did…the boy end up happy?"
"He struggled..he struggled a lot and even sacrificed his very being on multiple occasions, but he….no…you tell me." The old lady looked into his very soul, as her eyes shone with a fire that wasn't present before. It didn't feel intimidating like a normal fire, but instead warm and gentle almost as if someone wrapped you in a blanket with a hug.
"I'm…lost…I keep messing up and I don't know how I'm ever going to amount to anything worthwhile. I just want to prove him wrong, but I just keep hearing his voice over and over in my mind…I can't escape his memory and I can't prove him wrong. I can't seem to do anything right and I can't prove him wrong. What if… what if he was right about me!? What if I can't protect the people I care about? What if I really am worthless?!" The old woman patted his head, as Valor bent down to allow this to happen. The warmth Valor felt was almost unlike anything he had ever felt…aside from his mother's head pats.
"You don't have to worry much. You may think about all those things, but your precious people trust in you, they care for you. I can't tell you that everything will be okay, but I can say that at the end of your path…there will be someone there with you. I believe that you can find the answer you're looking for. Besides, your friends aren't that weak, so trust in them as they do you."
"Thank you, I don't know what to say. Can I know your name?"
"Okay…my name is Hestia, Goddess of Hearth and Family. I want to sign a contract with you." She smiled warmly before the surroundings turned white.
[30 Minutes Later]
"Thank you, Hestia…for everything. I do hope we can continue to be friends. I hope to see you again."
"I do too, Valor. I also hope that you can prove not to your father, but to yourself that you do have worth." Valor unfortunately did not hear the second part and only heard the "I do too" as he had already started walking away. He had a conversation with Hestia in a white space for close to 3 hours, but yet he felt as if he could take on the world. His paradigm seemed to have shifted. Maybe the world wasn't bad after all. Valor for the first time since their major defeat, smiled genuinely.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone