Kapitel 469: The Least You Can Do
Whirrr~
Wind sounded like a whistle as it grew in intensity. Loose ends of clothing began to flap helplessly under its power. Hair unable to stay still, it began to point in the direction of which wind flowed.
For a second the wind stopped. Sounds of cars humming and horns blaring filled one's ears. Those who became victim to the wind's power gained a moment of rest before it picked up again.
"James. . . if I can call you that."
Akiol placed his hands into the pockets of his jacket. Acting as an anchor the jacket no longer flapped as helplessly. The chill with wind brought was a healthy dose of reality. One Akiol wasn't quite willing to shut out so soon.
"It's not like the name is wrong.", he replied simply.
Rebecca sighed, "You kept me waiting. But I feel as if what I'm about to hear isn't going to be to my liking."
"Most likely not."
"So the truth?"
"As promised."
A brief silence filled the gap. Although the whistling wind took fancy on breaking it. Rebecca hesitated for a small moment before walking up next to Akiol. She did not look his way, rather she stared in the direction he faced.
Akiol took this as a note to not look at her, "What do you want to know?"
"Everything obviously."
"I mean first, where do you want me to start?"
"I. . . I don't know when. The beginning?"
"I can't go that far back, we'd be here for a few days."
"That far?"
"Both closer and farther than you think."
"Then. . . Back when I came across you in AWL. That skill, it's not something you learn quickly."
"On the contrary, you certainly gained quite a bit of skill."
"Enough beating around the bush!"
Akiol paused to gather his thoughts before responding, "Then from the very start. Roughly two weeks before the launch of A World's Legacy."
"That's not as far as I thought, or at least how far you made it seem."
"You will understand shortly."
"Alright, go on."
"Two weeks before the launch of AWL James died."
". . . That's hard to believe."
"I understand, after all you're looking at him right?"
Rebecca's jaw tightened but she remained silent.
"It was. . . an unfortunate incident. Through sheer exhaustion he passed out onto his bed and suffocated in his pillow."
"That's so stupid."
"Ah well, I think suffocation is only part of it. However since any signs of that vanished I can't figure it out."
"So James is dead, sure. You're not doing a very good job convincing me."
"I don't think my job is to convince you."
Rebecca, for the first time, looked towards Akiol's eyes. They met for a fleeting moment before she returned her attention forward, "I suppose this is true. So continue."
"By coincidence, whether planned or not, I entered his body and was healed."
"So you're not James."
"My actual name is one you're familiar with."
". . . Akiol?"
"Aye, during the launch of AWL I decided to use the name I was more familiar with. A way to keep my identity somehow."
"Then who is Akiol?"
"As ridiculous as this is about to sound, just bear with me. Akiol is-", Akiol frowned for a moment, "Was a hero of a different world. A chess piece in a story of a fight against a demon lord."
"That's so cliché of a plot."
"If only it was like the common story. I dabbled in those stories out of interest. A majority of them either makes the hero naive or overwhelmingly strong. Sometimes both."
"At least the popular ones were. Was it not the case for you?"
"Well those heroes were summoned somehow. I was designated as one from birth. Because of it. . . my mother was killed."
"Ah."
"I've only known bloodshed. In order to keep me sane the Gods locked away any emotion deemed negative. Hate, sadness, regret, despair, and more."
"So that means?"
"I did not mourn my mother's death. At least not immediately. For I simply could not."
"So why are you here?"
"Because I succeeded. My long and arduous journey came to a close with the demon lord's death. Along the way I regained my emotions once locked."
"That still doesn't answer my question."
"Well, the world must remained balanced. Or so I've been told. With no powerful evil there could not be powerful good. So I was sent to another world, with a fate twisting chance as a reward. Left to live my life as I pleased, to take it easy after my hard battle."
"And that brings you here."
"Partially."
". . .", Rebecca looked upwards, her lips turning white from the pressure she created by pushing them against each other, "Is James. . . really dead?"
"You believe me?"
"I- not quite. I still see him after all. But, it's beginning to make sense. The skill you shown, it's from your life fighting, right?"
"That is correct. Whilst I did have some trouble adjusting a majority of my skill with the sword remained."
"And that's how you slowly rose in fame during the start of AWL."
"That would be my greatest and only piece of evidence to my claims."
". . . Am I really losing everybody?"
"If it's. . . of any consolation. James still somewhat existed. As a bit of a soul stuck together with me."
"Existed? As in past tense?"
"He recently completely faded away. However in his final moments he asked me to tell you the truth. Or at least a majority of the family."
"So do I refer to you as Akiol? Must I mourn the loss of yet another person I care about?"
"I do not have an answer to that. I've resolved to live the rest of my life as James. A way to honor the person who I've taken over. His memories linger still within this head. I even gained his ridiculous sense of humor and sarcasm. Something I've never tapped into before."
"I can't believe this is all. . ."
"You're taking it better than I thought."
"It's because you- he is standing here. If I had to see my own brother's gravestone, I don't think I could remain sane."
Akiol kept his mouth shut. It seemed like the only option that was reasonable to him.
Rebecca finally lowered her head, "So. . . Akiol."
"You can call me James if you want. It does not matter."
". . . That I'll figure out later. As for now, I want you to tell me your story."
"Like I said, we'll be here for a while."
"Does that matter?"
"I don't understand."
"I mean if what you say is true—that you took my brother's body—then the least you can do is tell me who you are. Or in this case your story."
"I suppose."
"Then tell me, and I'll deem if what you say is true."
". . . Fine, but don't blame me if it's too long."
"I have time."
"It starts with a prophecy. Two children are born at the same time, one of gray hair, the other of silver. The gray hair destined to become the Demon Lord, the Silver hair to be the hero."
"A sort of black and white."
"Ironically the colors might be different to show how similar the two are.", Akiol lowered his gaze, "The hero's negative emotions are locked away to make a killing machine. The Demon Lord's positive emotions locked away to make a hateful entity."
Rebecca remained silent as Akiol pondered how to continue. For the first time he was objectively looking at his fate from an outside point. Having completed his destiny he now was capable of understanding it fully. Just as he was about to grasp what exactly his own words were going to mean, he suddenly shifted the direction.
"Funnily enough my mother had silver hair. I wonder if she also was a Hero once upon a time."
"Is silver hair uncommon?", Rebecca asked.
"I don't recall seeing any other person with the same color as my own. It's too tied with the prophecy, I was recognized at a glance over there. Not that everyone appreciated it. The birth of the Hero wasn't a good prophecy, but rather the necessity to face against disaster."
His mind flashed to his mother's final moments, "So some thought that by ending my life, they could end the prophecy before it truly took hold. In hindsight they might've been right."
Glancing towards Akiol Rebecca found a somber expression on his face. She originally thought that Akiol would be prideful of his tale as a Hero. This sort of negativity wasn't what she expected.
So she let him continue. The words slowly filling the air as Akiol carefully retold his memories, "To protect me my mother gave her life. I had managed to escape with my own life, something I knew out of necessity and not fear. I did not feel saddened by her death. Like it was just a passing moment. There was no anger to those who took her life. I was just a spectator."
Gritting his teeth he once again shifted the topic, "Although I did manage to rectify that."
So Akiol told his story. Carefully, omitting a few details he felt were unnecessary. Because of this encounter he began to understand what his role was, a reflection he didn't want to face.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein