Project 7 the First: The Hero's Great Come Back

Chapter 29

Chapter 29

It was a cloudy day in the village of Cron. A village in Excalion. The bright blue sky turned dull gray. The wind was blowing so hard that it could blow a roof off a house.
A man wearing a dull maroon mantle with a hood covering his entire head was walking through the streets of Cron. He seemed to be hiding his identity like he was a criminal.
The village of Cron had some buildings. There were also tents on the streets with vendors selling different kinds of things. The man ignored all the callings of the vendors and walked a straight path.
He entered in a bar. He seemed tired, so he took a seat in front of the bartender. The bartender was a bubbly person. He smiled at any customer that entered his bar. It was quiet in there at the moment. His only customer was the mysterious man.
"Welcome, stranger!" he said. "Thirsty for a drink?"
The man giggled and said, "anything would do, but don't overdo."
"Coming right up!" said the bartender joyfully.
He grabbed a bottle and poured it in to his shaker. He also mixed in some other drinks and shaked them all together. After the mixing, he poured in a glass and served it to the mysterious man.
"Here, the Pablo's special!" he said.
The mysterious man chugged it all the way down like it was nothing.
The bartender was really getting suspicious, but he still put on a smile. The bar was really quiet. No one else was in there except for the two.
The bartender walked up to him and said, "So, you're not from here?"
The man smirked and said, "I used to be... as far as I can remember."
"What are you still hiding under that hood? It's just the two of us here. It won't be bad to just take it off," said the bartender.
"Nosy as always, Pablo," said the mysterious man. He took off the hood and revealed his face.
It was no other than Andrew Garen.
Pablo, the bartender, gasped in shock. He was not expecting him to be here. He pulled all of his senses together and smirked.
"Why, if it isn't Andy Garrison!" said Pablo. "I didn't expect seeing you here of all places."
"Don't call me that," said Andrew. "That's not my name anymore. I'm currently Andrew Garen."
"I see..." Pablo said. "What happened? People say that you went missing. Some even went overboard to claim that you're dead. Where have you been?"
"After that quest long time ago, I used a disgusing spell to make me into a another person. I went to the mortal world and started living anew as Andrew Garen," Andrew explained. "Too bad that the spell wore off. My master taught me that spell, but he said there were risks to using it countless times."
"What happened to that mission?" Pablo asked desperately.
"It was a shameful mission. I don't want to talk about it," said Andrew gloomily. "However... I will never forget what Arvin did for me."
He looked at the ceiling and reminisced.

***
It was a sunny day in Cron a few years ago. The white clouds were drifting. The trees were dancing as the summer breeze blew through the village.
A bar in Cron named Pablo's Place was only occupied by seven people. They were the current Seven Legendary Pillars of Light. They were gathered there to celebrate another success on their last mission. The entire place was reserved by them for their private celebration. The seven people were giggling.
"Cheers to another mission success!" exclaimed a man with a flaming glaive behind him. He was none other than Zander Montez.
They all raised their glasses in the air and had a toast.
"It's all thanks to our tactician, Shin!" said a guy with a bow on his shoulder. He carried an empty quiver attached to his belt behind him.
"No, it's all thanks to our leader, Arvin!" corrected a blonde girl. Her hair was tied to a ponytail. She had a book that was bound by a violet book strap. It hung on her shoulder like a satchel. She was Cindy Darion. "Without him, there wouldn't be anyone to lead us."
Everybody agreed and cheered.
"Aw, you guys, that was nothing. I had to do my job," said a guy with a green metal headband around his forehead. He wore a long, teal coat decorated with white belt straps around the waist. He wore a green collared shirt with a golden zipper . He also wore black jeans and leather boots. He had twin blades behind him. He was the leader named Arvin Arclight.
They all continued to celebrate and drink to their hearts content.
"Guys," said a man with a read scarf aroun his neck. He wore a black jacket and a red shirt. He had a golden bracelet with a charm that is shaped like a closed eye. He also wore black cargo pants and a pair of red sneakers. He was Andy Garrison. He was also Arvin's best friend. "I got to leave early. I still have some errands to do."
"Oh, sure," said Arvin. "Remember that we have a sealing mission tomorrow."
"Sure." Andy left the bar and headed home. When he got to his house, everything was messed up. The couches were flipped over, and the picture frames were all on the floor. The vases were broken, too. He suddenly panicked.
He ran up the stairs and saw that the floor was messed with papers. He slowly walked to the rooms and peaked. He went to the last room, which was his room. He opened the door and saw a man sitting on his bed.
He wore a white cloak with a black circle behind it and a navy blue, long-sleeved shirt. He wore black slacks and a pair of leather shoes. He had a mask that covered his eyes. He had a twelve-inch sword that hung on his belt behind him.
"Who are you?" asked Andy frustratingly. "What are you doing here?"
"You have a nice place here, Andy," said the man. "Too bad that it needed a makeover."
"Did you hear me?" asked Andy.
"I'm sorry," said the man. "Rude of me to not introduce myself. I am Gideon Jones. I am the leader of the Tsukinomichikake."
Andy started to realize who he was.
The Tsukinomichikake is a wanted group that has been doing many dirty work. They have been transfering hideouts to keep them from being discovered. They had bounties on their heads for five years already.
"You," said Andy with disgust. "What do you want?"
"Simple," said Gideon as he stood from the bed. "I came for you. You would make a splendid secret weapon."
"Shut up! You'll be under arrest after I take you down," said Andy.
"Oh? Well, it will take more than one to defeat me," said Gideon.
Andy quickly removed his bracelet and threw it up high. He did a hand sign and said, "Disassemble!"
The chains of his bracelet separated from each other and surrounded Gideon while the charm was above him.
Andy slammed his palms together and said, "Divine Eye of Incineration, open!"
The eye opened and glowed slowly. Andy was grinning as he felt victory inside of him.
Suddenly, the eye blasted a crimson laser beam. It shot Gideon with full force. Once the beam was gone, he was gone, too.
The beam created a huge hole on the floor. Andy got closer and saw that Gideon was gone for good. He felt relieved, but he also felt suspicious.