Gate Guardian - Tale of the Blazing Heart

Phase 47: The Smile of Discomfort

Phase 47: The Smile of Discomfort

[Transfield]

[2:33 PM]

Her scales are purple as a rotten grapefruit. She also has horns of a ram, and fangs like a dragon. Her eyes remained soulless red as before.

"GRRRRAAAAAAAA!!!!!"

Her deafening roar made the ground tremble again, and now the mountains are forming an avalanche. After a few seconds, she started flapping her giant wings, and glided around the area. Then she stopped, facing at us. Her voice now is like a blended woman and demonic voice.

"You can't defeat me now, Fontaine!"

Erylle had her face wet with sweat out of nervousness, but she still made a centered stance with her bow. I raised my shield and we both glared at the flying wyvern. We're both shaking with fear, I'm certain.

The wyvern suddenly emitted red flames from its breath, which I quickly shielded together with my <Timelock> Ability. I took the 500-degree Celsius hot flame with my diamond shield bravely, and it didn't have any effect to us...luckily. The cold surroundings make the flame breath of the wyvern neutralize.

Immediately, Erylle dashed out of my shield and quickly charged a yellow arrow.

"<Magnum Strafe> !!!"

Thousands of glowing arrows flew into every part of the wyvern's body but not a scratch was made. The wyvern made a quick smirk and then smashed his wings into my shield, making Erylle and I flew from the ground because of the unbearable shockwave and impact.

"Kyaa!"

"Gwah!"

Luckily, we crashed on a fluffy giant snowy stone. We started to stand up, slowly, and gazed to the flying wyvern, who was laughing like a witch. Emily is hundred times more powerful than her human form, it's no joke.

"It's no good...At this rate, we'll be annihilated." I mumbled.

Erylle suddenly charged a red glowing arrow from her wrist bow and fired it immediately.

"<Icarus Dive>!!!"

A blazing bird, two meters wide glided into the flying wyvern but then the only thing the wyvern did is to flap its gargantuan bat wings, and Erylle's spell is already gone.

"Is that the only thing you can do, Fontaine!?...NYAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Tsk...

Erylle's right arm is wounded, so I immediately casted a <Healing Touch> on it. Erylle noticed me supporting her, and she obliviously smiled like we're not in trouble.

Seeing that, I felt my heart burning with sorrow.

If there's someone to blame here, it's me. If it wasn't me who went with Erylle into this dome, she should have better chance of winning. My offensive power is zero. If it's just Asumi, or Zion, or Heushac, or Mia, or Neo, who went with her, she should have won this fight. It's my entire fault...

Why am I always useless!? Why am I a nuisance?! Why am I a loser!? I don't know! I just wanted to help the one I love, but I'm so powerless. I can't even do a single thing!

But still, Erylle is still smiling at me.

Why is Erylle smiling like that!? I...I know that smile...It's the same smile my parents...my friends...everyone always gives me! It's...a smile of discomfort.

<><><><><>

I'm the first child of Charles and Marian Romanov. My family doesn't have much trouble in their lives. I can pretty much say that they are already living their dream life, having a good family, having a good house and stable job, and having the best daughter in the world, which is my little sister, Weiss Romanov.

Sadly enough, I don't have any contribution to their dream life.

Their lives are opposite to mine. I never had any talents, intelligence and such. I never had any achievements for my parents to be proud of. I tried hard to play musical instruments, play sports, and studying hard but none of it bore a fruit. Aside from that, I don't have any ambitions. I don't even have the reason to live. That's why I'm so pathetic.

I'm such a burden to them but even so, all they show me is their smile. A smile like there's no trouble. But I know the real thing. They despise me. Those oblivious smiles are signs of sarcasm and hypocrisy.

I made friends in my earlier years. But as I expanded my circle of friends, I became more frustrated about myself. All of them have their own unique talents and skills, while my only uniqueness is that I don't have any specialties at all. Yes, I'm envious of them. If I can just control my own emotions, that will be great. To reduce my disappointment on myself, I decided to be a loner type of person. I'm happy when I'm alone.

My grandmother, Nora, is my only source of hope. She would raise my ego whenever I'm down, since I was a child. Her smiles are not made of sarcasm, nor it's fake, unlike my parents and friends always give me. I know from her sparkling eyes that she was happy with me.

Whenever I came from school to our house, crying, she would approach me and kiss my forehead.

"If you don't have any reason to live, accompany your friends and help them make their dream come true. In that way, you will have happiness for your friends. Your power might not lie in your heart, but someday...someone else will make you realize that your true power is in the hearts you love."

She was the one who said that to me. I don't know what that means, until now.

...

She suddenly died because of cancer on her liver. My parents knew her sickness from the start, but they've hidden it to me. It was my grandmother's decision not to let me know. She knew that I'll be more depressed if I knew that she has a timed life.

That's where everything became worse than worst. There was I girl I liked and tried to confess, but got rejected. I studied hard, but still got failing marks. I tried making more friends, but my dopey and silent nature made it hard. That made me nervous all the time. I can't look anyone in the eyes, even in my parents or my best friend. They all give me the same fake smile, and I can't handle it.

I don't even know why Erylle chose me to become a Gate Guardan. I don't even know why Asumi looked up at me like a real brother. I don't even know why Heushac is working hard to train me. I don't even know why Mianette is giving me books to become more powerful. I don't know why Lironeo is protecting me. I don't know why Zion trusts me about courtship. They're all expecting me to do things that I can't do.

I already know that I'm just disappointing myself from the day I was born.

<><><><><>

"...I-I'm sorry, it's the only thing I can do...I'm such a useless person..."

"SNAP OUT OF IT!!!"

Erylle shouted in front of me and she bowed down. She's holding both of my shoulders, both of it having squeezed by her soft white hands. Then she pressed her face forward.

"You're doing great, Yohan..." Erylle made an innocent smile. "I told you before, right? You're the only one calling yourself a loser!"

"B-But...I-I..."

I closed my eyes that are having two teardrops from each side. Right now, all I can feel is how pathetic I am.

The sylph pushed her face further and kissed my forehead with her tender lips. In surprise, I opened my eyes. Her sparkling eyes, staring at me affectionately, made the last job to change the way I feel about myself.

The surroundings have changed. We're not in Transfield. The wyvern isn't here either. There's only the two of us in this wide nothingness place. Everything's white here, except Erylle, who is staring and smiling at me lovingly.

"...Yohan..."

It was the voice of Erylle. It was the very same voice in the lake.

"So it's you... You are the voice back then..."