The Burden of Destiny | Sequel to The Aura Within

09 | Destiny Belongs to You

A few hours have passed since everyone returned to the castle. Upon their arrival, the Rota Knights successfully delivered the leader of the bandits to none other than General Hayes. The criminal was now under his custody and would remain so until his sentence was determined. Under normal circumstances, Father Malcolm would be the one to deliver judgment through a formal trial. However, the skirmish had left not only some injured, but also casualties of innocent civilians. Add the fact that the bandit leader showed no remorse for what he had done, there was only one thing left to do. The general took action on his own accord, even if it would create a conflict with the priest later on.

Thankfully, most civilians came out of the skirmish without lethal injuries. The few that were seriously injured were tended to immediately at the sight as well as given some medical supplies that would last the duration of their travels. Less than ten civilians were rushed to the castle for serious medical attention, and one of them was Soleil Lyon, the young maiden who fought against a stronger opponent to save a child's life. Mina and her mother stayed by her side the whole time, waiting for the moment she woke up to see the next day. They already lost a family member during the skirmish and refused to lose her as well.

The outcome of this skirmish may have been more favorable than the disaster that occurred in Heiwa Town, but Hope felt more skeptical than ever. Having witnessed them both firsthand, she began to wonder more about this path that was paved for her.

Hope was sitting outside in the courtyard, mindlessly watching Riolu attempting to play with a reluctant Gallade. When Nicholas ordered her to search for stragglers, she sensed someone's presence a good distance away from Arceus Temple. By the time she reached the exact location where she sensed it, there was not a single trace of life left behind. Part of her wanted to dismiss it as nothing but a mere illusion, but another part of her felt as though she had been watched that whole time. What kind of logical explanation could there be for what she sensed at the time? Was there even a logical explanation at all?

While thinking of logical explanations for the abnormalities of these past two attacks, Riolu's revelation suddenly came to mind. The death of the Tree of Beginnings was a whole other issue that needed as much attention as the skirmish and Heiwa Town's attack. She felt obligated to tell Nicholas about it, and she had the intention to tell him the moment they returned to the castle, but something stopped her.

Riolu had come to her specifically because he was certain she was the one he sought. The aura she possessed was proof enough for him, which made her hesitant to even bring awareness to this issue at all.

Was her aura truly what made her worthy? Riolu was confident that she's the one, yet Hope didn't feel the same way. After all, she was still a novice in the eyes of her mentor. How was a novice like her worthy of being the chosen one? If Nicholas got involved, would he do everything in his power to keep her away from this destiny?

Hope sighed and buried her face into her knees. She didn't know what to do. The responsible thing would be to tell her mentor everything she knew, but it would also mean trusting him with the authority to make the decision for her. Throughout the time Nicholas was in her life, there was never an instance where she doubted her mentor's choice until yesterday. After all, the attack on Heiwa Town revealed something that explained the fate of her home region.

The question remained whether or not Nicholas was aware of the Obsidian Knights' objective. If he knew that they were the ones responsible for the massacre of her village...

Well, she prayed to Arceus that this accusation was only the result of her overthinking.

"Ah, there you are."

Hope lifted her head to see Levi standing there. She watched as the auburn-haired man took a seat next to her. The armor he adorned before was now retired, leaving him in his casual outfit that consisted of a plain white shirt and tan trousers. He appeared like a normal civilian she'd see around town. She also noticed that his sword wasn't equipped with his belt. He seemed a little too relaxed, which made her a little bit jealous.