Molly looked toward her grandfather. Over the past few years, the gaze she gave this old man could only be described as cold, but in these moments, an air of complexity took over as she looked on toward her grandfather's figure. He never seemed so… vulnerable before.
Bits of wood and metal dropped to the ground, but errant pieces of paper filled with illegible chicken scratch fell almost too slowly, swaying under the still turbulent air.
"Asso – Grandpa…" Molly bit her lip. "What was she talking about?"
A sadness pervaded the Association Head's sunken eyes. But, when he heard his granddaughter call him grandpa for the first time in years, there was a bit of hope that lit his eyes.
"Never mind those matters Little Molly." The Association Head waved his hand.
"But…"
"Stop." The Association Head shook his head. "There's a reason I've never told you about these things. Please, if you care for this old man of yours even the slightest bit anymore, don't ask."
Blood began to seep from Molly's lips. She didn't even realize that her teeth had dug so far into her soft pink lips.
The Association Head watched as his granddaughter's petite figure left slowly. As much as Molly felt her heart ache in the face of her weakened grandfather, the Association Head's pain was ten times more watching his little girl carry a burden he couldn't lift for her.
He looked up blankly at the bland ceiling above his head. Though his eyes were a deep, emotionless pit, the shaking of his body and the gripping of his fists made his rage clear.
This was his true face. The face of a man who was a step away from having nothing to lose. If it wasn't for the fact he still had his granddaughter, he would have already forsaken everything and laid his life down for revenge.
The old man brought his hand over the left of his chest. Through his thin robes, he could feel a deep scarring that had long since healed.
His fingers followed its pattern, crossing from left to right, then back again. Even now, this scar throbbed with the very same pain he had the day he etched it in himself.
'The Apostles…' The blood vessels in the old man's eyes tore. Tears of blood fell from his emotionless face.
**
If one had been anywhere near Flash Mountain over the past few days, it wouldn't have been impossible to see a man and a majestic bird fighting a battle of honor. In truth, it didn't seem as though either one was intent to take the life of the other, but neither seemed to want to lose either.
Each stood bloodied and tired.
The man's black robes were ripped asunder, revealing a shining flexible armor that radiated a blinding white light and a pale light blue hue. Though, the only reason you could see those colors so clearly, instead of the waterfall of blood that should have been, was precisely because of the heavily falling rain.
As for the majestic bird, its feathers, once shimmering with the light one might expect from a silver dragon, were bent and misshapen in many areas. In fact, it wasn't impossible to find precious pieces of its lustrous coat of feathers strewn about the mountain range.
None bothered this man-bird pair. It was impossible to say that the two of them were the most powerful on this mountain range, so there had to be another reason they were left alone. Maybe those more creatures couldn't be bothered… Or maybe they respected the battle of two men.
Finally, the bird's long proud neck drooped. Its eyes still had an endless fire hidden behind them, but its body simply couldn't keep up. In the end, the man stood tall, his lungs screaming for air.
There was no doubt. This man was Ryu Tatsuya, and the bird was a descendant of the Thunder Roc.
Ryu gripped his spears, using them to hold himself up. During this battle, he had refused Ailsa's help, believing that it would be too shameful to treat the Roc's battle intent that way.
'You have to be careful, Ryu. Beasts only have one drive: to evolve. Eating the Spiritual Root of a Thunder Roc descendant is probably the only chance those Fifth and Sixth Order King Beasts have at taking another step forward.'
Ryu's eyes narrowed. He knew he was too optimistic in thinking that he and the Roc weren't bothered because of some sort of chivalry. Those others were definitely waiting for the Roc to fall.
This situation was far too different from the norm. The Roc had met Ryu's challenge head on, but the reality was that if he wanted to run away, Ryu would have had no chance at catching him.
This was likely what the other beasts had experienced as well. The Roc was a juicy piece of meat that they could never lay their hands on because its speed was too quick.
Now that the Roc had tired itself out on its own, for reasons unknown to them, this was a perfect opportunity that they couldn't pass up, no matter what.
'Can you bring him into the Incubator?' Ryu asked. He simply didn't have enough spatial qi control to bring in such a large beast.
'No problem. But, you need to form a connection with him first, or else I'll be unable to.'
Ryu nodded. Stumbling his way forward, he finally made it to the Roc's side. He could see the fiery intent within its almost childish-like expressions, but he didn't feel any malice as he placed his palm on the Roc's large, silvery head.
"From today on, you're with me. It won't be easy though, so if you're a coward, you can leave now."
The Roc made a sound that Ryu interpreted as a scoff. It was as though the Roc was saying: 'You dare to call me a coward, even after all of this? Don't make me eat you.'
Ryu smiled lightly, feeling a natural connection with the Roc. He felt that they were one in the same…? Proud, unyielding men. The Roc didn't see this as a master-slave contract, he only saw it as a relationship. If he one day felt it was no longer worth being by Ryu's side, he would leave.
The Roc turned illusory under Ailsa's guidance and soon disappeared into the Incubator to recover. As for Ryu, he swung on a familiar black cloak and practically vanished from thin air.