August 15th, 1820, the date that Kashikoi had lost his life, and standing over his dead body, was Joki, while Double watched from behind him.


    "Joki, that was my fight, I was going to finish this!" Double yells.


    Joki quickly walks up and punches Double in the head. Double jumps back in pain, and when he opened his eyes he saw Joki in tears.


    Double seeing this had only just now realized how much this had affected Joki. Double may have been unaware of what Joki had been feeling, but inside, he knew Joki was hurting.


    "Leave, Kazu is where he last was, he is fine...just an injured arm. I need a moment by myself Double, that''s all I ask..." Joki says, using the last bit of his energy to teleport Double near the deserted area.


    Double walks slowly, his body still in pain, he notices Kazu in the distance and waves his hand to get his attention.


    Kazu stands up, and waves back as they both smile at each other.


    "Is it really over?...you actually did it. I was really doubting our survival rates on this one." Kazu says.


    "You? You mean we? I couldn''t have done this without you, you helped me a lot Kazu...I thank you." Double says.


    Double nearly falls over before Kazu picks him up with his good arm, they begin to share a laugh as they make their way out of the deserted area.


    The entire area of state Virginia wouldn''t be the same, nor would the lives of Double, Joki, and Kazu.


    Following that high-stakes battle, Double''s strength soared to unprecedented levels. However, the aftermath left the surrounding area fraught with danger. The danger of that world scaling attack had spread far and wide, leaving the atmosphere charged with an energy that even distant onlookers could sense. Double''s aura had reached an all-time high during the fight, and with that, countless people would recognize Double and treat him as the one who put everyone''s lives in danger. The repercussions of the battle were destined to influence their future travels significantly.


    The safety of the area Joki, Double, and now Kazu had stayed in diminished. The residue of the fierce clash lingered, casting a shadow over the once serene environment. Those who had not witnessed the battle directly were still impacted, feeling the residual waves of power echoing through the air.


    Joki, despite successfully thwarting the planet-threatening attack. The exertion required to neutralize such a cataclysmic threat took a toll on his body. However, the toll on Joki extended beyond mere physical fatigue. The mental strain was palpable, leaving an indelible mark on his psyche. In his mind, he carried the weight of guilt, believing that his actions had led to the tragic demise of his best friend.


    "Hey...I can see him from here, he''s still standing there. Joki? Is everything alright?" Double says.


    Double and Kazu stare over, and in the mind of Joki, he feels angry, wanting to blame Double and Kazu for everything. He looks at them with an angry look, but he quickly thinks back to what he said to Kashikoi, and his angry expression turns into a smile.


    "Yeah! I just needed a moment, I''m ready to go home." Joki says.


    "Are you actually ready to go home? Joki, Double over here isn''t too experienced in these things from what I know. He''s still learning, but I''ve dealt with loss, it doesn''t go away quick." Kazu says.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Joki hears this, but his smile does not fade. He walks over to both Double and Kazu and puts his hand on both of their shoulders.


    "Regardless of what I''m feeling, we''re a team, and people die everyday. I will not allow the death of a friend to throw me off my path." Joki says.


    Double nods his head, and Kazu does the same, they begin to walk off into the distance, but Joki stops for a moment.


    "Double... I''m sorry for making you handle that," Joki says, his voice quivering.


    "Mistakes like that happen between friends, it''s how we get better." Double says.


    Joki smiles, and continues striding into the distance, heading home to the cabin. The damage caused by Kashikoi''s attack was evident.


    Multiple other buildings were destroyed, but the cabin that Joki lived in was untouched. They all walk inside of the cabin, and Kazu quickly places his sword down and lays down to rest his arm.


    "All this damage, I can imagine that everyone feels that aura. The bigger the attack, the more aura it leaves off, but...considering Kashikoi''s dead, people in Virginia. They won''t know who to blame but you Double." Kazu says.


    "Let them...one day they''ll know the truth. I wanna change this world into a better place, no matter how the world sees me, at the end of all of this, they will know my name." Double says.


    Kazu hears Double''s words, and his curiosity lights up. Everybody had come to accept the world as it is, not believing there''s any way to change it, it was unheard of for a singular person to try and change that.


    "What motivates you?" Kazu asks.


    "What do you mean?" Double asks.


    "What motivates you to want to change the world? There''s so much you don''t know about, and so much basic knowledge you don''t have. You can''t change the world with strength alone, and Double...to change the world, you have to take on the burden of the world as well." Kazu says.


    Double sits down, and thinks back to his past, remembering all the people he fought, all the fighting he had to do, and then he looks up and as he lays his eyes on Joki and Kazu. He smiles.


    "That''s fine with me, this right here, the feeling of working hard to accomplish something, and sitting down with people you care about. I want everyone to feel that! There are people dying right now, and more than half of the world is fighting or doing something violent to achieve what they want, by the time I''m finished...it''ll be different." Double says.


    Joki looks over to Double, and when he does, he sees a younger Kashikoi in Double. Someone who was able to smile when faced with the problems of the world, someone who could walk into an empty, and dark room, and fill it up with light when no one else could.


    "Well...that settles it, Double and Kazu were a team now, but there''s one thing that needs to be known. Whatever happens, even if we are alone, union gives us strength! At the end of any adventure, we go on, we all must be together. Kazu, I must ask, what is your goal, what''s your ambition?" Joki asks.


    "I wanna learn about the world, train and seek strength, and on my trip of becoming stronger, I wanna help Double. Even though the risk is high, Double gave me hope today, that there''s always a chance to win. That''s what I want at the end of this rainy road. I wanna have that same hope, the hope that makes me take on any task, once I have that, I can be pleased. Joki...what''s your task, whatever it is, you''re more than capable of achieving it." Kazu says.


    Joki tries to speak, but the words of Kashikoi echo throughout his mind, he remembers the words Kashikoi said with his dying breath.


    "My only wishes are that you keep that boy safe." Kashikoi said.


    Joki stops himself from speaking, and just smiles, thinking about the words Kashikoi said nearly brings him to tears, but this time, he keeps his composure.


    "My goal was different, but now...my goal has actually changed." Joki says.


    "Really? What brought about that change, and what is it now?" Kazu says.


    Joki looks up, and takes his hoodie off.


    "I heard some words that motivated me and changed my mind, and also, my goal now is to make sure that you guys achieve everything you want in this short life. I mean that wholeheartedly." Joki says.