Yapping Session

"And that's what scares me, Sora," Rain said as he shook his head, his gaze staring deep into my soul. "You have so much power and so much potential. But your determination is one sided, you're willing to lose your humanity for a goal that isn't even guaranteed to be possible. And when that happens you'll become something similar to what you just killed."

I stared down at my hands, taking in the sight of my bare arms and palms, how unblemished my skin remained, the slight hint of pink visible in the moonlight as my heart beat rhythmically against my ribcage, pushing blood into my veins, flooding every part of me. It made me feel alive, invigorated, powerful. It reminded me of who I am. What I represent. Everything that I'm fighting for. Everything that matters. Everything that shouldn't.

"So you're afraid that I'll lose myself like The Voidwalker," I said quietly. "But do you honestly believe that there's a possibility of that happening to me?" I looked back towards Rain.

"Yes, that is exactly what will happen if you go through with hunting down The Voidwalker." Rain said.

"I don't care, I will do whatever it takes to avenge Williams, I owe him my life."

"And you believe that this will make you feel better?" Rain asked.

"Does it really matter in the end?" I asked.

"I'm here because I know that you can accomplish things that I could not accomplish. And what if you turn into another Voidwalker and continue destroying everything until nothing remains, only devastation remains."

"You are talking nonsense, and you can go fuck off."

"Maybe." Rain said with a grin. "But before you awaken again, do take care not to repeat the actions of my father, ok, Sora?"

"I'm not you," I replied firmly. "And you're definitely not me." I stared deep into his golden eyes and glared angrily.

Rain chuckled softly before turning his head away from my gaze.

"When I see you again Sora, I want to see you looking better than when you are right now," Rain said.

The strange feeling began to crawl into my skin as I slowly became conscious again, returning into the real world and seeing Enzo and Leo talking. I rose from the bed and quickly went over to where they were.

"Sora, are you alright?" Leo asked.

"Is there any updates on finding The Voidwalker?" I asked.

"Sora, are you being serious, he just attacked us yesterday and you already want to fight him again?" Enzo asked.

"Whatever, that fight can't be the worst fight I've had and it doesn't matter. Is there any news?"

"No," Enzo said with a sigh. "Everyone that had been keeping an eye out for The Voidwalker is looking around."

"Is that enough people?" I asked.

"Without knowledge about his habits or allies, we can't narrow down his location without more leads or tracking devices," Enzo said.

"How come you guys aren't out there looking for him," I asked.

"Why would we, I told you he wouldn't come back to school?" Enzo said.

"If you guys won't find him, then I'm going to have to look for him myself." I said, grabbing my coat and pulling it on over my shirt, slipping my shoes back onto my feet. "The more we wait the longer he could be planning his next attack,"

"Sora, maybe you should think twice about this, especially since we aren't one hundred percent on whether he even is after you." Leo said.

"Even if he isn't, we still can't risk anything, the best way to stop the chaos is by eliminating The Voidwalker once and for all," I replied, opening the front door and stepping outside the room, taking my first step towards ending the madness.

Leo stared at me for several seconds as he processed my statement. "Don't you think we're better off waiting?" He asked hesitantly, reaching forward and grabbing a hold of my shoulders, giving it a slight tug towards him to keep my attention.

I took a moment to process my thoughts, going through my reasoning and why I believe this course of action was necessary to end The Voidwalker. In truth, the thought of looking for him myself was risky, especially when he's shown the capabilities of some mysterious knowledge of the past. He may be using those advantages to strengthen his power.

The longer he's allowed to go on the rampage, the greater the danger he puts every mage across the world in, something we can't afford given how rare the race is compared to others.

The average person cannot defend themselves against such a powerful foe, even if a lucky blow strikes true or incapacitates him, there's a possibility of being left unscathed but also losing their minds.

I slowly looked around the room, examining everyone in detail. My gaze locked onto a few familiar faces before moving on to the new students. All these people didn't know anything about The Voidwalker or his origins, and no one else knew exactly what had occurred outside the academy walls.

"My answer remains," I said. "We're dealing with an unknown entity capable of anything. If we do nothing now, who knows what chaos could potentially await us tomorrow? No one should ever underestimate someone such as this. The mere idea itself could mean that he already possesses an upper-hand over us if we're ignorant enough to overlook such a notion and leave it unchecked, unhindered. That would leave an opening for The Voidwalker to take advantage and exploit. Even now, he could easily strike again when he believes we're not expecting him, catching us unprepared and vulnerable. We can't allow ourselves to fall victim to such a weakness or folly. Instead, we need to act fast and hit hard while we have an advantage!"

"How long have you been thinking about this? Wait, why are we even talking about this." Leo said.

"Since last night, even before it, honestly." I replied calmly.

"This isn't healthy. Especially since he just fought you. This could trigger flashbacks, PTSD or something else."

I shook my head in disagreement, "No, that's not possible."

"Why? Because you're special or something," Leo said, frustration rising in his tone, but I kept a stoic expression and pushed forward.

"That isn't important right now," I said firmly, glancing back towards Leo and Enzo. "You're just here to follow orders and look out for me. Let me do what I do best."

Leo smashed his hand on a desk in a fit of rage. "SORA WHAT THE HELL HAS GOTTEN INTO YOU?! YOU KNOW WHAT THE VOIDWALKER IS CAPABLE OF!" Leo yelled, raising his voice, "ARE YOU DAFT?! ARE YOU MAD?!"

"NO." I shouted back as I slammed my foot on the ground. "I'M SANE!"

The two boys froze in surprise, stunned speechless as they watched my anger grow. My eyes widened as my body shook uncontrollably. Every muscle ached from my rage, veins bulging beneath my pale skin. "YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HE CAN DO!"

"Sora... The Voidwalker killed my father and my sister right in front of my eyes, if anyone should be saying that, it's me." Leo said, staring me down. "Don't go saying things that you shouldn't be saying. I may have been young at the time but I would never forget that day. That's why I need to talk to my family about our search,"

"And that is your choice. Not mine. But I do wish you success,"

Leo looked hurt by my bluntness, though he hid it behind a stoic mask. He turned and stomped off without another word.

"Dammit! That damn brat! If it hadn't been for him, we wouldn't have ended up in this position," Enzo thought as he clenched his hands tightly.

"Your point being?" I inquired.

"My point is that the whole ordeal was a waste of time and energy. Especially yours. How is someone like this supposed to solve the problems plaguing us?" Enzo asked as he stared daggers into the side of my head.

I raised an eyebrow slightly as the corner of my lip twitched upward in a smug smirk. "Wise," I muttered low enough so only the boy beside could hear me.

He let out a heavy breath of air. "Anyway, we need to find the fucker. Any ideas, Mr. Knowledgeable?"

My eyes narrowed at his snide comment. He returned the gesture with one of his own as well. "Where do we begin our search, Sora?" He asked, keeping his voice level.

"Search for places that fit what we know. Or maybe for patterns and such." I replied simply.

"How are we gonna do that when all we've done for weeks is run around blindly in random areas trying to find him. There is no pattern or anything."

"There has to be a trace of his mana somewhere, anything that could lead us to him."

"What would you even know about this, you didn't even try to get rid of that parasite last time he showed up." Enzo asked.

"Enzo, tell me... when did you become such a fucking yapper?" I retorted.

Enzo's face flushed red and his eyes grew wide, looking straight ahead while his head started bobbing back and forth. He grit his teeth together as he struggled to remain composed. Then finally after a few moments his expression relaxed as he regained control and calmed down.

He finally turned to me with a smile. "Sorry Sora. Guess I'm still a little shook up from last night."

My eyes met his and I gave him a friendly smile, which caused him to blink a few times. "Sora, I'm glad that you're back and okay, honestly," Enzo said with relief before returning his focus ahead of us.

I watched him walk beside me, feeling nothing but guilt within his aura. Guilt from what happened. Guilt for what we both had to do. And yet despite everything, despite his mistakes, despite how much of a fool I felt, it was impossible to stay mad at him. Especially when he was suffering himself.

He glanced back at me for a second, his eyes meeting mine. Those familiar hazel orbs gazed back, full of uncertainty but also determination. And after what seemed like forever, he returned to his usual happy self, the one I was used to.