Whispers of the Past

"I did the best I could but you've just... Moved on, haven't you?" Mirai muttered to himself, as Mae and Esther continued to bicker without paying any heed to him.

As Mae attempted to justify her actions, Esther's stern response silenced her. "Did I ask you to?" Esther's low-pitched voice cut through Mae's defense, leaving her speechless. "Then shut the hell up and watch,"

Amidst the bickering, there stood a lost boy. A boy who did not know what to do. He'd vowed to get strong to protect the one he cherished the most, but in the process of gaining that strength, he had alienated himself from her.

Esther declared, "I will beat it back into you, Mirai. You've gotten way too strong-headed."

"Esther."

"Esther."

He tried to call out to her, but they were in vain. The boy's calls went unanswered, and Mirai felt like he was talking to an abyss.

Esther declared, "I will beat it back into you, Mirai. You've gotten way too strong-headed."

"Is it the same person who I once looked up to? Why should I fight her?" Mirai's mind was a maelstrom of thoughts, as he struggled to reconcile with this reality.

"We meet after eight years, right Esther?" Mirai asked with his eyes on the ground.

"Has it been that long? I can't remember. I'm terrible at remembering dates." Esther shot back with a callous voice.

"Hahah, yeah you sure were. You kept forgetting my birthday, didn't you? You kept forgetting your birthday. Do you ever improve?" Mirai asked, his tone still hurt.

"I like to think that I have, but seems like you've gone ahead and made quite a name for yourself, right? Why does it matter?"

"You don't see a need to improve, Esther?" Mirai asked, his hand gripping the wooden saya in frustration.

"Do I need to improve? I must admit that I'm nothing like the old Esther, you know. I'm not going to be oh-so forgiving." Esther couldn't quite understand this cryptic question. 

In Mirai's mind, he saw the same Esther who had defended him all those years ago. "You're still the same."

"What?" Esther was now totally lost in the conversation.

"You're still the same old Esther, standing up for others, taking the fall for others, stepping up, but it frustrates me. It still frustrates me that you have to be doing all of this. You don't have to, you know? I'm here now, so-"

"Just shut up. What right do you think you have to say all of that to me? Who are you to dictate my actions? I do what I want to do, and nothing else. And no, Like I told you before, I'm not the same as you saw me all those years ago."

"Liar!" A primal scream echoed throughout the forest as Mirai's frustration boiled over.

Esther's face softened and showed a bit of emotion, but she quickly recomposed herself. "People change, Mirai. Deal with it." 

Mirai's eyes, filled with a mix of anger and desperation, met Esther's gaze. "I just wanted you to acknowledge me, Esther. I wanted you to see that I've become someone you can rely on, too."

"Thanks for the offer, but I will have to pass. I don't NEED anyone protecting me. I can survive on my own, and help others while I'm at it too."

Mirai took a step back, the weight of the moment pressing on him. "I thought I could bridge the gap, I thought you and I would fight side by side one day... but maybe I was wrong."

"Yes. You are."

Mirai's psyche was starting to crack, and he couldn't take it anymore. "Yeah, you're right. I'm wrong." And just like the passing wind, he disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Leona and Mae exchanged glances, their eyes silently tracing the tension in the air. Leona's fingers twitched at her sides, a subtle sign of her inner conflict, while Mae's gaze flitted between Mirai and Esther, her grip tightening on the gun.

"The hell was of that about?" Leona asked Esther, who didn't bother answering her.

"Let's just get out of here," She said, as she clicked the tonfa together and started to walk back in the direction they came from.

Esther then felt a tug on her hand. "Esther, tell me. What in the world just happened? You have to tell me now."

"No, and I don't have to," Esther responded, each word carrying a tone of chillness that seemed to linger.

Esther just started to make her way out, the echo of her footsteps sounding across the forest as Leona carried Mae in tow.

"Mae, I have to say, I'm pretty impressed with how you used the gun. I didn't think you would do that actually, how did you come up with that?" Leona asked, with a curious tone, as she helped Mae along to walk.

"Uhh wow thanks Leona, I don't know actually, It sorta just came to me naturally," Mae replied. "I did what I thought was the best course of action at that moment in time, as I knew that I could not beat him in a head-on battle."

All of Leona's attention was focused on Mae "For all that absentmindedness, you sure have a keen eye for battle, Mae!" Leona said and gave Mae headpats while clinging on to her.

"Ehehehe thanks," Mae said, slightly relieved to be a bit happy on receiving head pats.

"By the way, how much bounty did you receive, Leona?" Mae asked as she pulled out her Bounty Card, and she saw:

Mae Reinhart:

{Number of pests eliminated: 4}

{Bounty Points gained: 40,000.}

{Bonus: First Quest Completion Bonus: +50% (20,000).}

{Total Bounty Points received: 60,000.}

"Woaah I received fifty thousand for shooting a handful of pests?" Mae exclaimed as she stared into the card with amazement. "How much did you earn, Leona?" Mae asked, her eyes wide with anticipation.

Mae took a peek into Leona's card, and her eyes went wide. "Err, let's see. So I received... Woah." Leona stopped dead in her tracks.

Leona Ingram:

{Number of pests eliminated: 8}

{Bounty Points gained: 80,000.}

{Total Bounty Points received: 80,000.}

"Mae, isn't it kinda unfair to have a first quest bonus here, and get two-thirds of what I got with half the work?" Leona asked, her face turning sad, and her shoulders slumped.

Mae instantly noticed the change in demeanor, and started to panic "N-no it's not like I even knew there was a first mission bonus, Leona! I swear, you did more than me, so you deserve the points!" 

Mae's eyes darted around as she came up with excuses. "Y-you see, outside of Esther, you're the one who did the most work, soo-"

"Esther!" Leona instantly dropped Mae and ran up to Esther, who was walking ahead of them

"Esther. Esther. Oooooooi, at least acknowledge my existence, you numbskull." Leona turned and started to walk backward, right in front of Esther, facing her.

Esther wasn't paying attention to Leona in the slightest. She just continued walking up.

Leona, now hungry to grab Esther's attention, started to wave her hands in front of her. "Heeeeyyyyyy, I exist, you know. Heeeeeeyyyyy!"

Leona finally had enough and reached for Esther's card in her pocket, which Esther smoothly turned and dodged.

"GIVE IT TO MEEEEE!" 

"No, and leave me alone." Leona chased after her, but Esther picked up her pace and ran, with Leona giving chase.

Esther sighed, realizing she couldn't escape this time. She allowed Leona to snatch the card, her face stoic despite the playful struggle.

Leona eagerly examined the card, expecting to find the usual bounty points earned for their recent mission. However, her eyes widened in astonishment as she read the numbers.

Esther Ingram:

{Number of pests eliminated: 28}

{Bounty Points gained: 280,000}

{Total Bounty Points received: 280,000}

TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY THOUSAND!? THAT'S FREAKIN INSANE, ESTHER! Leona jumped up and down in excitement as she held Esther's hand in joy.

Esther sighed again, swatting away Leona's hands, and was clearly unimpressed "It's just numbers," she muttered dismissively.

"Numbers? Esther, this is incredible! You got two hundred and Eighty thousand points in a single mission!" Leona cheered, shaking the Bounty ID card in excitement.

"So?"

"You're treating us tonight! No more questions! Mae, we're gonna have the party of a lifetime!"

"No, I'm certainly not!"

"Well, no one can stop me if I go redeem those points, don'tcha think?" Leona waved around the ID card like some sort of coveted prize.

Esther finally snapped, and lunged at Leona, trying to grab the card, but Leona fought back and pushed her away. "Give it back, you thieving fox!"

Mae felt a bit relieved, seeing them bicker like normal once again. She then looked to the side and could see the red sun setting down. 

The forest echoed once again with the laughs and squeals of their banter and resonated, giving a pleasant feel to it.

Mae clenched her fist and brought it to her face level. Her face had a determined expression.

"I must get stronger, no matter the means."