Chapter 45 – The Leader (2)

Leo follows me, and we finally catch up with Wyrom… just sitting at a rock, and looking at the sky filled with stars.

We silently walk to him, as he doesn't even flinch off our presence.

"It's… late," I say, knowing that I was to be blamed for his condition. For everyone's condition.

If only I hadn't met them and told them.

"I just wanted to find some peace," Wyrom says.

"Wyrom, we understand about the Leishankan way-" Leo tries to say.

"-It isn't about that," Wyrom cuts Leo off.

Even I would think before cutting Leo off. But Leo doesn't actually seems to mind being cut off.

"Then what is it?" Leo asks instead.

"You wouldn't understand."

"Stop being a baby," I scoff.

"Drego, please," Leo says.

I just stay silent. Truly I wasn't good at this talk. While Skyto or Hailo would go easy on everyone, I go hard at them… always. It hurt me, doing that. I had to write myself as the pain in their ass. But someone sure had to do it. Agusth would have wanted this. She always tried to be that.

Leo goes near Wyrom and places his hand on Wyrom's shoulder.

"I think… as friends, we are supposed to still listen when we don't understand you. Because I know that we don't hope to be understood, always… just heard."

"It's just…" Wyrom says and looks at the ground.

I place my hand on his other shoulder, looking at the sky. Wyrom looks at me, but I keep staring at the sky.

"I feel both powerless and powerful at the same time. I can't spar with any of you. I may end up getting hurt badly or hurting either of you. I'm okay with the prior one. The latter… what if I hold back and am seen only as powerless? Because I can't afford to… see any of my friends hurt. Again."

My hand slightly shivers, and Leo puts his hand upon mine, as I try to take mine away.

"Wyrom… we aren't all powerful you know," Leo says, looking right at me.

"You all are," Wyrom says, pondering into the ground.

As I look at Leo, something in his eyes trigger, and he moves back with the words on him.

"But you are the only one who has worked the hardest," I say.

"Drego… I… am a coward."

"That you are," I say, scoffing at him.

"Drego-" Leo tries to stop me.

"-you all are," I add instead, stopping Leo… as I look straight into his eyes.

Leo avoids my eyes. And Wyrom just stays silent, accepting it.

"So am I. Obviously. But you know what makes you all better than me? Neither of you are the kind of cowards who stone-heartedly speaks to everyone to show that they are the leader. To feel less weaker."

Was the phrase 'Cat out of the bag'? Yeah, something like that. This is what it meant. And Leo and Wyrom had to bear it, wordlessly.

"Everyday I keep pushing everyone. To show that as if I'm better. That I'm the only one strong enough to put you down and get you up if I want to. I'm jealous okay? Spythun with his fast technique, Skyto with his skills, and you with your strength. You think I could defeat any of you in a straight fight? I couldn't even do it with an ambush."

"Drego… have you been…?" Leo asks me… unable to frame his sentence, trying to find it on my face. And I complete his sentence with my own mind.

"Every, day. I just hope how I get your rage, I get your expertise. But it doesn't work that way," I say… I knew their pain, while trying their skin. I knew what they went through, I could observe it on their faces. "You think you are powerless? Then what's the word for a person like me?"

Wyrom just continues staring at the herb-filled ground.

"You're not weak, Drego," Leo says.

"Yeah?" I scoff. I knew this'd only get me their pity… I didn't need it.

"You have your own skillset. You could defeat even me," Leo says.

"Oh really? And how'd I do that?" I blatantly ask… and darkness fills in my heart.

I look at Leo, and I see it in his eyes. I see the answer to that question, as he starts parting his lips to say it even.

"Turn into Trinity, right now. And fight me."

I feel my heart in my throat, and gulp it down to its place. I hadn't dared trying to become like one of them after…

+

"Tyle, Tyle… you run away so much. It is quite a pity. Let me just cut your other arm for you, deal? All nice and slow, as you feel the pain. And who's going to stop me? These kids you want to protect?" I ask, wearing Lithin's skin.

As if sitting in the backseat, I helplessly watch this.

"Kid…" Tony says, putting her hand out. "Calm down, okay?"

"Aunt Light… so you think this is a FUCKING joke?"

"What? What did you just…" Tony asks, with tears in her eyes.

"Light-light-light. You seem like you're seeing a dead person. You should be thinking that of everyone, after losing so many… Maybe if Line were here, I'd have put him in place too."

+

Line was cool with me, but Tony… hated me. She kicked my ass that day, showing that being Lithin wouldn't make a difference. At least not in front of her.

But Trinity… even that name was shudder-worth.

"Leo… are you crazy?" Wyrom asks.

Leo turns to stare at Wyrom, and Wyrom just looks startled.

"I mean… that's crazy to say. You're joking right?"

"No," Leo says in a heartbeat.

"You know what happens at her transformation," Wyrom points.

Things like losing my own self, many times. Allies like Tyle were fine. Even being Leo would be hard for me. I didn't have the complete grasp on my powers. I had used these powers for every single day, but, I wasn't ready for becoming that person. Or I'd BECOME that person.

Structure, personality, voice, powers. Skills and memories were the only things limited after transformation. But the more I knew about them, or the less I did… the worse it became, I suppose. Their pasts would hurt me, or make me happy, or both.

In conclusion, I'd be an empty vessel filled with only… madness of one. Madness of different aspects.

"I know. But I want to show her how strong she is. And also, no one here agrees to spar with me," Leo says… yeah, true, there sure was a reason to that though. "In that form, we'll be even."

"So you can finally kill me with double rage? No thank you," I finally speak.

"I have changed a lot. I'll take it down one or two notches. And it'll be Wyrom's responsibility to stop us if it comes to it."

"M-m-me?" Wyrom asks.

"Y-yah-you, yes," I sigh. "At least that would give me hope of things not messing up, that is."

"Maybe I won't pull back my punches," Leo says.

"You can't really afford ripping me apart. Jokes aside, even I know that."

"Please make it a fair spar and move away from each other," Wyrom turns referee.

I sigh and turn back to walk away from them. I hear Leo's footsteps, and we pace the same way, leaving Wyrom as the centre of us. After quite a distance, we stop together, feeling that it was enough, and turn back.

Wyrom seems to be the nervous one here, and it was obvious.

Trinity and Leo… we didn't know how strong the other Rahamboses were, but… Trinity and Leo were a calibre we could surely, easily, fear.

Lithin was a monster, in my head. I had seen him long back. But one look at what Trinity did to a kid… I couldn't ever think of turning into her.

But with Wyrom AND Leo being here… my crazy could be tampered with.

Leo was the hardest of my transformations ever, after Lithin of course. Something about becoming Leo… I could only think of Trinity and Stree. That one day… driving myself crazy. After all, she had killed something dear to him.

"Is that enough distance for your transformation?" Leo asks.

"Y-yeah," I say and clear my throat.

"The start will be this way… both run to each other and have a melee fight. Powers can be used, but no ranged attack. You may set either me or the forest on fire, or worse. Either of you, honestly," Wyrom says.

"And I won't use my powers until you completely transform and use yours."

"Wow, isn't that too much of backing down?" I ask.

"It's a melee fight either way," Leo shrugs.

Could he even… do melee? I had never seen him.

I just breath-in and calm myself.

"Okay," Wyrom says. "Do not turn dragons and keep your calm. I'll interfere if I feel like it is going wrong."

"We trust in you," Leo says, and Wyrom nods.

"I," I correct Leo.

"See?" Leo says with a smirk, and I shake my head.

"T-thank you," Wyrom still says. "Get ready to fight. In three… two… one… and go!"

And this way, Leo and me race towards each other. And I begin my transformation since the first step. Remembering the face I had seen once when I was young. The face which I was happy that… it was only once I had to witness. None of us could forget her.

#Drego, the kid who blamed herself for all that had happened to her friends. The one who acted strict, because she was the only one who could. The one person who would go to any ends for her friends. The one who valued her friends, over how they saw her. The one who had to learn control-#

-control? Control… I take over her body. So that I can kill this person who took my hand, cut it with ease. That kid… who made me look weak in front of Hate. Let me show these KIDS that-wait a minute. Why am I story telling? You over there… who are you? Did these kids find anoth-