Choice

Midnight struck the Albastor Pavillion as the unknown man approached Ryo, Natia, and Claire, who clutched an unconscious Jinrai in her shaken arms. Ryo, who protected the others by standing in front of them, was beyond confounded and bewildered as to how the man knew his name without disclosing it. The man was an inanimate object with a bronze shell that somehow had a life of its own, hidden in disguise waiting for its daughter to plead for help. And now, Ryo had no idea if he could handle another opponent on his own without Jinrai's support.

"How the hell do you know my name?!" Ryo shouted, defending the others. Weiss's crystalized face on the man's chest made him another twisted eerie monster, only this time, he appeared much less grotesque and monstrous than the Jester's malformed transformation.

The man chuckled, rotating his shoulders to stretch. "It's simple," He said, continuing to maintain Jinrai's voice. He closed his eyes and lifted his right palm until he stroked the bottom of his chin upright, swaying it toward his nose and forehead. He opened them, revealing the gleaming amber eyes of his absorbed victim. "Because of Ash Meguro."

"Ash-" Ryo stammered, losing his breath the moment that name was spoken aloud. Natia took notice of the name's impact that it had on Ryo, observing him freezing in time. She did not know the name's significance, but she knew that it was related to him in some shape or form. The question is, how did this unknown deity know the name of Ryo's childhood love and the mistake that cost him nine years of his life away?

His cold-blooded veins began pumping insecurities into his volatile brain, conflicted with the past after being reminded of Ash Meguro. Her significance with Sophie also made it all the more gut-wrenching and heartbreaking to hear it. And in those moments of his life where he believed he was strangling the one who ruined his life, Sez Fuma, he was gripping tightly onto Ash herself. It was a mistake. His past was a fallacy.

"Don't say her name," Ryo hushed. "How dare you say her name... without even knowing who she is?! Who the fuck are you!? How do you know her fucking name!?" He lashed out with his arm, demanding answers for the traumatic stress that the unknown man caused.

The man placed his right hand on his stomach, palm up, and respectfully lowered his head down to present a sense of honor between the two. "Don't be alarmed, Ryo," The man said serenely. "I am Hameki, the true form of the memory fragment that resided within my daughter. I know her name because... I am a part of her."

"What...?" Ryo could not believe what he was hearing; it was like an unpleasant fever dream that he just wanted to end. "What do you mean, you're a part of her? Talk!" He yelled.

Hameki chuckled again, placing his pitch-black hands by his side. "Have you ever heard of... a special-grade memory fragment? Its properties are much like a regular memory fragment, but it contains special abilities that only a specific person in this world could house." He explained.

Ryo, Natia, and Claire both kept their guard as Hameki pretended to be a scholar, pacing back and forth. Each consecutive step that he took pulsated the ground, creating rifts of violet energy that emerged from his invisible psychic aura.

"These people are very unique, indeed," Hameki continued. "It takes a great deal of trauma to create such a negative emotion to formulate a special-grade memory fragment. And I have seen it all. A fragment of my memories calls the name Ash Meguro to me, because I am a part of her, and you... are the reason why my daughter exists."

"This is bullshit!" Ryo cried, losing his grasp of the situation. "I didn't mean for this to happen! I didn't choose this!"

"Oh, but you did," Hameki continued pressuring Ryo, and Natia watched every single last bit of it. "I was created as a failsafe for my daughter if she was pushed to the brink of death. I would carry all of her burdens and responsibilities for her from there on, merging with the memory fragment and becoming whole. And right now, as we speak, more are being formed, and more are scattered across Aries."

"More are..." Ryo paused, realizing the meaning of his hint. There was a chance at redemption. A glimpse of hope surfaced at the bottom of his heart, but he was reluctant to go towards the light that would satisfy him. "So, Ash Meguro is alive? She's alive?"

Hameki laughed. Instead of telling Ryo the true answer to his question, he extended his hand and rotated his palm until it faced up, gesturing for Ryo to come to him with a mere beckon. "I can tell you everything you want to know, Ryo Nakai. Under one condition." He bargained.

Before he could relay his deal aloud, Natia stepped in front of Ryo, stealing his shortsword and aiming it toward Hameki. She stood tall and confident, protecting Ryo with every single last bit of strength inside her spirit. Ryo had been thinking about the state of Ash Meguro ever since Hameki mentioned her name, and Natia's sudden arrival and defense hoped that he would change his mind.

"No conditions. We're done here," Natia strongly insisted, blocking Ryo's view of Hameki's shrewd gaze. "You can take your memory fragment or whatever the fuck it is and shove it."

"Oh... if it isn't the woman who stirred up my daughter's emotions to make her a child again," Hameki mentioned Natia's emotional impact on the Jester's sanity. "And, if I may ask, what is your plan if Ryo rejects my knowledge?"

"You wanna find out?" Natia threatened, jabbing the shortsword in the air to provoke him.

"I think we should let Ryo decide for himself," Hameki decided, taking a single step forward with his palm extended. "It is only fair. He should be able to make his own decisions. After all, he was not able to when he was but a young... little... boy."

Ryo approached Natia from the side, placing his fingers on the tip of the shortsword to lower it down. Natia couldn't comprehend why he would even think about siding with Hameki, the enemy of his greatest fears. She assumed his inculpable mindset persevered him to take sides, which immeasurably wounded her heart for his decision. She grabbed both of Ryo's shoulders and gently pushed him away as Ryo walked toward Hameki.

"What the fuck are you doing!?" Natia cried, holding her disheartened tears back hoping that Ryo would have a change of heart. "It's not worth it, Ryo! The past is the past, just like you told me! It's no different with you! Don't let it control you, for fucks sake!"

"Ryo, come here," Hameki continued peer pressuring Ryo's decision. "I know all about Ash Meguro. I can tell you exactly where she is, what she's doing, how she felt where you despised her. I can tell you everything about her life and how she can be free. You just need to come to me and shake my hand."

"BULLSHIT!" Natia screamed, pushing Ryo back as much as she could after he insisted on walking toward Hameki. His slow, sluggish steps reminded her of the vow that they had promised together, and the fact that Ryo was willing to trash it entirely shattered her heart.

"Ryo, Ryo, listen to me!" She released her pent-up tears as she pressed her palms around his swollen cheeks. Natia was hellbent on stopping an immovable force who was sundered ever since birth. It was frustrating when he was unable to understand her perspective. "He's lying to you! Look at me. Look at me!" She repeated exactly what Ryo said to her when Eve violated her mind, obscuring her judgment and life choices. His eyes only looked straight into Hameki, completely ensnared by the trauma that he wanted to end. "Look at me, Ryo! Please, look at me!"

"Look at me, Ryo," Hameki said as he approached him halfway. Natia continuously pushed him back. Claire wanted to support her, but she only observed, wanting to take care of Jinrai and Weiss. "I have the power to change your past. I can tell you everything! I can tell you who defiled your love, April Springwell. Your true love. I can tell you how it all happened. I know everything. Come to me."

"NO!" Natia pushed Ryo even further, leaning on him to prevent him from moving. "Stop it, Ryo! Please! Fuck, I'm begging you!"

Ryo took another step past Natia.

"I'M SORRY!" Natia yelled at the top of her lungs. Ryo stopped. Hameki and Claire watched both of them. "For everything! For hurting you when you were at your most vulnerable state. For blaming you for my family's deaths. For not listening to you when you told me the truth about myself! For being a stubborn piece of shit jackass all the time! For not being there for you when you really needed it when you were young... I'm sorry! You can..."

Natia completely broke down in tears; her cheeks were shriveled raisins, and her eyes were bloodshot and puffy. "You can hate me and blame me all you want. If that's what it takes for you to go... then so be it. Just please stop... I'm begging you..." She pleaded, reaching for Ryo from a distance.

Ryo's eyes lowered themselves until his black hair hid his eyes. He approached Hameki, making his final decision. Natia froze, with her heart breaking at the sight of Ryo betraying her for the sanctity and confirmation of his past. Hameki extended his palm even further for Ryo to see, persuading him to join him for good. "I can end your pain," Hameki confirmed. "Shake... my... hand."

She could no longer utter her name, as her heart split in two. Her voice was inaudible. She watched as Ryo lifted his hand toward Hameki's palm, only for him to slap it away at full force. Natia gasped, choking on her saliva and holding her emotions in. He chose her. He chose her and she could not believe it.

"Sorry, buddy," Ryo spoke with a solid emphasis on his decision. His eyes glared up at Hameki, who was in awe by his ultimate decision. "But I made a promise, and I intend to keep it." Ryo referenced his vow to Natia of spending more time with her.

"You're making a mistake..." Hameki stated, disappointed in his decision.

"You made a mistake thinking I'm that weak," Ryo corrected. "You think my life depends on the terrible decisions that I've already made when in reality, it's the decisions that I make that bring me the most happiness. You formulate this pathetic argument thinking that I'll go and do whatever you say just because you drop Ash Meguro's name. Even if what you say is true about her, I'm in no rush to find out if you threaten me to drop everything good in my life into a pile of shit."

Natia smiled with absolute joy, placing her hands over her mouth to contain it all. Ryo looked back at her with gleaming passionate eyes, choosing her instead of the trauma that was already inflicted on him years prior. He genuinely smiled at her, seeing an optimistic future where she was overjoyed with a new life of her own.

His decision was a major sacrifice for Sophie's sake, his past's sake, Sumire's sake, and Ash's sake. Yet it was a sacrifice he was willing to make if he was to protect Natia and the others, and that is all that mattered to him. He turned back at Hameki, eyes connected with him after his decision.

"There are more important things in my life other than who I was," Ryo clarified. "So my answer to you is no. My life is not yours to take. Fuck you." He rejected, finalizing his decision.

Hameki sighed, slanting his mouth in sheer mortification. His angled eyes drooped down in regret, shaking his head at Ryo and the others. "Well," He voiced out. "Your choice."

An invisible psychic force seized Ryo by the arms and legs, preventing him from moving. Natia nearly slipped as she rushed forward to pull back Ryo from Hameki's frontal attack, which was either life or death. Hameki solidified and sharpened his hand in the shape of a black blade, swinging horizontally toward Ryo's neck to decapitate him. Claire screamed in panic, closing her eyes while clutching Weiss's weakened body out of shock.

"RYO!" Natia's final howl was instantly interrupted by the thundering boom of a flashing presence that erupted behind her. In less than a half second, Natia witnessed the aura of a cyan-figure passing by her and Ryo.

The figure clashed with Hameki before he could deal the final blow. The invisible psychic force released Ryo from captivity as Hameki's blade clashed with another's. It had stolen Natia's shortsword and Ryo's V2 nanosuit in the blink of an eye. Ryo fell back into Natia's arms, witnessing together the miraculous juncture that was implausible by all standards of expectations.

"You... will... not... touch... THEM!" Jinrai's cold-blooded and murderous intent was captured by the sheer force of his voice's tone. He was the one who collided with Hameki's bladed arm, using Natia's shortsword to stop his assault. Perceived to have been a laid-back individual who relished in enthusiastic peace, his mindset was shifted to only harbor a killer's goal. He revived himself even with a missing arm for several reasons that gave him a reason to utilize his full unadulterated strength.

The ultimate decision that Ryo made against Hameki, even at the cost of the truth of his past, overborne him with pride. The explosion of the raw emotion of Natia supporting the people of Kathuz, admitting her faults, and showing her true colors signaled a sense of immense growth inside her, which overjoyed him. Combined with Claire's hopeful affection and Weiss's confirmed rescue, Jinrai knew that he could not die before congratulating all three of them for how much they had grown throughout the mission.

He was too angry and proud to die. Not yet.

Ryo, Natia, and Claire basked in Jinrai's revived glory as he clashed with Hameki with all his might, releasing his full potential. Before, he considered himself a nobody who made poor decisions. Now, he had found his true identity as a mentor, a jokester, a lover, and a protector of his friends and the people that they wanted to protect. His intervention signaled the final battle; a battle of growth versus a battle of the past.