Chapter 77, A Path I've Chosen For Myself

"Arata, we're all good to go." Liam said and I nodded.

"We'll be going now." I told the others.

"Are you sure we shouldn't go with you?" Mao asked.

"Yeah. We need Braves here to defend the city, and we work better when it's just us." I told him. "Besides, with the Four Cardinal Beasts on rage the ones to drive the Chimeras away have fallen. You should be prepared for anything."

"Okay then." May answered nad took my ahdn and gripped it tight. "Be careful."

"We will." I answered and voarded the ship. "Is everyone ready?"

"We're all good." Lucas answered as I climbed the stairs to the steering wheel that was just something similar to a computer. "Loading Vi into the ship's core. Leon, Mitan, Andrew can you guys pull that lever down for me?"

"Lever?" Leon asked and I pointed to the giant metal lever on the ship's side. "Okay."

As they pull the lever down, Theo and Will help them. The lever is very hard but once it's pulled down, the ship will move.

"Setting course for the Forest of Fallen Leaves now. Everyone be prepared for departure." I told them as the ship's thrusters began to make noises and the ship's mast glowed bright. "Here we go!"

The ship rises up and when they finally managed to pull the lever down, the ship begins moving west. It'll be a few days trip but as long as there aren't any storms we'll arrige by daybreak three days from now.

"How's everyone?" I asked as I set the ship on autopilot.

"We're fine." Theo answered.

"You've got a lobg way to go before you reach the Forest of Fallen Leaves." Van says as he falls from the mast. "Hey."

"Van?! Why are you here?!" I exclaimed.

"My jobs to watch the events of the worlds, right now you're going to do something important so I have to record it." He answered. "So I'm here."

"That's all?!" Ethan exclaimed.

"Yeah. We Called Ones aren't capable of turning our back on our Roles. We follow them." He answered. "So, even if I wanted to stay behin I can't. Because my Crest won't let me."

"Is it the same for Arata?" Reinhardt asked.

"Not exactly. The Role of Chooser isn't bound like the rest of us. The Chooser has the right to choose his path." Van said. "So, he has the right to choose whether he will continue down his current path or go the other way. For the Chooser countless paths are laid out, each with their own endings."

"How did you become the Chooser?" Leon asked.

"I can't recall. Though Sylphid returned my memories of the past a fraction of it is still hazy and feels lost." I answered. "So, I can't even remember how I became the current Brave of the Sacred Flower. Van do you know why?"

"No. As far as I know the Le Fleur of each generation is chosen differently. It can depend on their will, goal or resolve at times." He answered. "But... from what I have observed and learned, the Le Fleur is choosen by his heart."

"Heart?" I asked.

"You have a mission, the weight of that mission bears down on you. A mission you must complete bo matter what, but it is also a burden only the Fleurs will ever know." He answered. "So, to ensure that the current Le Fleur doesn't fall to said burden, the Fleur is chosen based on the heart, on how strong their resolve is."

"So that's how it was." I answered.

"Before you were chosen you likely faced something that made you worthy of being the Fleur." He stated. "In my case, I wanted to know the truth and to learn what it was, that's why I ended up being the Le Livre."

"What about Siant then?" Lia asked.

"Oh, Navire had Saint face a trial before he became the Le Navire." I answered.

"Navire, Livre, Fleur and two more, I don't know about the other two but as far as the first three goes, there is a reason they are chosen." Van stated. "Well, it has nothing to do with me how the others are selected, my main mission is watch how Arata will face his fate."

Just then, Leon's stomach grumbled and I smiled. It is getting late, we should have dinner now. In the ships haul a large dining area was present. A kitchen was present as well. Rachel, Theo and Ethan cooks while the rest of us set the table. After dinner I leave the table to get some fresh air. As I'm feeling the gold wind blow against my face, I recal Van's words earlier. My fate.

"Face my fate... is it?" I smiled as I gazed at the sea of stars above me. "I wonder just what awaits me at the end of this path I walk on."

"That's for you to find out." Van said as he stood beside me and smiled. "When we walk, the ground we have treaded becomes hardened and becomes a path and will end when we stop moving forward."

"That is..." I tried to understand what he meant.

"But even if we stopped where we stood right now, someone else will inherit our will, the reason why we started walking down this path in the first place." He said as he patted my shoulder. "The path before you is your own, a path shaped by your choices, where it will lead depends on you."

"Thanks." I said as I leaned outwards to gaze at the ground.

"Don't worry about it." He smiled. "Everyone needs a shoulder or two to lean on. But you've got a lot of shoulders."

I don't understand what he means at first before he points to group staring at us from a distance. I smile, it's not that I don't rely on them but I just didn't want to make them worry. They gather around me and hug me and I smile. It's fine, this path I'm walking on, it's definitely a path I've chosen for myself and no one else.