To better think about the right decision to make, we each went to a corner to reflect. The atmosphere was silent and heavy, each of us lost in our thoughts, saying nothing.
Faced with Reimu's army, to be ready in time, there was no other option than to go to the world Drakaryon. But for that, it meant taking the risk of having no way to return, or even worse. And even if we managed to return home, we would have to be separated from our loved ones for several months. These conditions made making the right decision even more complicated. But on the other hand, if we couldn't manage to defeat Reimu, who knows what would happen to the world?
As we were thinking, Kael left the room to walk into the corridors. He perhaps wanted to be alone to think better. But I made the decision to follow him, so we could have a discussion.
I left the room shortly after Kael and arrived in a hallway. I saw Kael near a window, observing Earth from space. I approached him and stood beside him, not saying a word at first.
After a few moments of observing Earth together, I spoke and asked Kael in a calm voice: "Kael, in your opinion, what should we do?"
Kael didn't say a word, then he spoke: "I don't know. To be honest, I don't know what the right decision is for us. But I suppose you've already made your choice. Haven't you, Nozomi?"
I turned to Kael. "I think we should go to this world despite everything." He turned to me as well and I continued, my voice heavy: "It's sad. We had just gone through a very difficult ordeal and in these circumstances, Elyra's news can only bring us down."
Kael answered me, his gaze lost in the void: "They are stronger than that, they have a greater mental strength than me anyway. After the defeat against Raven, it was me who found myself at my lowest. Without you, I don't know what I would do today."
I lowered my head and turned to face Earth again, in a low voice: "Through this battle, I became aware of the power that was within me. There is a strong chance that Reimu wants, in addition to taking his revenge, to take my power. And it is my responsibility to fight. For the fate of the world, I cannot afford to lose to him."
After a pause, I looked Kael straight in the eyes and told him with determination: "Whatever the others choose, I will respect their choice, but I will still go to the world Drakaryon. If necessary, I will go alone. Reimu Hikarizuki was the enemy of our parents and now he wants to come after us. We must be absolutely ready when the time comes, even if it means making sacrifices."
After I finished speaking, Kael smiled and said: "Then there will be at least two of us making the journey. Wherever you go, I can't leave you alone, brother."
He extended his hand, fist clenched in front of him, and I did the same. Our fists collided in front of the view of Earth from space. I told him with a grateful look, a lump in my throat: "Thank you."
Meanwhile, Aria, Harris, and Shinrei were discussing on their side. Aria was staring at the ground, her hands trembling slightly on her knees. Harris spoke: "Listen, staying silent each in our corner won't solve anything. We need to talk about this. Nozomi and Kael are surely discussing this in their corner."
Aria looked up, her eyes red. She answered Harris with an unsure voice: "Precisely, knowing those two, there's a strong chance they'll decide to leave even if we refuse. Even though, between us, they are the strongest, alone in this world, their chances are practically zero."
Harris clenched his fists on his knees. "You're right, they're so stubborn!"
Shinrei exclaimed, nervously biting his lip: "Then we have no other choice. We're not going to leave them alone, are we?" He paused, then added in a whisper: "At least, it won't be too hard to decide like this."
Aria wiped away a tear discreetly and nodded with a fragile smile. "We'll stay together. We leave together or not at all."
As Kael and I were about to return to the room to see the others, Kael stopped me. He wanted to tell me something important. "I wanted to apologize for that moment. I hit you and poured all my frustration and anger on you for no reason. When you wanted to help me, I hit you without any restraint. Sorry!"
I was surprised that Kael was still thinking about that. With a big smile and a light laugh, I told him: "You don't need to worry about that, it's already forgotten. You saved my life in the building, we can say we're even now."
After this little moment, we returned to see the others to discuss together. Once back, Harris, as soon as he saw us, exclaimed with a smirk: "Done? Have you finally decided? So, when do we leave?"
I was surprised by Harris's questions. I didn't expect that kind of question, let alone that kind of reaction from them. With a suddenly questioning look, I asked: "What do you mean? You mean you've decided to come with us?"
With a big smile, Harris said: "Of course! We're not going to let you go alone. We knew you two would make the decision to leave for the world Drakaryon. In fact, we were waiting for you."
"But are you sure? You'll be separated from your loved ones for a long time. Moreover, it might be a one-way trip."
Aria stepped forward to speak, her eyes shining with determination despite the traces of dried tears: "I think it's the same for you as well. I know you're worried about us, Nozomi, but we've thought about it carefully. We're following you. This is not the time to hesitate. It was you who lifted us up in the dark moments. Now it's our turn to move forward."
With a simple "thank you," I thanked them for their support, my voice strangled by emotion. I was definitely ready from the start to go alone despite all the risks and dangers. However, I didn't expect that to be the case for my brothers and sister as well. At that moment, I told myself that I was really lucky to have them by my side.
Kael put his hand on my shoulder and told me with pride: "You see, I told you so. They are not weak. We were all born of the same parents. We're alike in a sense, just as stubborn, courageous, and strong as you."
I answered him with a sincere smile on my lips: "It seems you were right." Then I addressed everyone: "Well, then we will leave in two weeks. Until the moment of departure arrives, spend time with your loved ones and prepare yourselves. We don't know when we'll see them again. It is therefore important to spend as much time with them as possible."
Elyra, who had been watching the scene, spoke: "I see that you have made your decision. I apologize for not having a plan B and that you have to take so many risks. But I am also happy to know that you will all five be reunited during this ordeal. Your greatest strength is the bonds you are able to forge between individuals."
Shinrei reassured Elyra: "It's not your fault, Elyra. You're already doing enough for us and don't bury us just yet. I can assure you that we will come back. But there is a problem we haven't addressed."
We looked at him, wondering what it was. After a short pause, Shinrei asked Elyra: "Elyra, do you have a solution to hide our absence from our parents? It's going to be complicated to explain such a long absence to them."
Unfortunately, Elyra had no solution to this problem. We should have expected that, it would have been too good to be true. Such a long absence, we could never hide it or explain it. It was time to face reality.
Nozomi spoke, his brow furrowed in thought: "Listen, I think it's time for them to know the whole reality. But if we tell them now, we won't be able to predict their reaction."
Elyra cut me off to say: "Nozomi, I think you and the others should trust your parents."
"Of course we trust them, but the situation is delicate. If we tell them the truth, they might be against it and prevent us from leaving. We can't take that kind of risk. It will only create more problems to take into account. Here's what I propose."
My plan was to make it seem like we were going to a vacation camp for two weeks. This would allow us to leave without them preventing us. However, before we left, we would leave a letter to our parents to reveal part of the story and reassure them during our long absence. Once we returned, we would tell them the whole truth.
"I know that on one hand, it's cruel to put them through that, but in this situation, it's the best option. Do you agree with me?"
Harris spoke first, his eyebrows furrowed: "This idea doesn't really excite me, to be honest, but it's true that I don't see another solution. If we reveal the whole truth and they learn all the dangers we're about to take, there's very little chance they'll be for it."
The others came to the same conclusion as Harris and accepted my plan. Once this problem was solved, we all went home to rest and spend as much time as possible with our families.
We spent these two weeks each surrounded by our loved ones, talking, enjoying ourselves, and especially creating memories. For them, it seemed like any other time. But for us, we cherished these moments in a way we never had before. Who knows when these moments would return? On the outside, we smiled, but on the inside, there was only sadness at seeing these moments, the smiles of our parents, their voices, the good home-cooked meals that would disappear as time passed.
As for the vacation camp, our parents were obviously surprised at this desire to leave for a camp that came out of nowhere. But after discussions, they finally accepted. To please us or because we insisted so much, we don't know. But they saw that it meant a lot to us and that's what made them finally accept.
After these two weeks had passed, the moment of departure finally arrived. We had packed our bags, gathering what was most essential: some clothes, food…
I found myself in front of the door, ready to leave. My parents were also present with me for the departure. I turned around, facing them. My throat tightened. Tears burned my eyes, threatening to spill over, but I held back, needing to hide appearances. I took a breath and tried to put on a smile as best I could, then told them: "Well, it's time. Take care of yourselves."
After a short moment, I looked at them and asked: "What is it?"
They looked at me before saying, their eyes shining: "Nothing, we're just happy to see that you're doing much better. We were worried, but we had confidence in you. Enjoy your vacation and come back home soon, stronger and greater."
Facing their words and seeing their faces, I understood something. Why do I try so hard and care so much about becoming a hero? It's because I want to protect people in need. People are waiting for someone to come and help them, and it's to become that person that I make all this effort. I must become strong to protect them: my parents, my siblings, even those I don't know.
I hugged them as hard as I could before leaving, then I straightened my head and, with a confident and determined look, with a smile on my face, I told them: "You can trust me. I'll be back soon, so prepare a good meal for my return."
When I turned around to go through the door, I thought I saw a tear of pride on my mother's face and I thought I heard her murmur: "You've grown so much. Your smile is as radiant as it was on the first day. Good luck, Nozomi, come back home soon," all while being in the arms of my father who was holding her as I left.
Once I went through the door, it closed behind me, leaving me alone in front of my house. I stood still for a few seconds, my heart heavy, my hands trembling slightly along my body. I engraved this image in my memory: the door of my house, the lit windows, everything that had been my normal life.
Very quickly, I was teleported to the ship where I found myself surrounded by my brothers and sister.
Now that we were all five reunited and had done what needed to be done, Elyra, with the key, opened the portal taking us to the world Drakaryon. The portal shimmered in front of us. On the other side, we could see nothing, just darkness.
A heavy silence fell. I felt my breathing accelerate.
Kael went first, disappearing into the darkness without a backward glance. Then Aria, who hesitated for a fraction of a second before jumping. Then Harris, his fists clenched. Then Shinrei, who gave me one last look before going through the portal. My turn came and I took one last trembling breath, looked one last time at the ship, then jumped into this portal symbolizing the beginning of our new adventure and the determination that carried us.