Chapter 58: Promise
Malon closed his eyes, his soul entirely crushed and defeated.
\'Mother... take me now.\' He said to himself, ready to leave Subworld.
"You fool!" Hanzo slapped Tyr on the back of the head, "Does he not have responsibilities here? Who will take care of his people!? On top of that, this new power he\'s gotten might just make him useless in battle from now on."
Tyr understood the first part and accepted it, but was confused by the latter: "What? How so? He used it fine yesterday."
"Tsk... it\'s not about yesterday. It won\'t be every day that he is lifted up by his ancestors. After recovering, he may not ever get used to this new fighting style. Don\'t underestimate the effect of sudden change on a person. It not only depends on their luck but also their will to change and how much they are willing to put in.
Their conviction, so to speak."
Tyr smiled slightly as he heard this, "If that\'s the case, Malon\'s got it in the bag. Even if he has to stay here to protect his people, I know he will master his new Ancestral Ability."
Hanzo sighed, "Sure man..."
They both looked at Malon. Hanzo left first, saying: "Come on... Rock Saelfine\'s royal is gonna arrive soon. Our quest starts right after."
"I\'ll be there," Tyr said as Hanzo left the room. "Malon, by the time we come back, I need you to be fully healed. I also need you to have your new Ancestral Ability mastered to the same extent as your weaker version."
Malon awoke from his shell of depression, "What? Why so sudden?"
"There\'s also one more thing," Tyr said, ignoring those questions, "What was the name of your father\'s illness?"
Malon\'s eyes expanded, taken aback slightly from what Tyr was trying to imply. He smiled, closing his eyes.
"You are a really good guy, Tyr. Try not to change too much in the future. It\'s called Jooe."
Tyr turned, "Wait here and heal up by the time I get back." He said as he left the room. "Farewell, Malon."
\'I... have never met anyone like him. It\'s like his soul is made of pure gold. He wants my father to be healed so that he can run this city and I can join his Squad. Such an idea really is a dream... no matter whether it happens or not, I will never forget your name, Tyr.\'
***
Tyr arrived at the base of the giant mushroom hotel he and his squad were staying at.
The four other members of Ultimatum who were training just a moment ago met Tyr and Hanzo at the main entrance.
There was a roundabout driveway circling a water fountain in the center right in front of the hotel\'s face.
Ultimatum stood on the sidewalk of the stone driveway directly in front of the entrance.
"Why are we standing here again?" Tyr said, leaning toward Jonas slightly.
"A Royal is coming. We have to greet him properly."
"What\'s the difference between a Royal and a Noble in this world?"
"Hmm... a Royal is a part of the Imperial Family of a kingdom. Meaning the family that rules that entire domain. A noble is a respected figure uplifted by that very Royal family, a relative of that Royal Family, or a family that has held prestige for a long time."
"I see..."
At that moment, large and powerful horns blared from the distance as a cavalry of white-horse-driven carriages made their way into the driveway.
The horses marched with knees high in the air. The carriages they pulled were a pristine white color.
This was the case for all of the 5 except for one in the very center which was adorned with patterns of pink chains all around the white background.
The center carriage arrived right in front of Ultimatum. The door opened as a small red ramp fell out and landed on the ground. A long red carpet was rolled off of it.
It continued to roll out until it reached Tyr\'s foot. Dozens of guards wearing pristine white iron armor marched out of the various carriages on either side of the middle one--making a hall of people facing each other on both sides of the red carpet.
They lifted their swords in the air to create a canopy of blades above the carpet.
"Please welcome the one and only, great--" A knight began to yell into his horn, but a voice from inside the carriage suddenly blurted out and interrupted him.
"No! Stop being so loud you fool! This is supposed to be a secret mission! I don\'t want any termites wanting to take pictures of me or an autograph. Yuck..."
Tyr raised a brow, leaning in toward Urvil before saying quietly: "I can see it. Him wanting to lay low that is... just take a look at his entrance."
Urvil chuckled, placing her hand in front of her face to hide her smile.
"Uh... right sir." The guard said with a slightly scared tone, "The great--" He began to whisper, but was interrupted again.
"Don\'t whisper, you fool! Who do you think I am!?"
"The great Lord Michel Gallallof!" The guard finally yelled without using the horn.
Finally, a figure appeared in the carriage doorway and stepped out. He was average height and donned a pink robe with several shiny jewels encrusted onto it.
He had a pale, boyish face. It seemed it wasn\'t any older than about 22 at first glance.
He had short silver hair and a pair of deep blue eyes.
Although his demeanor was arrogant, blunt and sounded pretty retarded, no one could deny his great facial features. He was a beautiful boy.
With a great smile on his face, he made his way toward Ultimatum.
Out of nowhere, everyone beside Tyr bowed except for Hanzo, who looked at him.
"Bow," Hanzo said, bowing at that moment with his eyes still on Tyr.
Tyr furrowed his brows, "B-bow?"
\'Tsk... I knew he was gonna be like this.\' Hanzo thought to himself, pushing Tyr\'s head down himself.
"W-what?" Tyr exclaimed in confusion.
"Raise your heads!" Michel said in a proud tone, "That\'s right!" He paused, nearly arriving at the sidewalk. "I am here--" Out of nowhere, he tripped.
Time seemed to slow down as his eyes expanded in shock. He began to stumble, his momentum fast.
The guards quickly rushed to sheath their blades and help their lord... but it was too late.
*BOOM*
He fell face-first onto the concrete...