A month passes after the events of Chapter 13. Onan and Samantha were living in the healer's building. Connor and Kai were receiving the necessary medical care after the injuries they suffered in the previous chapter.
Onan was outside in the forest to hunt a deer and bring it to Samantha so she could cook it. Onan returns to the building with the deer. It is cooked, and then Onan and Samantha sit at the dining table. While they eat, a conversation begins between them.
Onan: "So… how are Connor and Kai? When will they be able to get up? I feel like we've spent too much time here."
Samantha: "The healer says they'll be able to walk in a week."
. . . .
Samantha: "Onan. Can I ask you a slightly personal question? If you find it annoying you can tell me to stop."
Onan: "Okay, go ahead."
Samantha: "Do you have any happy memories in Cortan? Since I met you in prison you were always gloomy and you never smiled."
Onan: "Yes, I have many happy memories in Cortan but they're all related to the time I spent with my family… who are dead."
Samantha: "Oh… I'm sorry. We can change the topic if you want."
Onan: "No. It's fine. I didn't have any friends at school because of my introversion. My parents noticed that, so they decided to be my friends. That is, they shared my interests. They played the video games I played, watched the movies I watched, and so on."
Samantha: "That's really sweet. Most parents, if they know their son is introverted or has no friends, will pressure him and force him to befriend people. Most parents don't know how to handle that."
Onan: "I guess I was lucky."
Samantha: "Yes… what movies did you like to watch?"
Onan: "Hmmmm, well there are many movies I liked, especially the films Parvot showed us. People on his planet produced really good films, like Beauty and the Beast. I always watched it with my mother."
Samantha: "Oh wow, I didn't expect you to like romantic movies. What's your favorite scene?"
Onan: "The scene when the Beast lets Belle leave to help her father. And you?"
Samantha: "The scene when they do the waltz. It was very beautiful."
Onan: "Good choice."
. . . . .
Samantha: "Have you ever tried the waltz with anyone before?"
Onan: "ahhh . no . Why are you asking that?"
Samantha: "Ever since I saw it in the movie I've dreamed of trying it with someone. And since it's just the two of us here, what do you think about trying it with me?"
Onan, who was eating, is shocked by the question; a piece of meat gets stuck in his throat and he coughs.
Onan: "W-what? Why?"
Samantha: "Since we started this mission the situation has been stressful. We're always attacked multiple times. We always have to stay alert. We always train and… all these things are exhausting and made me forget the beauty of life. I thought maybe we should do a shared activity just for fun, for a change."
Onan: "I don't know. I mean, where do you want us to do it?"
Samantha: "There's a beautiful spot in the forest I think would be suitable. Nature creates a beautiful, poetic atmosphere."
Onan: "And what about clothes? As far as I know we should wear special clothes to perform this dance. Also, we don't know how to do it. Besides, you're taller than me and—"
Samantha raises an eyebrow and replies: "Onan. If you don't want to dance with me, you can just refuse. No need for these excuses."
Onan: "Okay. I agree. Let's go."
Onan and Samantha go to the forest. There was a beautiful, suitable area. Onan and Samantha begin to perform the dance. Onan tries to keep up with the movements Samantha makes, and over time he begins to know what to do. This moment was very beautiful for the two of them. No dangers. No responsibilities. Just happiness and relaxation and… love?
The two finish the dance, and Onan thanks Samantha for the lovely time he spent with her.
Meanwhile, in the healing room, Connor and Kai each lie on a bed.
Connor: "I'm bored."
Kai: "Can't you be quiet for a minute? We've been here a month and you can't close your mouth."
Connor: "Sorry, but I'm bored and sometimes talking entertains me… do you want to hear a joke?"
Kai: "I told you before I don't like wasting my time on these silly conversations."
Connor: "When? Both of our bodies are injured and we can't get up. We have a week left until we're fully healed. Also it's a good joke, I'm sure you'll like it."
Kai: "Will you stop bothering me if I let you tell it?"
Connor: "Promise."
Kai: "Okay, just say it quickly."
Connor: "Alright, listen—this joke I heard in a film and it made me laugh a lot."
Kai: "What do you mean by film?"
Connor: "Well, ummm… animated pictures that tell a story. Anyway. In the film there was a harsh father who used to beat his son for the smallest mistakes. Once the son was sitting playing with toys, and when the father came he saw the son hadn't done anything wrong but still wanted to beat him, so he decided to beat him because he enjoyed it and said, 'did I catch having fun?'"
Kai laughs a little and says to him: "That's kind of funny. Do you have any other jokes?"
Connor: "I thought you wanted me to be quiet after I told you the joke?"
Kai smiles and replies: "I changed my mind."
. . . . . . .
A week passes.
Connor and Kai fully recover and can get up.
Kai and Connor leave the room, joking with each other.
Connor: "I told you I'd get up before you."
Kai: "Come on, that doesn't mean you're stronger than me. Do I need to remind you who kicked your ass in Japan?"
Connor: "I was just lucky, nothing more."
Samantha is happy to see her brother walking again and goes to hug him.
And now the team is ready to continue their journey.
The four of them travel from one kingdom to another asking for help to liberate Cortan. But refusal is the answer they always get.
During their travels various incidents and conversations happen between them.
Onan: "Kai, may I have a minute? I want to talk to you."
Kai: "What do you want to talk about?"
Onan: "First you should know what I'm going to say is just advice from me. You can accept it or reject it. I heard you want revenge on Alvarez because he killed your friends. I completely understand you. My family was killed two years ago by a masked man. I eventually managed to kill him and achieve my revenge, but I… didn't feel anything. No satisfaction. No happiness. No accomplishment. And that's what I'm trying to tell you: don't expect revenge to make you feel better."
Kai: "So what do you suggest I do? Let Alvarez get away with what he did without punishment?"
Onan: "You need to change your motives. Alvarez currently rules Cortan and has begun to impose harsh laws; anyone who disobeys them he kills. There are people suffering there. True, you don't know those people, but you have the ability to help us rescue them, especially with your amazing abilities. When I rescued Samantha and Connor in Cortan I felt great, especially after they thanked me. That's my advice to you. Fight Alvarez to protect and save the innocent. Not for revenge."
Kai: "I'll think about what you said later, but right now all I care about is for Alvarez to die."
Onan: "As you wish."
During this period Onan started to communicate more with his travel companions, and the overthinking he suffered in earlier chapters began to decrease.
Our heroes continue to travel and, as usual, no kingdom agrees to help them. During the journey a conversation occurs between Samantha and Kai.
Kai: "Can you explain to me again what the Internet is?"
Samantha: "It's an electronic network connected to phones or computers that gives us information about anything with pictures and videos."
Kai: "Information about anything? For free? And these phones exist in every house and every citizen in Cortan has one?"
Samantha: "Yes. Why are you shocked?"
Kai: "Are you kidding me? Owning a device like that is dangerous for the whole world. With all the information in it someone could rule the planet."
Samantha: "You're exaggerating a bit. Also no one uses it to gather intelligence. Most people use the Internet to watch short cat videos or post silly jokes."
Kai: "Really?"
Samantha: "Yes."
Samantha: "Wow. Your people are pitiful."
Our heroes continue to travel and, as usual, no kingdom agrees to help them. Some rulers sympathized with Connor's cause and wanted to help him but refused because they didn't have the power to compete with Cortan's advanced technology.
Anyway, one day Connor, Samantha, and Onan were sleeping in a cave while Kai was on guard. Then Connor wakes up.
Kai: "Do you want to switch?"
Connor: "No. I'll go relieve myself and come back."
Connor leaves but takes a long time. Kai gets worried and goes to check. He hears the sound of crying. He follows the sound and finds Connor sitting on the ground crying.
Kai: "Connor? What are you doing?"
Connor wipes his tears and replies: "Nothing. Come on, let's go back to the cave."
Kai: "No. First you have to tell me why you were crying. What's the problem?"
Connor: "I don't want to talk about it. Just forget you saw this. Come on, let's go back to the cave."
But Kai refuses and wants Connor to speak and explain his problem.
Connor: "Okay I'll tell you the truth but don't tell anyone. I was… crying over my father's death. When I first heard he died I was about to cry but I controlled myself and changed the subject. Throughout this journey I tried to act strong and stable. But in reality every time you sleep I go to the forest and cry and let out my sadness. I didn't want any of you to see me like that so you wouldn't think I'm weak. This problem I've had since I was a child. When my mother died I couldn't stop crying and my schoolmates criticized and mocked me. They called me weak and said I wasn't a real man. Despite all that criticism this weakness remained inside me. And there's no one to comfort me or understand me, so I cry alone."
Kai: "I understand you."
Connor: "Really?"
Kai: "Yes. In fact, I used to be like those people who criticized men who cry over losing loved ones. I considered it weakness and lack of manliness. Until… Alvarez killed my friends. I broke inside and started to cry a little. When you have a strong relationship with someone and then you lose them, you feel like you've lost part of yourself, and crying is the most natural reaction in such a situation. There's no shame or defect in it. The important thing is not to let the pain of losing them consume you and stop you from living."
Connor's mood improves after this talk.
Connor: "Thanks. I needed someone to understand my situation and comfort me."
Kai: "You're welcome."
. .
A few days after this conversation, our heroes continued their journey, and during the trip a conversation happened between Connor and Onan.
Connor: "The beast that Jessica made us face had black armor exactly like the metal of your sword. Is your sword made from that beast's armor?"
Onan: "Yes."
Connor: "Hmmmm. In Cortan, when we captured you, when the officer asked you about the origin of your sword you refused to answer. Was that because you wanted to protect us from the beast?"
Onan: "Yes. I feared your father would send a group of people to the Araxis beast and then he would kill them and they would die because of me. I mean, you saw how dangerous that beast was. It was about to kill you."
Connor: "Wow. You're kinder than I expected… okay, but what about your fighting skills—how did you get them? Who trained you?"
Usually Onan does not like to talk about his uncle because talking about him brings bad memories, but now he spent a long time with Connor and Samantha and is more open to communicating with them.
Onan: "He… he's my uncle, Shin. He was a former Light Knight and then retired."
Connor: "Oh, I know him. He was one of the best Light Knights in Cortan but I heard he went mad."
Onan: "Yes, he's mad. Deceitful and criminal."
Connor: "Hey, he's mad—did you hear that sound?"
Onan: "What sound?"
Kai: "I don't hear anything."
Connor: "There's a sound. I feel it's calling me."
Connor decides to follow the sound and chases it.
Samantha: "Connor!! Where are you going?"
Connor continues following the sound through the trees until he reaches it. The sound was coming from a sword. A sword fixed in a rock.
Connor goes to lift the sword from the rock, and after he lifts it he begins to feel power. There is a spiritual energy flowing inside him. He starts swinging the sword, and while swinging it a beam
The beam was very powerful and went to a huge rock and split it in half.
Connor gets tired and says: "Wooooow. Guys, did you see that?"
Onan, Kai, and Samantha are shocked by what they saw.
Connor: "This sword is exactly what I need."
Kai: "I'm impressed, but… I have a bad feeling about this."
Connor: "Are you kidding me? This sword is exactly what I need for our mission."
Samantha: "I don't want to be pessimistic, but I think Kai is right."
Connor: "Sis, do you remember what I said when we started this journey? I said I would look for anything that might help us liberate Cortan—followers, armies, or even magical and supernatural sources. And this sword is definitely very supernatural."
Samantha: "I know, but the idea that the sword was calling you—you, and only you, heard its voice—makes it suspicious and uncomfortable. What if it wants to control you or something? I think you should return it."
Connor: "I finally found something useful on this journey and you're telling me to leave it? Sorry but no. I'll keep it."
Onan: "I don't think this sword will be enough to liberate Cortan. I mean, from what I saw, the beam this sword shoots is equivalent to the power of a bazooka rocket. And since Alvarez controls Cortan that means his army has many rockets."
Connor: "You're right. We still have to look for an army. But I still want to keep this sword. I'm sure it will be useful and play a role in fighting our enemies."
Despite their doubts, our heroes respect Connor's decision and continue their journey to find a kingdom that agrees to help them. And you know what happened next. The kingdom they found refused to help them.
Connor angrily says: "That's the last straw. I'm sick of this. We visited 22 kingdoms and they all refused us. Why? Why does no one accept our help??? "
Onan: "Honestly, even if they agreed to help us I don't think we'd succeed in liberating Cortan. I mean, what was your plan again? Use an army as a shield to reach the wizard and take his staff, then use a mind-control spell against Alvarez? Yes, that plan didn't work. Are you even sure you can perform magic?"
Connor: "Alright, genius, if you think my plan is bad then why don't you give me a better plan? Or are you only good at criticizing others?"
Samantha: "Connor! Calm down, you don't need to be that angry."
Then an argument happens between the four of them. During their argument a man appears who looks to be about forty years old. He has a mustache, wears cowboy clothes, and carries a variety of weapons.
This mysterious man interrupts their argument and says with a smile:
"Don't worry folks. I have the solution to your problem."