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The little bird froze, its tiny feathers puffing up in terror, and it frantically shook its head. Sora laughed, the tension easing from his body as he reached out to gently stroke Hiyoko. "Relax, I’m just kidding."

The warmth of the moment calmed him, but as the laughter faded, Sora’s thoughts began to shift. He felt the raw strength coursing through his body and marveled at how far he had come. "I could probably get assessed for the Phoenix Badge now," he mused, thinking about how prestigious that rank was. He knew there was a risk of failure, but he could also easily secure the Shadow Badge. It was tempting, but then again, jumping ranks too quickly in the same area might raise suspicions.

"No need to rush. And i can still go to another city to avoid other players seeing my rank rise" Sora muttered to himself, pushing the thought aside. He needed to be careful, not reckless. The last thing he wanted was to draw unwanted attention.

As he pondered his next move, darker thoughts crept into his mind. What mistakes should he avoid? Should he keep helping Kara and her group, or were they more of a liability? The figure he met after his death had said words that echoed in his mind: if he were to form a team, it needed to be made up of the best. But were Kara and her friends really the best? Could he trust them?

Sora’s chest tightened. What if one of them betrayed him, like Rachel had? What if they learned his secrets and used them against him? Sure, they had signed a contract, but the contract didn’t account for future interactions or deeper secrets. And even if they didn’t betray him, what if they died under his lead, like his old team? That memory still haunted him—watching his friends, people he had trained and cared for, die before his eyes.

His thoughts turned to Rachel, and a wave of anger surged through him. He hated her. How could she have done what she did after years of friendship? How could someone be so cold, so wicked? Rachel hadn’t always been like that. Sora knew about the rivalry between her and Lara, how Rachel had always been possessive, jealous, and extreme in her actions. She showed her good side only to those she truly cared for, and Lara wasn’t one of them.

But maybe Lara had been right all along. Maybe Rachel had never truly loved his brother or him. The thought made Sora’s hands tremble, sadness and rage building inside him. How had things turned out like this? He didn’t want this life. He didn’t want this curse of an innate ability. What if it had been better if he’d just died back then?

Sora shook his head, pushing the darkness away. He couldn’t think like that. His survival had brought some solace to his parents. The last time he had been home, he saw it in their eyes. Though still grieving, they were beginning to heal. He saw glimpses of happiness in their faces, little moments between the lingering sorrow. They were moving forward, slowly but surely.

For his parents, it was a good thing he survived. And for them, he had to keep going. He didn’t want to become someone chasing power out of fear or necessity. The pressure he had been feeling these past months was immense, and though it had helped him grow stronger, he didn’t want to climb this mountain of power alone. He craved the warmth of friendship, the comfort of home.

Tears began to stream down Sora’s face as the memories of his family flooded his mind. He missed them. He missed his parents, and he missed his brother more than he could put into words. Wiping his face, Sora made up his mind.

"I need to go home."

It hadn’t been long since he last saw his parents, but the yearning in his heart was too strong to ignore. He was strong enough now to cross most zones safely, so after quickly scanning the map, he plotted a route that would avoid the most dangerous areas.

Leaving Paris behind, Sora traveled swiftly, his steps light and sure. In just a few minutes, he was home, standing outside the familiar walls of his parents’ house. The warmth of the place, the sight of it, eased something deep within him.

That evening, he sat down to dinner with his parents. The meal was simple, but it filled the empty spaces inside him that power and battles couldn’t touch. His parents talked and laughed, and for a while, Sora allowed himself to simply be a son again, not the warrior or the adventurer.

He stayed the night, sleeping in his own bed, surrounded by memories that, for once, didn’t haunt him.

And by early the next morning, he was back at the inn, ready to face the challenges ahead with a clearer mind and a heart that had been mended, if only a little, by the love of his family.

Sora left the inn with a light step, making his way to the Adventurer’s Guild. The fresh morning air and the lingering peace from his time at home gave him a sense of clarity. His thoughts were calm as he approached the guild, eager to meet up with Kara, Thierry, Amélie, Céline, and their mentor, Areva.

Upon entering the guild, the familiar buzz of adventurers going about their business greeted him. Yet, as Sora spotted the group, missing Kara, something immediately felt different. There was a new aura around them, a sense of growth and quiet determination that hadn’t been there before. He could see it in their eyes—the focus, the strength, and a bit of confidence that now emanated from each of them.

As Sora joined them, there was a fire in their spirits that made him pause.

"What’s up?" Sora asked, raising an eyebrow, curious about the shift in their demeanor.

Amélie, the archer, stepped forward, her amber eyes locking onto his. "We wanted to thank you, Ralph," she began, her voice steady but filled with emotion. "We are happy for what you did for us, even if we can’t talk about it. The contract keeps us quiet, but we don’t need to say it to express our gratitude."

Sora blinked, unsure of where she was going with this. Amélie continued, "You gave us an opportunity. More than just survival—you gave us the chance to open our eyes and grow. We’ve decided not to stop here. This is only the first step. We don’t want to be players anymore. We want to be warriors, real adventurers who can stand by your side, not behind you. We’re not satisfied with just being your burdens."

Her words struck Sora like a physical blow. Burdens? Was that really how they saw themselves? He had never thought of them that way. Sure, they were weak and had needed his help, but it was just part of the job. Yet, as he looked at their faces—determined, but tinged with guilt—he began to understand. From their perspective, being powerless, relying on him so heavily, had wounded their pride.

He shook his head, still processing their words. "You guys… I never thought of you as burdens," Sora said earnestly, his voice softening. "You were never in my way, and I never felt like my life was in danger because of you. I helped because I wanted to. Don’t be so serious."

He paused, catching himself on the next word. "Besides… I help my friends when I can." The word "friends" slipped out naturally, and he smiled at the realization. Maybe he really did like this group more than he had realized. Their energy, their quirks—they had grown on him. "I don’t mind lending a hand to friends."

Thierry, the swordsman, stepped forward next. "We know, Ralph. But we’ve made our decision. We’re going to train hard and, hopefully, one day, we’ll be strong enough to join you again—if you’ll have us." His tone was steady but carried the weight of their resolve. "But for now… we want to ask you for something."

Sora tilted his head, curious. "What is it?"

"We want you to take Kara with you on your journey," Thierry said, surprising Sora. "She’s always been the one carrying us. We’ve known that for a long time. But we didn’t want to show it because… well, we didn’t want to hurt her feelings. She enjoyed playing with us as much as we did, and we didn’t want that to stop."

Amélie added softly, "We accepted being power-leveled by our guilds and families because it was the only way we could keep up with her. But maybe, by doing that, we hurt her growth more than we helped. It’s time we let her go, let her reach her true potential."

Sora stood silently, admiring their decision. They could have easily asked him to let them join him, to ride on his success, but they chose not to. Instead, they wanted to free Kara from their limits, to let her grow. It was admirable.

He nodded to himself, making a decision of his own. "I respect that. You’ve made a tough choice, but I’ll respect it. I’ll take Kara with me if she wants to join my party, and I wish you three stay safe. Even if we’re not adventuring together, I’ll keep an eye on you all."

Before they could respond, Sora opened his status panel and sent them friend requests. "Let’s stay in touch," he said with a smile. "We can use the system’s message function to keep in contact."

The trio looked at each other, surprised but happy. They quickly accepted the friend request, their earlier tension easing as they realized they wouldn’t be losing touch with him after all.

Just as they were exchanging smiles, Kara appeared, looking confused by the serious expressions on their faces. "What’s going on here?" she asked, her hands on her hips, eyes darting between them.

The group quickly brushed it off, with Thierry grinning, "Nothing, just some boring talk."

Kara rolled her eyes, clearly not buying it but deciding to drop the subject. "Alright, well, if you’re all done being weird, let’s go meet Areva."

With that, they went to where they usually met Areva.