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Thomas laid, curled up in his bed, sad and scared. It had been a year since his mother passed. Since he had to go live with a friend of hers for seemingly no reason. Since she went off and disappeared. He laid there, clinging to his Kamen Rider Kuuga action figure. His hero hadn’t been there to save his mom. Even if he hadn’t been gone for a year at the time of her death, her death was too mundane. Too common.
As he laid there, crying, he heard his door creak open. He curled up. He was scared. Scared that what took his mother would take him. He held Kuuga close. Even if the hero was gone, maybe he would protect him.
“Hey kid,” whispered the man in the doorway, “I know today’s been rough, but I’m here for you, ok?” It was his mom’s friend. Darius. Some guy from London or something. He didn’t know. He didn’t care.
“Go away,” said Thomas, “I’m not in the mood.”
“I know. I just wanted to share something with you, ya know. Since I’ve been tasked with taking care of you, I was thinking of sharing with you some old family stories. They date back… well, they date back a long time.”
Thomas was silent, covering himself with his blanket. Darius walked forward and sat on the other side of the bed, compressing it to his side.
“Alright, I get it, most family stories are boring. But this one isn't, I assure you.”
Thomas stayed silent, but was listening intently under the covers.
“You don’t have to listen, but I’ll tell it to you anyway.”
Darius pulled an old book from his coat, and began reading, “‘Long ago, in a time of great darkness, the world, and its people were divided. Split across multiple kingdoms with multiple kings. Absolute chaos. And within that chaos emerged monsters. Beings out of a fairy tale, dragons and lions, the works. They terrorized the people, leading to many deaths and much suffering.
However, one day, one of the kings, fearing for his people, found a mystical swordsmith, a man who knew the depths of not just blacksmithing, but magic as well. He forged a set of three mystical swords, as well as many tomes. The tomes were not magical in and of themselves, no. Instead, they were designed to trap the creatures and use their magic, channeling them through the blades. The king had his three bravest knights, his own sons, capture three of the strongest creatures, the brave dragon, the noble lion, and the electric genie, and use them to become great heroes, the Band of Logos.’”
Thomas, fully looking up at Darius now, energetically replied, “Like Kuuga?”
“Yes, son, like Kuuga. Now, let me finish. ‘These heroes then went across the land, saving villages from these monsters by capturing them, and using their power for good. In doing so, the many kingdoms of the land joined the three brothers in gratitude, growing their kingdom into an empire that spread from Britain all the way through Asia. From there, their rule lasted for years, even with the disappearance of the wizard.
However, after the disappearance of their youngest, the warrior that took on the blade Raimeiken Ikazuchi, the remaining brothers became more judicious, focusing on protecting their land from evil forces of darkness, leading to the greatest period of prosperity the kingdom had ever seen. Food flowed as freely as the air, happiness was felt by all people, and their rule ended happily.
Their successors attempted to keep this prosperity fresh, but unfortunately, an evil, red, horned demon emerged from the darkness and shattered their empire. However, their family lived on, employing guardian families, like ours, to protect the world in their place, hoping for a day where the peace and prosperity they brought may one day return.’”
“Why did it end so sadly?”
“Not every story has a happy ending. However, I want you to see that it ends in hope. Hope that, even though, yes, the darkness came, light is soon to follow.”
“Isn’t that a little too hopeful, though?” Thomas asked, clutching his Kuuga figure even tighter.
“Maybe it is. But I know I need to hold onto the hope that it isn’t. Now, get some rest. It’s your birthday tomorrow, and you don’t want to miss it.”
“I guess.”
“Good night.”
“I know.”
With that, Darius got up, walked to the door, turned off the lights in the room, and left the room, closing the door behind him. Thomas uncurled himself, but still clung to Kuuga. Even if he couldn’t hope for brightness, he could still hold out for heroes, like the red stag beetle himself.