Chương 43: We're family

Mochi remained kneeling in the dirt. The battlefield had gone completely silent. His eyes stayed fixed on the ground as memories flooded his mind. The village. The screaming. People running for their lives. Children crying. Adults begging him to stop. And Mochi... Killing them anyway. One after another. Their terrified faces flashed through his mind. Mochi clenched his fist so tightly that his nails dug into his palm.

"I..." His voice cracked.

"I just want to forget." A tear rolled down his cheek.

"I want to forget all of this pain I caused..." He lowered his head.

"I wish none of it ever happened." For a moment, there was nothing but silence. Then— Thomas landed nearby. He looked around at the destruction.

"Well..." His eyes moved toward Hogsthawts' body.

"Looks like quite the mess happened here." Thomas studied the corpse.

"I assume this is Doctor Hogsthawts Zeal told us about." He looked toward Mochi.

"Seems like you dealt with him nicely." Mochi didn't respond. Thomas walked closer.

"What's wrong, boy?" He smiled gently.

"You look a little down in the dumps." Thomas reached out to place a hand on Mochi's shoulder. Mochi instantly slapped his hand away.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Thomas' expression didn't change. Mochi's breathing became heavier.

"I'm sure you know who I really am, old man." His voice trembled.

"There's no point acting all goody-goody with me anymore." He looked at Thomas with tears in his eyes.

"Come on."

"Say it." This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Say I'm kicked out of the guild!" Thomas remained silent.

"Nobody would want a monster like me on their team!" Mochi's voice broke.

"I'll ruin your reputation!" He clenched his fists.

"Everyone will know what I did!" Thomas slowly began walking toward him. Mochi's eyes widened.

"W-What are you doing?" Thomas continued approaching.

"Stay away!" Mochi backed away.

"If you get too close..." His hands began trembling.

"I'll kill you!" His voice cracked.

"I'm not joking!" Thomas didn't stop. Mochi's breathing became ragged.

"Don't make me do this..." Thomas kept walking. Mochi clenched his fist.

"I warned you!" He swung. His fist pierced straight through Thomas. Mochi froze. Thomas coughed, blood staining his mouth. Mochi stared in horror. Then his expression twisted into a forced, almost desperate grin.

"See?" His voice trembled.

"I gave you a chance." He slowly pulled his fist back.

"But you were too stupid to take it." Thomas suddenly wrapped both arms around him. Mochi's eyes widened.

"W-What?" Thomas held him tightly.

"You're in this guild for a reason, boy." Mochi couldn't move.

"This is the Voyagers Guild." Thomas' voice remained calm despite the blood running down his body.

"A guild that doesn't care who you were." He tightened his arms around Mochi.

"We care about who you choose to become." Mochi's eyes began trembling. Thomas continued.

"You want to change, don't you?" Mochi's lips quivered.

"Then that's exactly what this guild is for." Thomas smiled.

"I couldn't care less if you were an evil tyrant."

"I couldn't care less if you had the blood of a hundred people on your hands."

"As long as you're willing to change..." He rested his head against Mochi's shoulder.

"... that's good enough for me." Mochi's eyes widened. Tears began streaming down his face. His Dough Demon form slowly faded. The horns disappeared. The dark aura vanished. His eyes returned to normal. Mochi stared at Thomas.

"Old man..." His voice was barely audible. He looked down at his blood-covered arm.

"But I..." Thomas smiled.

"It's alright." Mochi looked at him. Thomas chuckled weakly.

"That was nothing." Mochi's eyes widened.

"Don't lie..." Thomas grinned.

"I'm a legendary Voyager, remember?" Mochi shook his head.

"But I know how strong you are." He looked at the wound.

"You could've dodged."

"You could've blocked."

"So why..." His voice broke.

"... why did you take it?" Thomas looked at him.

"Because if I had..." He smiled.

"I don't think I would've gained your full trust." Mochi stared at him. Thomas chuckled softly.

"Sometimes..." His eyes began closing.

"... you've got to show someone that you're willing to stand beside them." His body suddenly went limp.

"Thomas!" Mochi caught him before he hit the ground. The old man had passed out. Mochi stared at him for several seconds. Then he let out a shaky laugh through his tears.

"You really are a foolish old man..." He carefully pulled Thomas onto his back.

"But..." Mochi wiped his tears.

"Your words mean more to me than you know." He looked toward the distant horizon.

"Thank you." Mochi adjusted Thomas' weight.

"Now let's get you back to the others." He smiled faintly.

"Maybe Tony can fix you up." Mochi took a deep breath.

"ALRIGHT!" He leaned forward.

"LET'S GO!" He sprinted. Faster than he'd ever run before. Thomas bounced slightly against his back as Mochi raced across the wasteland. For the first time since remembering his past... Mochi wasn't running away from it. He was running toward the people who had chosen to stay by his side. The ruins of the battlefield were silent. Smoke drifted across the broken landscape as the last traces of Hogsthawts' magic faded away.

Far in the distance, atop a tall hill, a teenage boy with messy green hair lowered a pair of binoculars. He stared at the destruction below, watching Mochi disappear into the distance with Thomas on his back. The boy reached for a small radio attached to his belt.

"Do you copy?" A voice crackled through the radio.

"Report." The boy's expression became serious.

"Hogsthawts is dead. I repeat, Doctor Hogsthawts is dead." There was a brief silence.

"Understood. Good work, Ingen." Ingen smirked. The voice continued.

"Do you think you can avenge our fallen comrade?" Ingen chuckled.

"Yeah. No problem at all." He looked back toward the battlefield.

"That guy was never a threat to me. You remember those sparring sessions, right? I beat Hogsthawts every single time." His smirk widened.

"That's probably why he built RobogeneX in the first place. He knew he couldn't handle things himself, so he made something to do his dirty work." The voice remained quiet for a moment before responding.

"Then don't underestimate the Voyagers. Keep watching their guild. Wait until you believe the timing is right." Ingen put his binoculars away.

"So when do we attack?"

"When you decide the moment is right. We trust your judgment." Ingen replied.

"Alright. Got you." He switched off the radio and slipped it back into his pocket. For a moment, he simply stared.. Then his expression changed. A determined grin spread across his face.

"So..." He pulled out a cigarette and smoked it.. He pulled his goggles down over his eyes.

"Scarlet Mochi." The name seemed to excite him.

"I'll be seeing you soon." Ingen turned around and began walking away.

"But not yet." He glanced back one last time.

"I want to fight you at your absolute best." His grin widened.

"So rest up while you can." He disappeared.

"Because once I come for you..." Ingen's voice echoed faintly through the night.

"Your days are numbered."