109 - Reunited

                                    

                                          
(Erica POV)
                          
"Hey. We made it out." Ken said through the phone.
                          
Right as we had gotten out of the rift, Ken had called Principal. Behind us, the rift started to flicker as it became unstable, before closing.
                          
We made it...
                          
And then my eyes were drawn to the limp bodies of Goku and Brandon. But at what cost? We lost their souls. The most important part of a person, with how much Merlin emphasized it.
                          
"...Mostly. But yes, we found both Emi and Brandon, and have gotten them out..." Ken stated. "What about you?"
                          
"...You got the seal? Nice." Ken lightly smiled.
                          
"...What? Why can't you just tell me now? What could be so important you need to tell me in person?" Ken asked.
                          
"...Fine then. Where are you now?" Ken wondered.
                          
"...Okay. We're still outside of the rift, though it's closed now." He replied, glancing at where the rift just was. I glimpsed a hint of sadness on his face before he hid it once more.
                          
"...We'll see you soon then. Though, there's something important that I should tell you. We experienced some...casualties." Ken slowly stated.
                          
"...No one is dead...but...well, we encountered the Demon King's right hand man. He was much stronger than what we expected." Ken explained.
                          
"...And...he stole Goku and Brandon's souls to give to the Demon King. They're not dead, but they're in comas. They won't wake up unless we get those souls back." Ken continued.
                          
"...How is Amber?" Ken softly asked, his fists tightening.
                          
"...I see. I'm sorry." Ken sadly stated.
                          
"...It is! I...I...never mind..." He sighed, seemingly defeated. "We'll see you soon."
                          
"...Alright." He hung up the call, pocketing his phone. He stared at the ground with a mixture of emotions.
                          
I had known Ken for a whole year now. And yet, I never seen him look so defeated like this. Never, not when we fought monsters or other people. Not even when he was fighting for his life.
                          
I hated it. I didn't want to see that look grace his beautiful face. I wanted to vanquish it, but what could I do?
                          
I couldn't bring back Brandon, nor could I bring back Goku.
                          
I can't even imagine how Ken, Eri, and Bianca must feel. Of course I'm sad, but I wasn't nearly as Ken was to Goku and as Eri and Bianca were to Brandon.
                          
Sometimes when I would watch Goku train Ken, I couldn't help but think how they looked like a father and his son. Except for the fact that they don't look anything alike.
                          
I wanted to help Ken. Tell him that everything's going to be all right. But I can't guarantee that.
                          
I don't like being a downer, but we might not even survive the next days. The Demon King's right hand man said that he'd see us soon.
                          
I didn't like that. It meant that Demon King would be arriving very soon. And with his arrival, we all could die.
                          
My hands tightened. I wasn't able to do anything against him. I didn't contribute anything to taking him down.
                          
It made me realize that I'm painfully weak. The only way I helped was through Avalon, and that was given to me.
                          
I need to get stronger. So that I can protect Ken.
                          
Ken has always been there for me. Ever since the beginning, he's was there. He was the first one that greeted me when I arrived to Japan.
                          
I was scared. Sure, I learned Japanese, but I would still be in a new country all by myself. There was my aunt, but she's always busy with work. I don't see her often.