56 Prototype 1 (2/2)
Chuckling suddenly, the figure said, ”Oh, how cute. I'll get to the point. You were selected to undergo a test to become an heir, and you failed. As per the World Government's rules, the City Lord who tested you turned your family back into normal. Your parents remember nothing, and even the memories of all those affected during this entire ordeal have been changed to make sure that no remnants of what really happened remain. I tell you, it was a tough job. But rules are rules, and as the one who began the test, the City Lord will be the one to pay me. Anyway, coming to you, you have a choice. You can choose to have your memories erased, too, in which case it will be like nothing has happened. Or…you can keep them, and do what you wish. You have a minute. Choose. 59, 58…”
Edmond stared in shock at the man as he heard this, and it was only when the number '30' reached his ears did he understand that he had no time to gawk for as long as he wanted to.
Quickly, he ran through all the memories that were real, and as he did so, all he saw, for the most part, was pain.
Would it be so bad to forget it all?
Yet, there were two things that really stood out.
One was the Tera that he could still feel in his mind's eye. It had trusted him, and he had trusted it with his life.
The other, of course…was the promise he had made to Aaron.
As Edmond thought of these two things, he realized that there was one more that he had neglected.
Himself.
Who was he now, compared to before all this had happened?
As soon as this occurred to him, Edmond found his answer, and he said it out loud in a confident voice.
…
Meanwhile, Aaron had just arrived at a door that he had been led to by the official. The old man had left saying he needed to have a strategic discussion with his Teras, which didn't make sense to Aaron, but he didn't ask as he had gotten a feeling that he would find out the answer soon.
As the door opened, though, Aaron couldn't help but let out a gasp as he could never have expected that something like this could fit inside a building.
They were still in that mansion in the middle of the Town, but as Aaron looked up, there was a sky, and clouds.
As he looked closer, though, he saw that it had all been painted.
They were in a round area with 200 seats arranged neatly, and in the center was a large open ground that was double the size of what he had fought in during his Ascender battle.
”An indoor stadium built because this family is just a bit too crazy about battling. Let's go.”
As soon as the two of them began walking toward the front-most row, two figures appeared on the battlefield, and with two flashes of light, two might Teras appeared beside them.
One was the Giant Eagle that Aaron had seen with Anissa before, and the other…was also a Giant Eagle.
The difference…was that the old man's Giant Eagle was exactly like him: it was grizzled, with a long scar running down one eye, and it looked like it was quite old. Yet, it still radiated with strength, and it was half again as big as Anissa's eagle, which meant that it stood at at least 15 feet tall.
”Right, then. Combat role, and rating. It's simple, really. But instead of telling you, why don't you find out by yourself by seeing this match? You see, I know something that the old man doesn't know…Anissa doesn't have just one Epic-level Tera. She has two…and the second one, was a gift from me.”
As a low chuckle sounded from the Official, Anissa shouted out, ”Grandpa, I challenge you to a 2v2 battle!”
With another flash, one of the most unique Teras that Aaron had ever seen in his life appeared in front of him.
It was a simply a blob of some kind of shining substance, and as Aaron watched with widened eyes, it…jumped toward the eagle, and formed a solid shield, of sorts, in the area below its neck.
As the old man stared with a slack-jawed expression on his face, the official said, ”A Prototype of a Utility Tera, meant to be used by those from all three paths. This will actually be one of the first tests to see how it fares in battle! Watch carefully…history will be made, no matter what the result of this match is.”