The Last Legendary System

Benign took his time to arrive at a decision. He brushed the feathers of the firewings around him.

"Will you come with me?" he whispered.

The old man released his boars, which were still bound by a broken shackle. He climbed onto one boar. "We don’t have time, young man."

"I know."

That was a truth the soldier couldn’t refute. For what reason the man hid the truth of his false protector identity, Benign wasn’t sure.

Stun looked relieved. "You will follow him then, wouldn’t you?" He carefully brushed off dust from Benign’s shoulders.

"You will have more to worry about. To protect. Don’t rush into danger blindly. Don’t blame yourself if it doesn’t work out either. Alright?"

The sudden fatherly advice made Benign buffer. He nodded thrice, earning a laugh from the old man watching them.

"I’ll come back to see you two." Benign reached for Kendrick, and the Firewing placed its beak in his hands. "Take Kendrick with you. I can always find him."

"No," Stun stepped back, refusing the offer. "Wouldn’t you need—"

"Protectors move around with portals. Transportation isn’t necessary." The old man said, scratching the head of the boar he sat on.

"I’ll take that one with me." Benign pointed at the cheeky Firewing. Its legs were already healed, and its talons were stained with blood from its earlier rampage.

The Firewing rushed to his side at being called. Kendrick sent a warning chirp to the cheeky Firewing. The younger Firewing lowered its head.

"I’ll be fine," Benign said to Stun and Kendrick. The old Firewing nudged Benign’s shoulder once before stepping back.

Benign glanced at Vergil, then raised his head to the old man watching him. "I will be alright."

He placed a firm hand on Stun’s shoulder before walking past him.

"Take care of them for me, Kendrick. Keep looking for caves with your unit."

Chirp. Chirp.

"See you later too, Kendrick."

Chirp.

Benign smiled one last time before forcing himself to turn away.

The smile didn’t last. Each step towards the boar felt heavier than the last, as though his feet were silently protesting against him. He climbed onto the broad back of the beast and settled himself.

The cheeky Firewing landed on the boar’s head with a proud chirp.

"You already chosen?" Benign asked. "Did you say goodbye to your mother properly?"

The Firewing puffed out its chest triumphantly.

"You always follow your own rules, anyway." The soldier sighed. "I couldn’t even say goodbye to Vergil."

Behind him, Kendrick stood perfectly still. The older Firewing didn’t chirp again. It simply watched him.

Stun lifted a hand.

Benign raised his own immediately, waving far longer than necessary. "I’ll really come back!" he shouted.

"We’ll look forward to it!" Stun shouted back, cupping his hands around his mouth.

The distance between them slowly widened with Kendrick and Stun becoming smaller.

Even the crumpled cave that had been home to his sword faded into the endless sand until they were nothing more than tiny silhouettes swallowed by brown dunes.

Only when the trees completely hid them did Benign stop looking back.

"So," the old man said casually, scratching the boar between its ears, "are you done mourning?"

Benign frowned. The realisation that he would have to spend the journey through the desert with a snappy old man sank in. "I wasn’t mourning," he said flatly. The boar continued walking.

Step. Step. Step.

Benign clicked his tongue and stared down at the beast. Stones crunched beneath its enormous feet as they drifted through the forest at an almost insulting pace.

’Was this thing raised by turtles?’

Three minutes passed. Benign turned and could easily see the past footprints. "Question."

"Hm?"

"How long is this journey going to take?" Benign raised a brow. "This wasn’t the speed the boars came with."

The old man didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he lazily looked around the desert as though searching for something.

"Where was the shackle that held them together? I’m sure I had that on when I arrived too."

The soldier rolled his eyes. He couldn’t explain what destroyed that shackle. He glanced at the sword in his hand. That black slash couldn’t be the sword’s skill, Time Slash, since it only affected injuries.

"I was waiting," the old man added when Benign said nothing.

"Waiting?" Benign tilted his head.

"You kept looking back every few seconds." The old man smiled without turning around. "Would’ve been cruel to sprint off while your heart was still behind."

Benign froze. He hadn’t even realized he’d been doing that. His fingers tightened slightly around the saddle.

"Thanks."

"Don’t thank me yet. You’ll regret following me soon enough."

Benign’s faint smile faded. ’I will?’ He looked ahead. The path before them stretched endlessly with nothing but dunes and a scorching heat that he had oddly gotten used to. He inhaled.

His old life had disappeared behind him. His new one waited somewhere ahead.

He exhaled deeply. "I’m ready."

The old man nodded once. "Good."

He gently patted the boar’s neck. The beast snorted. The ground exploded beneath its feet.

Benign’s eyes widened as the scenery blurred into streaks of brown and blue skies. Wind and sand slapped against his face hard enough to steal his breath.

"H-Hey!"

"You said you were ready," the old man called over the rushing wind.

Benign grabbed onto the saddle with both hands. "I DIDN’T KNOW YOU MEANT THIS!"

Suddenly he was pulled away from the boar, dragged far above the ground. Benign was still catching his breath when he fell on soft feathers. He gripped the feathers of the firewing, breathing hard into it.

The old man’s laughter echoed through the desert. "You don’t like fast rides. How do you enjoy flying?"

"You’re awful." Benign rubbed the corners of his watering eyes before looking toward the horizon. He rubbed the cheeky firewing’s neck, and the creature chirped in response.

The boars continued at their speed, and the firewing matched it without Benign feeling the need to empty his stomach.

They arrived at a narrow-mouthed cave.

"We are here."

The firewing started their descent to the ground. Benign adjusted from his relaxed position and looked around their surroundings. Buckets of sand spanned nowhere, yet an inconspicuous cave sat in the middle.

"Are you sure that I should trust this guy?"

[I do not have a built-in trust radar.]

"What— But you said I should—"

The firewing descended.

Benign cleared his throat. He didn’t move an inch from the top of the firewing where he sat. "So... where exactly is this?" And where exactly are we going?"

"The Protectors’ headquarters. This is just a portal that leads there. It leads to Olien."

Benign nodded slowly. He paused when he remembered what Olien meant and his history with them.

’Olien?’

He felt for the revolver on his thighs.