Chapter 13
Eron sat cross-legged on the porch of the house, his elbows resting on his knees. The forest stretched before him, where he felt safer than among people. In the forest, he could hide. He could feel every living thing.
He closed his eyes. A small stone rose and fell above his hand, trembling every now and then under the influence of his concentration.
Leaves rustled in the wind, and the shadows of the trees moved to the rhythm of their dance...
Eron listened intently to what was coming with each gust of wind. He heard the flutter of a bird's wings, the creak of branches, even the rustle of a small insect crawling along the bark.
The roar of an explosion shattered his consciousness.
In an instant, the forest vanished. The smell of burning and smoke filled his nostrils. Beneath his buttocks, he no longer felt the boards of the porch, but slippery, cold mud, a mixture of blood and earth.
"I'M FUCKING HIT!"
"MEDIC!"
"WE NEED TO SILENCE THESE AA GUNS!"
Red and blue streaks flashed in the darkness, cutting through the smoke like lightning. The clones fell one by one.
Eron saw a familiar silhouette. One of the clones fell. His body was strangely still. His helmet fell from his head, revealing a shocked expression on his face. He had no eye. The bullet passed through his helmet and burned the right side of his head.
Another boom. Blood and mud sprayed over Eron.
Another explosion shook the ground, and shrapnel flew past his face. Eron smelled the sharp smell of melted metal and burning flesh. Screams mingled with the roar of the cannons, and the air was heavy with dust and smoke, filling his lungs.
"LEFT! TURN THE FUCKING LEFT!"
One of the soldiers roared, squeezing the trigger of his Z-6 until the barrel glowed with heat.
Eron wanted to run, but each step sank into the mud, which sucked in his legs as if to stop him. His lightsaber whistled, striking a beam of energy and deflecting it back towards his attackers. But where one enemy had vanished, three more appeared.
On this planet, they weren't just fighting droids. The locals were Separatist supporters. Eron had to take lives to protect his people.
His heart pounded in his chest, and his breathing came in ragged, rapid bursts. His hands trembled on the hilt of his lightsaber. As he tried to deflect another shot, the blade vibrated dangerously, as if resonating with his fear.
"I can't do this… I can't do this…"
His whisper was drowned out by another explosion, completely obliterating the clone running ahead of him.
The shockwave slammed him sideways. He slammed his shoulder into the ground, feeling cold mud splatter against his face. He opened his eyes and saw a soldier, or rather, what was left of him, lying next to him.
Eron gasped, his stomach lurching. The earth was erupting around him, and screams turned to the wails of the dying.
He closed and reopened his eyes.
The forest was peaceful. Birds sang, trees swayed gently in the wind. He looked at his hands. There was no blood on them… at least not visible.
He stared into the forest, as if to reassure himself that this was truly reality.
Eron lowered his head, shoulders shaking. For a moment, he looked like a boy struggling to bear the burden of war, a burden even adults couldn't bear.
"Eron?"
A low, booming voice snapped him out of his stupor. The boy flinched, turning his head sharply toward the door.
Tiger stood in the doorway. His silhouette filled the entire frame. He was dressed in civilian clothes.
"What's going on, boy?"
Eron didn't answer. He lowered his gaze. He was still breathing as if he were on a battlefield.
Tiger took a step forward, and the boards groaned softly under his weight.
"You're breathing like you've been through hell,"
Tiger said calmly, without accusation, but with the weight of experience in his voice. He knew exactly what was happening.
Eron inhaled sharply, trying to calm his breathing, but each inhalation seemed too shallow. His shoulders trembled.
Tiger slowly moved closer and crouched down, lower than the boy.
"I saw people fading away in my hands. As a pro hero, I promised to save everyone... but sometimes it's impossible. Sometimes at night I see their faces... they come to my dreams. They ask why I didn't save them."
Eron looked up at him. His eyes held something between anger and helplessness, as if he wanted to scream that this wasn't the same... that his hell was worse. But his voice caught in his throat.
Tiger only nodded slowly.
"You don't have to tell me what you saw. It's enough that I know that what you endured was heavier than anyone should bear alone."
Eron shuddered slightly and shook his head.
"I can't do it…"
Tiger placed his hands on his shoulders.
"You can do it, Eron. If anyone can overcome their own demons, it's you. I believe in you. We're all on your side here. The most important thing is that you don't forget one thing."
Tiger's eyes grew serious, and his voice took on an almost fatherly tone of determination.
"Only you can decide which path you'll follow."
Eron swallowed. He looked at Tiger.
"I'd like to believe that…"
"You don't have to believe right away. You just have to try."
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Mandalay sat at the table with a cup of tea, Ragdoll paced nervously back and forth, and Pixie-Bob glanced at the door every so often. The atmosphere was heavy. Tiger stepped inside. He closed the door behind him and remained silent for a moment.
Mandalay raised her eyebrows.
"Did he have another seizure?"
Tiger nodded and sat down heavily in the armchair. Ragdoll paused, clasping her hands together in front of her.
"Did… did he say anything?"
Tiger closed his eyes and shook his head.
"He didn't have to say anything."
Pixie-Bob clasped her hands in her lap.
"He's safe here. No one's after him, no one's trying to hurt him…"
Tiger opened his eyes and looked at her heavily.
"His body has left the battlefield, but his mind is still there."
Ragdoll glanced around at everyone present.
"The UA exams are starting soon... is it a good idea to send him there?"
Mandalay looked at her.
"I'm asking myself that myself."
Pixie-Bob shook her head.
"So? We're supposed to keep him here, isolated from the world? He's been here for months. We can't take away his right to make decisions."
Tiger nodded.
"Maybe that's what he needs... structure... organization... UA is a school, but it's also a place that can give him a reason to live. He'll be able to use his abilities in a safe environment."
Ragdoll looked at him warily.
"Safe environment? What if he feels threatened there? If someone attacks him and Eron kills him?"
Mandalay slowly placed the cup on the table, her gaze darkening.
"UA is a risk. But any other solution is a risk too. If we lock him up here in the woods, we risk him suffocating alone. If we send him to UA, we risk his past coming back to haunt him. But at least in UA, he'll have a chance to find a new reason to fight... to fight and save people."
She fell silent for a moment, her gaze darting away as if remembering something painful.
"I spoke with the school psychologist at UA... Hound Dog warned me that Eron will live with the trauma forever..."
Ragdoll lowered her gaze, lowering her voice.
"So how are we supposed to help him if even the psychologist says this will stay with him forever?"
Mandalay spoke calmly, but there was anger in her voice, which wasn't directed at Ragdoll, but at the fate that had befallen the boy.
"Stop thinking of it as fixing something, Ragdoll.... Eron isn't a machine. He's a child who's been through horror..."
Silence fell. Each of them knew there were no easy answers.
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Two weeks later.
Mandalay drove the car toward the city. Eron watched from the backseat as the dense trees disappeared over the horizon. Buildings of varying heights took their place.
Mandalay spoke calmly.
"You already know how to write in Japanese, so the written exam won't be a problem for you."
Eron remained silent, observing the surroundings. He watched the trains moving along the tracks. There were plenty of people on the streets... and the closer they got to UA, the more young people he saw heading towards the school for future pro heroes.
"What about the second stage of the exam?"
Mandalay smiled slightly, though there was concern in her eyes. Eron couldn't see it, as the woman continued driving.
"A combat simulation. You'll have to face off against combat robots and earn points for destroying them."
"Robots...droids?"
"Relax, Eron.... No one will be in danger. It'll be a simulation."
Eron shook his head slowly.
"There's no such thing as a simulated fight if you're directly involved."
Mandalay gripped the steering wheel. Finally, she admitted quietly.
"You're right. It will still be a fight. But the difference is, no one here wants you dead."
Eron was silent for a moment, watching through the window the crowd of young people walking towards the U.A. gates. They were vibrant, bustling, nervous, yet excited. Their eyes sparkled with dreams and ambition.
"They're treating this like a game."
"No, Eron.... they're taking it seriously, but not in the same way you are. For them, it's a chance to fulfill their dreams."
The car slowed and stopped in the U.A. parking lot.
"This is it. Enter through those gates when you're ready."
Eron got out of the car with Mandalay.
"I have to go to the other teachers."
"I didn't know you were a teacher at UA."
"Every year, kids come to training camp, so even though I don't teach at UA, I'm considered a teacher."
Eron nodded at her, grabbed his backpack, and headed toward the entrance. A crowd of candidates was milling about outside. He pulled his hood over his head. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a boy with green hair falling face-first to the ground, but a girl touched his back and stopped him.
He reached out with his mind, but he didn't sense any use of 'Force.' It simply meant another quirk. He stood there for a moment, observing, but finally moved toward the building.
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The written exam was easy. Eron found the math to be basic, but he struggled with history. Fortunately, Mandalay had prepared him for the questions in this section.
He left the exam early and went outside for some fresh air. There were already a lot of people around. He could feel their emotions because of the "Force." Most of them were nervous and excited. Ignoring the stares of the other candidates, he sat down under a tree in a meditative position.
Eron closed his eyes, letting the "Force" flow through him like a calm river. Chaos reigned all around. Some students were confident. Others felt they hadn't done well on the written exam.
So many souls... so many voices. It all felt so alien. The people here had never known war. They were young, full of dreams. Eron had been like that once too. The war verified his worldview.
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Ibara Shiozaki sat on a bench in the shade, her hands resting on her lap. Her hand instinctively grasped the cross she wore on a chain. Her attention was focused on the boy sitting under the tree. She feared Eron would follow Satan's path.
She had several months to ponder the meaning of the Force. Conversations with Obi-Wan had allowed her to better understand the nature of the Force. She learned that the Force permeates every person, much like God, who is present within each of us. God has endowed humans with free will, while the Force does not impose its will on anyone, but can nevertheless guide, inspire, and sometimes even reveal visions.
For Ibara, it was clear: the Force is a manifestation of God's direct intervention.
For her, the Force is God's direct intervention. This understanding brought her comfort, but also a burden of responsibility. If the Force was God's gift, then the dark side was Satan's temptation. And Eron... he stood on the brink.
She had seen it in his eyes that night at the camp, when his sword flashed red, his face a mask of cold determination. He had saved lives, but at what cost? Were his anger and pain not signs of the dark side?
She sensed a familiar presence.
"Master Obi-Wan. I fear Eron has no one to help him... what can I do to steer him away from Satan's path?"
Kenobi was silent for a moment, trying to reach Eron... but to no avail, as the mysterious barrier continued to block his contact with the boy. He sighed sadly.
"Ibara... The war stole his childhood. The Jedi Order failed him. The betrayal of the clones broke him. The dark side feeds on fear and anger, but despite that, he came to your rescue. A Sith wouldn't do such a thing... at least not without an ulterior motive. Eron demanded nothing of you. His methods are... far from what the Order taught, but I can't blame him. Every adult in his life has failed him. Even his master."
Ibara summoned the courage to ask about the red lightsaber.
"Why does he wield a red-bladed sword then? Isn't it a symbol of the Jedi's enemies? A symbol of the dark side of the Force?"
"That, unfortunately, I don't know. Perhaps he found it... or... what I fear most is that someone gave it to him... It could be someone... keeping him under that barrier."
A voice came from the speakers.
"Candidates are invited to the exam rooms to familiarize themselves with the rules for the second part of the exam."
"Ibara. If you want to help him, you have to get into UA. Only then will you have a chance of influencing him."
Ibara simply nodded.
End of Chapter 13