On the morning of the next day, Courage sat in a tavern at a table by the window—his preferred sitting spot . On the table in front of him, an almost-empty milkshake cup was placed.
However, Courage wasn't alone. On the opposite side of the table facing him sat a young man with brown hair and yellow eyes. He, too, had a milkshake, though his cup remained untouched. That, of course, was Wally Rain—the young man he had a rather eventful encounter with yesterday.
Wally sat quietly, looking down, but don't let that silence fool you. The truth was, Courage and he had just finished a long conversation.
Yesterday, after Courage brought Wally back to the bastion and secured medical treatment for him and his beast, he decided to stick around to talk with wally. There were several reasons for that, but the main one was that Courage really wanted to know Wally's story and understand his circumstances. Not solely out of curiosity or sympathy, but also because whatever story was unfolding right now, he was sure he was now part of it as well. He was certain this wouldn't be the last he sees of that guy Jack—nor was Wally.
So it was better to at least understand the reason behind the future drama he was certain he was going to get dragged into.
Wally was grateful to Courage for saving his life—and even more so after he stood up to Jack for him, lied to the Band of Dawn members for his sake, and even went through the trouble of escorting him back to the bastion, even though there was no reward in any of that for Courage. Feeling immense gratitude for Courage's help, he opened up to him completely, telling him everything.
And by the end of it, Courage had finally understood everything.
Wally's story started back on Earth, where he and his family lived as humble trade folk, making a living by owning and managing a couple of modest fisheries. They were content with their lives—until one day, their happiness came crashing down.
A strange phenomenon began to occur relatively close to Wally's home citadel. This phenomenon, though not lethal to humans, caused drastic weather and ecological disturbances that destroyed their fisheries. The water in their fishery ponds went through changes that killed all the fish they were raising.
Courage had actually heard about this in news articles—the agricultural failure that a citadel called River Bank Haven faced almost a year back because of some strange phenomenon, forcing the citadel to rely on imports to support its population. He hadn't thought much of it back then, thinking it wasn't the worst thing in the world that could happen. But now, hearing it from someone whose life was affected by it, his insides churned with shame for having scoffed and belittled other people's misfortune.
That was pretty humbling for Courage.
Wally's family tried everything they could to mend the situation but to no avail. With their livelihood ruined, they fell into a hard predicament. Unable to save their ruined business and unlucky enough to find any decent alternatives, his family struggled to stay afloat. Yet slowly but surely, the bills began to pile up.
Not wanting to watch his family descend further into the abyss of poverty, Wally made the hard decision to become a beast catalyser. He believed that the wealth that comes with being a successful beast catalyser would be enough to support his family. And so he strode down that path for the sake of his loved ones, armed with their hopes and prayers for his success.
But that was where Wally's blessings ended.
See, unlike Courage—who had at least one beast catalyser in his family—Wally had none. His kin had always been fishermen, making him the first beast catalyser in his family's history. This meant Wally started his journey already at a disadvantage. He didn't have any guidance or teachings left for him, like Courage did with the notebooks his father left behind. So Wally began completely ignorant.
He had zero skill or knowledge when it came to beast control or cultivation, which hindered his ability to grow and develop. And as he regretfully learned later on, beast cultivation was in itself a financial endeavor—one he was obviously incapable of affording.
Put simply, Wally was stuck in a spiral ,
he needed to grow more so he could earn more, but he was too weak to earn enough to grow in the first place. His situation was truly desperate.
But that's when the Black Hyde Gang came into the picture. In the middle of his desperation, Wally received a contract offer from the Black Hyde Gang. The contract stated that if Wally joined, he would receive financial support from the gang—and not only that—it also promised guidance to rookie catalysers to assist their development. Desperate to change his situation, Wally agreed to the offer without much thought, not knowing he was making a grievous mistake.
Through a cruel roll of the dice of fate , luck would have Wally end up with Jack—and that's where his true hell began. Wally didn't know what he did to make Jack hate him, but for some reason, Jack made it his mission to make Wally's life a living hell.
Jack started by hindering Wally's development, causing him to waste the money he was given for cultivation without achieving any solid results. Jack's disruptions, combined with Wally's inexperience, kept him weak. And to ensure Wally stayed weak, Jack would always cheat him out of his cut from the profits of any hunt—mockingly claiming Wally's contribution was too little. And it was little—because of his weakness—but whose fault was that?
Now barely making anything, Wally couldn't recoup the money he'd wasted or fund his growth, trapping him again in the same cruel cycle—only this time, much worse.
When Wally tried to confront Jack or seek help from someone higher in the gang, that's when that fiend showed his true colors. Jack would immediately give Wally a painful lesson, telling him he had no say anymore and that from now on, he was nothing but Jack's plaything. He threatened that if Wally tried to get help from anyone, the consequences would be severe. Jack had status and authority within the gang—maybe not real authority, but he used his position as a high-priority member to pressure those in the lower echelons of the gang to do his bidding. Using this method, Jack isolated Wally within the gang, leaving him no escape from his tyranny.
The only way out was for Wally to grow strong enough to escape Jack's sphere of influence—but Jack made sure he never could.
Courage was left with his blood boiling after learning this. Courage already hated Jack because of his actions yesterday, but now—after learning what a sick person Jack truly was, someone who gets off on others' suffering—Courage could only place someone like that in the most rough and smoldering part of his heart.
Courage clenched his fist in anger, wishing that he had hurt that bastard more yesterday.
Returning to the story, Wally endured this torment until he found a rare opportunity to momentarily escape Jack's thumb. Using this chance, Wally wanted to try hunting on his own—away from Jack—so his money wouldn't be stolen by him.
Wally was desperate. So desperate that he even snuck into the territory of the Band of Dawn, the direct enemy of his gang, in order to increase the odds of Jack not finding him—or at least make him hesitate to look for him there. But as was proven later on that didn't work .
There, Wally made the unwise decision to try and hunt an entire pack of beasts on his own. The iron quill porcupines were bottom-tier beasts, so he thought he could take them. But alas, it seemed Wally's desperation had caused him to underestimate those beasts and overestimate himself—a mistake that nearly cost him his life, if not for Courage showing up to rescue him. And I think we all know the rest of the story from there.
And that was it—the story of Wally Rain and the tale of how he got himself into that predicament yesterday.
"Fuck," Courage whispered to himself. If he ever thought he was unlucky before, now—after hearing Wally's story—he doubted he'd ever pity himself again.
Lifting his gaze, he looked at Wally with pity, because he knew this wasn't the end of his suffering.
Oh, you thought it was over? Yeah, not even close. Remember that contract Wally signed at the beginning? Now it's time for that to torment him too.
You see, according to the terms of the contract, Wally would be given financial support and tutoring upon joining the gang. But in return, Wally would be bound to the Black Hyde Gang, unable to leave until he returned the value of the support he received—plus interest. Meaning Wally was actually trapped in the Black Hyde Gang with Jack.
Wally shared a copy of his contract with Courage upon his request. Upon inspecting it, Courage was shocked to find that even though the terms seemed predatory, they were actually fair in nature. In detail, the contract stated that Wally would have to pay off a portion of his debt—set at a certain minimum—every month, with the interest rate only increasing if he didn't pay the monthly amount. This would extend the time he remained bound to the gang's service.
Now here's the kicker , the debt and its interest rate were actually reasonably fair, considering the benefits given. If someone worked diligently and paid even the bare minimum every month, they should be able to clear their debt in just a little more than a year. Then they could continue to work within the gang normally. For all intents and purposes, this was a fair contract—a bit binding, yes, but not unreasonable.
This was a rather surprising fact for Courage. He'd be lying if he said he didn't have his own impressions and assumptions about the Black Hyde Gang, so seeing them play fairly was unexpected. He had imagined the Black Hyde Gang as a ruthless organization that would do anything for its own benefit.
This contract system might seem evil at first glance. However, if you consider all the current circumstances, it was actually a rather smart strategy. The Black Hyde Gang was in an arms race with the Band of Dawn, with both parties seeking to bolster their forces to overwhelm the other. However, the Band of Dawn—having the backing of a great clan—had a bigger attraction for new recruits. To combat this, the Black Hyde Gang had to compensate by offering benefits in order to compete .
This contract system would attract people through the benefits it offered. But since the gang was investing heavily in new recruits, it was only natural they would implement measures to ensure they didn't lose on their investment. After all, it would be a huge loss to invest so much in someone only for them to leave immediately after receiving their benefits. By binding new recruits, they made sure members didn't leave and remained long enough to at least repay the worth of Thier investment. It also insured that new members didn't immediately or easily defect to the Band of Dawn.
Another advantage was that by binding new members to the gang, they would eventually grow accustomed to it, which would make them hesitate to leave even after paying their dues—or joining a rival faction. That's why it was important for the contract to be fair. If the gang's contract system gained a bad reputation, it would severely reduce their ability to recruit, as people would obviously not take a bad deal.
All in all, it was an ingenious method to rope people into their gang while also ensuring loyalty. And you can clearly see that it works, given the fact that the Black Hyde Gang was able to stay matched with the Band of Dawn despite the great infamy and attractiveness the latter possessed in the eyes of the average person.
It was clear that the leader of the Black Hyde Gang was no fool, implementing such a smart system to even out the odds.
Even Courage couldn't help but commend the intelligence and ingenuity displayed here. "Hats off to you, Black Hyde Gang. You really transcended the stereotypes."
But back to the problem at hand: if this was an honest and fair contract, then why was it a problem for Wally? You see, if Wally had been allowed to progress normally, he should have been able to pay off his debt—even if it took a little longer than the estimated clearance period for minimum effort.
However, thanks to Jack, Wally failed to make use of the money invested in him. And considering how little Wally made working under Jack, he'd obviously been failing to meet the bare minimum payment every month until now. This caused Wally to make little to no progress in paying off his debt, as well as causing the interest rate to swell tremendously.
Combining this fact with the previous events and developments summarized Wally's current situation:
- He was weak , Drowning in constantly growing debt , The organization that was supposed to support him was now basically inhospitable And on top of all that, he was targeted by someone leagues stronger than him
Wally was, by all the word had of meaning, in a ditch.
Thinking about it made Courage churn with so many emotions—sadness, rage, pity, and shame. Poor Wally, plagued with circumstances beyond his control, taking a dangerous path for the sake of his loved ones, only to be rewarded with struggle and pain. In a way, Wally was living the very same fate Courage had feared for himself—the one he'd strove so hard to avoid.
Courage thought that if he hadn't been fortunate enough to have what he had, he too might have ended up in similar circumstances. The thought filled him with indescribable bitterness and pity for Wally.
But finally, after a long silence, Wally spoke:
"I'm done for, aren't I?"
Courage was solemn.
"Despite Jack's insults, he's right about how weak I am. Without him, I can't make it on my own. And with how things are now, I definitely won't be able to get any help from anyone else in the gang—not if Jack can help it."
"I'm just so… sniff sniff…" Wally began to tear up but held it in. Looking at Courage, he forced a smile and said as he rose from his seat:
"Thank you, Courage, for everything. I would've tried to repay you anyway I can—alas, I'm so pathetic I can't even repay the man who saved my life. So I'm going to do the only decent thing I can and stop dragging you down with me. If I stay away from you, Jack just might forget about you. This isn't your problem, so you shouldn't be involved."
He gave Courage one last grateful look and said:
"Goodbye, Courage. Once again—thanks for everything."
Then he left the table and started to walk away.
"WAIT!" Courage said, slamming his hands on the table and not letting Wally take another step away.
"Y-yes?" Wally turned to answer, surprised by Courage's outburst.
"How much?" Courage suddenly asked.
"What?" Wally asked, confused.
"Your debt—how much is it?"
Wally was silent for a second before answering: "The base debt plus the current interest is around 220,000 credits."
"Ouff... wow. Okay, that's a lot. But... we can definitely pay it off if we work hard enough."
Wally was dazed for a second hearing this, but then he finally realized: "Wait—'we'? What do you mean 'we'?"
"Yes, 'we'—as in you and me, together. I'm sure we can get you out of debt. And not only that—I'll also help you get strong enough to overcome that bastard Jack."
"Pay off my debt... help me get stronger..." Wally muttered as he tried to understand. He understood that Courage was offering to help solve all his problems, but what he couldn't understand was... why?
Why? Why help him? He'd only met Courage yesterday, and he'd brought him nothing but trouble. Courage had already done more for him than most ever had. So why was he offering to do even more when he obviously had nothing to gain from it—other than more trouble? So just... why?
"Why?"Wally trembled as he asked. "Why are you willing to go through such lengths for me when I've brought you nothing but trouble? Why help a complete stranger so much? Just... why?"
'Why?' To be honest, even Courage didn't know why. He had always been a logical person at his core, and he understood very well that there was no benefit to associating with or helping Wally. If anything, he should try to avoid him. He had already brought so much trouble on himself just by helping this much—any more and he'd just be asking for it. He understood that.
Still, learning about Wally—his past, his tragedy, his struggle—he felt a strange resonance with him. He didn't even know what he meant by that when he thought about it. Yet the one thing he knew was, he just couldn't watch someone like Wally walk away after learning all of that about him. He just couldn't help but feel a heart-wrenching sensation in his chest watching Wally's figure walk away.
After a few seconds of silence, as Courage mustered an answer.
"That is because... you're not a stranger, Wally."
"What?"
"Wally, you don't know me, and I don't think I can say I know you either. But in a way, I know the kind of person you are and what you're struggling with."
Wally was silent.
"I don't dare say I KNOW what you have been through or all of what you have been feeling, but I dare say I know the feeling of thinking that there is no one to help you in this world—the feeling of struggle, and... the feeling of being trapped. A long time ago, I too suffered from these things."
Courage said as he reminisced about his past, recalling his life before he took the turn that changed it—the loneliness of not having a family for most of his life, the exhaustion and sleepless nights he suffered as he struggled to make it in this world, and lastly, the despair and helplessness he faced—the ones that many times made him feel trapped and surrounded on all sides with no escape.
"You've been through all of this, haven't you, Wally? And you probably still do, don't you, if you do then trust me we already know each other in some way?"
Wally's eyes and mouth began trembling. Courage's words were clearly touching something deep in his heart. It was the kinship and familiarity one feels when they meet someone who truly understands their feelings— the one that felt like finally reuniting with someone they've known for a long time after years apart.
"Is that... Really the reason?" Wally asked, tears beginning to stream down his face. "Just because you understand how I feel?"
Courage met his gaze steadily. "No. It's because when I was trapped like you, I was lucky enough to find out that I did have someone looking out for me in this world." His voice softened as he remembered. "My father… even though he wasn't there, what he left behind saved me. He gave me a chance when I had none."
He stepped closer, his expression earnest. "I want to be that person for you, Wally. I want to be the one who gives you a chance."
Wally was now crying profusely, shoulders shaking as months of fear and loneliness poured out of him. Courage didn't hesitate—he placed a firm, steadying hand on Wally's shoulder to comfort him.
"So then, Wally," Courage said, his voice clear and strong. "Are you willing to join up with me to change your fate?"
With falling tears and a choking voice, Wally answered "Yes" with all of what little spirit he had left.
"I'm glad you chose so,".said Courage, a warm smile dawning on his face.
At that exact moment, an unlikely alliance was born—one forged from shared struggles and similar aspirations, one that, as fate would have it, was bound to bloom into a friendship like no other. From now on, Wally would not have to go through his story alone, and neither would Courage.
After a while, Wally stopped crying, and along with Courage, began planning for the future together. Once done, Courage approached him with another question.
"Now, one last thing to confirm," Courage asked, his tone serious.
Wally, now with full spirits, asked, "What is it?"
"Are you drinking your milkshake?" Courage asked straight away, his tone still dead serious.
Wally was stunned for a second—then burst out laughing, finally putting a smile on that young man's face for the first time in a while.