Small Differences - Chapter 6 (OLD)

	Before Kris could approach the hooded prince to make sure he was okay, he was already on his feet and walking towards him and his classmate. There was a small yet worrying limp in his footsteps.

	"*Wow, he completely ate shit and he's already standing. Seems like this little prince is pretty resilient."

	"Are you two okay...? You both have sustained damage..."
	"We'll be alright." Kris assured him. "Uh...I'm a bit worried about how hard that Lancer guy hit you. You doin' alright?"
	"Oh, it's nothing! It only hurts a little...U-um...Oh! Pardon my manners...! Allow me to introduce myself more properly! I am-"
	"Jeez," Susie sighed. "can you take off that hood? I can barely hear you under there."
	"U-ummm...Alright!"

	With a small click, the cloak began to fall to the prince's feet. Underneath the hood lied a small fluffy creature wearing a neon green poncho with a matching wizard's hat, black gloves, black boots, and seafoam green glasses with two glowing white eyes behind them. Kris' eyebrows raised at such an adorable sight.

	"Hello, everyone. I'm Ralsei. Kris, Susie, it's ever some wonderful to meet you! I'm certain we're going to become great friends, and-"
	"Best way to leave is east, right?" Susie asks in an almost deadpan voice. She seems unaffected by Ralsei's appearance.
	"Yes! That's where we'll-"
	"Got it...See ya at school, Kris."

	Susie begins to leave the human and the prince behind as she descends the stairs before heading east out of sight. Kris can only muster a sigh before turning to Ralsei to see if he had anything else of importance to say.

	"Um...I suppose it's just the two of us, then..."
	"Yeah...uh...sorry about her. She's not really a 'people person'.
	"...Well...regardless, I'm really happy to meet you! I might be a prince, but...I don't have any subjects. I've...been waiting my whole life for you two to arrive."
	"Really? That's..." Kris' words stop there. He didn't want to tell Ralsei how sad and pathetic his 'whole life' seemed.
	"...I know....b-but I'm still happy to meet you both, and I hope we can become great friends! Let's try to find Susie."
	"Yeah. I think I got an idea of where she is."
	"Well, then lead the way, Kris!" Ralsei happily chirps as he steps behind Kris, patiently waiting for hit next move.

	"*He's quite an adorable little button, isn't he? If I had hands, I'd pinch his cheeks dude I'm not even joking."

	"You know, Kris...After all of this is over, maybe we can come back here, and I can bake you and Susie a yummy cake!"
	"You bake?"
	"Well...when you've been waiting for as long as I have, you just learn little things like baking."
	"Hm. Thanks, Ralsei."

	As two of the three Heroes of the Legend descend the stairs, Kris spots the light again. He reaches out, and...

	[File saved.]

	The painful red mark on Kris' face disappears. A fresh vitality swirls within him as the fatigue from the battle with Lancer fades.

	After taking a left at the bottom of the stairs, the human and the prince encounter a dummy made to look like Ralsei.

	"Oh, Kris! There's that dummy I made! I think now would be a good time to prepare for the enemy. Want me to teach you how to fight?"
	"I think I'm alright. I've dodged things being thrown at me before." Kris says, remembering one or two foodfights that had broken out at his school's cafeteria, and how he managed to dodge most of the bits of food and trash thrown his way.
	"W-well, alright...but...not to say anything brash, but I think there's a bit more to it than just dodging and attacking..."
	"I mean, you could just tell me. I don't think we have time to act every nuance of fighting out on a dummy one by one."
	"...I understand. That's okay Kris, I most certainly can do that for you!" Ralsei cheers with an innocent smile.

	As Kris and his new fluffy companion pass the dummy, Ralsei quickly explains defending, how to make your enemy like you and not want to fight, his pacification and heal prayer spells, and the importance of using items wherever necessary. Before long, they come across a giant, golden door left halfway open.

	"Oh my! The great door was opened? No wonder Lancer was able to come through...Kris, once we pass through this door, our journey will REALLY begin. A journey foretold exactly like the prophecy...But, Kris, I believe YOUR choices are important, too. This world is full of all kinds of people, Kris. In the end, how we treat them makes all the difference. So, let's try our best to get by without fighting. If we can manage to do that..."
	"I got it, Ralsei. I'll try not to hurt anyone."
	"Kris...I knew you were a hero from the moment I saw you."
	"...Thanks."

	Kris steps through the golden door, allows Ralsei to come through, and promptly closes it behind him. This was the true beginning of Kris' journey through the Dark World. With a single step forward, Kris notices another light. For good measure, he reaches out, and...

	[File saved.]

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