Journey to Become the Zenith

The Choice Between Two Paths

”Videl! What are you doing?! You must rest!”

Videl pulled away when her mom reached for her. Out the door she went without looking back.

Blood drummed in her chest like a fist against stone.

Everything seemed fake. Reality had slipped away.

The forest.

The light.

The explosion.

And Victor.

Footsteps pounded the dusty trail as she moved, pain forgotten with each step. The ground met her soles again and again while breath came sharp through her teeth. Every stride forward seemed to push harder than the last one did.

Home was the single spot left within reach.

The neighboring house.

Where her closest companion made home.

Into the room she flew, her mom right on her heels.

”Oh my - Videl, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be resting?” Anna exclaimed in surprise.

From the kitchen doorway came Victor’s mother, a dishcloth moving across her palms.

Still, Videl stayed silent.

Without stopping, she moved on ahead of them.

Heading straight for the kid who sits quiet, hands folded, eyes down. The chair creaks under his stillness, light falling across one shoulder like a whisper. Nothing moves except dust above the floorboards.

A crumb slipped from Victor’s hand while he chewed slowly, face calm. Breakfast carried on without a pause, though the room still hummed faintly behind his eyes.

Black hair neat.

Golden eyes clear.

Barely a mark anywhere near his skin.

A sharp difference pulled hard inside her ribs.

”Videl, what’s happening to you? Why are you being so rude?!” her mother scolded.

Her words vanished before they reached Videl’s ears.

Suddenly, her gaze stayed locked on Victor.

Her eyes landed on him first, then Victor noticed. He sensed it even before turning his head.

He looked up.

Fog lifted behind her gaze, sharp blue like winter cracking through clouds.

And sighed.

Heavy silence pressed against the walls. Air felt thick between them.

Too loud.

Too fragile.

”Mother,” Victor said gently, setting the bread down, ”can you and Auntie leave us for a minute? We went through something horrible today. Videl must still be in shock. Don’t worry. I’ll calm her down.”

A quiet strength sat in his words. The calm carried through each sound he made.

Grounded.

Warmth spread through the space. The scent lingered like evening light fading behind trees.

Anna hesitated.

Then nodded.

Her hand closed gently around Videl’s mother’s arm.

”He’s right. Victor can calm her better than anyone right now.”

Slowly, they stepped out of the space. Then silence filled the air behind them.

The door closed.

Silence fell.

Videl hovered near Victor, eyes locked. Between them, silence stretched tight. A breath passed. Then another. Neither moved first. Stillness held firm.

”So,” Victor said quietly, ”what do you want, Videl?”

Her control shattered.

Fingers dug into fabric, holding on hard. The cloth bunched under her grip without letting go.

A shake ran through her gaze, drops clinging at the edges.

”WHY DID YOU SAY THAT?! WHY DID YOU LIE?!”

Victor winced slightly.

”First off, Videl, lower your voice. The whole village will hear you.”

”WHO CARES ABOUT THAT?! Why did you lie?!”

”Lie about what? And stop gripping my shirt - you’ll tear it.”

With quiet strength, he lifted her fingers away. His touch was calm yet unyielding. Slowly, she pulled back without protest. Movement smooth, no hesitation in his grip.

Not a chance she’d say no. Ever.

This just fueled her rage more.

”YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU LIED ABOUT!”

Her voice broke.

”Why did you tell them I killed the Red Bear?! When you were the one who did everything! You were calm! I was shaking! You fought the adult bear while I almost died to a child! So why did you give me all the credit?! Why, Victor?! Why?!”

Out spilled her words, tangled with hurt and bewilderment.

Breath stumbled through her ribs, lifting one moment, sinking the next.

A strange silence hung between them when her eyes met his. It was like watching a memory fade right before her gaze.

Victor studied her face.

Her trembling hands.

Her wounded pride.

Her broken sense of justice.

A finger dragged across his face, tracing skin near the mouth.

”I didn’t lie about you killing a Red Bear. You did kill one.”

She froze.

Memories surged back.

The light.

The power.

The strike.

”But still...” she whispered. ”You killed the adult one. Why didn’t you tell the truth? We could’ve both been heroes. Like we dreamed back then.”

Glory never crossed her mind.

She was thinking about him.

About standing beside him.

Victor saw it.

A tightness, strange and sudden, pressed inside his ribs for just one breath.

”I decided not to be a hero,” he said softly. ”I decided to let you have that role. I’ll be the hero’s companion. The one who supports you no matter what.”

He smiled.

A quiet moment showed a soft grin.

A look he tended to save just for her. Still, sometimes it slipped out around others. Not often though. Mostly when quiet moments caught him off guard. Then again, she’d always had that effect.

”But... shouldn’t you be the hero?” Videl said quietly. ”Even with this new power, I can’t match you.”

Head moving slowly from side to side, Victor gave a quiet no without words.

”The power you used is the power of a hero. Destiny chose you, not me. But don’t worry. Do you remember what I told you about heroes?”

She nodded slowly.

”You said a hero isn’t the strongest. That there are things stronger than heroes.”

”Exactly.”

A quiet light shimmered deep within his gaze.

”Today, I decided to become that thing.”

He smiled mischievously.

”If you’re the hero, then I already fulfilled my goal.”

Videl kept her eyes on him.

Then, slowly -

Warmth crept back into her hands after the storm passed through. A quiet settled where shouting had been moments before.

Out of nowhere, a grin cut across her crying face.

”Fine. Then you become stronger than the hero. But I’ll be the strongest hero that ever lived.”

Fist stretched forward, her arm straightened slowly.

Victor bumped it.

”If you’re the strongest hero, then I’ll be the strongest thing in existence.”

Their fists met.

A silent oath.

...

Finding peace in the quiet moments that followed, Videl walked away to make things right with her mother.

Out came a breath from Victor as he eased backward a little.

Out loud, he addressed the spot where two walls met. A quiet moment passed before his voice filled that small space.

”I know you’re there, Lane. You’ve gotten good at using darkness magic.”

The shadows rippled.

Lane stepped out.

Long black hair.

Black eyes.

Beautiful and quiet.

A shape slipped out close to the door, just past a second shadow - Skyla stepped forward, finally visible. She could not stay hidden any longer.

From the start, she was watching. All along, her eyes stayed open. The whole while, she kept looking. Throughout, glimpses slipped through. Constantly, she stole moments of sight.

One girl stared hard at Victor, while the other fixed her eyes on him just as sharply.

Their eyes shone.

”Can I be strong with you guys?” Lane asked directly.

Skyla nodded eagerly.

”I want to be strong too!”

Fingers tucked tight across his chest, Victor stood still.

”With your talent, and me teaching you, I’d be ashamed if you didn’t become strong.”

A quiet shift crossed Lane’s features, then - suddenly - a soft grin appeared. The moment hung, light and unfamiliar on their expression.

Skyla beamed.

Out of nowhere, they pulled him into a hug at the same moment.

Tight.

Warm.

Unexpected.

Victor stiffened.

”...Why do you both love hugging me? Am I some kind of teddy bear?”

Her arms tightened around him without a word.

”You’re my teddy bear.”

Lane nodded seriously.

”Yes. You are.”

Victor sighed helplessly.

Odd... yet somehow comfortable.

A weight settled gently above one child’s hair, then another. His palm found its place without sound.

Down the street in a different home, Videl moved quiet, fingers brushing her ribcage. Quiet steps carried her forward. Her palm rested where breath caught. A hush filled the rooms around her. Light fell across the floorboards in thin lines. She paused, listening to nothing much at all.

Even now, her pulse wouldn’t slow. A steady drum beneath the ribs kept time with old fear.

What makes him glow so much...?

It still hadn’t made sense to her.

Funny how certain thoughts stick around. One truth stood out plainly in her mind.

Beside her, Victor had to be - no walking otherwise. She refused steps without him near.

Behind her, the house sat still -

Out of nowhere, a quiet girl broke into a smile. That moment marked something new.