Chapter 10: The Most Loyal Gentleman
[Scene: Juan's House — Night]
Juan (sitting in front of his friends, with a slight smile):
"I can't believe that after so long... you're still the same as always."
Valtherion (kneeling, with a firm voice):
"True loyalty doesn't change with time, my lord."
Juan (shooking his head and laughing softly):
"Always so gentlemanly...
Juan looked around. Everyone was there.
Juan (with a nostalgic smile):
"Well... it seems that we are all together again."
Juan (looking at Elizabeth):
"Elizabeth... right?"
Elizabeth (nodding):
"That's right, Juan.
The atmosphere calmed down for a moment. Then, Juan looked directly at nothing... at the reader.
Juan (speaking directly to the reader):
"I know you're wondering who they are... and how am I going to justify that they are my friends." Well... let's see it before that.
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[Scene: Flashback — The void with The Mother]
Juan was in front of La Madre. In his hands he held the small device that he had previously given him.
The Mother (looking at him seriously):
"Remember this...
Juan looked up.
The Mother:
—That button doesn't just allow you to come here. The other side of the button... can take you to other worlds.
Juan (confused):
"Other worlds...?"
The Mother (nodding):
—Multiversal travel. But I warn you... you can't control where you're going. Only fate will choose the path. So... use it at your own risk.
Juan looked at the device in silence. At that time, he didn't give it much importance.
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Juan (shrugging his shoulders):
"Why not?" If I talk to someone who wears constellations on his body... this can also be real.
?
[Scene: Two months before grandmother's death — First multiversal trip]
The landscape was arid and desolate. A medieval town... in ruins.
Juan appeared in the middle of the disaster, still confused by what he had just done.
Juan (looking around):
"Where the hell am I...?"
Suddenly, desperate screams were heard.
Mother (in the distance, with a trembling voice):
"Please, help!"
Juan ran in the direction of the sound. In the distance, he saw a woman hugging her son, cornered by two red trolls of more than 4 meters, each with huge iron hammers.
Juan (to himself, nervous):
"What... what is that?"
Instinct told him that he had to do something.
Juan (screaming to distract them):
"HEY!" Why don't they mess with me instead of them?
The trolls saw him... and with a bestial smile, they went after him.
Juan dodged a hammer that broke the ground next to him. He ran desperately through the rubble, until, unintentionally, a rock flew straight towards him.
Juan (shouting):
"Shit!"
He instinctively raised his hands... and the rock stopped in the air.
Juan (shocked):
"What...?"
A smile was drawn on his face.
Juan (with a confident tone):
"Oh... I like this."
With renewed certainty, Juan faced the trolls. He used his superior strength to dodge their attacks and, little by little, he defeated them. Each blow knocked them down as if they were toys.
Finally, with both trolls defeated, Juan approached the woman and her son.
Juan (smiling):
"They're safe."
Mother (crying with relief):
"Thank you... thank you...!"
But something else caught his attention...
Juan (looking towards the horizon):
"What is that...?"
?
[Scene: The battlefield]
Juan advanced slowly. What he saw left him speechless.
A battlefield covered with corpses... more than 100 trolls were dead, their bodies scattered as if a massacre had occurred there.
In the center of the chaos, leaning against a rock, was a knight covered in black armor with golden details. His sword was stuck in the ground, and his breathing was weak.
Juan (running towards him):
"Hey!" Hey!
The gentleman didn't move.
Juan (concerned):
"No... damn it, I was late."
But then, the gentleman coughed weakly.
Juan (relieved):
"You're still alive!"
He approached and saw that the gentleman had multiple wounds. The blood covered his armor. Juan tried to take off his helmet, but the gentleman moved his head slightly, showing that he still had strength.
Juan (decided):
"Don't worry, I'll get you out of this...
Juan remembered the words of La Madre: "Your blood... is special."
Juan (looking at his own hand):
"What if...?"
He took a nearby plant and poured a drop of his blood on it. To his surprise... the plant revived instantly.
Juan (amazed):
"My blood...
He looked back at the gentleman, who was barely breathing.
Juan (urgent):
"Hey... hey, listen to me." If you want to live... if you want to stay here... you have to trust me.
The gentleman barely reacted.
Juan (with a firm voice):
"You can't give up." Not yet... Look around you... Do you think all this sacrifice was in vain? You can't die here!
The gentleman didn't move.
Juan (with anger):
"You have to fight!" For the people you saved! For those who still need you!
The gentleman slowly raised his head. His eyes, still under the helmet, shone with a spark that Juan recognized immediately: the spark of the will.
Juan (extending his hand):
"Do you want to stay here... or not?"
The gentleman, with difficulty, raised his own hand... and shook it with Juan's.
Juan cut his palm and dropped a few drops of his blood on the knight's wounds. Slowly, the starlight began to surround his body... and his wounds began to close.
The gentleman stood up, firmer than ever.
Juan (smiling):
"Well... I guess you'll need a name."
The gentleman tilted his head, as if accepting what was coming.
John (with a solemn voice):
"From now on... you'll be called Valtherion."
Before they left, Valtherion turned to look at the battlefield. When he saw the massacre he had left behind... more than 100 dead trolls... he muttered to himself:
Valtherion (in a low voice):
"I... still have a purpose."
?
Narrator (Juan):
"That's how I met the most loyal man who will ever exist... Valtherion, the most loyal knight.
End
