A.R. Dragonfly Vol. 12: A.R. Dragonfly, #12

By Joshua Piedra

After life-changing events shape everyone's future, the conclusion to everyone's stories is at hand. Welcome to the final volume of A.R. Dragonfly.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Joshua Piedra
• Release date: May 4, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223981299

Book preview

Preface

Welcome to the 12th and final volume of A.R. Dragonfly. It is crazy to think that I wrote a 12-volume light novel series but here we are!

Needless to say, it has been an incredible journey for me. What lies ahead in the pages beyond this preface have been some of the toughest chapters for me to write. I didn’t want it to end and, ironically, as an author, I have the power to continue it all; however, doing so would mean artificially extending the story.

I, simply, don’t want to do that.

In any of my anime and manga reviews for The Outerhaven, I drive home the fact that the ending is paramount. I picked, what I believed to be, the best possible ending for the series. My only hope is that you are satisfied with that ending and the series overall.

Enjoy the final chapters and, as always, I will see you on the other side of them!

Chapter 1

The Final Prison

Amber’s parents were the biggest bane of her existence. Their lack of care and mistreatment of her as she grew up was the sole reason for her crippling social anxiety. Cast aside and unloved by the two people who brought her into this world made Amber believe that she wasn’t meant to be happy. The kids she grew up around didn’t make it easy for her, either. Their relentless attacks, both mentally and physically, over something as simple as the true color of her hair made Amber feel helpless. The only people she could turn to for help were the ones who wanted nothing to do with their own daughter. That combination left Amber damaged to a point where she believed she was beyond repair.

Everyone that sat at that table inside of The Roast proved to Amber that she could be saved. Just a mere couple of years after meeting Sebastian, she gathered a wonderful group of friends around her. She had found love, companionship, and, most importantly, she found people who would accept her for who she truly was. None of them cared about her hair color, none of them cast her aside as if she were an undesirable object. The road wasn’t always smooth nor was it paved with gold. There were many bumps, many setbacks, many trials to overcome. Still, Amber stood near the end of her long journey and the road ahead was no different than the one she left behind her.

Through the courage and strength she had gained from all of the wonderful people in her life, she wanted to get over that final obstacle. Through Lynn’s friendship and finding out that she was a fan of hers from the very beginning, through Kaito’s love, patience, understanding, and acceptance of her, through Sebastian’s friendship and always going out of his way to help her, and through Takumi’s warmth and comfort; the prisons around Amber’s heart and mind shattered one by one on her journey. Those prisons opened up new sections of that path for her to walk on. Suddenly, the road felt less turbulent, it felt a lot smoother than it had been before. With each step she took, the air cleared and she no longer felt like she had been suffocating. Her vision cleared and she could see the path ahead being forged for her rather than wandering around in a dense and soupy fog with no direction or sense of heading.

Despite all of that, there was still one more prison that remained locked shut. She realized that nobody could unlock this prison for her. The final prison was the only one she could shatter on her own. That prison was locked and sealed tight by her parents. To unlock it, she had to confront them face-to-face and that was exactly what she had planned to do. Amber felt that she couldn’t move on with her life unless she did. As Kaito put it, life is a book filled with many chapters. With marriage and motherhood on her doorstep, she knew that these next two chapters were major turning points in her life. To turn the pages, she knew that she had to close out that one lingering chapter… a chapter that had been left open for far too long.

As they sat there in The Roast, those closest to Amber remained stunned when those words of wanting to confront her parents came out of her mouth. Kaito, knowing Amber as well as he did; as the one who experienced and caused some of Amber’s pain first-hand, wasn’t about to let her go on this venture alone.

Amber… I admire your determination but I have to know. Is this what you truly want to do? With everything that’s going on right now in your life… all of the positive things, wouldn’t it be best just to move on and forget them entirely?

That’s the easy way out, Kaito. I could just continue just as I am now. The chances are almost guaranteed that I would never hear from them again if I did. I could continue to live my life with all of you in peace and quiet but if I did… there would always be that one little piece of regret in the back of my mind that wished that I had done something. To not say anything after years and years of torment… I can’t let it go.

Kaito nodded as if he understood where Amber was coming from. It was the same for Lynn when she couldn’t bring herself to go to Takumi’s grave after he passed until she mustered up enough heart and strength to do so. The same for Sebastian to let go of his lingering feelings for Amber to move on and form a relationship with Jessi. Everyone has those moments where if they continued to hold onto something, it would only cause them much regret later on if they didn’t see something through. This was that something that Amber felt that she had to do.

I understand. That’s why I’m going to go with you. I’m not going to let you face your parents alone. As I said at the party, Amber. I wanted to be the rock for you to lean on but it ended up being the other way around. You became my strength which allowed me to go to Japan and confront the very thing that caused my distrust in others. I’m better for it today because of you and now, I want to return the favor. Let me be the rock this time. Lean on me and let me prop you up as you confront your parents.

Amber closed her eyes and smiled. She closed them because she felt as if she could cry at any moment and didn’t want to be seen in public doing something like that… especially after all that talk about having strength and needing to do something this important. She took a deep breath and simply muttered thank you to Kaito as she knew that Kaito was right. Amber was going to need his strength as even in her mostly-recovered state, her anxiety might resurface and she wouldn’t be able to do this alone. 

Everyone finished their meals and wrapped up the conversation talking about restarting Amber and Kaito’s streaming careers. They laid out the plan to form the guild but there was one little piece of the plan that Sebastian never considered. Kaito was about to call an audible on this without telling anyone. He didn’t want to say anything because it was going to be the biggest shot in the dark he would take and he didn’t want to mention anything since the shot wasn’t something that was guaranteed. Still, it was something he wanted to try which may just end up giving them a boost towards success.

Since The Roast was so close to home, Kaito and Amber left their car behind and walked there. On the way back, they passed by Blaze N’ Auras and peered inside. Suddenly, memories of their time there rushed through their minds. Neither one of them could believe in just one week’s time, this place would be completely gone. A huge part of their lives was about to be taken from them and it was all at the hands of a greedy company that only cared about a bottom line more than the spirit of its players and the spirit of gaming as a whole. 

When they got back to the apartment, Amber took a deep breath as she used the restroom, knowing that they would be on their way once she was ready and prepared. While she was in there, Kaito took out his phone and searched through his contacts. He found the one he was looking for and decided to compose a new message. He began to tap out a lengthy note to whoever it was. It was so lengthy that Amber came out of the bathroom to let Kaito know she was ready and saw him texting that certain someone. Obviously, curiosity got the better of her and she asked who it was.

Who are you messaging?

Our parents. I want them to know what steps we are taking today. Mom and dad love you a lot and I think you could use their support as well… even if they’re not here in person to give it.

Amber smiled when Kaito said that. She thanked him right as he pressed the Send button. With that out of the way, Kaito asked if Amber was ready to head out. Her proverbial inner cursor bounced between ‘yes’ and ‘no’ as if she were being asked to make final preparations before a point of no return; typically before the final boss of a video game. She nodded ‘yes’ and the two; of them left to go grab their car. Amber showed her nervousness by engaging in her ritualistic trifecta of pat-downs to make sure she had everything she needed before leaving the apartment. Once inside the car, Amber played the role of GPS as Kaito had no idea where they were going or how to even get there.

Amber’s parents lived in the opposite direction of the store. They needed to travel out of the city and into the surrounding suburbs. They owned a home on the bank of a river that wrapped around the outside of the city. While two rivers divided the city into thirds, this river went in an entirely different direction and didn’t flow nor run parallel to the other two. Still, the city was always in the background of Amber’s parents’ backyard. It was one of the things that were constantly in sight of Amber when she was a child. It was the sight of the city that caused her to run there when her parents evicted her from her very own home. 

It took a good 45 minutes to get there which made Kaito wonder just how Amber managed to get into the city in the first place. Then again, the traffic was pretty heavy getting out of the city so the majority of the time was spent alternating between coasting and braking. Once they got out of the city, Kaito took the second right and followed a long road lined with open fields. It was really hard to imagine being in a concrete jungle then suddenly being in an area that almost looked like the great plains. A few miles down the road, Amber had Kaito take a side street on the right. At the end of the street was a lone wooden house that looked like it needed a new paint job as what was left of its white paint was cracked and peeling off. It had a pretty wide backyard that was bordered by a white wooden fence. Beyond the fence was a bit of a cliff that went down about twenty feet or so. At the bottom of that was the river that hugged the city. Kaito could clearly see the city on the other side of the river… it gave him quite the perspective just staring at it.

Amber got out of the car and took a deep breath. Amber knew that this was it and became a bit weak in the knees. Amber knew right then and there that if she had to come here alone, she wouldn’t have been able to do it. Sensing her hesitation, Kaito joined her at her side and grabbed her by the hand. He shot Amber a warm and friendly smile which made her calm down just a little bit.

Ready when you are, Amber.

Amber nodded and the two of them walked up a small stone pathway to a front porch. When they stepped onto the porch, the floor made a creaking sound as if the wood was rotting beneath them. Kaito wondered if it would even support them for much longer but even though the wood made that kind of sound, it seemed sturdy enough to stand on. Amber slowly reached out and grabbed ahold of the handle on a white metal screen door, pulling it open. She then nervously balled her fist and knocked on the front door three times.

The moment Amber readied herself for had arrived. All she could do now was stand there side-by-side with Kaito and wait for her parents to answer. She could only wonder what their reaction would be when they saw her for the first time in years.

Suddenly, the door cracked open and there stood a boy, about 16 in age. He had short, spiky hair that was colored dirty blond. He had light green eyes that went well with his light brown t-shirt and black jeans. A confused look came over his face as he stood there and looked at Amber and Kaito. Amber was just as confused as he was as she didn’t recognize the person standing in front of her. 

Uh… hi? I’m sorry but… maybe I have the wrong house. Do Karen and Bill still live here?

Hold on, said the boy as he turned away from the two of them. MOM! DAD! Two people are here to see you!

Mom? Dad? What the feck!? wondered Amber.

Soon, a man and a woman showed up at the door. The man stood around 5’8" tall and was a bit on the heavy side like he had one too many beers. He had brown eyes and a small half ring of pepper-colored hair that wrapped around the back of his mostly bald head. He wore a white t-shirt and blue jeans along with a pair of brown work boots. The woman was about the same height and was also a bit on the heavy side. She had dirty blond hair that was styled in such a way where you could just envision her asking to see the manager wherever she went. She sported a part of thin red glasses that only added to her self-centered image. She wore a brown floral-patterned dress with a gold necklace that looked a little snug around her neck.

As the two of them stood there, they looked at Amber with an expression as if to say what the hell are you doing here? All Amber had to do was look at the two of them and her expression of fear turned into one of pure anger.

Karen… Bill… I bet you’re surprised to see me standing here, aren’t you?

Not surprised as much as bothered, said Bill.

If you’re here for money, we’re not giving you any. Whatever reason you’re here for is a waste of our time. Just go back to wherever you came from, said Karen.

Oh, trust me. I’m going back… but before I do, I came here for one reason. It’s not to ask for money...it’s to hold a funeral.

Karen and Bill looked at each other with a bit of concern. Even Kaito had no idea where Amber was going with this. Still, once he heard those words, Kaito was ready to pounce on Amber should she decide to make a move that she would come to regret. For now, Kaito simply stood there listening to what she had to say.

Do you have any idea how much I’ve suffered? Do you know how many nights I had to cry myself to sleep because I never knew the loving embrace of a parent!? DO YOU THINK I ASKED TO BE BORN THE WAY I HAD BEEN!? No… I didn’t ask for it and yet, it still happened… and all you saw in me wasn’t your daughter… all you saw was just some albino freak that you were too embarrassed to acknowledge was yours! WHAT THE HELL KIND OF PEOPLE ARE YOU TWO!?

When everyone picked on me and I needed support… you weren’t there! When kids THREW ROCKS AT ME… you weren’t there… when I was constantly bullied and needed someone to protect me… you weren’t there! You never cared what I did, you never cared what happened to me… for what? All because you thought I was different? That wasn’t what you expected? I wasn’t what you had hoped for in a child? HOW IS BEING BORN WITH A MELANOCYTE DEFECT MY GODDAMN FAULT!?

Yet, I was made to suffer. Because of you two, I walked through hell every single day. I had severe anxiety, panic attacks, I was even scared to go outside my own FUCKING HOME! I thought that I would just end up alone for the rest of my life… like it was intended for me that way. Then… a miracle happened. I met so many wonderful people who accepted me for who I was. We became friends and then I met this guy right here, Kaito. Kaito is my fiance and I’m currently going to be the mother of his child. I agreed to let him come here with me because I wanted to show you what I have become and to tell you two simple words…. You failed.

"You failed to destroy my heart… you failed to destroy my mind… just as you failed as parents