The moment was merely in a frozen and soundless period. The shelter was a grey capsule room, lit by a few lanterns, but small to barely fit three people. Hatim sat in a corner right before where Athena sat on a wooden seat while Zera watched them from a slight distance, sitting on grounds, same as Hatim, though rather perplexed in the cloud of her own thoughts, she kept her eyes upon the two. The moment was silent till where there was no echo at all, not even of breaths. His eyes were latched into the deep grey grounds, glimpsing a wink of sleep that he didn't get earlier, yet only one sentence circled in his blurry thoughts.
'How many died?'
The words Athena let out weren't her choice of words and he knew that precisely, he just knew. The fog took over his head as beads of sweat covered his texture. "Can't stay here, I'm heading out," Hatim spoke aloud and stepped towards the iron door exit. "Wait, what?! No, Don't! There's a storm coming." In that silent room, ultimately, an echo sounded direct from Zera and yet couldn't halt those hefty steps of Hatim. "Do not be foolish. You would not be able to withstand it." She does not have to look at him to know his rage or cold behaviour to Zera that is, just as why her choice of words' echo sounded loud in the blank, grey shelter. "I am foolish, eh?" His gaze spun and bolted into her emerald eyes, finding that shallow and blank taste. Fury runs through his veins as her face he recalled…
'The man who cherishes life can never be a bad person.' ~
"Don't bullshit me!" And yet, despite staining that invisible wound, despite all deep residing anger, he merely couldn't open the lid sealing his lips. He knew there was nothing this lady from Olympus didn't know, her wisdom will never wither, so then why? She may… just maybe have the power to end this and yet she chased after this something that she, herself, didn't know existed in the first place or not. Why is she so weak? The puzzling thoughts crushed his calm posture as his brother's quotes circled deep in his head, merely making him unable to think at all. He left the shelter and upon his figure fled from her view, Zera instantly spun her snakish gape at Athena, crammed with hope, with sombre and as Athena met that innocent gape glimmering for help, she let out a sigh, as if resembling disappointment.
'There is no God that hates its creation.' ~
There was no grey sky up there anymore, no calm winds either, it was merely black mist cast so dark it hurled despair within the air itself, barely letting sunshine pass through. He stepped over a soil ground, with nothing at his foot, he forgot his slippers, he could feel some tiny rocks in the soil, and somehow it felt amusingly nice. His brother was the person Hatim knew would never lie, and yet within all those words, all those tales he told, he never uttered any words hostile against Gods, then why? Amidst disarray, Hatim merely kept his steps going. "Hey, hey, don't walk there!!" An echo sounded aloud as it reached Hatim eardrums in a matter of seconds and brought him back from the train of limitless thoughts to reality. "Are ya blind or somethin'? Or ya didn't see the flowers yer steppin'?" Though it sure sounded a little drunk, his truth opens Hatim eyes as he slowly falls some steps back. It was a field of flowers, Hyacinths, as he wandered his gaze, he merely found purple shade before him, the shade Purple Hyacinth radiating in the chasm of this despair atmosphere was simply beautiful. "Ya young folks didn't know how hard it is to keep these flowers alive!" As the old man's steps got closer to Hatim, he saw the figure frozen, barely gazing to the sky, his eyes crammed with sombre, it was the moment he knew something was going on in that head of this brat, something like puzzling threads and so he pushed Hatim aside and nicely put a cloth blanket at the field, though before going he shared a gaze at that black sky and merely smile. "Funny eh? I have kept' em alive for years, even when I knew they'd die someday. I always thought it woulda got to be today whenever some shitty wind blows but it ain't never happened though still, that day could've got to be today, and I ain't sad because I just gave 'em water and some needs, it was this ground that kept' em alive. Justa ya know, the world ain't as bad as it seems…" He left some of his experience in Hatim's ears, unsure whether it reached him or not, but who could have known, it was the last piece of the puzzle. Minutes passed by as his gaze merely gawked at the sky, and flashing memories kept its ride in the abyss of a near ending path and just that sudden, his anger, sorrow and along with all emotion, it all departed him in a way that simply left an emptiness behind. "Hatim!" It was then when the kindest yell echoed and rang in Hatim ears gently as his eyes spun to find Zera appearing out of the mist, though, seeing her was not something he didn't want, on the contrary, it made him smile for a second but as it fades upon glancing at Athena as her steps followed Zera. Hatim Sunflower eyes tried to gaze deep beneath that hood, fixed with something too shallow that maybe can not be described into the words, growling in the pit of his stomach, something that can not be repressed anymore or who knows what comes out when there will be no place to keep it inside him any further. As soil dust withers with winds, her view came clear on Hatim, glimpsing a small yet bulky figure, a breath of relief Zera faintly let out, and her steps halt slight by slight, but Athena's didn't as she walked and walked, and stood head to head before Hatim, though the hood covered her, he could see that green gleaming glow from her emerald eyes, meeting right into his sunflowers ones.
***
The wind gales may blow hefty yet the frightening calm moment gave a shiver to it as well as it was noiseless. It was silly. The world was such a big place she only read that in a book, yet she always thought there is no such possibility she can not overcome, she always thought she was the part of those strong ones, her thoughts always told her; she was the main character of this story, yet whenever she tried to elope or even stand up against those ruffians, her body shivered. Her will was strong, but her fear was even greater. What did she fear? What was that? She never knew until that day. An unknown figure, came afar from the sea, as he stood above those ruffians and his fist tainted by the language of blood, that was the moment she knew what it truly means to be strong. He stood before the undefeated leader of a gang that ruled over a city, and that day she finally parted her ways from fear of being weak when her wails rooted for him but not fate. He stood before the merciless predators and will stand against every obstacle in his path, even before his death. He is strong. And yet, despite all the power his knuckle beheld, he was merely a slave to a greater figure, to a figure that simply didn't seem from this world. At least her beauty was not from this world, she only saw it once, but her golden hairs were silky as waves of purity and her green eyes mysteriously gleamed in the thick darkness, but her skin, it was not white yet it was no less than it. She was a kind carving about the world as if a grown little child who knew nothing but wanted everything. Zera didn't know anything about this lady. Yet there was something mysterious, something borrowed from the books of magic or sorcery, and yet maybe, she didn't want to open those pages of the book, it was just too paranormal to talk about.
'Athena, you sure are kind of a mystery, from beyond the world I've seen or even heard. But Athena… well you are the most beautiful person I've seen… yet, I may sound harsh, but you are the worst person I've ever met. You glimpse no emotion, nothing at all, no hate, no happiness… no grief, nothing but that blank face of yours. But, you funny thing? There is this one boy. His relationship with you… well… that is beyond me but even if he hates you or rather hates something near you, just remember this one thing. The boy who stood before you is the only one in this world who can truly see through you.' She merely smiled, confused rather why, yet even that unknown child knew deep in her heart, this moment is key to fate…
***
Beneath the raven hood, one could not tell what expression another has made, one will not acquire the hidden means of what another ambition implies, it was simple as that, yet he knew what goes on in the depths of the jet black hood. As the silence kept its existence absolute, mere gust couldn't do much with some noisy yet thin echo. "Do not act like a fool. You can not endure the cyclone that is to come." Her tone was sleek and gentle, yet sounded no less deadly than a warning. But Hatim didn't feel anything, not even her probing words and whirled head to the charismatic sky. "You care if I lose my life? Why? Because of this coin? Or is it because of what lies in this thread it points? Tell me, Deity of Wisdom." His palm held the Bronze Coin she gave to him and his eyes sought an answer that for the first time Athena didn't know how to reply to, her choice of words went empty, but soon Hatim eyes wandered from the sky to the ground of soil as he sees, a sea of ants, hiding inside a hole, in the wish to survive this cyclone. Her step was just a few inches away from what they call an ant colony, yet not stepping over it carefully. "Or perhaps you generally care about life…?" He tried to look into her eyes. "Three hundred forty-eight thousand seven hundred sixty-five and probably more…" It took Athena by surprise and her gleaming green glow shone bright again in the depths of the raven hood and then to the eyes. "Remember when you met me after our Gladiator?" Athena recalled her memories as those burials came into her thoughts right away, and realization followed; he was making those burials for the ones who died with none. "Many died in my arms and I still can feel their warm blood in my palms. and all I could do was make some empty sandstones so even an ounce of their soul wanders, it just has a place to rest… but my brother gave his all to protect Artelia, his whole life he devoted to its people…" A sad, sorrowful smile barely curled upon his blank texture. "All for it to burn down into ashes… his life's legacy concluded as nothing more than ashes flamed by burning red fire…" Just little by little, his smile fades. "Tell me, Deity of Wisdom, why would a God do that?"
'Please stop.'
Suddenly a massive gale of wind blew and shook every single existence that stood there. The raven hood finally hustled and revealed her face. With a gale along flew Purple Hyacinths and finally, the white sheet old man put upon the field, unleashing a wave of Purple Hyacinths, shading the view black with purple a little by little. Little by little, he understood her expression as little by little those flowers perished up in the dark sky. Funny how the whole ground they stood on was merely radiating Purple Hyacinths and simply could turn anyone's eyes to the beautiful purple glimmer and so Zera's eyes didn't have much choice but only see how a life dies in such a beautiful way. She felt amused but much more sorrowful. Sure every man and woman could have done the same as Zera did but Hatim eyes merely gawk at Athena's face and suddenly a realisation comes to him as if an arrow strikes its mark.
'Sorrow.'
Just in that fraction of a moment, Hatim saw her entirely differently. He just knew she wasn't the same person, it wasn't a blank, ruthless girl face anymore. Just then when her lips finally began to spell words, withering words, trying hard to get out of the throat.
"The reason why he did… I—It was all for the sake of S…"
Then once again another and a final gale hurled and left a ruthlessly quiet moment upon the tail. However, as a stream of purple waves halted little by little, his emptiness somehow fades along… little by little. All his emotions ran through his veins once again but the one that reached his mind first was rage, fury overtook his soul and spirits. "Is it all for the sake of that?!" Dead silence woke from his howl. But her emerald eyes didn't wither, admitting the undying truth, and merely then sorrow took over rage, his eyes numbed and his expression waved the white flag. "You gotta be kidding me…" His steps chose the way far from her, far distant from them where his numb eyes could not be seen… while Athena stood her grounds, still believing her choice of words, may, and maybe was the truth. With that belief, she once again grasps her hood over her head and with a sigh…
***
"There are no heroes…" Despite a cruel reality he'd known, his smile didn't wave an inch. "Listen well, little Hatim, the world we live in is not as beautiful as it seems or rather it is a little gloomy place as if it is always raining. But you know the worst thing?" Hatim shook his head as an answer to no. "No one will come to save you." A sad solemn look Hatim face adapted. "Indeed there are no heroes, but Warriors…"
"Warriors?"
"Yes, the ones who battle and gain victories. The ones that fought their inevitable destiny." Suddenly, a question mark pooped on his little forehead. "But, brother, if Warriors do not save anyone, then what do they fight for?" Leos was the largest city of Artelia with the most empty lands. Hatim and Leocus walk in the field of beautiful Sunflowers, radiating golden shade as far as an eye could see and shone even more on a bright, sunny day. Sure with lengthy mountains at the horizons, wind gales blew all above and low. And so, his legendary red cape swayed slowly, and his golden hairs swayed slightly. But his face, a mixture of both, misery and hope was an unbearable sight. "You see Hatim, Warrior fights for a purpose, bigger than anything that lay in their path. They fight all for the sake of…"
***
He stood before a lake near Marina main camp. It wasn't very dirty yet it wasn't very clean either, and yet when air gusts have halted, the reflections appear in the lake, containing all the bending trees and his solemn expression and a frozen figure.
'There are no heroes.' ~
His brother's figure walked amid his thoughts, but sadly he wasn't the only one echoing in the depth of his turbulent sanity.
'You have the will to live, always have been. So, live my son, find your destiny.'
It took him a moment to realize what the warm water trailing down to his cheek was. His blurry visions spun to the bronze coin that lay in his palm, he flipped it once and twice. It was a coin with two heads and no tail. "What should I do… brother…?"
***
His brother told him thousands of tales but there was this one tale that he was never able to bring into words as if there were no words to describe the mysteries kept beneath its name as if the tale carried no phrases but a mere name that as if has been passed down from the legends itself.
The Tale of Something Greater…