Floating around in space, the group decided to take a bit of a break from finding the crystals to allow everyone to fully come to terms with Chronos' death. Everyone was doing their own thing as they tried to distract themselves and preoccupy their minds before needing to return to the main task of finding the crystals.
Marcus wandered around the ship, having nothing really to do himself, he search for things that he could do. As he ventured through the ship, he passed by the records room, taking a glance inside, he spotted the small flower Chronos picked up before. Slowly, he gently picked up the flower and twirled it around between his finger and thumb.
"I still don't understand anything you said..." He mumbled as his eyes remained fixed to the colourful pastel petals, "why'd you leave before you could explain everything."
Gently, he placed the flower back down onto the bench and sighed. Frustrated at himself for not forcing answers out of him more and letting Chronos get away with everything he's done. He roughly pushed himself off the side of the bench, he ventured out of the room and towards Luciel's room. As he strolled through the corridors, the ship still as silent as ever as Chronos' death heavily lingered between the people, he heard the muffled cries echo through the cracked door leading to Luciel's room.
Knocking quietly, he said, "I'm coming in Luciel."
Slowly opening the door, his eyes were instantly met with Luciel curled up on his bed with his knees to his chest as he cried quietly into his knees. His long wavy two-toned hair fell softly towards his knees as he wrapped his arms around his legs. It looked as if he hadn't stopped crying since they returned to the ship.
He gradually made his way over to the bed, sitting down gently on the edge a few feet away from Luciel as he hesitated to say anything. He and Luciel weren't the closest of people, and he definitely had never comforted him in any sort of way before, it was normally one of the others who did. Glancing around, he took a moment to think of what to say initially to calm the smaller man down before going into what he wanted to talk about.
"Say, you were really close to him," he quietly said, avoiding eye contact, "you seemed to really like him."
It took a second before he heard a muffled yes come from Luciel, to which he turned to face him. He was still slightly crying but now Marcus could see his tear-stained face and red puffy eyes.
"I think you were probably the closest to him," he continued, leaning back as he focused all his weight into his hands, "but I don't think you should cry over him so much."
Luciel's eyes widened as he snapped his head around and exclaimed, "what- why?! He cared so much for us and helped us with so many things! It would be wrong to just ignore his death now."
Marcus paused. Hesitant to say what he wanted to say but he knew that it was important. He knew that what he theorised about Chronos as a person is something he needs to tell Luciel.
Taking in a deep breath, he stated, "but did he really? Did he actually care for a single one of us?"
"What do you mean?" Luciel argued, turning entirely to face Marcus head-on with a serious expression in his black eyes, "he saved the Athena crew when they were on that one planet! He helped me find Sofia! He comforted me when she died! And most importantly, he sacrificed himself to protect me!" Tears began flowing out of his eyes once again as he quietly finished with, "of course he cared for us."
"No, Luciel, he didn't," Marcus replied, honestly, as he stared genuinely at him, "he didn't care for us."
"You're wrong!" Luciel snapped, "you don't know the type of person Chronos was-"
"You don't see it, do you?!" Marcus yelled, slamming his fist against the bed, "Chronos really didn't care for any of us! He only protected the Athena crew and you because he didn't want his plans to fail. Did you not hear the last things he said?!"
"But that doesn't mean he didn't care!" Luciel yelled, his brows furrowed as he disagreed with every statement that came out of Marcus' mouth, "his plan was to protect us! He didn't want us to die!"
"Just because he didn't want us to die doesn't mean he cared!" Marcus argued, his tone becoming scarily loud and serious, "he was ensuring we lived so he could use us for whatever plan he had! A plan that he couldn't execute himself, which is why he let himself die instead of you or me! Open your eyes, Luciel, he was using us - he still is probably."
"No..." Luciel whispered, his tears returning to his eyes as he violently shook his head, "no way..."
"Yes," Marcus said, his voice lowered and quieter as he inched closer to Luciel, "he doesn't care for us. He only cares about his plan. If he really cared for any of us, he would've been more honest. He would've told us his name. His origins. And... what happened on Earth."
"No. No no no." Luciel cried, his head in his hands as he remembered the time he spent with Chronos, thinking that the younger boy actually cared for him, "he-he was my best friend! He told me things about himself! He was honest with me!"
"Really?" Marcus cocked an eyebrow, knowing perfectly well that everything Chronos told Luciel would've been vague and half-lies.
"He did!" Luciel protested, "he told me about his past. Like the fact that something drastic changed in his family."
Realising he was close to making Luciel realise the truth, he added a question to knock him over the edge, "what was that drastic change that happened in his family?"
He thought and thought. Tried to see whether Chronos had told him anything else that would answer Marcus' question. Anything that could prove the space physicist wrong and that Chronos was a good person and that he was honest with him and that he did care for Luciel as much as the older man cared for him. His mind raced through the past encountered he had with the young blonde boy, trying to spot anything that could help him figure it out. But in the end, nothing. Chronos had told him nothing. Everything he said was vague and hard to interpret.
"I... I don't know." Luciel said, giving up.
"Exactly," Marcus replied, seeing that Luciel is finally realising the truth behind Chronos' personality aboard the ship, "he didn't feel close enough to you - to anyone - to talk about his past or his life. And everything that he did say was through vague and metaphorical words."
"So... Everything was a lie?" Luciel asked, his voice full of hurt, "everything he did was for his plan."
At this point, Marcus knew that Luciel believes him in some areas, but he just didn't have all the evidence to back his theories up, "that's what I think. You saw his true personality. The moment he heard me say that I told you what he told me, his whole atmosphere changed - it was like he was a different person."
He thought back to the time they rested in the desert. Remembering how Chronos' way of speech changed, even if it wasn't incredibly apparent, he could recall how the younger boy's tone seemed more blunt and condescending compared to his usual carefree and lie-filled words.
"This whole time he was on the ship with us, he was toying and manipulating each one of us." He continued, "and for whatever reason, he aimed at you the most instead of Kennie, who's personality complimented Chronos' façade the best."
Silence returned to the room as the two thought about why Chronos would've targeted Luciel and used him as a sort of protection against the rest of the crew, while there were members like Ren or Kennie or even Adrian who held more power and control over the group. Ideas and thoughts raced through their minds as they tried to come up with some sort of theory over Chronos' actions. It took a couple of minutes before Marcus recalled something that Luciel yelled out recently.
"Hold up," he said, his face presenting a puzzled expression as he pointed to Luciel, "you called him Rylie."
Luciel tilted his head in confusion as he asked, "when?"
"When he was dying." He replied, "the moment you turned to look at him, you yelled out Rylie instead of Chronos."
Thinking back, Luciel remembered how he shouted Rylie the instant he saw him bleeding on the ground, "yeah but that was out of reflex. I don't know why I said that."
"If it was out of reflex, then maybe you've met him before," he suggested, "or he's met you briefly and that's why he chose to use you the most - he could've known you."
"But I don't remember meeting him at all," Luciel said.
Before Marcus could say anything else, Adrian's voice erupted through the speakers, requiring everyone to return to the bridge since they were arriving at the next planet that should have the crystals. Sighing, Marcus stood up and wandered over to the door but before he left, he turned to face Luciel.
"Think about where you could've met him," he said, "it might help us figure out who he is."