The adventures looked at each other with confused eyes, until a gruff voice came forward. Adam's downcasted expressions were clear indications for Arsh, about what to expect in their answer.
"....We haven't decided on that yet. But, let me make one thing clear to you. I am sorry to say this to you, Arsh. I really am. We can't help you throughout your whole journey."
"....We have families, relatives, and friends on other continents. If we grouped up with you, It will be the same as going against God's will…. There is no way for you to guarantee our safety anyway. They will be at our throats. They have eyes and ears everywhere."
Ethan shivered, before adding again.
"If they found out, we have allied ourselves with you, they wouldn't just hunt us down. The church will do everything in its power to decimate our whole bloodline, removing it from the pages of history, forever."
Ethan explained with a grave expression on his face. He was silent for some moments looking at Arsh's disappointed expression.
".... If you ever come to the southern continent. You don't have to hesitate for a second to ask for any help you want from us. We will be there for you, maybe not in the front but always in the form of the shadows…"
"You don't have to worry about anything else either. We, of course, promise to take your secret to the grave with us…"
Ethan huffed a heavy breath, his eyes plastered in the direction of Arsh and Alan for the response. Arsh was silent, but Alan was already smiling menacingly. Indicating he was already up to something.
"You better believe me, when I say, I will be asking your help for a lot of things on the other continent. Oh! Also, If you made it out alive there, that is. Who knows what might happen to us in the meantime…..We don't know which of us is gonna stab us in the back. Don't we?"
The adventurers stopped smiling abruptly, their eyes wary of Alan's presence. As the tension in the group rose up, they reached out for their weapons slowly, clenching them tightly in the hold.
Ethan also smiled warily looking at Alan's face. And a withering expression followed his face soon after. As he aimed his spear at Alan.
Arsh looked at the situation suddenly escalating too much, in front of his eyes. Once again he was dumbfounded by Alan's sudden action. After falling down the cliff and returning, Arsh had thought they must have grown less wary of each other.
But, looking at the mess in front of him. That didn't look like the case at all. He was sure Alan was the one who shared his secret with the adventurers. Making the sudden hostility towards them much more confusing.
'...What is going on with him?'
Arsh looked at Gelina for input, in helping him to stop the infighting. In reply to it, she just shrugged at him. Making it completely clear, it wasn't her problem. So she wasn't gonna help.
Arsh let out a sigh looking at both his mentor and the adventurers. He had no choice but to interfere between them.
"...What are you guys doing? I thought you were on good terms."
Arsh interjected between them, becoming the center of attention of the whole group. As he looked at both the adventurers and his mentor with brimming confusion.
"I have no idea…. He is the one who is being hostile to us, all of sudden. You should ask him rather than blaming us for this mess. I am certain, we never did anything to offend him."
Joey replied from the back of the group. His axes were already out of their shed spinning in his arms. Looking at it, Alan just scoffed at them, reaching out for his tar black sword.
"Stop! Right this moment. Both of you. Can you guys shut up and listen for a second?"
Alan shouted, thick bloodlust oozing out of his body. He needed to gather their attention to de-escalate the situation, as quickly as possible.
"Alan! What is your problem with the adventurers? As far as I am concerned, you were the one who gave away our secrets to them. Why are you being hostile to them?"
Alan shot him an irritated glance for a moment, sheathing his sword back again. His eyes loomed darkly in the silent forest. Looking at the whole mess in front of her, Gelina smiled from the side, amused.
"...Do you trust any of those adventures?"
Alan asked in a dark voice, suddenly turning to Arsh's face. His fingers pointed at the band of adventures.
'...What?'
Arsh was silent for some moments looking at the faces of surprised adventurers. If he was asking whether he trusted them or not, He obviously trusted them, after they had been together in several life-and-death situations.
But, it still didn't justify Alan's strange behavior to them. It was too random for him to just blame them for nothing. Arsh was sure he had a reason for it.
"What the hell are you talking about? You! You were the one who gave away our secrets. You are the reason, we are bound to them now in the first place. Tell me, Why are you so dead set on murdering them now?"
"And as far as my trust goes for them goes...I want to trust them."
Alan gritted his teeth irritatedly, his suffocating dark aura hovering inside the whole camp. His dark eyes gleamed strangely.
"I don't know, Okay. I don't know. After you fell down inside of God knows in which asshole. I thought you had died….I again have lost someone dear to me…."
"I wasn't in the right state of mind, I was broken inside when I told them about our secrets. And even then, I was planning on killing them before they left the forest. Treat the trouble at its source, to avoid the bigger mess. Let me flush my shit down. Step aside kid, let me finish them off to put an end to this."
Alerted, all of the adventurers picked up the weapons, their eyes trembling in horror looking at Alan's approaching figure.
"... What's gotten inside of you? Why are you acting like this?"
Arsh looked at him with pleading eyes. He really didn't know what had happened to Alan, for him to lash out like that.
Even though he always seemed an easygoing person in the eyes of a stranger. It was a complete lie, a false persona of his, to hide the truth behind it.
The shrewd and calculating mind of his.
That was also the reason it didn't make sense. Why was someone as calm and collected as Alan making a scene in the middle of the forest? If he wanted to kill them, it would be no different for him than to squash a few bugs.
Alan let out a pained breath, moving toward Arsh. He grabbed Arsh's shoulder tightly, dragging Arsh's face in front of his.
"Listen, and remember this well, kiddo."
Taking a deep breath he looked directly into Arsh's eyes.
"There is no such thing as good or bad in this world. There always has been only your perspective or another's perspective. It may sound harsh but listen well. You won't find a single stranger in this world, who will help you out of goodwill."
"Nobody gives a shit if your family got killed for no reason. The church that ordered the murder of your village in cold blood, is the same one that feeds millions on other continents.
"Do you think? If you tell just any person that the church killed and butchered your village in the name of peace, will they help you?"
"No! No one's gonna raise a single voice for you. Until they had a reason to do so."
Alan loosed his grip around Arsh's shoulder and said with an extremely pained expression.
"I don't want you to be like me. Absolutely not. Not able to trust any person for your whole life….. But, still, you are too naive. You think every person will help you if you tell them your little sob story. Right?"
"Wake the hell up, Arsh. This is your fight, always has been that way. Nobody will fight it for you. I promised you my support in your journey. But you yourself have to make up your mind. If I am your ally or traitor. Whether to trust me or not."
"Always be wary of others. There is no such thing as goodwill or compassion in this world. Nobody will help you without a reason, always remember that."
".... I speak with experience when I say this, Arsh, believe me. Always the one closest to you will stab you the deepest in your heart. Always."
As he completed his last sentence. Alan completely removed his hand from Arsh's shoulder, moving away alone inside the dark forest.
Leaving the whole group to ponder his words inside the deafening silence.