When they reached the office that was dreary with only two wooden chairs facing each other, a wooden table in the center, and a single portrait hanging on the wall, Kevin sat on one of the chairs as Mordred bowed his head and sat on the other. The Vice Captain then stood behind Kevin as he closed the door.
"Are you able to locate that Necromancer boy?", Kevin asked as he tucked his eyeglass to the bridge of his nose, his composed complexion negating his violent emotion with his eyes stuck at Mordred's eyes that were squinting as he tried to avoid Kevin's gaze.
Kevin knit his brows at this action of Mordred.
"Tell me, what happened", he added as Mordred didn't speak or rather seemed to have a hard time organizing his words.
Mordred pondered for a while before he tucked his hand in the drawer below the wooden table, unveiling a folder as he untucked his hand. With a pucker expression, Mordred handed the folder to Kevin as the latter reached out his hand and took a while before finally getting the folder from Mordred's hand that seemed too reluctant to hand it over as he pressed on the folder with great force.
Kevin tilted his head as he pressed his eyeglass. After glancing at Mordred with bothered looks, Kevin flipped the covering of the folder as along with a sigh, the contents of the folder were disclosed to him.
It contained photographs of Hiraya and Alab with a few printed details below their pictures. Kevin browsed for a few more seconds as his eyes skimmed through the details, and his heart contracted at what he read.
"T--this", Kevin let out as his hand clenched the folder tightly, causing a little crumple on pictures of the two.
Mordred glanced at Kevin and his eyes sunken as he witnessed the change in his expression, he then interlocked his fingers as with a deep breath, he spoke.
"I learned that you are friends with them, but…", Mordred halted as his sunken eyes brew with madness, glancing at Kevin who had his dilated eyes remained stuck at the folder.
"But, I hope you won't forget how your mother and father died in the hands of that Necromancer and how deceased members sacrificed their lives in the cold war with their Guilds.", he muttered in long words, throwing away his tight-lipped.
Kevin fell in a daze as their memories in the Tutorial surged in his mind, the battle, laughter, and bond they formed entered his head like a wave as his arms shook erratically, washing away his calm demeanor and in no time, the wooden chair trembled as Kevin's entire body shook.
Mordred and the vice-captain were bewildered by this sight as they instantly stood up and held Kevin as they tried their best to stop his trembling body, but it was for naught as Kevin shook more.
"Guildmaster!!--", Mordred exclaimed as he placed his hand on Kevin's shoulders with the vice-captain going on the drawer as he pulled bottled water out of it. Sprinting back towards Kevin, the vice-captain removed the lid of the bottle as he handed it to Mordred who shortly threw the contents of the bottle to Kevin's face who now had a foam excreting from his mouth as his pupil from his dilated eyes made its way upward.
Swoosh
With the water soaking his face, Kevin was finally pulled out of his stupor as his body gradually calmed down, the erratic pounding of his heart died out as Kevin regained his regular breathing.
His eyes remained pinned in nowhere as his body lay down on the wooden chair, a tear then evacuated his eyes as his mind processed his loss.
Just days ago, he had lost his mother, his only reason for living. And now, just when gained his first friends, he learned that they were related to the death of his mother and father.
Kevin couldn't get hold of his emotion as his heart contracted in pain, a series of tears evacuated his eyes as his face deformed when he wept.
Removing his soaked eyeglass with his left hand, Kevin raised his right wrist as he covered his swollen and watery eyes with it, falling into a deeper pain as he let out every bit of his miserable fate.
With ragged breathing, his chest contracted and expanded as his nostrils throbbed.
Mordred let out a relieved breath upon seeing that Kevin finally calmed down, but was once again assaulted by trouble at witnessing Kevin wept. He gestured for the vice-captain to leave the room with him, eventually giving Kevin a space to dry his tears out.
Mordred glanced a look at Kevin, his eyes somber as he closed the door.
He didn't want to drag Kevin in their path of revenge but similarly, he knew that a war was bound to happen in the imminent future. They needed Kevin to lead them in that war.
Closing the door, Mordred clenched his hand as the memories of their deceased members' corpses being delivered back to their homes resurfaced in his head. The memories of their orphaned children wailing and falling into misery as they passed out beside their parent's coffins were still fresh in Mordred's head.
He couldn't let the same thing happen the second time.
Clenching his hand, Mordred swore that they would win the upcoming war, even at the cost of dragging an innocent boy, Kevin, in this wrath.
"Sorry, Kevin", he muttered as he firmed his resolve, stepping out of the room and waiting for Kevin to appease his grief.
—---
"We won't enter this war"
Hours had passed with Kevin drying his misery. With the last wipe of his tears, he called out the two who were dumbfounded by the first message he uttered.
Mordred and the Vice-Captain were standing at the door, their brows knitted at Kevin's words.
"T---this, Guildmaster, I hope you are not being impulsive in your decision. Please reconsider!", the Vice-captain uttered as he couldn't believe Kevin's judgment, his brows forming wrinkles as he stepped into the room.
"I made my decision. I won't repeat myself the second time.", Kevin responded in a firm voice. It was clear that he wouldn't be swayed by reasons.
Mordred recollected himself as he clenched his hand, closing the door as he bowed his head and sat in front of Kevin. His butt hit the rough surface of the wooden chair with a sigh, he muttered.
"May I know the reason behind your decision, Guildmaster?", he asked as he gazed at Kevin.
"Please, Guildmaster, if this is because of those friends of yours, I hope you reconsider and do not be selfish!--", the Vice Captain retorted as he stood behind Mordred, but he was yet to finish his words when Mordred turned his head towards him, his eyes burning with rage locking gaze with the vice-captain. Sweats dripped from the vice-captain's head as he met the wrathful gaze, it was clear that he made Mordred mad with his words.
Ashamed, he lowered his head as he zipped his mouth.
Kevin then spoke.
"I am not being sentimental here. Captain Mordred, do you know what was the reason why I chose to come along with you when you escorted me to the Tutorial?", Kevin asked as he glanced at Mordred.
Mordred pondered for a while as he recalled the moment they escorted Kevin. It was indeed a smooth persuasion, too smooth that it made them disturbed for a while.
With no plausible reason formulating in his mind, Mordred asked.
"Why?"
Kevin pressed his eyeglass as he heaved a sigh, he then glanced back at Mordred as he pointed to his eyes.
"It was your eyes. It was screaming revenge, suffering, and guilt for whatever reason. It was pleading for help.", Kevin muttered as he remembered the looks in Mordred's eyes that time. He recalled how his eyes were always on verge of crying, though it was neatly concealed by his knightly composure.
He had witnessed these eyes for years, staring at his mother's eyes who were smiling from ear to ear. He always wondered how his mother could smile despite her petite body fixed on her wooden bed and one day, he just learned to see through her pain behind her grinning demeanor.
Mordred, with dilated eyes, couldn't believe what he just heard. He then unlocked gazes with Kevin as he felt shame arising within him as how could he let the Guildmaster see through his vulnerable side? Mordred's courteous self couldn't let this slide. He made sure to get stronger, stronger enough to revoke his vulnerable mentality.
Kevin saw the change in Mordred's expression as he raised his body, standing in the room, Kevin walked towards the right side of the room where a portrait was hung on the wall.
In the portrait, almost a hundred men stood in three rows. Clad in dazzling armors, they all plastered a smile as behind them, a sea of assorted-color tulips bent at the sight of the glorious Royal Palace of Amsterdam.
In the center of the group, a woman with silky black hair, a healthy outlook, and a genuine euphoria flashed on her face, stood beside a middle-aged man.
Glancing at the woman in the sketched portrait, Kevin let out a soft smile as his swollen eyes were on verge of crying tears of joy.
Back on Earth, not once did he see his mother's healthy appearance. She was already frail as far as he could remember. And now that he witnessed his mother's healthy outlook that he was wishful to see, he couldn't help but feel relieved at the thought that his mother had enjoyed life in this lifetime.
The man beside her who had his lips kissed on his mother's cheeks could only be his father. He was a beautiful man with silver hair and eyeglass, his stature quite taller than Kevin but if one would just look, Kevin was a carbon copy of his father.
In the closest row, a young boy, about 6 years old, stood with his arms folded. It was just bothering how the sketch seemed edited as the boy appeared to be inserted in the reference portrait. The boy stood looking at the left side, his brows knotted as if he was in his rebellious phase. The young boy looked exactly like Mordred.
For whatever reason it might be, Kevin was certain that the figure of young Mordred was inserted to make the young kid feel included and delighted.
Kevin couldn't figure out the joy that the young Mordred felt at being added to the portrait.
With a soft smile, Kevin uttered.
"I want to bring back the joy in all of the Guild member's eyes and the bereaved families of the courageous guild members who sacrificed their lives. I don't want to be selfish to extract my revenge and cause another pain in your eyes. This time, let us make it right and bring back the smile to everyone's faces, together.", Kevin muttered as he glanced at the vice-captain at Mordred, his face flashing thousands of assurance to the concealed painful eyes of the two.
The Vice Captain saw the soft smile on Kevin's face that he couldn't help but immediately fall into tears.
Tears dripped down his eyes as his mouth curved upwards. His years of piled-up grief were being relieved at this short moment.
Mordred, looking at Kevin's smile, nodded his head as he similarly, responded with a soft smile.
"Gather the members below the 10th floor, we will firm our resolve and redirect our goal. We will climb this Tower to the best of our abilities. We won't let revenge or hatred get the best of us.", he muttered as he shifted his gaze to the window, seeing through the serene sky above.
With a resolved look, he uttered.
"Forget taking revenge on that Necromancer's son, he is nothing but an F-grade anyways.", he added.