The sound of shuffling feet on sand could be heard near the lake side. There Maya and Neal sparred as usual. Even after defeating her in the past, he still preferred to continue training with her. This was simply because hand to hand combat was something he still needed to master.
Evading jab after jab, Neal almost fell prey to a powerful right hook from his opponent. This in turn made him retreat in a hurry. Upon noticing this, Maya ended the fight as she stared at Neal rather worried.
"It isn't like you to be caught off guard by a normal attack like that. What's the matter?" Maya asked as she proceeded to sit on a rock.
With a loud sigh, Neal answered some seconds later. "It's Xavier. I don't get why he hates me so much."
Settling down on a rock nearby, he looked into the lake as usual, recalling the events of the past. It had been a week since they had gone to fight in the dungeon. This was simply because Xavier did not want to enter the dungeon all of a sudden.
Each day, he could be seen early in the morning and late in the evening practicing his strikes. He did not stop any of them from going; however, his raw power was an important part of the team. Something that Neal himself doubted they could do without.
Aware of the fact that Xavier probably knew the team would react like this only annoyed him. For some reason though, he did not understand why the rest did not feel or react the same way he did.
'Is that how much they respected Xavier?' he couldn't help but wonder.
"Neal, I want you to understand something. Xavier is not a bad person. He has everyone's interest in mind as the leader."
"Well it sure doesn't seem that way."
Seeming to ignore what he just said, Maya spoke further. "Have you ever asked yourself why he behaves the way he does? Harsh and rigid that is."
Her words did not go unnoticed as Neal's expression would soften up some seconds later. It was true that he hadn't thought about why Xavier acted the way he did. Though now that he had heard this question, he was curious on the matter.
"Xavier was not always this way. He became like this after an incident that happened in the dungeon. If I am being honest, he had some traits like you. Spirited and determined to achieve a goal."
Neal could not help but make an awkward expression in response. The fact that she compared his traits to his sounded ridiculous. In short, he didn't believe it one bit.
"Me and Evans were the only ones present when this incident took place so we understand Xavier's behavior quite well." Maya said as she turned her attention to the lake. "It took place about eight years back. Then Xavier wasn't as dense. He always wanted to go into the dungeon to fight monsters just like you. The only difference however, was the fact that he actually had the power to do so."
"At that time, we numbered more than twenty in number. A number I still wonder how we fell from so rapidly. On a mission in the dungeon, Xavier fought like he usually did. Reckless and full of pride in his abilities, he fought multiple monsters at the same time. Monsters way higher than he was supposed to. In the process he got injuried and was left vulnerable to an attack."
"Just when the monsters in front of him were about to take the finishing blow. Another member of the group came in to defend him. This person was none other than Cody."
Neal's eyes widened in surprise. This was the same person that Evans stated he considered to his brother. The same person he claimed was similar to him in every way.
"Naturally, the monsters Xavier had drawn in were too much for him to handle, so he was overwhelmed in an instant. The rest at that moment struggled to handle the situation; however, they couldn't save Cody in time. Seeing we were out matched and had lost a team member, we fled the battle. From that day onward, Xavier changed completely into what he is now. It is obvious that since you came, he has been reminded of the past every single day. Besides, you are just like Cody."
Just then, Neal pondered on the reason Xavier and Evans were so close. If he was responsible for the death of someone he cared about, it must have taken a lot for him to forgive Xavier.
Remembering back in the dungeon, when Evans spoke up, he also understood why Xavier listened. Surely, he was more likely to listen to Evans more than anyone in the group. It was clear he was not over his guilt. Not that he felt it was an easy thing to accomplish.
With an understanding of the situation, Neal could not help but wonder where Evans currently was and how he felt about the whole situation.
*****
Opening the door to a room, Evans entered into it staring at Xavier who was covered in sweat from his exercise. Upon noticing the look in his eyes, he could tell what this conversation was going to be all about.
"You know what Neal said in the dungeon was the truth, right? He killed a monster, hence he should have the right to fight," Evans spoke in a serious tone. "Yet it is for this same reason we have not entered the dungeon for up to a week."
"You know I can't let that happen. At his current state, he is a risk to everyone. I can't let him fight until he is in control of himself."
After saying this, the place was dead silent for what appeared to be a minute. Soon after, Evans would speak once again, saying something Xavier didn't expect.
"Why won't you just let go of the past. I have already forgiven you, why can't you forgive yourself."
Afterwards, he left the building, leaving Xavier to himself. In that moment, he clenched his fists with all his might, biting his lower lip. This naturally resulted in an injury, not that he cared. Deep down, he knew Evans was right. After all this time, he was still incapable of forgiving himself. He couldn't even tell if would ever do so.