Zion was led to an underground base located at a remote part of the organization. It was many miles away from the main quarters and was surrounded by thick pastures.
Zion could not believe that the organization could be so heartless. Aria, locked away in such a place like a monster? It was evil. Did they forget that she saved them from that horrible monster?
Allen led him through the entrance when they arrived. A nondescript metal door that blended seamlessly into the surrounding. And as they descended into the depths of the base, Zion's heart grew heavier with each step.
The corridors were cold and sterile, lined with metal doors that seemed to stretch on forever. Zion's footsteps echoed off the walls as he followed Allen deeper into the base.
Finally, they stopped in front of a metal bar-door. Allen gestured for Zion to go ahead.
Zion's heart skipped as he gazed through the bar-door. Aria was sitting on the ground, her eyes fixed somewhere else. She looked pale and drawn, her usual spark gone.
"Aria," Zion called.
Aria's head jerked up, her eyes locking onto Zion's own. For a moment, they just stared at each other, the tension between them was strong.
Then, Aria's face crumbled, and she buried her face in her hands. Zion's heart broke as he watched her, feeling helpless and trapped.
"We can't let her continue staying here," he said, turning to Allen. "This is not right."
Allen's expression was sympathetic but firm. "I'm afraid it's not that simple, Zion. She turned into a monster right in front of everyone and that can't be ignored. The organization's main objective is to slay monsters and you don't expect them to let things return to normal... Like nothing ever happened. It's not going to be that easy, young man."
"I don't give a fuck about all that. I want Aria freed this moment!" Zion yelled.
"You are not getting my—"
"Allen, I'll take it from here," a deep voice said from behind and when they all looked, they saw a group of people at the entrance, they were led by a tall bulky man with a bald head and white beard.
"Mr. Tony," Allen muttered. His eyes widened in shock as he gazer at the man that was already making his way towards them.
"That's right, it's me," the man said. Walking up to them, he walked past Allen and stood in front of Zion who despite the fear creeping into his heart, he still stood his ground, unfazed.
"You want her freed by all means, is that right?" He asked Zion who didn't hesitate to answer.
"Yes. And it should be now!" He replied.
"Hmmmm," the man sighed and glanced at Aria, a disgusting look on his face. "We initially concluded that she should be killed just as we annihilated other monsters while you will remain under our custody but he pleaded on your behalfs and after much persuasion, we have decided to let her go... But on one condition."
"What is the condition?" Zion asked. Though he had made up his mind to stay with Aria no matter what.
"The both of you will leave the organization," the man said and Zion gasped. Allen was taken by surprise but he didn't react much to it because he had somewhat expected things to turn out bad. The man ignored the shocked look on Zion's face and continued. "Return your IDs to us and leave the quaters immediately. You both will cease to be a member of the beast slayer organization, instead, you two will become our enemies. You will live your days in fear because every beast slayer out there will want to kill that monster in there, and you will have no place to stay!"
"Mr. Tony, isn't that harsh? You are asking them to go and die," Allen stated. He was against what Mr. Tony said. "To me, the girl hasn't done anything bad, instead, she saved our lives. If she hadn't defeated that monster, many of us would have died."
"And how does that affect me?" The man asked Allen, taking him surprise. "The decision has been made. Kid, it's your choice to decide what you want. Do you want us to deal with her and let you stay here or do you want to leave with her?"
Zion scoffed, he smiled sadly as he shook his head. "You are all monsters in human form," he said, glaring at the man. "I will leave with her so open this damn place!"
The man narrowed his eyes at Zion, he saw how confident and determined the boy was and shook his head. He then gestured to one of the men behind him to open the bar-door.
The moment the opened the place, Zion staggered inside, pushing away the man at the door. He rushed over to where Aria was and drew her into a tight embrace.
"I'm late, I'm sorry," he mumbled to her as he hugged her tightly.
Aria didn't hug him back, she was still shocked at everything that has happened.
"Let's leave here, it has no place for us here," he said and took her arms to raise her up but as she tried to stand, she fell down back. "What!" He gasped as he caught sight of her broken legs.
Enraged, he turned to Mr. Tony. "What did you monsters do to her!" He yelled.
Even Allen was shocked. He wasn't aware of this at all.
"We simply tried to make her talk, that's all," Mr. Tony replied with a shrug.
"You bastard!" Zion yelled and made to rush at the man but Aria grabbed his robe. He turned and saw her staring at him with tears in her eyes. She shook her head, telling him not to go. Clenching his fists, he swallowed the anger and went ahead to carry her. She could no longer walk as such, he had to carry her, not minding his own pain.
There was a deep long cut that ran from one end of his chest to the other, it was stitched up but his movements caused the white clothes to be stained with blood. He had unintentionally opened the wound. There were other minor wounds covering his upper body, and the pain too but he ignored all of them and focused on taking Aria out of the place.
He feared that they might change their minds again if he delayed.
As he carried her in his arms and left, he got to where Allen was and stopped. With his head lowered, he said. "Since the day I saw you, I wanted to make you my friend. Because of your advice, I trained hard despite not having magic. I wanted to make you proud, but I guess I've failed. I failed but then I won't apologize to you because you never regarded me as a friend. It's fine... Now, I won't bother to live for anyone or try to please anyone but I will try to get stronger. No matter what happens, I will get stronger and will protect those that I love because this is who I am, I will not change because of anyone. This should apply to you as well. I know you are not cold-hearted as you look, don't make these monsters turn you into one of them. Good bye."
As Zion walked away, Allen's eyes remained fixed on his retreating back. Zion's words had struck a chord, echoing in his mind like a refrain. He felt a pang of guilt, realizing that he had been so focused on following the organization's rules that he had forgotten what it meant to be human.
Allen's gaze dropped to the ground, his eyes tracing the dusty path that Zion and Aria had taken. He knew that he would never see them again, that they would be forced to live on the fringes of society, always looking over their shoulders.
The thought sent a shiver down his spine. He had always believed in the organization's mission, but now he was beginning to question its true motives. Were they really fighting for justice, or were they just perpetuating a cycle of violence and fear?
As Allen stood there, lost in thought, Mr. Tony's voice cut through the air, jolting him back to reality.
"Allen,you don't need to listen to that kid. Our main objective is to slay monsters and we must keep to it!" After speaking, he left with his men, leaving Allen behind.
Allen didn't respond, his mind was still reeling from Zion's words. He knew that he had a choice to make, one that would determine the course of his life forever.
As he walked away from the underground base, Allen felt a sense of trepidation. He knew that he was standing at a crossroads, and the path he chose would lead him down a road from which there was no return. He had to make a decision and the sooner the better.
-----
Zion, meanwhile, staggered in silence, the only sound being the rustling of the wind through the grass. He had been walking for hours, but Zion didn't seem to notice. He was too busy thinking about their future, about how they would survive in a world that seemed determined to hunt them down.
As the sun began to rise, Zion finally spoke up.
"Aria, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you, that I couldn't keep you safe."
Aria looked up at him, her eyes filled with a deep sadness. "You did protect me, Zion. You saved me from those people. I'll never forget that."
Zion smiled, feeling a sense of relief wash over him. The more he looked at Aria, the more he swore in his mind to protect her.
While they were still on the move, they heard some sounds behind them and turning around, they saw a familiar person.