Kael looked back. He offered a faint smile. "You didn't have to come in. Why are you here?"
Timothy raised his brows upon hearing that. It was clear he knew this guy. That got him recalling someone informing him that Kael had come back with someone. So, this was the person?
Well, quite arrogant.
Leon had never done this before. But, he knew it was time to grow and confront things face to face.
He halted meters from Timothy. He apologized with a smile, "Pardon me for interfering like this. But I could give some murmurs."
Kael frowned when Leon closed in beside Timothy. He leaned in, trying to catch the words, but they were barely above a breath.
Leon whispered, "What he needs right now is someone who understands him, not one who sees his mistakes. I know most of everything thanks to a helpful man out there, so I could somehow help..."
"Why do you believe so?" Timothy whispered back, getting the message.
"I don't have everything thought out yet. But all I know is... I was once in his shoes. Doing something others are against," Leon replied.
Timothy nodded. He won't ever turn away a helping hand. So he clutched Leon's shoulder and said, "I will be looking forward to this, mister."
After the door closed behind him, Kael then rose to his knees. Leon scanned the chambers; unlike most places he had seen, this was different with its grand touch. The mirror and chandelier shone silver. The wardrobe's wood was still in good shape. An incense burner thickened the air. Kael filled cups with wine while Leon acted as though he were checking himself out in the mirror.
But because of that, he figured out that he had lost some weight.
Kael got back, extending a cup of wine to him. Leon's hand first recoiled before he took it. Though he didn't drink.
Kael asked, "What did you guys talk about?"
Leon shrugged, sitting on a stool he found nearby. "That's not important here. I only said what I said to turn him off..."
Kael chuckled as he took a seat too. "Sorry if he was kind of rude the first time you came in. He was just too angry about what I did."
"No, it's nothing. He's older," Leon responded, waiting for the right moment to hit the nail on the head.
"You must be around my age or older. But know that your speech is too formal for someone your age."
"Don't be too certain," he replied. He watched Kael take a gulp before deciding to ask, "Aren't you afraid of fiends?"
Kael blinked. "What?"
"From my view, you aren't someone who thinks like a kid. And trust me, I am familiar with that expression on your face. Listen to me," Leon said. "It seems most in your clan know your true thoughts already. That... you aren't just exploring the city, but finding someone. Or let's put it as, something. The one that caused your parents' deaths..."
Kael held his jaw.
Leon's chest hammered. He feared he was screwing up in this. Yet, he pushed on. This could be his lucky card to move out of Mecha Ruin for good.
"Well, I suppose you're better than I am. I didn't know if my parents were still alive, nor know where they could be... when they abandoned me at birth. I should have sought answers like you seek revenge, shouldn't I?"
Kael stammered, eyes widening, "Wait... what? You don't mean it."
Leon straightened his back, smiling to hide the resentment bubbling in him. But his own mind betrayed him. Maybe he was never supposed to talk about his past ever again.
"Eh... just to let you know there's nothing wrong with seeking justice for your parents. You aren't on the wrong path, but that changes when you let emotions control you. Right now, it's no longer them you're fighting for.
But it's the memories of them instead. It's something you can risk, but be ready to give up everything for it. There could be someone fighting for their loved ones like you, but they have nothing left to lose. It's different because you do have one... your remaining family."
Kael held a stare at Leon. He sighed—not at the people, but at the memories of them? And... having something to lose?
He said, "But I get to join my brother's voyaging team if I give up on that too. And the outside is far more costly and dangerous than—"
"You don't know," Leon said as he rose to his feet, "if things will get easier as you go deeper into something. You have no control over reality, so why worry? Choose the right path for yourself and move at your own pace."
The system screen flashed before him.
[You made a good point! +1 added to
Leon then moved to the door. He assumed that leaving him now would allow him to digest everything. Close to the door, he turned and said,
"Hey. Know you're incredible for your choice. I made no attempt to find my parents even when I had all the time in the world," Leon said. He saw Kael smile a while later.
But that still doesn't guarantee that he had agreed. Besides, he was always the one to smile at everything. The door creaked behind Leon.
Left in the stillness of the chambers, Kael dropped his gaze to the floor. Fighting for the memories, not the dead ones?
***
Timothy had a discussion with Leon later that day. He asked how the two of them met. Leon replied that some hobgoblins captured them and a lone warrior did the rescuing. He said that it was so natural for it to happen in this city.
The Cross allowed him to stay the night. They served him a bowl of rice with vegetables and a lot of meat. He suddenly began to crave a home-cooked meal.
In the end, he pushed the small table aside and collapsed onto the bed. It dawned on him that he had insulted himself back then. Why should he worry about parents who abandoned their own child? It was all thanks to the Vales he grew up with. And becoming powerful in this world to recreate the lost world should be the least gift he could give them.
Sometimes, family relationships weren't all about birth. But mutual love.
----
Perched on the windowsill, Kael gazed at the wreckage beyond. Smoke curled from his lips, dissolving into the night air. The cigarette always comes in handy when he's feeling low. No one knows this side of him.
'Our time together wasn't long, but we spent almost all the days together. Am I really holding on to the memory?'
He thought back. He knew they could never come back to life. That's why he loathed the fiend so much he ignored that it was stronger than he. He wanted to fill the emptiness left by his parents with the thrill of killing the monster.
He even wondered if the demon still was in Mecha Ruin, if it was alive. Kael sighed, exhaling another puff.
'Hmm...'