....
" You overstep your bounds, human.", Augustus narrowed his eyes," This matter does not concern you." Augustus seemed to be giving me the cold shoulder, probably because I killed Max...
" Adam is right....my daughter is needed now more than ever.", Georna added thinking deeply.
" What !?", Augustus said, alarmed.
.....
" What are you guys saying ?.....nobody knows where mother went..", Lydia asked raising her brows.
The only response she got was silence.
" Right ?...", Lydia asked again.
" R-right ?", Lydia asked once again, she looked at each of us hoping for an answer.
As her gaze fell on Augustus, he could do nothing but gaze intently at the floor.
" Wha-"
" Calm down....child.", Georna says, glancing at Lydia with a strange emotion in her eyes.
" I--we-"
Lydia struggled to come up with words as her face puffed up, tears stream down her face and I'm reminded of her crying on the day I killed Max.
Lydia seemed to cry a lot.
Without uttering another word, she rushed out of the room.
Georna let out a tired sigh and looked at me pleadingly, I nod and follow Lydia.
It's time for some good old-fashioned consoling.
~~~~
I followed Lydia as soon as she ran out, she ran to the orphanage, or at least what was left of it.
I found her sitting down in a corner supporting her back with the charred rubble, she had no visible reaction upon seeing me and just continued with her incessant sobbing. I sat beside her and thought about how I should comfort her,
" It's been a rough day eh?"
...
That was probably not the best way to start, but I have to manage with what I have.
" It's going be okay...I'm h-"
" Y-you don't understand....everyone in this village shuns me every day, all because they think that she left because of me.....I've already accepted that she had run away...I had accepted that I would never be able to ask her 'why'....but it turns out that....everyone's been lying to me." Lydia sniffled as she weakly smiled, " They must think that I'm such an idiot...."
" You're not an id-", I start but Lydia wasn't finished...not just yet.
" Just as I was about to give up....you came, you were my first friend. I thought I knew everything about you after spending a few days with you.....I don't know why you killed him but I keep thinking that you had some sort of reason....when it could be that you're just evil..."
I feel a little sting upon hearing her words, I'm not evil....not yet at least.
" But even after all that...I can't bring myself to hate you or granny.....or anyone else. The only person I hate is...myself. I should never have been born-"
'Clamp'
I embrace her before she could continue, she looked stunned but didn't refuse my embrace. Now, I hate touching others....but she looked like she needed a hug.
What kinda friend would I be if I don't help her now?
" Trust me when I say this....hating yourself doesn't work. There's nothing we can do to change who we are or what our circumstances are.....we just have to learn to live with them."
Lydia started crying once again upon hearing my words.
As I pat her head, consoling her I said,
" But I promise you.....it's going to get better."
~~~~
Lydia cried her eyes out.
We were now returning to her house, I don't know if my words had an effect on her but she was silent as we walked back...as if she was deeply thinking about something.
Strangely enough, the words I told her were the truth. I wasn't planning on it being sincere, I had a whole speech prepared and shit. Anyway, I hope my words were true, if not both me and Lydia are screwed.
'Click'
I open the door to her house and enter, Leo and the others stopped speaking as we entered the house. Georna looked concerned but chose to remain silent as Augustus said,
" I'm against this.", his brows rose as he continued," There's a reason why she put herself under exile....we can't just run to her when we need help..."
" The situation calls for it.....", Georna added still observing Lydia.
" But still s-"
" Where is she ?", Lydia asked interrupting Augustus.
...
" Where is she ?", Lydia asked once again, her face devoid of any emotion.
" A few years back, when you were just a baby...your mother banished herself, she requested no one disturb her and went into exile....she went inside a portal near the village and hasn't come out since.", Leo said ignoring Georna's piercing glare,
" She's in a dungeon?"
Leo gives me a nod and Augustus let out a tired sigh,
" All the people we've sent into the portal....never made it back, so searching for her isn't going to be an easy task..."
...
" I'll go.", I said unable to hold myself back from smiling.
" What?....that's preposterous !", Augustus proclaimed immediately., " Why would a human like you even want to help us ?" he said as he narrowed his eyes.
I took in a deep breath and stared straight into his eyes,
" I'm not doing this out of my goodwill.....I want to save those children."
" What ?!"
I squint my eyes wondering if the thought that the children may be alive didn't occur to this dumb wolf....
" Those children....they're alive, I can feel it. I have to save them....and even if I can't...I will at least make sure to avenge them."
Adam Creed, the avenger of children... sounds nice.
...
" Let him go...", Leo said finally joining in our conversation.
" But w-"
Leo narrowed his eyes as he continued,
" I don't care how...I need to catch that monster and if I have to bring in another monster to do that....then so be it."
I nodded agreeing with his words.
As they say, you can only fight fire with fire....or maybe water....also fire extinguishers....but that's it.
" If he's going then...I'm also going.", Lydia added in from the sidelines.
Hearing her, Georna let out another sigh...
She seemed to be sighing a lot now.
Anyway....it looks like I'm in for some.....fun?
~~~~