A Man's Resolve

"The research to the cure is still in progress" Ayako answered, leaning on the open doorway, staring at both Zach and his little daughter.

"Is there any way to hasten it?" Zach asked, still on the floor, kneeling and looking at his beautiful little girl, wearing a simple white dress filled with frills on the chest. She also wore a nicely knitted large brimmed brown straw hat on her head, with a pale red line around the center of the hat, indicating the top and bottom part.

"Sorry" Ayako replied, wearing wearing the same dress, yet it was colored in pink this time. However, the style and design remained the same, but, she doesn't have a hat. She moved past the two and went straight ahead to her little brother, opening up his mouth using her index finger, touching the bottom lip, as a seductive idea she learned a few weeks ago. "But the process can neither be rushed nor can someone help" She then started patter Ezekiel's head, while the boy was left fazed and unmoving for a long while. "As a single mistake may destroy her already fragile mind".

"Don't worry" Zach said, hugging her daughter while caressing her hair behind, worried that everything his wife sacrificed for, will all be for naught. "Surely, we'll find a way to cure you".

"GET OFF!" She forcibly pushed him, which led to for him forcinly distance away from her, confused at the new found strength of his daughter.

"Oh right, I've forgotten that...." She finished teasing her little brother, and went ahead to disable the girl by casting a spell, revealing her rose chronos, its peach colored timer slowly ticking, only revealing four numbers.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

// 025 : 14 : 02 : 20 //

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

"That the girl has unleashed her abilities quite too early, leaving her unable to control it for the time being" The chronos disappeared right after the spell is done, making the girl unconscious. Her mind filled with hallucinations of her playing with her family under a big tree on a bright, blue sky.

"That's my girl!" Zach answered, leaving the debris he caused on the wall. It left a hole in the wall, revealing Pierre's room, filled with an array of shields of different kinds.

"I'm back!" Pierre said, opening the door to see the wall to his room decimated, a big hole leaving the people in the room to see his shield collection. He spoke in rage "WHAT THE...."

"I'll fix that!" Zach replied, leaving his reply as an apology to breaking in to his room without permission, and leaving a big hole at that. Ayako clapped to get the people's attention.

"Now, back to the main topic" She said, as she sat on a nearby chair and served herself some tea, sipping and enjoying its aromatic scent.

"I'll atleast need five months to research the poison and its cure" She then started to analyze Evan, seeing that he has a necklace hanging his neck. Curious, she stood and walked to him, taking a look and seeing if her suspicion was right all along.

"Big sis!" Ezekiel called her, warning her of the consequences of touching Evan's necklace. "DON'T!....."

Evan tried to put his two fingers at her eyes, as he instinctively felt he needed to do. Before he did so, Ayako cursed him to stay still, as she was adept at assessing ambushes like this, thanking the family history.

He stayed still, putting both his hands and struggling to do something before his necklace is looked at. He moved from side to side, wanting to rid of the strong instinct attempting to make him insane.

"Now, now, what do we have here....."

He kicked her in the legs, making her stumble to the ground from the sudden attack, not until Ezekiel caught her, knowing that it will inevitably happen no matter what. The whole room was left in silence in what happened, holding themselves back from laughing or they may get killed in doing so.

Ayako stood up again, smiling and closing her eyes while trying to seriously not try and kill Evan on the spot. This time, she summoned chains from somewhere, locking Evan up like a criminal who has done a heinous crime, and then started to stare seriously at him, not wanting to back down on the challenge.

She hurriedly grasped the necklace on her palm, analyzing it slowly to see if it had enchantments or curses on it. However, she felt a strong aura behind it, until it started to burn her hands like fire, forcing her to let go.

"Ahhhhhh" She screamed, feeling her hand burn in agony, yet as she looked at it, there was no sign of burns at all.

"Interesting" She answered, as she snapped, making the chains come back to the portals they came from, and vanishing from sight. While the chains disappeared, Evan dropped to the ground, sweating all over from holding in his instinct on seriously hurting her just now. A strange feeling spread all over his body, making him hit something with his fist. However, he just kneeled their in confusion.

"Illusions, yet it felt real" Ayako thought, thinking and piling up the ideas that came into her mind, before speaking again as she was sure on what she knows.

"Evan" She held both his shoulders, looking at him very seriously. "What you have right there is something with frightening power" She pointed at the necklace at his neck, gleaming at the sunlight coming in from the boarded up windows. "Something that might transcend even the...." She paused, not wanting to talk about the potential the boy has. "Sorry, I got carried away too much".

"I have a question" Ezekiel asked, raising his voice a bit to catch the attention of everyone at the room. "Why didn't I saw the necklace beforehand, even after hanging out with Evan for so long?"

"That, is a good question" She sat again on her chair, continuing on enjoying her tea before she spoke again. "What I sense is a very powerful enchantment, as I also didn't saw it before until now" She looked at Evan from top to bottom, analyzing every bit of his body. "If I am correct, the necklace only shows itself whenever it wants, and stays hidden at all times, no matter what. Only by sensing the faintest aura, did I actually learned that he was wearing one". She rubbed her chin, as she felt of having a headache because of the necklace. "That accessory you have, Evan, confuses me to a good extent"

"Yeah, me too" He lied, knowing that he already had it two years ago, when Aka visited them while he was training with Marco long ago. But, it was very obvious to him that he wouldn't tell them about that, as a goddess helping him meant a lot. As so, he kept his mouth shut after his reply.

"Why don't we call it for a day?" Pierre asked, wanting to fix his room before they nightfall. Getting the guests to leave immediately, as he is also confused to what a little girl is doing here.

"Yes, yes" Ayako replied, taking the little girl with her as she left for the door.

"WAIT!" Zach shouted, stopping them before they have gone out, wanting to ask something to her. "Can't I come with you?"

"As I have told before" She carried the girl with her arms, and started to head out the exit. "That I can't have anyone while I'm researching...."

"PLEASE!" Zach begged, kneeling in front of her and not minding his pride, if it meant that he will be with his daughter a little longer, even if she forgot about him. "LET ME COME WITH YOU!"

"I'm sorry" She struggled to get him out of the way, as he only blocked her to the exit. "But I seriously can't afford too...."

"PLEASE" He held on to her dress to stop her from going "MY WIFE SACRIFICED HER LIFE FOR OUR DAUGHTER" He started to cry in front of everyone. "AND I CAN'T AFFORD TO LOSE SIGHT OF HER AGAIN...."

She stopped, then dropped her daughter gently to him. She glared at him in anger, thinking of a way to let him not come.

"Choose" She coldly answered. "Will you let me go or I won't cure you're daughter?"

"YOU'RE ASSIGNED....." Ezekiel was about to say, before Evan held his mouth, silencing him up and dragging him towards their room. Pierre also went inside to start repairing the hole at his room, leaving only the two of them, excluding his daughter, on the room.

Zach silently thinked, if he was willing to stop her from curing his daughter for the sake of him having more time with her, creating new memories with her.

His heart has been torn in half for so long, and he must be rational for once, for his wife.

"I....I won't come" He let go of her, starting to stare at the ground for his powerlessness.

"Good choice" Ayako answered, getting the girl from his hands, carrying it to her arms and going to the exit.

She closed the door, leaving a lonely man behind the room.

>:T

"Sto-STOP!" Ezekiel said, as he struggled to break free from Evan's grip and succeeded in doing so after they went inside the room, as Evan locked the room from inside, blocking the door as so Ezekiel won't leave the room.

"WHY DID YOU STOP ME...."

"She's going to do very painful experiments to her" Evan answered, slowly putting himself down the floor, until he sat with both his knees were up. He only stared at the floor in pity, knowing how the girl will be going through in Ayako'a care. Ezekiel looked down at Evan and continued to shout at him.

"SO, YOU LET MY CRAZY SISTER LET ALL THOSE EXPERIMENTS TO HER!?" He shouted, anger filling up his chest as he released it onto him. Standing firmly on what he thought is right. "AND WHAT? SUFFER FOR NOTHING...."

"I DID IT FOR ZACH'S SAKE!" Evan shouted, all the pain he felt during the time slowly release as he breaks it all down to Ezekiel. He stood up and faced Ezekiel to the eye. His eyes were cold and full of self loathing to himself.

"IMAGINE TO SEE YOU'RE DAUGHTER WRITHING IN PAIN IN FRONT OF YOU!?" He pointed at Ezekiel's chest, trying to make get his thoughts to him. "SEEING THAT, WON'T YOU STOP HER?"

"I WILL STOP HER EVEN IF IT MEANT...."

"THEN YOU'RE SAYING THAT YOU'LL BE WILLING TO LET ALL OF CASTRIEL'S SACRIFICES FOR NOTHING!?" Evan shouted at him, making him see reason rather than emotions. After that, did Ezekiel realize what he was seeing, being very irrational that time, which made him shut his mouth.

"You're right" Was all he said, ashamed for saying such a thing without thinking about it too much.

Evan gently laughed, seeing how the first day of waking up already has gone to this extent.

"Well, it's a friend's job to enlighten the other, doesn't it?" He jokingly answered. Thinking about the countless dangers they both survived in a week and a month. It might be about time that he calls him a friend.

They both looked up, remembering how crazy the past months is, and the upcoming war they'll join to defend the city. They stared at the wooden ceiling, whilst leaning at the walls behind them, enjoying the peace they've achieved from fighting.

"SURPRISE!" Ezekiel said, trying to take a look at his necklace and steal it from him. Alas, Evan gave a direct punch at the face, making him faint from the sudden hit.

"Good night" Evan replied, carrying Ezekiel to his bed and turning off the lights. Afterwards, he went outside the door to check if there was still anyone at the room.

He only saw Miranna, a big blue panel filled with numerous data he couldn't understand, and a live video, on the right, of what seems the Scorpix having a hard time climbing Pierre's man made craters. Leaving only the few who were strong enough to carry on their attack to the town.

Evan brewed some coffee coming from the counter, and placed one near Miranna, who was already having a hard time scouting and analyzing the data she received for the past month. Eyebags have started to form down her eyes, thinkig that she might've pulled a lot of all nighters for the last few weeks.

"Hey" Evan greeted, looking at the data and the video. "How goes the plan?"

"The guild from this area already started to lay traps" She started drinking the hot coffee, before returning back to inputting data and calculating the number of Scorpix, needed people, and many more. She stopped for a minute, anxiety forming up inside of her while thinking of a plan of some way to fend them off. "Even then, we lack the resources to lay down to many traps"

"Can't the guild get some adventurers to protect the town?" Evan asked, fidgeting a bit from the cold and to how many Scorpix they needed to fight. As they had a really hard time killing one off. Lucky enough that Ezekiel knew its killing blow, or else, even if they blinded it, will be a really hard time killing it off because of its tough skin.

"Pierre has already tried too. However, most of the adventurers that remain are pretty arrogant, wanting to have their pay before they partake in the battle" Miranna sighed, then looked to see who she was talking too, recognizing the while hair and dark blue eyes to be Evan. Even then, she didn't care. She drank some coffee again and returned to her research.

"DON'T THEY CARE ABOUT THE PEOPLE LIVING IN HERE...."

"They don't, as killing a Scorpix takes a whole team because of their impenetrable armor" She stretched for a bit for working for so long. "Only wind archers can really break through easily, or else they take it all on just so one person can stab or shoot the hole on its head, leaving it immediately dead".

She continued typing things that Evan don't really understand. Density, armor types, amount of volunteers, and a lot more.

Evan tried to argue with her, yet in the end, it was no use. She had no control on the war that's going to break out, and only created statistics and predictions to traps and observation, using her scout class to the test.

He then went outside the inn, breathing in some fresh air as he leaned at the sturdy yet seemingly dirty wall. As he stared at the night sky, the stars twinkling in beauty at the starry night, someone talked to him from the side.

"I see you're still here" A buff guy said, leaning at the opposite side of him as he smoked a cigarette, the smoke puffing out on its tip.

"I thought you never smoke" Evan replied, recognizing Zach from the moonlight shining at him. He patted the tip and continued to smoke.

"I have never lit a cigarrete ever since we got married" He held it on his fingers, still heating up a bit from the wind. "But, there's always a time we bring back our habits, as we miss the one who scolded us for it". He continued to smoke.

"You're wife was a very kind and gentle lady" Evan continued to admire the stars out of his reach. "And I'm sure she'll be very happy, knowing you're daughter is freed and well"

"Yeah" He stood up now, throwing the cigarrette on the nearby garden of blue flowers, as he opened the door of the inn. "Now, I'll need to come back from retirement"

"You have a job?" Evan asked, wondering what Zach's work is.

"Yeah, why?" Zach answered, curious at the question thrown at him and thinking if he would answer the next question he knew Evan will ask.

"I just wondered what you did back then before you met Castriel" Evan replied, now staring at the man who was close on going in the inn. He also thought on why he remained on the doorway, holding the knob on his hand.

"Want to know?" He went inside the inn.

"Sure" Evan said, wanting to know the answer to it.

"My work is....." He left hanging, as the door slowly started to close. Only when there was little space left, did he answer Evan's question.

"A guild master" He answered, leaving the door shut.

Evan wondered what the term meant, as he continued to stare at the night sky, before he remembered what Marco said to him a year ago, and immediately went inside the room to ask Zach about many things.