Keep Going Forth

…

Marco's friends eventually find him sitting on the edge near a collapsed fountain not far from the hospital where Drugo is getting treated. Scias approaches him firstly, but Nina closes in faster. She remembers what Drugo stated about his past, so she picks out words carefully when speaking to him.

"Marco… there you are," she said calmly. "Marco…" said Scias quietly, joined with Aily.

Marco raises his head and glares at his comrades, "Um… hey, guys. Sorry for the commotion I made back there."

"Marco, um…" Nina tried to send out kind words to sooth him. But her thumping heart prevents her from doing so. Marco shows that aura of resentful, which makes anyone dare not to come near him. Aily silently watches the explorer from behind her sister. She feels scared to see him directly.

Marco blinks a bit. His face is all grief, but he can still tell his friends to not concern him. "No need to worry about me. I'm all fine, guys. It was just a bit hard for me to deal, heh."

"A 'bit hard' huh? So much for harshness, Marco," said Scias solemnly.

"Then if it isn't a 'bit hard' what is?" he replied slightly angered. He then realizes his sudden increase in his resentment. Marco conveys his apologies to Scias.

"…I'm sorry, man. I get too sensitive when talking about my past."

"U-Uh… no worries," said Scias while gazing his friend. He never thought that his best buddy was actually suffering mental issues. He lets out a relieving sigh and pats his friend's shoulder in comfort to make him feel better.

"I get it. If you don't want to talk about it, we'll not force you. Let it sink in your desert of thoughts. You two agree r-right? Nina, Aily?"

Nina smiled awkwardly, "Y-Yes! Of course everyone had something that must be kept a secret even from their friends."

Aily stuttered when Scias' called her. She is unprepared to answer or follow someone's charade play. "Hhmhm! I can understand you," she said in a panicked tone while looking away.

"And that's that from those two, Marco." Scias stated while looking back to his buddy. "Now, stand up, mate." Scias said boldly while giving his hand to Marco.

The explorer seems reluctant to catch his reach, "…You know, Scias, truly, I don't want my friends to know about my past. Because it might be a spike in our journey," said Marco in a resigned voice.

"I'm angry to that old retard for spewing unnecessary things. But really, what can I do about it, as it is the truth? It's no longer a secret to you guys."

"Hey." Scias called seriously and proceeds to grab his collar, "Ow, ow, ow, d-d-dude, Scias, w-what the hay?" "Scias!"

"If you say that he's a retard then you're a shithead, man." Scias said coldly. "To be truthful to you, I never thought you're like this."

"Heh… so what are you gonna do?" said Marco hoarsely. "You won't understand how painful it feels for being a faker for so long," he added. Hearing this, Scias revolts into bashing Marco in the head hardly, shocking him. "Ow!"

"Scias, you…!" Marco gashes in anger, his blood pumps up in rage. He looks back at him in the eyes, "…huh?" his hand stops immediately from attempting to retaliate, his emotions halts for a second as he sees Scias' eyes showing no sense of rage but pity. He can see his mouth trembling.

"Faker, huh?" the tall swordsman said quietly, only Marco can hear him. Nina and Aily look at the two in fear. "It's been a long, long time since I hear that word…" he added while looking into the soil.

"Marco, please stop this!" Nina and Aily tried to stop the quarrel. Aily jumps in front of Marco, preventing him from getting any closer to Scias.

Meanwhile, Nina is standing firmly in front of Scias to prevent him from charging again, Aily will try her best to hold Marco back from attacking back. Somehow, Scias didn't have any intention to hit him again.

"You don't understand, Aily." Marco yelled at the younger twin. "What my uncle said was true. I am thirsting for revenge. I want to avenge my parents' death!" he said furiously while approaching Aily, trying to shove her aside.

"Marco, please stop this already." Nina reflectively stood in front of Aily and stopped Marco. But his boiling head couldn't listen to those twins.

"None of you guys will ever understand how I feel these past years. It's a warring thought between my heart and my brain. I want to seek inner peace, yet that inner peace is nowhere to be found. I believe that my inner piece shall be achieved once I take out the one who killed my parents!"

…

"…No, I understand." Scias stated.

"Huh?" everyone looked toward Scias.

"Vengeance and being a faker… a grief that stands out for too long and still running. I… understand that."

Scias lets out a silent breath and stares the soil, reminiscing something. His face appears calm and gentle yet serious in the same time. When Scias stated that he understands how the explorer felt, it made Marco slowed down and stood still. That boiling blood begins cooling down, though briefly.

"…Marco. When I know you, I thought that you and I were so different. As time passed by, I realized that it was true. And today… I discovered that… …we're the same." Scias conveyed with a serious face.

"If I said that you're wrong… then I am even worse than you, since I am naught but a much more terrible faker. I was far miserable, foolish, yet hoped for revenge. Ever since I met you, I slowly dissolve that stupid feelings and started to move onwards. But when I saw you, my friend who changed who I was, turned into the dark side as I was… I couldn't accept it. I can't accept to see anyone fall into the same hole as I did. No more."

"Men acts based on logical perseverance. So said the society, but sometimes, men can also act from their private emotions. So I couldn't say you're wrong, Marco. I couldn't say so, but I will do something to stop you from treading that path, not just me, though…"

"We all will."

"Scias…" Marco stared at his buddy. He can no longer fight his words. Scias had experienced the same thing as how Marco felt, but the way he coped with it was a bit different. Marco realized it, even though Scias was implicating it.

Scias walks closer to his friend and reaches his hand. "Come, now. You're the son of the great explorer, weren't you?" he asked. "…" Marco looked down to the brick road in a sorrowful face.

"This adventure of ours… was merely to hide my true intentions. Going to the Grand Altar… is that even possible…? How foolish of me."

"That's not true!" Aily disagreed boldly. "A-Aily?"

She pouts to him and stares him deeply, "If you say this journey is foolish, then, you're lying to yourself. You enjoyed it all the way through!"

"Aily…"

"I saw your eyes blazing in powerful will to adventure. You show no resentment to us whatsoever. You smiled, you grinned, you acted as a carefree man, and you cared for us. I know that you are and always be like that. I don't want to believe those all are were a mere lie!"

Her words shred the inner feelings of the explorer. Unconsciously, his tears run down his face.

Aily's eyes nearly shed tears, but she holds it in. She drops herself onto his chest and hugs him.

"…Above all that, we're also sorry, Marco," said Aily with a meek face. "We didn't realize how you really felt! That's why we're sorry."

Hearing her soft words and his friends caring attitude immediately cured Marco's resentment. Shortly, he rubs Aily's blond hair and smiles slightly, "…I see."

"Scias… Aily… Nina… you guys are so kind. I'm… I'm thankful to have you guys by my side. Thank you, for saying that this adventure was not meaningless, even though I endangered you so much, Aily. I endangered you guys, yet you guys still stood by my side."

Aily lets loose of her grip on him. "Promise me, Marco… promise me, that you won't say awful things like that again."

"Aily…"

Scias rubs the back of his head and sighs, "Dammit, man… a retarded explorer, no wonder Drugo called you that. Think of my fist mark as my care for being your good friend."

"Scias…"

Nina nudges the explorer and pouts, "I hate myself for lying back there. I hope you don't hide your feelings like that to yourself. We're together as one party, right? A party… each member is a family."

"Nina…"

"Just because one man's story that claimed to be true, you quickly swallowed it whole and accepted it. There's a possibility that your brethren might be mistaken. Or somehow… a hidden truth is yet to be revealed…" Nina explained kindly and with a soft smile.

"That's why… keep on smiling and carefree as what you truly supposed to be, Marco."

Marco pauses after hearing her. Shortly, he replies, "…Yeah. Thank you so much, Nina."

Shortly, Nina proposes something to the party. She feels that it may recover Marco from his dark thoughts.

"Eh? What is that, sis?" Aily said in curiosity. "Come around, right here, right now." She stated boldly.

"Uh? What for?" Marco wondered. It seems the geyser of anger has dissolved from him. "Oh, please stop asking too much. Just follow my instructions!" she replied. "Scias, too!"

"Eh, me too?" asked Scias in a reluctant voice. "Yes."

The four then make a circle gathering around inwards. "Now… let us tell each other's secrets," said Nina firmly. Her intention of telling self-secret is no other than to make Marco feel better.

"Ueh? Why telling secrets, sis? I do—"

"Alright," Scias agreed to tell his secret. Marco nodded and kindly says the same. Knowing her friends outvoted her, Aily had no choice but to accept, too, though her face pouts.

Next, they share some secrets to make everyone feel better.

Marco reveals that he loves overloading exploration loots with him until he could not carry them all and had a hard time to pick which one he should bring.

Scias reveals that he likes potato and milk so much, although saying it in a contradictive way to everyone else.

Nina said that she loves overly inhaling flowers until she passed out. In some point, she occasionally talks to a tree, in an odd way. In some sort, she is actually a nature lover.

While Aily, she was reluctant at first to tell, but in the end, she told her friends one of her secrets, "Ahh, screw it! You guys are mean!" She said aloud. She exposes the fact that she has a tendency of sleepwalking.

Even though they share little secrets, it won't be meaningless. Those little things if combined shall strengthen their friendship. It's not just secret that they unveil to one another.

"Hey, hey, now that we're back as we should've been, let's make a promise," said Nina smilingly.

"Promise?" Scias wondered.

"Yup, a promise that the four of us must follow and never break, it will be guidance for us no matter where we are." Nina replied.

"A single promise, eh?" Marco holds his chin with a wondrous face. "Not quite as simply as only one promise, though…" Nina added all of sudden.

"Eh?! More than one?" Marco retorted. "Ah, don't worry. It's just three of them!" she replied.

"What kind of promises we will follow?" Scias asked. "In that case, let us settle it up!"

…

…

On that day, the party of four people, Marco, Scias, Nina and Aily made three promises:

First, even at the edge of losses, you will move on and keep going forth.

Second, do not let yourself to be consumed by vengeance and anger.

Third, protect each other and stay alive until the end of the journey.

Those promises have been agreed on and to be followed no matter what, until their journey is finished.

Marco was recovered from going further into vengeance, thanks to Scias' reminiscing his past which coincidentally suffered the same as what happened to Marco. Scias felt glad that his close friend shared the same type of tragedy, so did Marco.

At first Marco wanted to keep on going by himself after his truth got spilled by Drugo, but he threw that wish away, saying that he was quite foolish to be like that.

After being said that his adventure was not meaningless, his journey shall continue, so he said. His resolve remains concrete. He still wants to find a way into the Grand Altar by exploring the world, discovering how to find it, and how to grasp upon it.

"Why you piece of crap, Marco… after all that you still want to go there?" said Scias while looking disappointedly. "I'm serious to go there, now. It's not out of vengeance or my anger or something like that."

"Then?"

"I realized that there's something bugging me and telling to keep going and find that legendary place."

"What is it that bothering you?" Nina asked.

"Well… it's about my 'dream' that comes repeatedly to me… a nightmare that never ends."

...

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Character RPG-ed Stats

Name : Scias Trophe

Class : Samurai/Mercenary

Magic : Offensive Magic

Element : Fire

Element Level : 3

Proficiency : Kenjutsu

Thanks for reading :)