Protector of People

Jasper rushed out into the hall, catching a glance at Wardell who sped around the corner.

"Wardell!" He called out. There was no response.

Jasper walked forward and continued after him, assuming he'd began making his way upstairs to his dorm. Rounding multiple corners, he confirmed his guess. The door to Wardell's room had just slammed shut.

"Wardell!" He called once again, now rushing up the stairs and knocking on his door.

"Leave me the fuck alone!" His muffled voice yelled back from behind the door. "If you're here to ask me why I just suddenly left, it's absolutely none of your business! Leave me alo—"

"I know why you got up and left."

There was a momentary silence. "Shut up… No you don't… You don't know a single thing about me!"

"I'm sorry Wardell!" Jasper now slammed his door. "I'm sorry… I'm so so sorry."

"H-Huh?"

Jasper turned around, sitting his back against the door. "I'm sorry, because I know it's private. I'm sorry, because I know it's brutal. I'm sorry, because I know that it's hard for you. I'm sorry about everything."

"What the fuck are you rambling on about!?"

"I know about your relation to the Pactolus flight Hugo mentioned! I know what happened to your mother and sister! I know! I know…"

Wardell began to growl. "I KNOW YOU KNOW!!!"

His voice shook the floor.

"YOU'VE MADE IT CLEAR ENOUGH BY ALREADY MENTIONING MY SISTER BEFORE! BUT WHY THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW!?"

"Minister Harrison told me!"

"TSK!" Wardell punched his wall. "I'M GONNA KILL THAT OLD BASTARD!"

"WARDELL SETTLE DOWN!"

Jasper's loud voice caught him off guard.

"I know you're still grieving. I know the wounds are still fresh. I don't blame you at all for acting the way you are. No one is! But most importantly, you don't need to blame yourself!"

The words surprised Wardell.

"I can tell through the pain you harbor in your words, that you hold yourself responsible. I know you've been the protector of your family for a long time. And I understand how hard it would be to see the ones you love the most leave when you should've been there to protect them. I can't imagine how much pain you bore upon learning the news…"

Wardell went quiet. Suddenly, he sobbed. "I SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE TO SAVE THEM!" He now weeped.

"Wardell, this won't be easy to accept. Definitely not now, and probably not anytime soon. But I'll tell you this as many times as you need to hear it; it is not your fault."

"BUT IT IS!"

"No it isn't. You weren't on that flight, and you had no business being on it either. There was nothing you could have done about what had happened. And I'm sorry to be so brash about it. I just want you to understand that once that plane was airborne, there was no turning back. Life is harsh."

Wardell didn't reply. Instead, he cried, and cried, and cried his heart out. "LESLEY! MOMMA!" He howled and mourned their names.

On the other side of the door, Jasper couldn't help but shed some tears of his own. "I'm so sorry Wardell."

After some minutes passed by, Wardell quieted down. All that was heard were sniffles and gulps to swallow the sorrowful pain that edged his neck.

"Momma's gone…" He said quietly. "I'm practically an orphan now… I'm weak, I'm alone, I'm—"

"Wardell." Jasper spoke up. "You are not alone. You may have not been able to protect your only remaining parent, but you still have someone to protect. Your sister, Lesley, she's being treated in Jenzaya District's hospital, right?"

Wardell hesitated to respond. "Yeah…"

"She's still alive right?"

"Yeah…"

"Then that's all that matters." Jasper now stood up. "You can't lose all hope, because not all has been lost yet. You still have someone to protect, and that is your beloved sister."

"Lesley…"

"And now as an official guardian from the Cardinal Nexus, you have many more people to protect now—the civilians of districts all around the country, from the malicious Seven Sins. Right?"

Wardell remained quiet.

"Listen. I know what you may be thinking. Yes, according to Hugo, the Sins were technically responsible for the death of your mother and the injuring of your sister. But as your leader, I'm not here to fuel your anger or despair and turn your story into one of vengeance. That's not the right mindset to approach this with."

"Then what is?" Wardell finally spoke. "If the Sins truly are responsible for such unforgiving actions, you wouldn't be able to stop me from approaching them with vengeful intent. They impacted me directly, so it now becomes my choice on how to enact my revenge… I will tear the heads of those Sins right off their weakly bodies, then feed their corpses to savage dogs—!"

"You don't need to look at it that way," Jasper sighed.

"Why the hell not…?"

"You'll only continue to hold yourself to the tragedies of your loved ones by holding such a grudge. You'll only continue to carry your pain with you by enacting revenge, and you won't ever be able to move on."

"Yes I will. I will once I've satisfied myself with their brutal deaths."

"Then what?"

The question confused Wardell. "What do you mean?"

"Once you've taken revenge, confirming the deaths of all the Seven Sins, what will you do then?"

Wardell furrowed his eyebrows. He didn't know how to reply.

"Sure you'll be satisfied. But what does taking revenge in this situation do for you, or for anyone around you?"

Wardell was struck speechless.

"Will it bring your mother back from the dead?"

"No…"

"Then what will it do?"

"It'll make me feel…"

"Better? That's it? All that effort, put into killing seven dangerous individuals, all just to make yourself feel better?"

Wardell couldn't find the right words to say. He thought he could explain himself, but he didn't know how to.

"Listen to me right now Wardell. Revenge at this stage will be nothing but a waste of time. Especially if you still have someone you love, who is still ALIVE."

Wardell's eyes grew.

"Tsk!" Jasper now found himself frustrated. "You have so much potential as a soldier and as a person you know? Do it properly!" He slammed Wardell's door. "Your sister still needs to be looked after, because she's still alive! At this point, you don't have time to mourn something you can't accept. Instead, put your effort into the one who still has yet to mourn. Focus on the one who continues to breathe, whose heart continues to beat, and whose blood continues to flow, knowing that her protector still stands tall in her world! If you're going to target the Sins and take their heads, don't be selfish and do it for yourself. Do it for the protection of others, and for the protection of your sister! Isn't that the whole point behind your position in my team!? You're supposed to be a protector of people! Not an avenger of the dead! Your goal is to protect people so that no one else will have to face the grief that you did. So that no one else will have to mourn like you did. Do you understand? You've always been selfless in doing everything you could for your mother and sister. Now you just have to do the same, but for all the civilians who are counting on you as their hero. Do you understand me Wardell August!?"

He gasped as emotion came flooding in. Tears pouring down his face, he saluted to his door. "Yes sir!"

The act struck Jasper emotionally too. He nodded in approval at the door, but truly at Wardell who stood on the other side. "You know Wardell… Your efforts will not be in vain either."

Wiping his tears, he asked, "What do you mean?"

"I've spoken to Minister Harrison involving your sister. He knows that she's in a locked-in coma in Jenzaya District's hospital. He's the one who told me after all. When he discussed the matter with me, I was able to put in a certain request."

"A request…?"

"Yes. If we as Squad Zero, are able to perform well within our first month of debut, Minister Harrison will grant your sister advanced medical treatment using Cardinal Nexus technology."

Wardell lost his breath for a moment. "W-What?"

"Cardinal Nexus' medical technology can work miracles unheard of. With enough confirmation from Minister Harrison, your sister has a large chance of being brought out of her coma. They'd be able to fix her. She'll be able to open her eyes and stand again. She'll be able to eat and walk again. She'll be able to move every muscle in her body again. She'll be able to see you again."

Wardell couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You… made this request to Minister Harrison…?"

"Yes Wardell. As the leader of Squad Zero, I can have my requests appealed. I made that request specifically for you."

The door suddenly flung open. Jasper was met with a puffy-eyed Wardell—an unusual sight for such a burly-looking man. His cheeks were soaked with tears, and only more continued to pour as he stepped forward and gave his leader a tight heartfelt hug.

"Thank you! Thank you so much Jasper! I promise you Squad Zero will do well this first month! I'll make sure Lesley gets the treatment she needs. I swear your request will not be for naught! I'll make it happen! I'll do it!" He looked up at Jasper. "I'll put all my heart into it, sir!" He saluted with power.

Jasper saluted back. "You got it, Wardell. We'll march towards this victory together."

"Sir yes sir!"