Amends Epilogue

"What's wrong, Fury?"

Despite just three simple words, it managed to carve into me harder than an interrogation, forcing my mask to break completely. One by one, the tears started to pelt the floor as my web of lies vanished to reveal the truth.

"I just wanted to say I was sorry; I just wanted to try and make things right, if only for one day."

"Say sorry for what, Fury?"

"For forcing you to kill!" I said as my tests started falling harder.

"If I didn't lose control, then we wouldn't have to escape Damage's lockers. If I didn't get taken down by him, we wouldn't have to take his initiation. If I hadn't been stupid and just fought Taurus, then Damage wouldn't have struck back. If I were stronger, then you wouldn't have had to kill," I said with my heart-shattering.

Eternus absorbed all those feelings, crouching down till we met at eye level as he gave his answer.

"There's nothing to apologize for, Fury; you didn't force me to kill; Ricochet did."

"Hey, it wasn't- !" Ricochet started to counter.

"Shut the fuck up, the adults are talking," Eternus said in a bossy yet tired tone while continuing the conversation, "If you didn't transform, we never would have had the chance to fight back. And if I didn't kill, then, we would still be under that bastard's foot heel. I know that now," he said while giving a silent nod to a subtly approving Port.

"But you're a good person Eternus; you shouldn't have gotten forced to-."

"Who said I was ever a good person?"

At that moment, I realized that through the breakdown of my mask, what this was all about.

"Because you cared about me, Eternus. When I didn't even want to care for myself," I said while covering my bawling eyes.

As tears started to fall even harder, Eternus managed to take hold of my hand and gave me an order.

"Fury, open up your hands."

Even in such distress, I complied, and once I did, Eternus promptly made me slap myself! The shock of the event nearly sent all The Cons into a readied stance for combat. But that never came, as Eternus explained while having my full attention.

"Fury, I didn't care about you. It's like I said before, I picked all of you because I needed you, nothing more and nothing less. Together we've hurt, stolen, and terrified dozens of people. That's just going to happen again and again and again as we rise through the ranks of Krimo. So let's face it, none of us are good people. Hell, I don't even think any human believes they are deep down. Ergo, don't you dare cry thinking that you have some special trait that magically makes you the worst of the worst Fury; because we and everyone else in this damn city are right where you are. You haven't broken Rule #6 yet." he said in a depraved yet comforting tone.

That would've been some crushing critical hit or bond-ending blow for any average person. Yet, I didn't do any of that because I understood Eternus more than enough to decode what truly meant. So for the first time in a long time, I let my emotions run wild without fear or care, hugging Eternus so tight he couldn't escape.

And even through my blurry eyes, I could feel the other Cons joining in. Which caused me to give the first genuine smile that I made in God knows how long. No pocket mirror needed.