Conviction

"You were... a Sicarius..?"

Avic, Eliisabet, and Custos were caught in a daze. One of the last things they had expected was for Amon to tell them that he was once a Sicarius. For as long as they could remember, Amon had always been the owner of a small tavern in the town of Initium. He was never known to be violent or a person who enjoyed fighting. He was a peaceful man who was simply known to scold Avic whenever he went out of line.

"Come on, Old Geezer! You almost had me there. That was a good joke!" Laughed Avic.

Despite Avic's jovial response, Amon's expression was unchanging. He was as serious as could be.

"Wait, you're serious, aren't you..?"

"I am."

"Just when I thought that nothing else could surprise me..." Sighed Custos.

"Wait! Mister Amon, how are we just finding this out?! We've been with you for years now!" Queried Eliisabet in shock.

Amon sighed, "I kept it a secret because the truth is, I never wanted anyone to know about it."

"But I've been with you for ten years! I've never once seen anything to say that you were a Sicarius!" Argued Avic.

"That's only because you're dumber than a duckling. Besides, I'm quite good at hiding it."

"No doubt about that..." Muttered Custos.

Before continuing, a look of pain shrouded Amon's face. He then turned to his right and picked up an old wooden sword that was leaning against the wall. He clenched it in his fist, staring at it with a deep look of regret in his eyes.

"Ten years ago, I was still a Sicarius. I battled on the frontlines for the sake of my family who lived in Somnia City at the time. I had a wife and two beautiful children... I loved them dearly... I was able to provide for them by being a registered Sicarius allowing them to lead prosperous lives. One day, I decided to take a break from the frontlines and come back home to them. But it just so happened that on that day, the Great Spirit Disaster, or GSD for short happened."

"The Great Spirit Disaster..? As in the same disaster that killed Avic's parents..?" Queried Custos.

"Yes. It was a dreadful day. It was like none I've ever seen in my 65 years of living. Saying that it looked like the end of the world would just be an understatement... That's just how terrifying it was. But on that day, I lost my family... I tried my best to protect them but in the end, no matter what I did, it just wasn't enough. After the disaster had ended, it was easy to say that Somnia City was wiped from the map. There was nothing left but death and destruction. It was like walking through Purgatory itself..."

"Mister Amon, I didn't know... I'm terribly sorry to hear that... Is that the reason you quit being a Sicarius..?" Asked Eliisabet softly.

"It played a big part. I had lost my home, my family, and almost everything I owned. The only thing that I had left was my beating heart. And even that felt like a nightmare. In short, I wanted to die. Fortunately, upon wandering through the scarred city, I stumbled upon a young boy who was sleeping soundly under a pile of rubble. It was the strangest thing I have ever seen. Despite going through such a catastrophe, not only was he sleeping but he didn't have a single scratch on him. Seeing this, a strong desire came over me to take care of the child. Just seeing him sleeping through such a catastrophe inspired me to keep moving forward. It was like he was telling me not to give up and find peace in the chaos of life. And so, I moved here to Initium to start a new life, leaving my past behind."

The room went silent as the scent of sadness stifled them. It was painful to hear that Amon had gone through so much only to lose everything in the end.

"I must say you're quite strong, Mister Amon... Not many could build the courage to move on after something like that..." Said Eliisabet.

"Well, it wasn't easy but I did. After losing my family, I realized that I hadn't spent enough time with them and I regretted that more than anything else. So I decided that I wouldn't make the same mistake with Avic. Because of that, I quit being a Sicarius and raised him like my own son. Of course, he didn't turn out exactly as I hoped he would but he's making progress."

Avic then took a step forward with his fists held tightly. Despite being with Amon for ten years, he had never inquired about his past. Now that he knew the truth, it made him swell with rage at himself. It had made him realize just how strong and important Amon was to him all along. He had done so much for him and never once complained about his past. Compared to him, Avic saw himself as pathetic.

"Hey, Old Geezer," started Avic with a serious look in his eyes. "I never once asked about how you felt or the things that happened to you. But now that I know, I've come to realize that you're more important to me than I thought. And so, I promise you that as the father figure you are in my life right now, if I find any of the Three Vials Of Deus, I'll bring your family back to life too so that you can spend all the time you want with them and make up for the times you weren't there for them!"

Amon's eyes broadened as soon as he heard this. He tried to hide his appreciation for Avic's words but he couldn't stop himself from smiling.

"Hmph. Then I'll hold you to your word, Avic. However, it's time we moved on to the real reason we came here in the first place."

Before continuing, Amon tossed the wooden sword he had picked up earlier to Avic. Avic tried to catch it, juggling it in his hands before finally grabbing onto it. Finally, Amon looked at Avic with his icy cold grey eyes and spoke.

"If you truly want to be a Sicarius then I'll teach you everything you need to know about battle. Make sure you're ready Avic because you might just die if you can not keep up..!"