Chapter 46: At What Cost?

"a flower knows when its butterfly will return,

and if the moon walks out, the sky will understand;

but now it hurts, to watch you leave so soon

when I don't know if you will ever come back." —Sanober Khan

"A poet should be so crafty with words that he is envied even for his pains." —Criss Jami, Killosophy

"I bargained with Life for a penny,

and Life would pay no more,

However, I begged in evening

When I counted my scanty store;

Life is a just employer.

He gives you what you ask,

But once you have set the wages,

Why, you must bear the task.

I worked for a menial's hire,

Only to learn, dismayed,

That any wage I had asked of Life,

Life would have willingly paid" —Jessie B. Rittenhouse

***

Regardless of his lack of abilities and knowledge in fighting, Thaniel exuberantly and courageously clung to the thought; in himself that being driven by adrenaline would succeed in freeing Xenia from Grenoble's grasp.

But no... He could not. He was just shoved to the side while Grenoble continued to threaten Xenia's father with his son's safety. At least, he tries, yeah? Even if he was not successful in doing so, what matters was that he tried.

"C-Come on up, b-big brother Thaniel!"

After Arlan's sentence, Thaniel didn't hear him speak again. There was complete silence from Arlan and yet Thaniel obediently surged from the ground to fulfill his brother's last wish. His painstaking effort paid off when all of a sudden Grenoble unintentionally let go of Xenia, uttering a grunt and Xenia's father was within his reach. Right there and then, Grenoble should have been defeated. However, Xenia's father, for some reason, did not move an inch from that point onwards.

"D-Dad? Why aren't you moving?!"

Just when a one-time opportunity had come to their doorstep, giving them the chance to win the fight, they were faced with the harsh reality that they could not beat Grenoble's gift.

"I told you all. Unless a gift far greater and more powerful than mine appears, I will remain the strongest and most powerful individual here on this island."

Everything might be dark on the island right now, wherein the moon was the only source of light, but Xenia could vaguely see the triumphant expression on Grenoble's face. That superior smile, unwavering and disgruntling.

"It's the gift! Your father can't move because Grenoble there has restricted your father's movement!"

Only words came out of Xenia's words. He too was disallowed to produce any sort of action in the face of mighty Grenoble. Thaniel, on the other hand, remained unbound by the gift, which sort of confused Grenoble.

"Thaniel, you aren't supposed to move," then he began questioning his gift's power and capability. "Am I still lacking in willpower and control over my gift? If not, then how is he moving? Oh, perhaps..."

Xenia immediately caught on and when Grenoble lost his grasp on Xenia and the kid's father, both of his enemies made their move with two different intentions.

"Xenia, Arlan is..."

Easily, Xenia made it to Arlan's side. Beside him was the grieving brother, Thaniel, lost for words at the cold body of his little brother's lifeless body. And he could not even bid his farewell.

Their tearing-apart heart, succumbing to the enormous excruciating pain, tightened and tightened the longer they look at Arlan's peaceful expression on his face.

The kid had been through a lot. A temporary rest was all he needed, but a permanent one was given to him. Arlan had he lived, would go through so many hardships, overcoming the fear of losing everything and accepting every worst event that would happen in his life. One way or another, Arlan would either take his own life or die at the hands of others. His fate has always been written, already set in stone. It was just either of the two.

But how does Xenia exactly feel? He's known Arlan only through the memories he was given and the little time he spent with Arlan.

"Xenia! This is a fight we can't win! His gift is too powerful for us to beat him! Run and don't look back!"

In his previous pose, Xenia's father remained unable to move as Grenoble began to approach him, gaily treading with the knife in his hand.

"Futile efforts. Wherever your kid goes, I will make sure to find him. After all, none of us will leave this island alive."

His father's end was something Xenia could not prevent. There isn't anything he could do about it, thus obeying his father's words, and running away with Thaniel, who didn't wanna leave his brother's corpse behind.

Losing everything you loved and cared for was an unbearable experience for Thaniel. If Thaniel ever survives, he will forever live with guilt and burden. A haunting memory, carrying the weight of bottled grievous emotions.

Sobbing, Thaniel wiped off the tears that were streaming down his cheeks.

After running for around 50 meters, Xenia silently stopped in his tracks, looking down at the ground. Thaniel slightly bumped into him, for the surroundings were dark and it was not that easy to see through the void.

"Ow, why did we stop? Are you tired, Thaniel? Let's take some rest."

If they say they are not tired, they would be lying because they have been active since yesterday. Their minds and bodies should be extremely exhausted but none of the Balmackians could possibly rest, knowing that danger lurks everywhere on the island.

"Grenoble said that no one is gonna leave this island alive. Will he kill all

of us, even his fellow tribesmen? But what if Grenoble dies? You see, Thaniel, I just remembered. My father once told me that once the great calamities occur, only one person would be able to leave the island."

Once Grenoble was done taking care of his business, he used his hunting knowledge to track Xenia and Thaniel. They might be kids but Grenoble saw the danger they have towards his tribe. He would not stop unless he knows that both kids are dead.

"Looking for me?" Xenia's voice rang. He was alone and he smelled like blood. "I came back, so you don't have to look for me everywhere. I doubt you'll ever find me had I really decided to hide myself away."

"Xenia... You are a remarkable kid, unique from all the children I've met. Your maturity and viewpoint of life fascinate me. Had you been born one of us... No, there is no point in this conversation."

In order to accomplish his lifelong mission, Grenoble erased his ability to feel anything good towards Balmackians. He knew that once he form a bond with someone, that would drag him down, eventually rendering him unable to process.

Xenia wasn't moving at all. Grenoble had just cast his gift so that the possibility of Xenia running around like a rat becomes nigh. Thud, thud, thud, his footsteps reverberating each step on the muddy path where some overgrown bush hides some parts of the forest.

"Thank you for making my job easier, Xenia. Although, you also made my job harder by letting Thaniel escape."

Grenoble was a foot away from Xenia, tightly holding the same knife he used to take the life of Xenia's father.

"I could hear your heartbeat, Xenia. Are you scared? Perhaps regretting your decision for going back? No, that's not it. You realized that without your family, there really isn't any reason for you to live, thus doing what you did."

In Grenoble's eyes, Xenia was a stiff mannequin, only able to speak whilst the rest of his body stayed unmovable due to the overwhelming power of his gift.

Three minutes earlier, before Xenia came back alone to where Grenoble was, a bitter sacrifice was made.

Thaniel isn't the kind of person to have a sharp sense for an impending threat but his gut told him to stay away from Xenia.

"O-Only one person?" He repeated, gradually sliding his feet behind to build up a gap between him and Xenia without the latter noticing. "Isn't that a bit absurd? I mean, how sure was your father? And how did he know? Surely, not only one person can leave this hellish place!"

Standing still, noticing the shifting of Thaniel's emotions from mourning to suddenly feeling the need to stay on guard, Xenia muttered under his breath.

"Forgive me... Your brother told you to save me, Thaniel. So, you'll be fulfilling his desire."

A cold and sharp object stabbed through Thaniel's chest. He looked at the part where it hurt, the same place where he was aching when Arlan died.

Thaniel coughed blood, instantly losing all the energy he had; collapsing on Xenia's shoulder.

"Why...?"

"I've decided, Thaniel."

Xenia fought the urge to cry. His friends had been so good and nice to him and his family. They never badmouthed nor shed any sign of disgust towards them when every Balmackian despised them. Yet, Xenia villainously resorted to an atrocity just to salvage his life.

"I see... I understand... T-The road will be long. There will be many obstacles and hardships. I... honestly envy you, Xenia."

~