DAY 3: RESOLUTION

‎Felix walked towards his house, his eyes fixed on the grand estate that had once served as a hub for Marconni's nefarious activities. The mansion had been purchased by Marconni when he first arrived in Ekron, masquerading as a respectable businessman. But Felix knew the truth -but behind the scenes he was a dealer in black market goods most especially slaves and the estate had been a prison, a place where he'd captured slaves from Ekron,the "rare" race of beings who had been within the tower of babel for thousands of years. They were captured and because slaves like him and his sisters were held captive, forced to endure unspeakable cruelty and abuse.

‎As he approached the entrance, Felix's mind began to wander, memories of his past flooding his thoughts. He had been just a child when he and his sisters were sold into slavery, torn from their parents and forced to endure the brutal whims of Marconni. Felix's eyes narrowed, his anger simmering just below the surface as he remembered the countless times he had been beaten, whipped, and humiliated by Marconni's henchmen bearings that had left him scared body,and mind.

‎But Felix's anger was tempered by the memories of his sisters, Finn and Fiona. They had been so young, so innocent, and the only family he had. In the midst of all the torment,Felix had done everything in his power to protect them, to keep them safe from the monsters that were now their masters.

He wasn't blessed with a magical affinity granted by an arcana pool. Infact he had the lowest lower than even most humans whose egos prevented them from reaching the essence of magic.

‎But this gave him another advantage. He could completely erase his arcana at will. He'd trained to the point that he could disappear completely, totally erasing his existence from all five senses and even Arcana Detection. He has tried to flee countless times but was unable too due to the slave brand on him. Marconni found him useful after all and he had been forced to become Marconni's assassin, eliminating targets and kidnapping victims, all while enduring the abuse and cruelty that came with being a slave.

‎Felix's eyes dropped, his gaze falling to the ground as he felt a wave of sadness wash over him. He had lost so much, endured so much, and yet he had survived. But at what cost? The memories of his past still haunted him, the ghosts of his victims whispering in his ear, reminding him of the atrocities he had committed. Was he really allowed to be walking around like this. He pulled out the dagger strapped to his waist and observed the blade glinting in the sunlight. Every time he drew this blade,the voices in his head grew louder and more rowdy,more angry demanding that he pay with his life. His hand shook. Sometimes he wondered if life was truly worth living. Maybe his sisters being sold would rather save their lives. Maybe he was the problem. Why not end it all? There was nothing left for him after all the innocent blood he'd spilled.

He steadied his trembling hand with his other hand. His ears twitched and he turned to face that direction. He walked under a tree near the house and looked down. A chick had fallen down from its nest and was chirping helplessly. He picked it up and looked up trying to see if he could find the nest. He saw two Flame-Tailed Hawks circling above. These birds of prey had black and red plumage and were extremely aggressive to anything that came too close to their nest. The fact that they had black metallic talons could generate fire made things even worse. If he was spotted ,these bird would swoop and end up lighting the tree in fire and destroy the nest they'd built and probably chase him down as if it was his fault . He sighed, sure that his act of goodwill would be interpreted the wrong g way.

He looked down at the chick.

" Don't worry little guy,I'll get you back to your mom." He said, gently stroking its fragile body with his finger.

‎ He jumped and landed on a branch,balancing himself with his feline like ability. He then scanned the trees branches to find the nest. It was at the apex of the tree right in the line of sight of the birds and under it was a large hornets nest. The birds and the flame hornets had this relationship of protecting each other against certain threats without interfering with one another.

" At times animal are even more organized that is humanoids." He muttered.

"The position of the neat is gonna be tricky but still not a problem." He said as he climbed up while erasing his presence. He clasped his hand gently around the bird so as to not draw any attention. And stealthily moved past the hornets. One of the birds,one that was slightly smaller but more aggressive,looked down at its nest suspiciously.

" Nothing gets past your huh mama bird?' Felix then gently placed the chick in the nest and reappeared in the world. He looked down at it and stretched his hand to pet it once again. He heard a whooshing noise and saw the mama bird swooping down. He froze for a moment the slipped falling just as the bird grabbed a viper that was stealthily aiming a blow for his neck and crushed its head.

He fell down with a loud thud. A red feather fell through the trees and landed on his forehead. He took it and stared at it for a second.

" So she had seen me ,huh?"

He did a front flip and landed on his feet.

" Thanks ." He said walking away as the two birds landed back in their nest. He made his way towards the door and froze.

The voices again.

A small act of kindness isn't going to change what you've done.

It won't wash away the blood on you hands.

‎He moved forward and pushed open the door, steeling himself, forcing aside the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him.

Thinking that things would be better if his sister's were sold and allowing himself to give in would be cowardice. He'd be looking for the easy way out.

Selfish!

Greedy!!

Murderer!!!

Die!!!!

He shook his head once again pushing the voice back but the kept on getting stronger and stronger.

He had been given a second chance

" Small acts of kindness won't change what I've done? Yeah ,no shit. But who said anything small acts of kindness? I've been killing since I was a little boy and within that time my actions have lead to the misery of hundreds of people. So for every person I killed ,two more shall be sabed in their place. Now all of you shut up, you're giving me a headache . Geez"

The voices quieted down.

"That's better."

He'd been given , a chance to redeem himself, and he was determined to see it through. He owed it to himself, to his sisters, and to Princess Koniko, the woman who had shown a vile wretch like him mercy and given him a new purpose.

‎Felix took a deep breath, feeling a sense of gratitude wash over him. He was alive, he was free, and he had a chance to make amends for his past. He smiled, a small, wry smile.

‎He walked through the empty halls towards the basement at the bottom. The hose itself was still damaged from the scuffle that took place here but Lin and Koniko had come around the previous day and assisted the workers that had been assigned to fix it. As a With their abilities, they were able to do most of the work and thought incomplete,Felix and his sisters had been able to move in.

As he descended down the stairs,he couldn't help but think about the mistreatment he went through then quickly shook his head.

This was his home now, a place where he could find solace and refuge. He thought of his sisters, Finn and Fiona, and smiled, knowing that they were now safe, that they were free.

‎Felix's eyes though still lingered the memories that lingered in every corner of the mansion. He knew that he would never be able to erase the past, but he was determined to build a new future, one that was free from the shadows of his past.

He took in a deep breath and walked into the basement. There were two people in this dummy lit space.

The first was Eden ,Kojo's secretary who was wiping bloodied instruments that were displayed on a table with a neutral expression. Felix glanced at the second guy who was dangling by chain and one look at his condition made even Felix feel bad.It was scary that Eden had done this so efficiently and yet remained calm as though this was a trivial task.

" That's a competent subordinate." Felix said thinking to himself to never get on the Fay's badside.

He walked up to the second person in the room.

Well,that if he could still be called a person at this point.

" It's been a while ....."

The figure looked up at him.

" Marconni."

Marconni stared at him through what was left of his remaining eye.

" Felix." He said in a whisper. Felix was suddenly filled with rage as he looked down at his former master.

This bastard...

...was smiling?