From Encounter To Alienation (Part 7)

Captain Honjok shoved the microphone into Proxer's face this time, which made him flinch a bit. Captain Honjok shook the microphone gently with a smile on her face to urge Proxer to take it and speak up.

"Ahem... Sorry for barging in on your... Q&A session, but I want to speak up in response to Captain Honjok previous question."

The black Knights glanced at one another without muttering a word, while the silver Knights only had their eyes fixed on Proxer. Jogrin sent the Knights of the Second Order gazes, looked back and forth at them who were scattered among the black Knights.

"My family and I all agreed to take him in, because they all knew how much I want to 'save' him,' to atone for what I couldn't do five years ago... But after Jogrin told me that he had the ability to fly, I was so afraid that he'd leave me, not giving me a chance to atone, but he didn't. He stayed with us, and even saved my daughters, my son eventually."

Everyone listened to Proxer attentively, and at the back, both Zanphia and Suzannia nodded vigorously at Proxer's statement. Meanwhile, Kapel glared at Proxer, a dissatisfied expression was plain to see.

Jogrin knew why Kapel was feeling that way towards Proxer.

"I know what Fa- Grand Commander Kapel might've told you about his past, but please believe me when I say this: Jogrin is a good person!!!"

And now, dissatisfaction wasn't what Kapel was feeling, there was also an indescribable amount of disappointment within him. While Jogrin didn't feel any sort of dissatisfaction or disappointment, he simply thought...

'You're trying to appeal to their empathy with your words... Just what are you doing?'

Caught up by Proxer's mood, Zanphia also yearned to step up and share her thoughts about Jogrin with the Knights, but was thwarted by Kapel. He shook his head at her, implying that it wasn't a good idea to attempt to add her two cents.

The campsite, with more than a hundred people within it, was dead silent. Captain Honjok, with her arms folded, gazed at Proxer, anticipating more from him. However, she quickly furrowed her eyebrows as Proxer returned the microphone to her. She awkwardly held it in her hand, and glanced back and forth between Proxer and Jogrin.

"Hold up. I know it's not time for querying about doubts but... That's it?"

Proxer, confounded by her tone, nodded hesitantly.

"This is a battlefield of facts and logic! You can't hope to convince anyone by tugging at their heartstrings!! This isn't foul play, but it's definitely a poor choice of tactic!"

She pointed at Proxer with the microphone. Despite not speaking into it, her voice still reverberated across the entire campsite. She was furious.

"B-but it's-"

"We will hear no more from you, Mr. Maladin!" She switched her attention to Jogrin. "Now Jogrin, without a last name! Your turn!"

"Though Proxer had the intention to appeal to your emotions, what he said was true."

"So you're saying you actually want to protect this family of five??? Even though your powers are so deadly? Are you trying to do it by hurting someone else? Or even yourself???"

"Captain Honjok! That's too f-"

"Hold your tongue, Youuman!!! I wasn't talking to you! So, Jogrin?"

"Have we moved on to the next part already?"

"You bet we have!"

"What do you want me to reply with? Depending on your demands, I may or may not comply."

"Is that a roundabout way of saying yes? Then, why would you do something like that? What do you wish to achieve by doing so? Gratifying yourself???" Captain Honjok leaned in close to Jogrin. "Will you abandon everything here if that shuttles of yours miraculously comes to you?"

"Gratifying? I can't even feel positive emotions, I can't ever achieve that even if I wanted to..." Jogrin stared into Captain Honjok's pair of sharp looking eyes and continued. "And I have my own priorities. I believe there's no need for me to tell you which comes first."

"Tch... You took that quite well, didn't ya? I was expecting to make that poker face of yours contort a little. You're so no fun!!"

Jogrin shrugged his shoulders at her laid-back remark. Proxer, who was unconsciously holding his breath, gasped for air once the atmosphere felt less tense. Some coughs could also be heard among the Knights.

"I'd like for this to end already, so keep whatever you want to ask short." Jogrin, as if the tension earlier wasn't real, sent the Knights his expressionless gaze.

Though they couldn't hear what Jogrin said since he wasn't speaking into the microphone, they could guess that he was running out of patience.

"To save time, I'll ask what they want to ask. The invasion, describe more in detail."

Jogrin elaborated on how the Darkians were shot, sliced, or crushed to death. Some of the details were egregiously gruesome that gave many chills. The most common way of dying was having beams of light piercing through their bodies. Some Darkians even pushed others to their deaths just so they could escape, but that didn't work out in their favor.

"Very... No, too informative, Jogrin. Well, I guess I did ask you to describe in detail. So? How is it that only you made it out alive? Don't the others have a shuttle too?"

"My father was the one who built this shuttle using his own two hands. He foresaw that us utilizing Dark Matter would lead to our demise, after reading some forbidden texts from the anti-Dark Matter faction. He'd always talk about that when we were together. He kept repeating those words like a mad man, and kept warning me, and told me to survive when the time came."

"Anti-Dark Matter faction?"

"A group of individuals who advocated the abandonment of Dark Matter, by expelling it from our bodies, albeit having no practical way of doing so. They were supposedly eradicated before I was born, but my father somehow found the texts written by them."

"He wanted you to live even though you demonstrated how nefariously deadly you are the moment you were born??"

"For some reason, yeah. Maybe because I'm his son."

"Hmph. Such fatherly love! Alright then. Who were the invaders?"

"I remember their appearance since they looked so different from us Darkians. They had silver hair and pairs of yellow eyes. Many of them died during the invasion as well, but I believe some managed to survive. Another thing was that they arrived in a large flying vehicle."

"A spaceship? I see. Fitting for an invasion of that scale."

"When he forced me into the shuttle, he just kept muttering about how his foresight came true, and that there was nothing to do but es...cape?"

"You sounded unsure of yourself."

"My memory is supposed to be perfect, but why do I keep forgetting?"

His memory of the invasion was clear at some parts, but the opposite at other parts, which frustrated Jogrin very much. Even the last words his father told him were opaque to him as he only faintly recalled half of them.

"Well, looks like I shall wrap up this session, as well as the entire meeting now! Everyone!! Go rest and digest all the information!! As always, submit the assignment within a week!!!"

"Yes! Captain Honjok!!" The black Knights yelled in unison.

"I'm talking to you too, Second Order!!!"

"... Yes! Captain Honjok!!" Now it was the silver Knights who yelled.

"Jogrin. You good?" Proxer stepped towards Jogrin and expressed his concern.

"It's just that my mind's a mess right now. Just let me organize my thoughts..."

"So, other than wanting to protect the family, you stayed because you've been too busy pondering, am I right?"

Captain Honjok hit the nail on the head as Jogrin nodded lightly at her.

"You can't force something like that. Just let it come to you naturally!!"

"Jogrin! Have a seat first!"

Naytia dashed out of the tent with a chair and put it behind Jogrin.

"... Thank you."

Jogrin sat down. Though no expression shown on his face, there was no doubt that he was feeling conflicted within. Unable to help with anything, Proxer, Zanphia, the rest of the Maladins, and Garty could only watch in consternation.