Chapter 477: Losing Control
BOOM
The realization hit Damian like a physical blow.
’He... He is...’
His breathing stopped completely.
’Talking about those twelve... He calls them little brothers?’
His hands began trembling where they rested at his sides.
"Even though little Royce, Cross, Kinsley, and Ashford could be a bit extreme sometimes, they always listened to little Murdock when it really mattered."
The man’s smile widened, completely unaware of how Damian’s face had gone pale.
’He... loved them! He–’
Damian’s thoughts were becoming harder to control.
"Little Evergreen was probably the kindest soul among them."
The man’s voice continued, warm and affectionate.
"Always the first to help anyone who needed it, always putting others before himself. I used to worry that the world would crush someone that gentle."
’Stop!’
Damian’s jaw was clenched so tight it hurt.
’Just stop talking!’
"And little Thorne, oh, that stubborn bastard."
The man laughed quietly.
"Once he set his mind on something, nothing could change it. We used to argue for hours about the smallest things, but when the fighting started, I trusted him to watch my back more than anyone."
’He never expected them to be the ones who would–’
The affection in the man’s voice was painful to hear.
"Little Blackwood and his obsession with getting bigger. He’d eat until he couldn’t move, convinced that being massive would make him stronger."
Damian’s vision was blurring at the edges, his breathing coming faster.
’Stop!’
"Little Verratoux with those strange pink eyes, always asking philosophical questions that made my head hurt."
’Stop!’
"And little Eckhart, always so serious, always carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders."
The man’s voice softened further.
"I used to tell him to relax more, to enjoy life while we had it. He’d just give me that stern look..."
’STOP!’
Damian’s hands were shaking badly now, his entire body trembling.
"Little Langsten loved the ocean so much that he’d disappear for weeks just to sit by the coast and watch the waves."
’PLEASE! I–’
"And little Kinsley and little Ashford, those two were inseparable, always had each other’s backs."
’–DON’T WANT TO!’
The man kept going, his eyes still fixed on the sky, completely lost in memories of people he’d loved and trusted.
"We swore we’d protect humanity together, that we’d build a Federation where everyone could be safe. They were more than just followers or disciples or soldiers."
His smile became gentler.
"They were my brothers in every way that mattered. We bled together, fought together, almost died together more times than I could count. I trusted them with my life, with my family, with–"
"JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
Damian’s scream tore across the peak, raw and broken and filled with rage that had nowhere to go.
When Alaric had told him the truth about his family’s massacre, he had just sat quietly and listened.
He had absorbed every detail without saying a word and in the end, thanked Alaric for saving him.
He had locked everything inside where it couldn’t touch him, where it couldn’t make him weak.
But now, listening to this man talk about the people who’d slaughtered his family with such affection, such love, such blind trust–
Something inside him shattered completely.
"Huh?"
The man turned sharply, shock written across his face as he looked at Damian for the first time since he’d started reminiscing.
"Brothers?!"
Damian’s voice cracked on the word, his entire body shaking.
"You trusted them with your life? With your family’s life?!" His hands clenched into fists at his sides. "Are you fucking kidding me?!"
"Child, what are you–"
"You don’t get it, do you?!"
Damian took a step forward, his hair falling across his face.
"Why do you think not one of your descendants has come here in years?! Why do you think you’ve been sleeping alone in the dark for so long?!"
His voice rose higher, control slipping with every word.
"Because seventeen years ago–"
He took another step forward, his legs unsteady.
"On the day the entire Bloodworth family was celebrating! When YOUR family was gathered together for the birth of the sons of their family head! When everyone was happy and safe and together–"
His breathing was ragged now, each word forcing its way past something breaking in his chest.
"Your so-called little brothers, those twelve men you loved like family, who you bled with and fought beside and TRUSTED–"
He stopped directly in front of the man, his crimson eyes blazing with tears and hatred.
"THEY BUTCHERED EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!"
The words crashed across the peak like thunder.
"Every man, every woman, every child with Bloodworth blood was hunted down and slaughtered like animals! Entire branches of the family exterminated in a single coordinated purge that spanned the entire Federation!"
His voice broke completely.
"And you! You were the first one to die!"
’W-what?’
The man’s face had gone pale, his mouth opening without sound.
"They told me you never fought!"
Damian was screaming now, his voice raw.
"They told me there were no signs of you putting up any resistance! You just ceased to exist! The Director of the MP himself confirmed it when he investigated!"
He laughed, the sound horrible and bitter.
"And I get it now! I finally understand why!"
Tears were streaming down his face.
"You were just too blinded by your love for them, weren’t you?! Too trusting to see the knives coming for your back!"
"That’s... that’s impossible."
The man’s voice came out barely above a whisper, his entire body rigid.
"Little Murdock would never... they wouldn’t... we swore an oath..."
His head shook slowly, denial written across every feature.
"You’re wrong... You have to be wrong. They were my brothers, they would never–"
"You don’t believe me?!"
Damian’s laugh came out broken and bitter.
"Why do you think I was able to come here?! Why do you think a child with crimson hair and eyes is standing in front of you right now?!"
He stepped closer, his voice dropping but losing none of its intensity.
"You thought it was fate? Some cosmic coincidence?"
His hands came up, gesturing wildly.
"No! It was because on that very night, before my life even started, I lost everything!"
His voice cracked.
"And I– I became an orphan! AGAIN!"