Chapter 57: Little Story
Morden was taken by surprise by Darlus’ sudden explanation when he had just touched him.
’He was there when they all died,’ the words rang in Morden’s head again and again.
He knew his teammates were carrying a scar just like him but he hadn’t expected it to be that bad and from his current state it was still weighing on him heavily.
’But what do I do? what do I say?’ Morden thought to himself.
Nothing was coming to mind, he thought of all words of condolence that he has ever heard in his life, both back on earth and here but he still couldn’t find one that fit.
’When I was like this, what was the word I wanted to hear?’
’What statement do I want them to say to me, so bad?’
From that line of thought, he eventually managed to get the answer he had been looking for.
"It is not your fault,"
Darlus, who had been staring straight at Morden, watched his mouth move as he said the words he had always wanted at least one person to say to him.
One statement that would make the whole world feel brighter and every other thing feel lighter.
"Really?" he asked again.
"Yes, it is never the fault of the person carrying the scar." Morden said again with a brief silence. "You are the victim."
Morden’s words acted like the off switch to all of the chaos that was going on in the surroundings. Lisa had already created a lot of distance between them.
With Morden and Darlus im the centre there was about a 19 meter radius of frozen plants, even Morden was already covered in so much ice that despite using a boost to increase his durability he was slowly losing sensation in that area.
But thankfully, instead of Darlus Body to just stopping emitting the icy mist, it also actively recalled all the ones that had been emitted, calling them all back into himself.
And soon the surrounding area was back just the way it had been not too long ago, except for the slight dampness.
"That’s some really deep-seated guilt you are carrying. Do you want to talk about it?" Morden asked in a gentle voice.
Even Lisa had moved closer to the two boys after the icy cold had stopped, her eyes also showing concern.
Apart from just being concerned about Darlus’s state, the two of them also showed their understanding of how he felt. Each one of them had a large burden they were carrying.
That empathetic look was the straw that broke the camel’s back for Darlus, and in the end he decided to spill it all.
"I think we need to have a seat. First," he said in a low, neutral voice
Morden heard that and Lisa read that, so the two of them went to find a seat.
Though they had prepared to leave earlier, it was better to take care of Darlus’s mental state first or things might end up worse in the end.
"It all happened about two weeks ago; I got my tattoo and was. soon sent off into the Omnisphere for my first trial,"
"I was extremely excited, I had spent all of my Life learning about Bearers and now it was time for me to actually become one, so obviously I was over the moon,"
"If I knew what would happen when I returned, I would have done everything in my power to not go."
"What happened?" Morden asked.
"I managed to finish my Trial much earlier than I was supposed to due to all the training I have been provided, so with nothing else to do. I had to wait for the Timer to end, but that was when everything started going wrong."
"My timer that was supposed to have at least 7 hours left immediately glitched to zero, and I was suddenly being sent back down."
When he got to that stage in sharing his experience, Darlus stopped, looked at both his friends’ faces before dropping his head again to resume the storytelling.
"The return journey was anything but ordinary; while I fell through the dark void, I could feel heat leaving my body at an astonishing pace. It was growing colder."
"I tried to fight it, but there was nothing I Could do; I just kept getting more and more light-headed."
"Eventually, I got back down and tried to open my eyes, but my eyelids felt too heavy, and even then I could still feel heat leaving my body."
"I grew scared and immediately tried my best to open my eyes to see what’s going on or at least see if there’s anyone with me."
"But I didn’t see anyone, only a figure that was barely visible."
"It was that man; he was standing there, watching me while almost everyone in my family got trapped in the ice that I was creating."
"He didn’t check; he didn’t help; he only stood there with a smile."
"And in the end all he managed to say was, ’May the world be with you.’"
As Darlus dove deeper into his story, Morden also slowly began to understand why Darlus felt it was his fault, and Darlus’s situation felt worse than his own.
He didn’t just lose two people but almost everyone in his family, and Morden knew just how many people usually stayed in such a large family.
’That’s a large load to carry,’
’This really explains the reason for his current personality,’ he thought to himself.
Knowing that Darlus was done sharing all he wanted to share with the two of them, Lisa and Morden stood up at the same time.
They began taking one step at a time as they approached Darlus. The Ghost Slayer sword materialized in his hand. while two knives appeared in Lisa’s hands.
With a dead serious face and a strangely scary aura, the two of them opened their mouths to speak at exactly the same time.
"We will find that bastard again and make him spill every single thing he saw."