"Your son is nothing but an organs bag?" frowned Arthur as he questioned the ethics behind the creation of such life. Oriole sighed before he gestured for Arthur to sit on the bench.
"Those were my intentions in the beginning," Ori said as he sat down with Arthur, and the two watched the leaves sway in the wind. "However, I realized something after Ark began talking. This was the closest I can get for a son unless I start liking woman."
Arthur was quiet as he listened. Ori had already told him about his feelings toward Tyrin when they were in the dungeon and met that man for the first time. It was also Tyrin who corrupted Ori and Ellen.
"Ark is my everything now, aside from Paradise, and I can never hurt him." Ori looked at his hands. "You saved me from the darkness, but the damage has already been done. My soul is the one thing I cannot restore."
Arthur revived the dead, but he still couldn't restore a damaged soul. Otherwise, he wouldn't have lost his arm, never to return. Finally, Ori seemed to realize the futility of the struggle.
"That is when I had another idea, to replace both my organs and maybe even my soul. I just had to create myself all over again."
Arthur couldn't imagine the thought process that led to this determination. Then, he realized that all three ended in the same situation: Arthur, Ori, and Rae.
They both got thrown into another world, suffered as soon as they arrived, and then lost something that destroyed their identity. As a result, Arthur lost his feelings, Ori lost a part of his soul, and Rae lost her memories.
"I cannot decide which one had it worse, but I can't help but lament the cruelty of the world," Arthur said, and Ori couldn't help but nod with a grunt, his head dangling between his arms.
"Rae lost her memories, you lost your arm, and I… lost my will to live," he muttered, and the words threw Arthur's mind into turmoil.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I realized that I have no reason to return," Ori laughed with a shake of his head. "My family never loved me because my older sister always shadowed me. She was bright, and I was dark, gloomily, and a failure. Yet, here, I am respected, even revered. My words dictate the laws in this city. I have a son, and I have power."
"That does not answer my question," frowned Arthur. "Have you stopped trying to heal your body?"
Oriole turned to look at him, and Arthur realized that the dark bags beneath his eyes were not the same as the ones he remembered. Instead, his face was filled with the aura of death.
"I want to enjoy my last days instead of being trapped in a lab, injecting chemicals into my body. I want to die with dignity, Arthur."
"No!" Arthur stood up from his spot and threw his arm. "What about revenge for what happened? What about your son?" his empty heart was filled with fury now, a rare occasion that did not involve the Enders.
"Revenge leads nowhere," Ori shook his head with a smile, and Arthur grabbed his collar and pulled him closer.
"It leads to justice," Arthur gritted his teeth. "All of this misery and all of this pain was because of the choice she made. She was our friend, but she chose to save her mother even if it meant sacrificing countless people."
"Then, if it happens to your mother, then you would have done nothing to save her?" Ori smiled, and Arthur froze. His hand was slapped away by Ori, who adjusted his collar. "Ellen did what she had to do, despite the consequences. I will do the same by moving on."
"Then, you chose to wait for your death," Arthur took a step back. "I can't accept that, even if you can."
"I thought you were here for revenge because we endangered your city," Ori smiled and stood up, walking toward Arthur. "Sometimes, it is okay to let go," whispered Oriole as he stood beside Arthur.
"I can't let go of things," muttered Arthur. "I need to have a place to return to, a goal to accomplish. I need an anchor. I need to feel that what hurt me is hurting as well."
"Because it is awfully lonely without all of those," sighed Ori. "This is also a choice of yours, and in the end, we will know who made the right one."
***
Ori finished tidying up the club room and gathered all of the supplies. His clubmates made a mess because of their excitement over making a golem.
"I can't believe he grew this fast," sighed Ori as he caught a glimpse of Arthur and Ellen working in the field. "Things would have been different if I had half of his talent," there was slight envy in his voice.
Ori shook his head because these thoughts would lead nowhere. All that matters is that they had a new friend now, a junior even. His golden eyes stared at Ori in respect and admiration as he explained about runes, and it made him pathetically proud of himself.
"Ori!" Arthur waved his arm at him when he caught Ori looking at them. "We need your help!" he shouted from below.
"I am coming!" Ori placed down his tools and went downstairs. Ori and Ellen were the only ones still working on their project, and Jia seemed to be gone. "What do you need me to do?"
"The power supply is too weak for this cord," Ellen explained, and it made Ori a bit surprised. However, it seems he was not the only one affected by their junior. She seems to have built some confidence too.
"That is easy. You just have to increase the concertation of the mana liquid," Ori crouched down and took a few bottles before he got to work. Then, he won the admiration of his clubmates once again, and it was another moment that made him proud.
"Father!" a voice ended his dream, and Ori opened his eyes to find Ark's face in front of him. "Were you having a good dream? You are still smiling!"
"Ah," Oriole adjusted himself in his seat. "It is only something of the past, nothing important. Did you take your pills?"
"Yes, all of them!" Ark nodded with a smirk. Then, as if remembering something, he got closer to Ori and fidgeted in place. "Um, father. The man from earlier…"
"Are you still afraid of him?" smiled Ori. "I would trust him with my life so that you can rest easy."
"I'm not afraid!" Ark looked offended by the accusation. "It is only that… there is something about him that is scary."
"Are you talking about his feelings?" frowned Ori. His son was a product of chemistry, spirituality, and runes. This came with both limitations and evolution. One of his abilities was the perception of others.
"Uh-huh!" nodded Ark and continued with a frown. "There is nothing but rage inside him, a powerful and scary rage. However, that is not what scary."
"Then?"
"That man is… disappearing," muttered Ark with a face that said he didn't understand the situation himself. Ori was silent, and he simply patted his son's head.
***
"The Council has gathered today to welcome the guest, Seika of Living Beings," announced the old woman sitting at the head of the table. "Grandmaster Oriole is the one who brought him in, so I will let him do the introduction."
"Thank you, Grandmaster Riana," stood up Ori from his spot before turning toward Arthur.
The Council was a group of people that governed over the city, and they also doubled as an organization against the Enders. Ori stared at him for a bit before he began.
"I have already stated that the Seika of Living Beings is a dear friend of mine," said Ori with pride. "And his visit this time was to reclaim the child we took from the Mernars."
"Grandmaster," frowned a short man with a white beard but looked otherwise young. "I fear that judging by your words and revelation, that you have given back the child?"
"I have indeed," Ori nodded. "I decided that antagonizing the Seika is the last thing we wanted and that this was a better alternative."
"But the plan!" shouted the short man with a cracked nose as he slammed his hand on the round table. "We have agreed to follow a plan!"
"A plan that endangers my city?" interjected Arthur, and the man turned to him. "I am still here if you forgot. I might be a friend of Grandmaster Oriole, but I am by no means a friend of yours."
"Are you threatening me, Seika?" the man's body shook. Ori raised his hand, and the sound disappeared from the room.
"This is not a room for us to fight but to discuss. I believe that the Council realizes how crucial the Seika is for our plans since he has already demonstrated his powers against the fallen knight."
"Indeed so," smiled Grandmaster Riana.. "The plan was to force the corrupted to turn against the throne in its moment of weakness, and only then can we unroot them all."
