Chương 333: How One Griefes

Ares stood in silence, studying Vale for several long moments. The faint smile that had greeted the boy's declaration slowly faded from his face, replaced by an expression Vale could not quite decipher. It was not anger, nor disappointment alone. The two simply stared at one another across the narrow prison cell, neither willing to look away. Eventually, Ares shifted his gaze ever so slightly.

"I expected no less from you," he said quietly. His hand reached forward and wrapped around one of the thick steel bars imprisoning Vale. For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then his fingers tightened.

"And yet..." he continued, his crimson eyes growing colder, "... I am still disappointed." Steel shrieked beneath his grip. The entire prison trembled as cracks spiderwebbed through the surrounding stone. With nothing more than raw strength, Ares tore the iron bar free from the wall as though it were nothing more than brittle wood.

"The match is tomorrow," Ares said, casually tossing the mangled bar aside.

"Which means we no longer have time to waste. First, we'll get you proper equipment." Vale blinked in surprise before glancing at the opening now left in the cell.

"... You're really letting me out?" he asked cautiously.

"You're not worried I'll run?" Ares pinched the bridge of his nose, already sounding exhausted by the question.

"How many times must I repeat myself before you understand?" he sighed.

"You cannot escape me." His eyes met Vale's.

"No one can." The confidence in those words was almost unsettling. Vale held his gaze for several seconds before quietly stepping through the ruined opening. His muscles still protested every movement, but compared to yesterday, the pain was manageable.

"So," he asked while following behind the commander, "where exactly are we going?" Ares had already begun walking down the empty prison corridor, his long coat brushing softly against the stone floor with every measured step.

"To the Royal Library." A faint grin tugged at the corner of Vale's mouth despite everything. Of all the places Ares could have named, that had been the last one he expected. Yet it was also the place he knew best. Endless training halls. Weapon vaults—sparring arenas. If there was anywhere he could prepare himself, it was there. He needed it. As they walked through the deserted hallways, the silence between them became almost oppressive. Neither spoke.

Their footsteps echoed through the ancient corridors while the pale afternoon light slowly grew brighter ahead of them. Vale tried to ignore the emptiness inside his chest. He couldn't. Every step reminded him of Illu. Every breath reminded him that Illu would never take another. The hollow left behind refused to close, no matter how tightly he clenched his jaw or how desperately he forced himself to keep walking. After several long minutes of silence, he finally spoke, his voice rough from exhaustion.

"So... do you know who I'll be fighting tomorrow?" Ares glanced back over his shoulder, the crimson glow of his eyes catching the sunlight pouring through the corridor's distant exit.

"If you are not prepared," he answered calmly, "you will die." Vale frowned.

"... Did you forget who you're talking to? I'm not exactly helpless." This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Ares stopped walking and slowly turned to face him, every trace of emotion gone from his expression.

"Your opponents are three Enforcer Commanders. They possess strength comparable to the Royal Guard's elite officers, and they are veterans who have spent decades killing men stronger than you. You will die if you underestimate them." Vale scoffed.

"I've beaten stronger-""No."

"You have survived stronger." Silence settled between them.

"If you still cannot tell the difference," Ares continued, "then you are a greater fool than I imagined." Vale's eyes narrowed, but Ares simply turned away and resumed walking.

"Then again," he said almost absentmindedly, "you were foolish enough to attempt escaping Irea. If you hadn't..." His voice became colder.

"... your friend would still be alive." Vale froze. His heartbeat seemed to stop. Then rage exploded through him.

"You don't get to say that!" He lunged forward and seized Ares by the collar with his mechanical arm, fury shaking his entire body.

"If Nym hadn't shot us out of the sky, Illu would still be alive!" Ares looked down at him. Then, unexpectedly, he laughed.

"Gods..." The laughter faded.

"... you're pathetic." Vale stiffened.

"You lose someone because of your own decisions, yet you refuse to acknowledge them. It is a disgusting habit." His grip weakened.

"And now?" Ares asked, meeting his eyes without flinching.

"Now that your anger cannot frighten me, now that your threats carry no weight... You tremble like the frightened child you truly are." Vale's breathing became ragged as each word drove deeper than the last.

"You weren't brave when you freed Illu. You weren't noble. You were selfish. You wanted to escape the consequences of your own actions." Then came the final blow.

"You disappointed him." A brief silence followed before Ares spoke again, his crimson eyes hardening.

"And I wonder... what your parents would think if they saw what you've become." Something inside Vale shattered. He roared and drove his metal fist into Ares' face. Again, and again. Each strike carried enough force to splinter stone, yet Ares didn't move so much as an inch.

"What the hell do you know about my parents?!" Vale shouted, punching him again.

"You know nothing about me! You're just some stranger pretending you understand!" The next blow never landed. Ares caught Vale's fist, stopping it as though it weighed nothing.

"You believe I know nothing?" he asked quietly.

"Then listen." The corridor seemed to fall completely silent.

"A year ago... I lost my brother." His voice faltered.

"My decisions placed him in that situation. I failed him." His gaze returned to Vale.

"And I accepted that." He stepped closer.

"So tell me... why can't you?" Vale's entire body trembled. His lips parted.

"It..." He couldn't finish.

"It wasn't..."

"... my fault." Ares released a long, weary sigh.

"If you continue lying to yourself, you'll only deepen the wound. I'm not asking you to hate yourself." His voice softened.

"Only... to take responsibility." He released Vale's hand and turned away once more.

"Come. If you refuse..." A faint sigh escaped him.

"... I'll carry you." Vale didn't move. His legs slowly gave out beneath him, and he sank onto the cold stone floor, curling into himself as countless thoughts tore through his mind.

'I only wanted Illu to be free.'

'That's all.'

'I never wanted this.'

'I never wanted anyone to die.'

'So... why is everyone saying it's my fault?' The memories came one after another. Illu laughing. Illu learning to fly. Illu turning back instead of escaping. His chest hurt so badly he could barely breathe.

"I..." His voice was barely audible.

"I never wanted him to protect me. I never asked him to come back..." A tear struck the stone.

"So..."

"... why did he?" At last, his composure collapsed completely.

"It's not fair..." He buried his face in his hands as sobs wracked his body.

"It should've been me. I was the one who convinced him to run. I was the reason he was there..." His voice broke.

"... and yet he paid the price." The tears refused to stop. Vale allowed himself to grieve without restraint. The sun slowly descended toward the horizon, and hours passed in silence. Ares remained nearby, leaning quietly against the corridor wall. He neither interrupted nor tried to comfort him, understanding that some grief could only be endured alone. Only when darkness had nearly swallowed the evening sky did Vale's sobs finally subside. His face was stained with tears. His eyes were swollen.

But they were calmer. Slowly, he rose to his feet and walked past Ares without another word.

"... Let's go." Ares raised an eyebrow.

"Have you finally made up your mind?" Vale stopped. For several long seconds, he remained perfectly still before looking back over his shoulder. His expression was no longer empty.

"My choices led Illu onto that path." He swallowed hard.

"I still believe Nym bears responsibility for pulling the trigger." His voice steadied.

"But it was my decision that placed him there." The admission hurt.

"So I'll carry that." His mechanical hand slowly closed into a fist.

"But Wolf..." His eyes darkened.

"He mocked Illu's death." A dangerous calm settled over every word.

"For that... I'll make sure every fighter he sends into that arena falls." Ares studied him for several moments before a faint smile finally appeared.

"There you are." He nodded once.

"I know you cannot accept everything today, and perhaps you never fully will. But you've taken the first step." The smile disappeared, replaced by the stern expression of a commander.

"When the match begins, do not let your hatred guide your blade. It will only get you killed." Vale looked toward the light waiting beyond the prison corridor.

"I won't."