The City of Ionia

“Oh…I forgot about this part…”

A hill stood in my way to my destination. It wasn’t a standard, smooth hill that someone could leisurely climb. Its steepness was troublesome. It’s nothing I couldn’t handle, but I really didn’t feel like climbing one.

The temperature wasn’t too bad, considering summer was dying. It was warm but not too warm, cool but not too cool, and there was no wind or clouds. It was decent weather for a picnic.

I left Enderic an hour or two ago. My conversation with the elderly lady was sweet and all, but now I had to lock in. There were no more breaks. I must focus on completing my task.

But in all honesty, her words did repeat in my head.

"Learn to love the people surrounding you before life teaches you to live with what you’ve lost."

If I didn’t act cold to Harley, I probably would’ve created more memories with her.

“Why was I like that…?”

I didn’t know why I questioned myself. I knew exactly why—the parasite. Somehow, the more I used it, the more my personality changed. Was my body being fixed to fit the parasite’s personality?

Whatever. I shouldn’t give it much thought. I swore never to use it again, no matter the situation. That includes my potential encounter with the SCAR agent. I prayed for its absence, but I doubt my prayer will reach.

I knew how useless my prayer was. Nothing beneficial occurred, no matter the strength of my prayer. It was all useless.

But I held a glimmer of hope. Maybe one day, just one day, my prayer would be answered.

I reached into my pocket and grabbed Raphtalia’s necklace.

“History will not repeat itself.”

I quickly kissed it and shoved it back to its original spot.

Going up the hill was a bit of a challenge. Not because it was difficult but because I didn’t feel like climbing toward the sky. For whatever reason, my legs felt heavier than usual.

Nervousness? Probably not. I felt confident. I’m not expecting it to be a walk in the park, but also not anything extreme. I should be good if I ignore my surroundings and put everything into defeating my opponent.

I finally reached the top.

“It’s right over… there”

The House with Answer poked through the thick logs that beamed toward the sky. I was surprised I found it so quickly, considering it had been hidden from my sight.

I took a deep breath and drew my sword. Usually, I preferred daggers since they were easier for me to use. A sword, though, keeps an enemy at a distance, which I need when facing the SCAR agent. I need to maintain distance from it.

I constantly checked over my shoulder, ensuring I was not in for a surprise. With each step, my heart slammed harder against my ribcage.

Calm down, calm down, calm down, calm down.

No matter how often I repeated those two words, my heart wouldn't listen. But that only lasted so long.

I stopped speaking internally. I turned into stone. Not a single muscle twitched.

There it was, appearing just in front of the house. Bright blue armor, but not too bright to shine in the dark. Black stripes ran down its limbs—a honeycomb pattern visor with a similar color to an actual honeycomb. Wielding nothing but its own fist, it towered over me like a monster from a horror story.

Years ago, when I went with a boy my age, I was transfixed with fear. I couldn’t move then, and I couldn’t move now.

No. I have to move. If I don’t, then everything leading up to this point was for nothing.

I took a breath and angled my sword in front of me. I planted my feet on the ground, facing squarely at the enemy. My blade kept close to my body, and my arms, knees, and arms were slightly bent.

I’ll stay on the defensive and weave my way to an opening. Just wait and see what the SCAR agent will do.

Patience.

Patience.

I slide back an inch or two. It still hadn’t made its move.

Will it only attack if I do something? Great, so much for staying on the defensive.

I reached around my waist and whipped a surprise dagger to the hunk of blue. The knife bounced off its bulky palm.

I threw my dagger at a high speed. No average person can obtain such reflexes, especially using their palm to block. But I already knew that. The SCAR agent wasn’t an average human. I didn’t think it was human at all.

Bouncing on my knees, I got back into my stance. A broad smile plastered on my face. My theory was correct.

The SCAR agent charged with all its might, throwing a straight punch to my torso.

I dodged. Blocking would’ve been useless. Not because I couldn’t, but because it would’ve punched through everything.

The velocity at which it was thrown could’ve ripped my body if contact had been made.

It punched again. Again. Again. Again.

A barrage of attacks overpowered my body. Somehow, I dodged them all. Whether sheer luck stood by my side or adrenaline took over, it didn’t matter since I dodged them all.

What mattered was not using the parasite. No matter how horrific things get. Suppose my life held onto a thread. If I couldn’t breathe—it didn’t matter. I refused to use it—end of story.

The same result occurred after it threw another punch. This time, I spotted my chance. In the open, clear as day. An exposed ribcage.

With both hands on the handle, I swung with everything I got with a barbaric yell.

It struck. My blade made contact with the armor—the iron pierced its waist. Blue armor engulfed both sides of the blade, making the damage fatal. At least, I hoped it was.

I used all my strength to yank the blade out of its body. It wasn’t enough. It was devoured like a black hole. Stuck and would not budge. I pulled until my veins almost burst. Nothing I did worked.

The SCAR agent looked down and winded up a strike. Survival was low if contact was made. There was no time to dodge or escape. I would have to take the hit and hope for the best. Using my arms, I sheltered my head with my elbow near my rib in case of a direct hit. I tucked in my core and braced for impact.

I was going to get hit no matter what. Minimizing the damage by protecting my head was the least I could do. Even though it might not guarantee survival, I could at least do something.

The SCAR agent unleashed its attack and brutally backhanded me right in the elbow that protected my ribs.

Spit flew as I went flying, tumbling on the ground until I hit a tree. I sat upright against a tree, coughing. I grabbed onto my left arm. It didn’t feel right. Deep radiating pain devoured my arm, followed by a giant wave of numbness. I couldn’t move it.

“Aghk—”

Believe it or not, this wasn’t the worst that could happen. I could’ve broken a few ribs that would limit movement. My skull could’ve erupted. My limbs could have been all over the place. The idea is there. I could’ve died.

My dream would’ve ended.

But I’m still alive.

Breathing heavily, I witnessed the SCAR agent approach me. It yanked the sword out of its waist and threw it on the ground behind it.

No weapon. Broken arm. Trouble catching my breath.

It looked like the end of the road. I didn’t cry or yell. The most I did was wince in agony. I didn’t look back at my failures and successes. I looked at death as it approached.

I quickly came to terms with it.

I wasn’t going to live.

“Use me.”

Oh, the parasite. I thought it wouldn’t speak. Liar. Yet again, it lied about many things. I would rather die than use its power again.

“Heh, sorry Raphtalia. Looks like I’m still weak.”

Tears slowly streamed down my cheek. Well, the no-crying only lasted so long.

Could I be blamed, though? Death inched closer with each step. The last thing I would see.

“I wonder how Marshall felt…”

After all, death did end up grasping and squeezing the life out of him.

But all those thoughts vanished when the SCAR agent turned around for an unknown reason. I tried to lean forward to see, but my body rejected me. Though they felt fine, maybe my ribs got hit harder than I thought. I wasn’t sure, and I didn’t care. What I wanted to know was why the SCAR agent turned around.

My question was quickly answered within the next few moments.

“I see your waist is banged up. Well, now I know exactly where to start.”

I couldn’t see who it was, but I knew anyway, judging by the voice.

My tears halted, and my mouth curled into a faint smile.

“Ruby…?”