Arcane Era-Chapter 37: Giving Up

It was ’Theday’, the seventh day of the week, and the last morning of the weekend.

The following day would be Zagaday, and it marked the beginning of the Recruitment Event, which started off with the Combat Exams.

Theo, Liyah, and Kaycee sat in the room knowing this, yet they said nothing about it.

The silence was suffocating as Theo and Liyah sat on the bed, while Kaycee sat on one of the couches in the room. Despite the comfort their seats provided them, and the cool ambiance of the room, none of them felt comfortable.

Ever since they woke up, the group had been mostly quiet.

The bruise on Liyah’s face was no longer present, and even Theo’s very serious injuries had vanished—almost like they were never there, to begin with. They even had their Armaments in the room, all of them in excellent condition.

The events of the previous night felt like a shared dream—or rather, a nightmare—but they all knew it was real.

It had to be.

However, despite having this knowledge, none of them desired to talk about it.

No one wanted to revisit that memory.

"I-I... I’m sorry... everyone..." Kaycee muttered, finally breaking the silence.

Out of everyone in the room, he had the most distraught and guilt-ridden expression on his face. The cowardice he displayed the previous night consumed him from the inside out, and he felt awful just staring at his friends.

"... I-I could have supported you, or at least spoken out, yet—"

"It wasn’t your fault." Liyah sighed. "There was honestly nothing you could have done, and I think it was smart, preserving yourself so you could act as a witness to everything."

Kaycee wanted to accept her words.

He wanted to believe his inactions were based on some sort of strategic motive, but they weren’t in the slightest. He was simply scared, and his instincts of self-preservation overrode the loyalty he had for his friends.

That was how he perceived it, and the mere thought almost made him cry.

"What we should be focusing on is how to stop those bastards! Now that we know their motivations and general identity, we have a better idea of what we’re dealing with." Liyah continued, her voice brazen and full of energy.

Kaycee began to wonder if she didn’t feel any fear despite what they had just witnessed. He glanced at Theo, hoping he would say something about the matter, but the boy was completely silent.

He had a blank expression on his face, an emotionless mask that was completely unpredictable.

Liyah kept speaking, going on about how their search could be narrowed down, and how they could talk to her sister again, displaying far more optimism than what anyone that went through what they had should possess.

"... So when exactly should we—?"

"Give up." Theo’s voice finally echoed in the room, almost imperceptible the first time he uttered the words. "Just... give up."

"What? You can’t be serious, Theo."

"I am. This isn’t a request, or advice... I’m telling you right now to just stop." He glanced at Liyah, a dead expression on his tired face.

"...."

For a moment, Liyah didn’t speak.

She was stunned, speechless as she looked at her friend with nothing short of surprise.

"I’m not scared of them."

"Well, Kaycee is." Theo responded. "And so am I, so if you really care about your friends... you should stop now."

"Theo..."

"Stop before someone else gets hurt..."

Theo’s fists were clenched tightly as he looked away from the group.

Last night, he nearly lost his friends. That single event triggered past memories—reminding him of the guilt that remained trapped in his heart due to the fate his former friends suffered because of his hubris.

And, for the first time in months, he had a nightmare about them.

"This was a bad idea from the start. Rather than getting involved in this conspiracy, we should be trying to focus on our Evaluation Exams." Theo sighed. "Though, even now, I can’t help but wonder if there’s any use doing that too considering the doom that hovers above the Guild at the momen—"

"That’s enough, Theo!"

Liyah rose to her feet and sternly looked at both of her friends.

"I understand giving up on the Mercenary Crew, but you can’t possibly be thinking about losing hope for our exams... especially after we’ve worked so hard for it!"

"...." Theo remained quiet.

"Have you forgotten why we all decided to take the exams? You said you wanted to meet Lord Shen again, and you need to prove yourself to do that. Kaycee, you want to travel the world and discover what it has to offer, right? And for me... well... I never said it before, but I want to be like my sister! I want to be as cool and badass as she is, and one day... hopefully... reach the rank of The Zenith, just like her."

"T-that’s quite ambitious..." Kaycee mumbled.

"So are all our goals!" Liyah replied. "But that doesn’t mean we should give up on them."

Theo still remained quiet, not even looking at Liyah as she spoke.

"You’re right about stopping the investigation. I understand, and I’ll stop looking into the Mercenary Crew... but come on." She sighed, moving closer to Theo.

"Just say something."

Both Kaycee and Liyah stared intensely at him, waiting for him to break out of his emotionless cocoon. Thankfully, they didn’t have to wait for very long.

"Thanks... Liyah, Kaycee."

A small smile formed on his face as he stared at both of his friends. "Let’s never give up on our dreams."

"Damn straight!"

"Yeah! T-that’s the spirit!"

As the friends slowly got over their fears and found encouragement with one another, someone watched them from a floating screen—perceiving all that went on within their room exactly in real time.

"Looks like they decided to give up." A voice echoed in the dark observatory as the lips of the man who watched slowly curled up to form a bright smile. "The King was right. They’ve come to their senses and won’t be causing any more issues."

"That’s good." Another voice echoed.

This time, it belonged to a female, and she wore a mask that had a broad smile on its surface—looking more like a jester than anything. The mask was colorful, and so was the outfit that she wore, with white hair dancing behind her as she spoke.

She left the dark room after obtaining the information she required—vanishing swiftly until she soon appeared before the Mercenary King, who sat on his sturdy throne, surrounded by minions who were on their knees.

They all had logos on their breast pockets and also etched at the back of their coats which had one of the four symbols: hearts, spades, diamonds, and clubs, with numbers ranging from 1 to 10.

The woman in the smiley-face mask knelt before the Mercenary King and began her report. She explained all she gathered in great detail, causing him to smile in satisfaction.

"... And what about our ’Queen’?" He finally asked.

"She is finally ready for use." The lady responded. "At any moment you desire, we can begin our plan."

All who heard those words beamed with satisfaction, their thoughts unanimously gleeful at the prospects of their plan nearing completion. Everything was ready for the grand destruction of the Supreme Lord of Tyranny and the establishment of a new order.

"The future is in sight, and the prophesied end is drawing near." The Mercenary King rose to his feet, addressing everyone with his deep, commanding voice. "This Recruitment Event will mark Shen’s fall, and our flag shall stand at the precipice of this land."

Such was the decree of the King.

"For the Mercenary Crew!" He yelled, raising his hand.

Following his voice was a thunderous response from every single soul that occupied his throne-room.

"For the Mercenary Crew!"