Chapter 117: For Better Or For Worse

Rhys and Harper were puzzled by the memory while Ira just crossed his arms and watched on. There scene played out silently as Ira decided that the dialogue was unnecessary and a bit dangerous. A small boy was chained to an altar while figures with distorted faces surrounded him.

“...Ira” Harper thought the boy slightly resembled Ira but the hair and eye color were obviously different.

The distorted figures moved toward him and raised their arms, daggers appeared in their hands and then they stabbed the boy.

Rhys flinched as she watched the scene take place before looking at Ira who didn’t look away for a second. Since Ira removed the sound from the memory, all that was seen was a boy writhing in agony while attempting to scream.

Blood poured out of his body and splashed everywhere before pooling on the floor. Confusion, fear, pain, those emotions came across clearly on the boy’s face, but the figures tormenting him were unresponsive to his suffering and continued on.

Harper grabbed the edge of Ira’s shirt while she watched with a clearly saddened expression. Then she found something was off, the boy became motionless and the figures halted all movement while the blood on the floor began to tremble.

“Ira,” Harper called out to him as she felt the stability of the memory slowly decreasing.

Her words didn’t seem to reach his ears as he didn’t respond to her.

The pool of blood grew larger and larger all the while and even Rhys couldn’t remain calm at the foreboding motions of the mass of blood.

“Ira!” Harper she shook him, but his eyes remained empty and distant.

The pool of blood became a giant wave and moved toward them. Rhys sensed the danger and tried to wake Ira, but to her confusion, nothing worked.

“Ira!” Harper shouted as the pool of blood washed them away.

The blood was too dense to see through and felt as heavy as tar. Harper held her breath as she felt the constricting weight of the blood push her down and then she bumped into someone.

‘Ira.’ Harper thought to herself as she held on.

The blood eventually slowed down and drained out somewhere offering her a sense of relief.

Harper took a deep breath and began coughing as she looked to her side only to see Rhys.

“Where’s Ira?!” Harper asked as she stood up.

Rhys shook her head and climbed to her feet before looking around. They were in a clearing filled with tall black grass that obscured their vision. Above them, a Red Moon hung overhead but it didn’t empower Harper or she would’ve gained more control over the situation.

“Come on.” Harper waved toward Rhys as she began walking in a random direction.

Rhys followed behind her with a shaken expression, she recalled Gicae speaking about what was in Ira’s mind, but she didn’t imagine she would experience it.

A giant cage stood in the center of the field covered in a plain tarp. As they moved closer, they could see that the door to the cage was wide open and whatever it was built to contain had escaped.

Harper looked around and saw what looked to be a city not too far off in the distance so she began moving toward it with Rhys in tow.

“Ira!” Harper shouted as she looked around.

“Ah, that Ira?” A voice spoke up causing Harper and Rhys to look around.

“Down here.” A hand appeared out of the ground and a man climbed out.

“What the…” Harper looked closer and saw that the man was a Diavol soldier with half a body. His flesh ripped and his entrails dragged behind him.

“I know where Ira is!” He said again in a malicious tone. “He killed us! He killed all of us! We died! We all died!”

Harper recalled the Fortress battle and the destruction of the military city that came afterward where a large portion of the Diavol’s army was wiped out.

“What an appetite! One city was quite the meal for Ira, no?” Another man crawled out of the ground with a hole in the middle of his torso.

“This is our fate after all. People die. People kill. People live. People die.” A voice added.

Soon Harper and Rhys were surrounded by piles of flesh and bodies that spoke cryptically.

“Move!” Harper kicked the closest body away but thousands piled up toward them.

“Shit!” Harper cursed as she moved toward Rhys who was unable to even process what was happening.

The bodies closed in and began to pile atop each other while closing the two girls inside. Their screams were drowned out by the thousands of voice that became a buzzing sound and they soon disappeared.

…

“Get off!” Harper was swinging wildly until she opened her eyes and saw they were inside of a city full of shadows. They all faced toward the East without moving, almost as if they were waiting for something.

Harper looked at the Red Moon and then to the city before realizing something, “We have to go and find Ira!”

She grabbed Rhys’ arm and began running with her as fast as she could.

Rhys wanted to get answers from her but decided it may not have been the best time.

They arrived at the gates and Harper tried to pull them open but they seemed to have been locked in place.

“Ah!” Harper shouted in frustration as she pulled the gate.

Rhys looked toward the stone walls and discovered a platform they could use to climb up. She tapped on Harper’s shoulder and pointed.

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“...Ok, let’s go!” Harper and Rhys ran before climbing the wooden platform and ascending the city walls.

Just as Harper was about to jump down she realized there was nothing below them but a steep cliff and dense fog. Suddenly, two bright yellow eyes appeared in the fog and it began to stir. A huge shadowy figure rushed through the fog and its head dwarfed the city.

“...Ira.” Harper had to lift her head back just to see the entire face of the Black Wolf in front of her. It seemed to be covered in a layer of black mist that continually swayed.

Rhys looked at the yellow-eyed creature in front of her and finally understood something. Ira was the City-Eater and the one responsible for the deaths of thousands of soldiers. There was a wave of emotion running over her as she tried to understand the motive for his actions, but she couldn’t. Just as he couldn’t understand everyone else, there would be few who could truly understand.

‘No...This isn’t your fault.’ Rhys thought to herself as she looked at the creature staring down at her. Whatever happened to Ira made him the way he is so wouldn’t the blame lie with the people who caused it? Rhys fell into a state of denial as her mind gave her different excuses.

‘Maybe I can convince him…’ Rhys told herself inwardly.

She thought she could show him that the lives of others weren’t so insignificant that he should be able to end them without a thought. All the times he laughed and smiled even while knowing what he was responsible for and no hint of remorse or regret appeared once and if it did, it was for not protecting Avery enough.

“So you’ve figured it out, Rhys?” Ira appeared on behind them as he looked at the wolf.

“Ira,” Harper called his name before running to hug him. She began crying as she held onto him and in response, Ira just stroked her head.

Rhys turned to face Ira with an expression that showed she was persistent about something.

“You want me to change?” Ira laughed before shaking his head, “That’s selfish of you, don’t you think?”

Rhys shook her head and reached for her notepad before finding it wasn’t there. With a thought from Ira, a new notepad and pencil appeared in front of her. She grabbed it and began writing erratically.

[It’s not you, Ira. You’ve shown me that’s not who you are. Those people who hurt you, it’s their fault. They should be the ones to pay for all of this.]

Ira read it and smiled, “The ones responsible are dead, Rhys. Everything I do and everything I’ve done has been my choice.”

Ira placed a hand on Harper’s head before she looked up at him with a face warped with tears.

“Ira...That boy was you.” Harper sniffled and coughed as her crying grew in intensity. The entire time she was searching for Ira she just wanted to comfort him.

“That’s enough of that, Harper.” Ira pinched her cheeks before continuing, “I’ll speak to Rhys alone ok?”

Harper wiped her tears while nodding her head. Harper’s image slowly began to fade as she left his mind.

Ira stood up and turned to face Rhys.

“Listen, Rhys...If you thought about changing my mind on anything it’s not going to happen. What they did to me was just a small part of everything. I’ve seen wars and battles, people struggling, fighting, and killing each other. Some had reasons and others didn’t, but people still died. Can you understand that? Before people even formed morals there were thousands already being killed. It’s how this world is so how can anything I do be considered wrong.” Ira explained his view on the world in what could only be called a rare occurrence.

Usually, he would oversimplify it, but he decided to humor Rhys. The Wolf showed him memories of the world after he died and he understood that killing was apart of the natural order.

[Does that apply to you or the people you care about? You have to have a stopping point somewhere.] Rhys responded.

“It doesn’t apply to me, Rhys. As long as I have the ability, it will never apply to me and my family.” Ira’s words were arrogant, but he wholeheartedly believed it. And of course, his family consisted of Avery, Raveria, and Harper.

Rhys was stuck in her own thoughts, she couldn’t pretend she was alright with it, but she felt that there was something pure in Ira even if he didn’t acknowledge it. Then there were her own morals, she couldn’t abandon something ingrained in her.  

Then, Rhys had a light-bulb moment. If she couldn’t leave behind what was ingrained into her why was she trying to get Ira to?

[I was wrong and I may not be able to change your views, but it doesn’t matter to me. I can cover the areas I can't ignore.] Rhys wrote as she looked directly into his eyes.

If she saw an innocent person dying and he didn't help then she would. She decided not to ask anything of him because she didn't have the right to.

The Wolf overlooking the city opened its jaws and the shadows began to get pulled into the darkness behind its teeth.

Rhys could hear faint screams of men crying for the Gods, for their families, and for mercy but she still focused on Ira.

Ira saw that she wasn’t rejecting his way of life and his opinion of her grew but still…

“Rhys, I don’t love you...The only reason this happened is due to Avery’s Mother and Grandmother wanting descendants. No matter what, I will never love you like Avery and she will always mean more to me...They want me to use you.” Ira stated as the pull of the Wolf began to tear the foundations of the city.

Rhys smiled bitterly as tears formed in her eyes she began writing with trembling hands, [Even still, that’s enough for me because no one else will mean as much to me as you do, Ira.]

“Rhys.” Ira showed doubt while hundreds of houses went flying into the jaws of the Wolf. Stone, dirt, wood, it all flew in massive amounts.

[I just want you to be happy, Ira, but when I think of being left out of that happiness it hurts me. That’s why, even its just physical and even if you don’t love me, I want to be with you.] Rhys’ tears fell but she maintained her weak smile.

It was pitiful for her to be satisfied with such an arrangement and she knew it, but she didn’t care because she would accept it. It may have been the years of loneliness that made her desperate but she wanted happiness, even if it was conditional.

Ira sighed as he turned to face the Wolf that was steadily approaching the both of them, “You should have found someone who could really love you, Rhys.”

Rhys moved to stand next to him and when he looked at her she shook her head as if to tell him she didn't need to.

“I see.” Ira turned his view back to the encroaching darkness with a laugh.

In his eyes, she was similar to Harper who would listen to any of Ira’s directions while neglecting herself.  In truth, he was the same so he couldn’t tell her not to, after all, the only reason he would think of being with Rhys was for Avery.

Rhys looked at the darkness that was a few feet away and smiled. No matter how much hurt and much of a lie it was built on, it still felt real to her.

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