210: You of all people should know better

You of all people should know better

The challengers barely felt anything at the elementalist's fate.

By now, they were all used to death and barely spared a second glance at Roisin's corpse Aito planned on looting later in search of whatever item could be useful.

Observing from the side, Sheyla had kept her eyes on Aito with a conflicted look. Every time his glance had met hers, she would regain a cold expression despite a part of herself begging her not to. 

Sam had a saddened face. The usual talkative man had not much to say anymore as he huddled himself into a corner, uncaring of Roisin's death. Not that he ever really cared about her. 

All he had was maybe anger mixed with pity, for he knew that, like him, Roisin had been manipulated. Closer physically to Kai than anyone else—sharing his bed, for instance—the roots of brainwashing had incrusted themselves so deep into Roisin it would have required more time to pull them out. Time they did not have.

The worst of it all was the betrayal that tore apart the perfect image Sam had of his… EX-sect master.

Aito decided to leave the brooding baldie to his dark thoughts. He had no desire to talk to him nor lift his spirits. And so he resumed the meeting now that he had everyone's attention apart from the dispirited gloomy head. 

"We've got about three days left before the Tower closes," he said with a firm tone. "Enough time to reach the 10th floor and clear it." 

Problem was, even after the Goliath's death, no one knew where the labyrinth's exit was located. 

Amongst the other challengers, George was the first to voice out this issue. "Boss, we have no guarantee of finding the 10th floor's entrance. Is it truly wise to venture into the unknown while we could wait it out until the end? I mean, we could try, but that would force us to waste our energy. Also, after eating your rations, we have almost no food left to keep going." 

Aito patted the bear-like man on the shoulder. "Certainly, it would be a risky bet without knowing the exit's location. But I was on my way there before meeting you guys."

Having dug his way through the labyrinth until now, he had discovered myriads of paths and created new ones.

Thanks to Pneuma now at level 4 and Stamina stat, having also reached level 4 after the 8th floor's events, he had been able to go on for much longer before needing to rest. 

Of course, he had taken occasional rests from time to time.

Aito had reached the edges of this floor on multiple occasions by digging too far and literally destroying everything in his past. What hid behind those far-end walls was only darkness and void that probably led nowhere, but in the god's soul the Tower events took place in.

Hoping to find traces of his team by using his Domain—that reached level 4 during his search—or tracking experience, keeping the void to his right as a compass that required him to often dig the wall hiding the edge.

Following the edge for more than three days, smashing every wall he found in a straight line and discovered that the 9th floor appeared to be a giant square. From that point onward, it was pretty simple to deduce where the center was. At least Aito hoped it was.

Geometry was never his forte, but even he knew that by drawing—in this case digging—a diagonal line from one corner of a square to another, he was bound to find the center. Normally it would be two lines in geometry classes, but one would suffice here. It wasn't like he tried to prove there was a center to his geometry teacher. 

To find the center, he only had to pick a corner, align himself with it, then mindlessly dig straight, well almost mindlessly. Keeping to his trajectory had been an issue at first.

With no giant ruler to let him know if he was going in the right direction, Aito had tried to form a constant straight line with pieces of broken walls linking him to his starting point. 

Keeping the line more or less straight had been a hassle. To check if his method was working, he had to follow the path backward multiple times. 

One would think that once you find out the labyrinth was a square it'd be simple enough to find the center, however, one should also consider that most challengers lacked the power to break walls, thus figuring out the real shape of the 9th floor.

On his way to dig a diagonal line to find the center, Aito had sensed the fearmonger's presence. One event led to another, thanks to which he ended up finding them before it had been too late. 

"So what are we waiting for, then?" George said enthusiastically. "Let's get out of here. This place gives me the creep." 

On that, they all agreed. 

As the challengers gathered their belongings and prepared to leave, Sam was still brooding in his corner despite the good news. He appeared to care little about it as if he had given up on life.

"What should we do with him?" Ogoro asked his team leader, pointing towards the baldie bearing empty eyes. 

"Leave him alone," Aito replied. "If he wants to stay, that's his choice. We can't afford to care for someone who's lost the will to live, he will only be deadweight. Moreover, I have yet to forget what he has done to us, nor will I ever forgive him." 

Even if the baldie had been controlled by someone else, it did not excuse or erased his past misdeeds. While it was true Sam had not been the brain of his foolish acts, he had been the hands. 

"But—" Ogoro started. 

"No, Ogoro," Aito replied, more firmly this time. "Just leave him be. Have you already forgotten what he's done to us? He should already be glad I haven't killed him, yet." 

"Aito, he's been manipulated. Taken advantage of and betrayed," Ogoro protested. "Can't we at least give him the time to pull his shit together?" 

The grey-haired man shook his head when no answers came and walked away. He knew Aito had a grudge against the baldie, chances were he wasn't exactly a forgiving man. 

If he could not make use of someone he had a grudge against he would either discard that person or kill them. 

[Are you sure about this? While you are right, you are also in the wrong.] Valinar asked, popping in front of his face to stop him from leaving this place without noticing her message.

'First, Ogoro. Now, you. What is it with this baldie you guys find salvageable?' Aito halted his steps, pissed.

[You of all people should know better, Aito Walker.] The goddess admonished him. 

'Why? Because I'm a braver? Stop with this bullshit, Valinar,' He turned to look at Sam silently crying his heart out. 'Are you asking me to forgive someone who wanted me dead and help him save his own pathetic life as well as restore his sanity? Would you like me to also wipe his ass while we're at it?' 

[Don't let such pathetic things such as hatred or vengeance cloud your judgment, Aito,] Valinar said, responding calmly despite his clear lack of manners. [Yes, he has wronged you multiple times in the past. Someone else might have been the brain behind his misdeeds, but he was still the hands accomplishing the deeds. But take the time to look at him closely. Doesn't he remind you of someone?] 

Curious about what nonsense the goddess was saying, Aito stared at Sam, although he just wanted to avert his eyes and get the hell out of this place. Everybody but him was ready to leave after all.

The baldie wasn't even moving, barely breathing. Huddled into a corner, on the ground, hugging his retracted knees, Sam was gazing at the opposite wall where stains of Roisin's blood were still marking the stones. His eyes were lifeless, devoid of the sparks they once had. 

Aito frowned. The longer he stared at Sam, the longer he… saw himself in him. For a moment, he saw himself in that dark room again. He saw himself in that prison cell, on that fishing slave ship, and on that accursed forsaken island during his darkest hours.

Sam was plagued with his thoughts of failures, of losses. Like Aito had been.

[Do you understand now?] Valinar asked. [He is the you from before and maybe a bit of the person you have become.] 

Sam's blankness was only a response to his distress, a call for aid. There was such a raging storm of thoughts the baldie couldn't get out of it on his own. He….

[He is like you, burdened with sins. Lost. The difference between both of you is that you've taken the first step to overcome your failures, and he has yet to take that road.]

Aito clicked his tongue, not because he did not understand, but because he knew she was right. One must atone for his mistakes and take responsibility if one wanted to move forward.

If he who knew that better than anyone else wasn't even able to give Sam a chance at redemption then…, it would also mean in one twisted way Aito himself had no chance at redemption either.

[Although, you certainly shouldn't forgive just anyone, if you cannot start forgiving others for their own failures, then how could you hope others would forgive you for yours, Aito Walker? Changes start from within oneself before spreading to others.]

Closing his eyes to cut off the sight of a grieving baldie who reminded him too much of who he used to be, Aito pondered the idea. 

Torn between ideas of vengeance and doing what surprisingly felt right, he smashed the wall next to him. 

BAM!

The sound of his blow resounded in the entire corridor, alerting the other challengers who sent him quizzical gazes. He clenched his fists so tight his gauntlets would break if he didn't stop.

Valinar might be right, but… human emotions weren't that simple: they couldn't be changed with words or comprehension alone. 

Actions were the things that truly mattered in that case.

However, if he didn't give the baldie a chance to prove with "actions" he had changed and was deserving of forgiveness then, Aito's hatred towards the man would never change either. 

Also, he feared that if he himself acted like the past Sam and struck down or abandoned that baldie—who resembled his past self—for the sake of vengeance, then…

'I would be no better than him,' he thought, losing the tension in his clenched fists.

Followed by George, Ogoro trotted next to him, weapon in hands. "What's the matter?" 

"Fuck this," Aito sighed, then pointed at Sam, "George, can you carry a dead weight on your shoulders?" 

The giant man shook his head. "I'm already carrying Lucius. One more and I won't have the focus to cast my spells and participate in fights."  0

"I'll take him," Ogoro said with a slight smile on his face, seemingly happy Aito came back from his previous decision.

Aito grunted then strode towards the baldie, who looked up towards him with empty eyes. 

"Just leave me here…," Sam said with a voice barely discernible from a whisper. "Go away."

However, Aito did the exact opposite. Having been in the baldie's shoes, he knew there was no way in hell Sam was gonna move, not until he came to his senses. And they did not have the time for this to go about this easy road. 

BAM!

"Did you really have to do this?" Ogoro asked, seeing Aito coming back towards him carrying an unconscious Sam on his shoulder like a vulgar bag of indigo fruit.

"Yes, he would have refused to move otherwise," he said, tossing the baldie in Ogoro's hand without any care in the world. "Let's get out of here before he wakes up." 

[You've made the hardest but correct choice.] 

'I hope I won't regret this.' 

[You won't. I promise.]

Something about those words was suspicious. It was as if the goddess knew something about the baldie but wasn't telling him. Whatever that was, he didn't want to know for now. 

Challengers left their initial location, finally traveling deeper into the labyrinth towards the exit and the final floor.

*****

"Acceptance towards one's own weakness. Benevolence towards those in need. Righteousness for those who deserve it. Bravery in the face of an unknown destiny. To those still following the Path of Bravery today, these four virtues are considered holy. So holy in fact that most follow these words to the letter and have forgotten their true meanings, for they are not supposed to be taken as is, but reflected upon. While these four virtues seem to dictate heroic behavior, they also praise imperfection or, more accurately, the notion of Balance. Something most seemed to have forgotten." 

Extract from "Yggdrasil Chronicles, The Woodcutter of Iris," by Roan the Merchant.

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