182 Chapter 94: When Friends And Enemies Meet (Part 2)

Dyne: "Abgere, is it?"

Asks the Spectre's Commander as he confronts the person spying on them, who, finding out that his identity is already known by the Spectres, responds.

Abgere: "I don't see any reason for you to know about me, and yet you seem to do?"

He says so with an inquiring voice while slowly stepping out of the rubble he had been hiding behind.

Dyne: "Well, you know, when you go around killing the most influential Psychics in the world, word gets around."

Answers the Spectre his inquiry.

Dyne: "But, why are you following us?"

On the three sides he can see, Abgere can spot Spectres forming a formation that would put them in an advantage if a battle begins there.

That said though, it wasn't specifically his intention to battle them. Things could be dealt with without a battle.

Abgere: "I was curious as to why you guys were heading to Vermilion's tower. I was curious if you were allies of my enemy."

With a straight face that is not visible because of being covered by a devil's mask, he says so.

Dyne: "Well, what conclusion did you reach about us then?"

And with a straight face that is also not visible because of being covered by his golden helm, he asks so.

Abgere: "Well, I realized that the way things stand right now, the answer to that question is irrelevant."

Dyne: "... Is it?"

Abgere: "...?"

Dyne: "You seem to be suggesting that since the Phoenix isn't here, you have no reason to be hostile or friendly towards us but, what if that is not the case for us?"

Abgere twitches his eyebrows as he realizes what the Spectre's Commander seems to be saying.

Dyne: "What if, let's say, the Phoenix asked us to come here to eliminate you because you were being a nuisance?"

Abgere: "That would be a nuisance."

Without a sliver of anger, knowing that it isn't true, the anomaly of a supernatural responds.

Abgere: "However, if you people were here to do that, you would be doing that. You, the Ghost Nation, wouldn't waste their precious time on formalities like meeting the Phoenix. You would just simply kill me and hand my dead body over to him so you can be done with this mission."

Dyne: "And what makes you suggest that? You don't even know me. Maybe I do things on a whim or something."

Abgere: "Except you don't."

Abgere does not yet notice the presence of a couple of eavesdroppers nearby.

Abgere: "I may not know you personally but I have gained some information about you from … a trustworthy source."

Dyne furrows his brows, curious about who this 'trustworthy source' would be, but, before he gets to ask,

"Aww! I am flattered that you trust me so much!"

The source reveals itself.

Dyne: "You!?"

The Spectre's Commander gawks in surprise as 'The Man With The Eyes of Truth' steps out and interrupts their conversation in his usual manner.

Ethan: "Yes, me."

There's a tinge of annoyance in Ethan's words, which Dyne decides to not try to guess the reason for.

Abgere: "What are you doing here? And … what about him?"

Abgere asks with half of his attention focused now on Ethan and the other eavesdropper who has shown himself.

Ethan: "Well, it's a long story but the basic conclusion you would gain from knowing it is that we are all looking for the Phoenix right now, just like everyone else present here is."

Dyne: "I suppose you would be doing that to find out the truth about what happened a thousand years ago?"

A sense of disappointment permeates his tone as he asks that question.

Gabriel: "Well, I am looking for him for a different reason but for him, that's it."

Dyne: "Oh, and you are ... Gabriel Washington? One of the Hellfires?"

Gabriel: "That's me."

For some reason, Dyne's tone grows even more disappointed.

Dyne: "So, Ethan, what are you gonna do when you find him - beg him to tell you everything? Because, well, there are very few people in the world who can force that guy to do something and you are not one of them."

Ethan: "Big words for someone who couldn't even kill a blind, scared and psychotic little child."

Dyne: "Need I remind you that YOU were that 'blind, scared and psychotic little child'?"

Despite the sarcastic tone from Ethan, Dyne's voice remains straight-forward and unshaken.

Ethan: "Need I remind you that what that means is that I, as an 8-year-old, kicked your ass?"

Dyne: "Kicked my ass? You were about to be blown to the last century for crying out loud. You are only alive because HE showed up in time."

Looking at the scene unfolding in front of him,

Gabriel: "... can I ask what's the point of this argument?"

He asks so, feeling like the two are only wasting time.

Dyne: "Heh! Whatever! Ethan, tell me, are these two your new allies? New members of your 'third faction'?"

It isn't that Ethan does not sense what the Spectre wants to say but that he chooses to let him say it regardless.

Ethan: "Members, no. Allies, yes - temporarily."

Dyne: "Hah!"

An exasperated sigh, a tired voice - it seems as if he is talking to a hopeful child who is too optimistic for his own good.

Dyne: "Do you really think you can accomplish what you are trying to accomplish? Do you?"

This question - Ethan Kales has asked himself this question hundreds or maybe thousands of time over the past twelve years, and the one answer he always ends up at is -

Ethan: "It doesn't matter."

Dyne: "What!?"

Ethan: "It may be hard for artificial Ghosts like you to understand but results don't always matter to us humans. All we care about is doing what we want to do. Even if we fail at it, it still is enough to bring us a satisfactory level of happiness, one that is the minimum requirement for us to live."

Dyne: "..."

Ethan: "If we take the safe path and don't do what we want to do, we will always regret it, and we don't want to regret."

Dyne: "..."

Gabriel: "..."

Abgere: "..."

Ethan: "Now, granted all this pep talk is generally used to convince high school graduates to follow their passions and whatnot but I think it can just as well apply to us."

Or so says The Man With The Eyes of Truth.

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Ozyllus: "..."

Silence befalls the 'God' as well as he witnesses the encounter between the four.

In contrast to Kais, Ethan talks purely about humanity, embracing it with all its flaws and not even wanting to correct them, for he knows that there is no 'right answer' and so no way to really 'correct' them.

More than horrifying or surprising, this is elating.

Ozyllus: "..."

And yet, he can't put it into words why.

When looked at from a logical perspective, Ethan is saying that no matter what happens the third faction will continue to oppose Ozyllus, sacrificing everything for that purpose if they have to.

So, shouldn't he be sad?

The third faction seems to be doing fairly well, after all. That should make any opponent of them sad.

As far as stupidity goes, this is nothing new for him either. He has seen in his long life things that are so utterly stupid that they make no sense, decisions made by people that cannot even be scorned because it's so much easier to laugh at them.

So, there shouldn't be a reason for him to be this happy about what Ethan says.

Yet, there's something - something that is really special.

Ozyllus: "... Tsk!"

He cannot quite put his finger on it but there's something really special about Ethan's resolve to oppose him and to never stray from this path.

And, whether it's the fact that he can't understand what it is or whatever it is is so powerful that it affects him regardless, he feels happy about it.

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