44 Chapter 44 - Hatred and Love.

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Don't forget to check the auxiliary chapter about Adam. It's like an info chapter.

Will post an extra chapter in four hours.

Also before I see some misinterpreting shit, Adam won't give up his vengeance, just wait for the next episode if ya all any questions.

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[Adam POV]

My face hardened with anger as I glared at Ur, my right hand tightening around the grip of my blade until my knuckles ached in pain and the muscles in my arm quivered from the effort to keep it steady.

"I don't want to fight, kid, but if that's what it takes to make you see reason, I will," Ur repeated, taking a step forward.

 I clenched my jaw, and before Ur could say another word, I brought my sword down to the ground. 

The blade whistled through the air as it hit the ground, bellowing out a loud warning, as the area around shook and cracked from the force, sending shockwaves of energy that ran across the surface, rippling like waves, shattering the ground outwards.

I was angry.

Infuriated she had intervened, that she had dared to kill them before I was through with them.

But even then, even when I wanted to lash out at her, I knew it wasn't her fault how I felt. No, my anger, my hate came from a much deeper place, a place that had been festering inside me for years now.

The Tower of Heaven, and everything it represented, were the reason my heart was filled with hate.

The years I suffered as a slave.

The countless nights I spent alone in the dark, wondering if I would ever be free.

The endless days of labor, the pain, the torture, the fear.

All of it had left a mark on me, one that no amount of time or distance could erase.

And now, that I was finally close to finding them... everything I thought I had left behind, had come crashing down on me like a wave, threatening to drown me in a sea of bitterness and despair.

Part of me wanted to let go, to unleash all my pent-up rage and frustration on her, to make her pay for all the years of suffering that I had endured, but even if there was a part of me angry enough to see her as a valid target, I couldn't, I wouldn't do that.

It wasn't her fault.

All she had done was kill three pieces of scum I no longer had a use for.

It was stupid really.

I was angry at her, but not at her. I wanted to attack her, but I didn't. 

I didn't understand how I felt.

But one thing was for sure, I needed to get away from her, from them, before I did something I regretted. 

"Goodbye," I muttered with tired eyes, before moving forward, blurring past them, quickly heading towards the exit.

"Ice Make: Blooming Roses!" Ur shouted, her hands cupped together, as a thick wall of translucent ice roses sprouted up in front of me, stopping my advance. "You're not going anywhere, I made the mistake of leaving you alone once, I won't make it away."

I slowly pivoted and glanced at Ur, my facial expression void of any emotion. Meeting her determined gaze, I clenched my fists behind my back to keep the rage from consuming me as I spoke in a low monotone. "Why do you care, Ur?"

Ur's gaze softened as she spoke, her words barely more than a whisper. "I might not know your past, kid, but I can relate to what you're going through. Besides, as the old man said; in Fairy Tail, we are family, and as your family, I will help you."

Family.

Or hate.

I gritted my teeth, and glared at Ur, my voice coming out as a low rumble. "Let me go or else you'll regret it."

"If you truly wanted to leave, you would've done so already," Ur replied calmly. "I know how fast you are, and because of that I know my magic wouldn't have been able to stop you if you decided to run, yet here we are."

I didn't want to leave?

Was that really the reason I hadn't been able to go past her?

Ur's lips tightened into a thin line as she stepped forward, her eyes blazing in determination as she marched closer, with each step she took seeming to cause the air around to chill, creating an invisible wall of frost between us. "You promised your little sister you would go back home, are you really that much of a bastard you would make her cry?"

Hearing that, a searing heat surged through my veins as I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth, hissing at her. "Don't you fucking dare bring Cana into this!"

Realizing what I had said, an empty laugh rises from my throat, mocking the shallow pretense of righteousness I had cloaked myself in.

The bitter irony of it all is too much to bear, leaving nothing but contempt for myself.

I had brought her daughter into this, knowing very well how much it could've hurt her, and after that, I had the fucking audacity to tell her that?!

"I'm not the one bringing her into this, you are," Ur replied as she continued to walk towards me.

I stumbled backward, the sheer force of my power causing the air around me to ripple like a lake disturbed by a single pebble, showing the inner turmoil of my emotions.

And before I could process a single thought, Ur was upon me, her arms outstretched and ready to strike, snapping me out of my trance.

Bracing myself, I moved my blade forward as I prepared to fight back. However, instead of attacking me, Ur stepped forward and wrapped her arms around me in a tight embrace.

"You don't have to face this alone," Ur said soothingly, her soft voice barely above a whisper. "I know what it feels to be alone, I know what it feels to hate more than anything, you're not alone anymore, brat. You have people who will walk beside you, and face your demons head-on with a smile."

"They deserve it," I said, my voice muffled against her chest. "They deserve to suffer."

Ur continued hugging me, her warmth seeping into my cold body. "I won't argue with that," she said calmly. "But do you really want to let it consume you? Do you want to be stuck in this cycle of hate for the rest of your life? Do you really want to feel like this every time you deal with people like them?"

At this, I felt my fingers curling into fists; however, before I could do anything to break out of Ur's embrace, Lilia moved, her arms wrapping tightly around my blood-tainted body, as she sobbed into my shoulder. "I won't let you go!" she said between sobs, her voice thick with emotion.

I could break out of their embrace easily if I wanted to.

I had the power to leave, to defeat them, to destroy any semblance of hope in them.

But, if that was true, then why did I feel so weak at this moment? If I could escape, and leave, why did I remain trapped in their hold?

As Lilia cried on my shoulder, I felt a single tear slide down my cheek. It was the first time I had cried in front of anyone for as long as I can remember.

I was crying.

I honestly couldn't remember the last time I cried.

Not even when Brain tortured me.

I had almost forgotten how that felt.

It felt wrong.

Ur and Lilia held me tightly as I let out a hissing angry sob, my emotions finally breaking through the walls I had built around myself for years.

It felt like a release, a weight lifted off my shoulders as the tears continued to flow down my face, but this was momentary I knew that.

I would not have peace until I closed that chapter of my life by my sword.

"I hate them," I whispered, my voice shaking with emotion, breaking down with every word. "I hate them so much."

Ur shushed me gently, her fingers running through my hair as I cried. "That's fine," she said softly. "But don't let that hate control you, change you. You're stronger than that, brat. You're stronger than they'll ever be."

I laughed through my tears, my shoulders shaking as I tried to take a breath. "Well damn, that's one for the record books. Most corny shit I ever heard in my life."

I knew she was right to worry.

Just as I was right to do what I had done.

It was all a matter of perspective.

Ur's eyes sparkled, her lips twitching in an effort to contain a playful grin. "I will ignore that comment, but only for today," she said with a lighthearted chuckle. 

I didn't regret my actions.

Even after this… talk I would've done the same thing.

But I did regret attacking Ur.

I did regret thinking even for a moment about hurting them just because they were worried.

At this, Lilia pulled away from me slightly, her hands cupping my face as she wiped away my tears with her thumbs. "I know I'm not as strong as you, but I'm here for you," she said, her voice unwavering, filled with determination. "I'll always be here for you, no matter what."

I smiled weakly. 

I didn't know what to say.

I didn't even know what to feel.

I finally had a path leading me to the Tower, and in way that fucked with all my thoughts? it didn't feel as good as I imagined it would feel.

I just felt angrier than ever before.

I just felt more hate than I felt in all my life, even at the Tower.

"We completed the quest, let's get our paycheck," I said eventually, trying to figure out what to do, and how to do it.

One thing was certain though, despite all my doubts and current inner conflicts, I knew without a doubt that I would destroy the Tower. 

I knew where to go now.

I would do what I had to do.

I would simply avoid hurting my comrades, physically at least.

And in order to do that.

I had to walk what was left of this path of mine, of the tower, alone.