Live Without Her
"I've never lived in a time without Mom... it's not possible... it's simply not possible!" Faith yelled out again. Sky attempted to put his hand on Faith's shoulder, but she flicked it away, summoning a saber and cutting through his index and middle finger down to the wrist on his right hand while jumping back.
As soon as her feet slid on the floor, her eyes flickered in a gold coloring before turning purple under the heat of Wrath, a terrible trait she received from Sky.
"I'm sorry. It was her decision, Faith, not mine. If it had been mine, I would've died to protect the two of you--"
"BULLSHIT!" She screamed out again. Faith's head moved in a unique way that flung her tears all around her as she clutched the saber in her hands, crying into the handle while peering into the flickering blade for answers.
"You both... dying to protect the other... I can't be happy and live with both of my parents? That's all I ever wanted... to live happily with Mom and Dad, to experience a life where my parents aren't at each other's throats the entire time... why... WHY DID YOU TAKE THAT FROM ME?!" Faith shouted out. Her eyes began to flicker with gold again, and ice welled up by her left hand again. The Markings on her body sprouted to life, full of vibrant colors and glowing light.
Sky could only remain silent, hearing everything Faith had to say, and receiving it close to his heart. He couldn't muster any words to explain his actions and only let Faith activate a majority of her new abilities in front of him while acknowledging that he had made the wrong decision.
"All you ever did your entire damn life... live without my friends, die for my friends, kill myself to help them, what about you?! What about us?! Does our family mean nothing to you for you to just keep getting yourself into the worst situations that Mom has to drag you out?! You're suicidal! You're not Sky Asterio... you're a shell of the man you used to be... a shell of the father you used to be... you cannot possibly think that you deserve anything you have!" Faith screamed out again. Khalil and Acchi slowly began to back up, while Avie stood her ground beside Sky as he received more flak from Faith.
"And the worst part is... I'll never get to say goodbye to Mom... because it was that urgent for her to save you, again, and again, and again... tell me, Sky Asterio, at what point do you realize that getting yourself killed will not keep the people you love safe, and will instead endanger them to the point of their extinction?" Faith asked him again. Sky noticed her refusal to refer to him as her father anymore, keeping it locked away in his heart as she panted for air after screaming.
"Whatever is wrong with you... your quickness to kill those in your path... your suicidal tendencies that kill the people you love... I hope you learn to fix it, Sky. I hope, for the love of God, that you save the people you love by growing a pair of fucking balls and learning to use them in the face of danger," Faith whispered this time around. She slung her hand from her forehead after wiping over her eyes, slinging tears along the floor while walking out of the makeshift room made to protect her from the elements.
Sky couldn't find it in his heart to tell her anything or try to stop her. He had failed as a father, and watching Faith walk out of the room changed him.
Around ten seconds after she left, Khalil and Acchi both looked toward Sky for the next step, watching him suck in everything he had heard from Faith and digest it. After a small moment of waiting, he looked toward Khalil and searched for an answer to what he was looking for.
"I can't think of a lower point I've ever been at," Sky said with dead, blue eyes.
"It's natural, your own daughter had just screamed your head off, and she wasn't wrong," Avie emotionlessly commented again, tapping her foot lightly on the ground.
"No, she wasn't. That's what hurt the most... I need help... I can't keep letting myself get into that headspace where I have to sacrifice myself. I have to learn to fend for myself in this world... to support myself... to live for myself," Sky clarified, clasping his left hand open and closed, remembering his time on The Pinnacle.
"Growth doesn't come overnight, Sky Asterio. It comes with persistence, if anything else," From the curtains of the makeshift room, Raiden entered while swirling her wine in her glass, confessing that she had heard what Faith was screaming about.
"That's what I owe her... that's what I owe my friends... how do I start?" Sky asked Raiden, watching her jump up on a counter and cross her legs.
"Well, my reports conclude that Zealous and Ultima Tower, the two most important cities left in Antarctica, have fallen due to synonymous natural disasters... maybe setting up a port for materials to come in and focus on rebuilding a pinnacle of hope for those who live in this shithole continent would be for the best while we handle Ultima," Raiden explained. She swirled her wine a little more before taking a sip and peering out of the window in the room.
"Got it... I'll rebuild this city while you handle Ultima. It's the least I owe these people... and Faith," Sky said, his eyes venturing forth toward the steps she took out of the tent away from him.
"Great! Then, it's settled. Hey, it's only up from here. That Eirikr guy is out of the picture, Ultima retreated to a place unknown, and Quake is dead. You're working with us now, even if you tried to kill us, so please, cooperate with us and we'll help your city flourish. For the future," Raiden rose her glass up, clinking it with an imaginary glass she had placed in Sky's hand.