5 Decrease

Avic's eyes fluttered open like the soft wings of a butterfly. Artificial lighting shone down on him from a wooden ceiling above. He groaned in discomfort, trying to pick himself up. He was situated on a soft bed in the middle of a doctor's office. His head, arms, and chest were all covered in snow-white bandages. He almost looked like a mummy waking from the dead.

The memories of what happened the previous day ran through his brain like a relay. His defeat to Bolton was like a fresh wound he wanted to heal. However, that wasn't the worst of it all. Bolton's taunting words played in his head like a stereo on loop:

"Then if that's the case, why is it that even after 10 years, you're still here in this town working at a tavern? Why haven't you tried to gain intel by venturing outside of your comfort zone? Why haven't you even moved an inch closer to your goal after 10 whole years?!"

"Do you want me to tell you why you haven't moved any closer to achieving your goals, Avic? It's because you only tell yourself you're going to achieve your goal of bringing back your family. Telling yourself that you're going to do something and doing it are two different things entirely. It's about time you realized that! And until you do, nothing will change!"

Avic clenched his teeth and hung his head in frustration. Bolton's words alone had made him question what he was doing with his life.

Just then, a door to the opposite side of the room was pushed open. This was when three familiar figures stepped in. The first was Amon, the second was Eliisabet, and the third was a slim 19-year-old male. He was 6ft tall, had cool bleached blonde hair combed and held up by a few hair clips to the left, and rose-red eyes. In either ear, he had single black-colored earrings and an energetic smile was drawn across his lips. He also wore a stylish red shirt, long white fitted pants, and neat black boots. He almost looked like a prince who had run away from his castle.

"Avic, you're awake..!" Exclaimed Eliisabet happily as she ran over to his side.

Avic didn't answer. He felt as if every single drop of joy had been sucked from his body. He felt empty and confused. Due to this, he couldn't give Eliisabet an enthusiastic answer. This was until Amon and the other blonde figure moved closer.

"Hey man, how are you feeling?" Asked the blonde figure to Avic.

"Custos..." Replied Avic slowly. "Welcome back..."

"What's with the gloomy reply? If that's how you're going to welcome me back then it's better to not welcome me back at all."

"Let's be real, Custos. You've only been gone for a day. The last thing you need is a welcome back," muttered Eliisabet.

Custos sighed dramatically, "Nothing interesting ever happens when I'm at the tavern. But as soon as it's my day off, Avic gets into a fight, the town becomes a grand arena, and the tavern gets destroyed! I missed all the good stuff!"

"What do you mean good stuff?! You do realize that any of us could have been killed by that Sicarius, right?!"

"But you didn't!"

"Sigh... Custos, I swear you're worse than even Avic sometimes."

Amon then stepped forward, interrupting their conversation. However, unlike Eliisabet and Custos, his mood was not as bright.

"Avic, I'm glad to see that you're okay," he began. "Things could have been a lot worse so you should consider yourself lucky to still have a beating heart. On the bright side, the doctor says you should be okay after resting for a few days. You only had a broken shoulder, a slightly fractured skull, and small cuts all over your body. You suffered no life-threatening injuries which is a relief."

Avic did his best not to look Amon in the eyes. The guilt he felt was tremendously heavy. In his fight with Bolton, the tavern had been destroyed, resulting in a huge loss for Amon's business.

"I'm sorry, Old Man... Your business was destroyed because of me... But... But I promise to pay you back! I'll work for free until I covered my debt to you! I promise!"

"There's no need for that, Avic. For now, you should focus on recovering. I also paid your doctor's bill so you have nothing to worry about. You can leave this place freely once you're recovered."

Avic was quite surprised to hear this. Amon had always been kind to him, supporting him whenever he needed it. The truth was that after Avic lost his family, Amon adopted him and took care of him until he was old enough to work and earn his own money. Due to this, Avic held a lot of respect for Amon, despite how he acted towards him at times.

Amon then turned himself around as he prepared to leave. Seeing this, Avic quickly called out to him.

"Hey, Old Man Amon... Thanks for everything... But I promise that I'll pay you back somehow..!"

Amon sighed before answering, "Do you really mean that, Avic? Or is that just another lie you tell yourself to make yourself feel better?"

Everyone froze as these words left Amon's lips. Avic was especially shaken up by this. He had not expected Amon to say such a thing.

"I..."

"It's fine, Avic," interrupted Amon. "I've come to realize that you've had it far too easy up until now. You always had people who could tolerate your lazy attitude and cover for your messes. Even if you did something wrong, you would never have to worry about it, because Old Man Amon would always be there to save you. And that was partially my fault as well. I should have raised you better. But this is where that ends, Avic. I didn't come here to simply tell you that I paid your doctor's bill. That was simply a way of saying goodbye to you."

"What are you talking about, Old Man..? What do you mean goodbye..?" Asked Avic timidly.

"Since the tavern is damaged, we'll need to cut expenses to cover repairs. As it is, I can only afford to pay two workers for their troubles. But those two do not include you. Avic, you're fired."

Astonishment spread through the room like wildfire. No one could believe what they were hearing. Avic was so shocked that he couldn't even muster the courage to speak.

"Wait! Mister Amon, please reconsider!" Pleaded Eliisabet. "No one else will accept Avic as a worker! If you fire him then he won't have a source of income! He'll end up on the streets with nowhere to go!"

"I agree with Eliisabet," supported Custos. "I know Avic made a mistake but please overlook this, one last time! I'm sure with some encouragement, he'll improve!"

"BOTH OF YOU! STOP IT!" Shouted Amon. "None of what Avic does from now on is any of my concern. He's lazy and unwilling to better himself! With the way he is now, he's nothing more than a parasite to all of us..! But this is where that ends. It's time for him to face the consequences of his actions. And this warning goes for both of you two. If any of you even as much as attempts to help Avic, I'll fire you too..!"

The room then went silent as Eliisabet and Custos were left unable to say anything. There was nothing they could do. Avic was left staring blankly at Amon's back as he left the room. He felt like he lost everything. He had lost his will, his spirit, his job, and himself.