Attachment

"But, I refuse!"

Gustang and Traumerei quieted down, their expression a constant deadpan as they took in Winston's words.

He refused.

"Unfortunately, that's not an option of any of the parties involved." Traumerei spoke with measured words. Gustang didn't express his thoughts into words, yet it was plenty clear he had similar thoughts about it.

Winston calmly met their gaze.

"Oh but it is. As it stands, neither of you have the capacity to truly kill me. Even if Urek here is overlooked, I have plenty of tricks which I can escape by."

"But for how long?" Gustang asked, probing.

"Until I can kill you." Medici met his question with a striking remark.

Winston nodded with a smile.

Gustang and Traumerei narrowed their eyes, feeling a dangerous premonition welling up in their hearts.

"Let's not get to that point." Gustang intervened before Winston could continue down that conversation.

"You understand the current dynamic enough. We simply cannot allow you to roam free, unless and until you also decide to stay out of the Ten Families' business and stay unaffiliated with any of the big powers." Traumerei continued. "It is not a matter of paranoia, but a matter of cautiousness. Any drop in the lake will cause an effervescence. And an irregular like you is like a giant bomb."

"And how is that supposed to help me?" Winston shot back. "Is that supposed to convince me to join you? Because you care about some power balance? Get over yourself. You people stay in your own bubble of make believe happiness.

"Just because you've attained power over others and have grown accustomed to everything going your way, you now desperately latch onto any semblance of hope that will allow you to maintain the status quo.

"The world might have seemed to revolve around you until now, but it won't do so anymore."

"Pfft!" Urek stiffled a burst of laughter and looked the other way.

"And who will be the one to overthrow our reign?" Traumerei suddenly cut Winston off, spreading open his arm as if to embrace the sky.

"Every else in the tower; everyone else was merely born in this world. We were welcomed into creation.

"The same goes for you. You are meant to be above everyone else." His green eyes met Winston's, sparking a competition of will.

"Nobody else in this world is fit to stand alongside you. We are of your kind. We are the only ones that can stand by your side." He extended his hand to Winston.

Gustang also joined in.

"The strong will always stay above the weak. It is the way things have always been." Gustang said, yet Winston noticed a slight hesitation in his words.

"I know that you aren't completely against the prospect of marriage. Tell me, what is it that bothers you?" Gustang said, as if seeing right through Winston.

Winston stared at his eyes for a moment. Then, a light bulb went off in his head.

He realized what Gustang was doing. In essence, his abilities were not unlike that of a Visionary. Well... a very downgraded Visionary.

He could read information in the shinsu. The flow of shinsu and the information could be seen reflected in his very eyes.

I see. Winston nodded in his head.

He smiled mischievously.

"Hmm. Let's see. It doesn't seem right for marriage to be forced upon anyone right?" His eyes held a strange glint.

"It would've been better if the parties got to know each other first. Getting with someone based on pure looks and liking isn't something I'm comfortable with. I've tried that enough times to know it leaves a pit in your stomach."

"Nice!" Urek gave him a thumbs up at the side.

"But beyond that." Before any of them got to speak, Winston continued.

"I don't wish to join any of you." He said simply. "It's not really in my bucket list right now. A personal preference." He smiled.

Gustang and Traumerei stared at them with an unreadable expression.

Just then, Urek stepped before Winston.

"Now that that's done, shall we head off?" He stared at the two family heads with a smile.

"Or do you wish to fight us here?"

Gustang shook his head.

"No, fighting you is not something we have come here to do." He looked at Traumerei from the corner of his eye. "Isn't that right? Traumerei?"

The green haired man nodded in agreement without a word.

And then, both of them turned back and disappeared into a flash of light.

Urek Mazino turned around with a wide smile on his face.

"That takes care of that." His red eyes scanned the Winstons present.

"Let's have a talk. Baby~"

~~~

"Has it ended?" Endorsi asked Zarhan as they looked out of the windows in their hall.

The outside situation seemed like something they were not permitted to be a part of.

Neither did they feel the need to.

"Hah! There goes Winston... doing some insane shit again." Zarhan sighed.

"But it's nice to see that he's okay." Amon chimed in.

"Where did you even come from? I haven't seen you in ages." Endorsi huffed and walked back over to the sofa before slamming face first into it.

"Well... I had something to deal with." He said. "Are you people aware of Jue Viole Grace?"

~~~

~~~

Viole, or better yet, Bam, Wangnan, Yihwa and Rak ran across the stadium.

Amid the chaos, Bam had managed to escape from his team's clutches and managed to get a hold of the Thorn. After which, he had gotten back together with his teammates and escaped.

However, there was another problem.

Hwaryun had been captured.

"Mr. Khun! We need to save her!" Bam yelled at his pocket, from which Khun's voice was transmitted through.

"Damn.." Khun muttered silently before speaking.

"Got it! I'll get the others! You make your way over there!" Khun spoke. Just then, he froze.

"There won't be a need of that." He heard behind him.

Unconsciously, a smile bloomed on his face.

He turned around and saw the owner of the voice.

Winston Heath. The pillar of their team.

Or rather, it was yet another Avatar; a freshly made one too.

"How've you been? Khun." Winston couldn't help but flash him a smile.

Then, he turned to the lighthouse.

"Hey, Bam!" He called out.

"What? Is that Mr. Winston's voice?!" Sure enough, the boy instantly recognized his voice.

"That's right." Winston said softly. "Stay where you are. I'll come get you. We'll all go back together now."

The line went silent for a small moment before Bam's voice surfaced again.

"Okay."

That single word conveyed a hundred emotions.

And that was all Winston needed to provide his help.

Without any wait, he stepped into the void and disappeared into the spirit world.

And as Khun watched him go, he couldn't help but have his shoulders relax and lean back into his chair.

For he knew, as long as his friend was here, everything would go right. He placed his trust into his hands, no longer caring about the workshop battle or any instance related to it.

Winston would take care of everything.

~~~

Bam stopped in his place.

His feet were rooted to the ground.

The others looked at him in question.

"What's wrong black turtle?! Why did you stop!?" Rak with his chibby legs stomped on the ground.

"What's wrong Viole?" Wangnan and Yihwa also looked at him in concern.

"It was... Mr. Winston." Bam said.

Involuntarily, a single tear rolled down his left cheek.

"I... I'm finally going to be together with you guys..." He sniffed. "I'm finally... home..."

Wangnan and Yihwa smiled at his figure.

Rak looked at him with his red eyes before walking up to him.

Then, with his short and stumpy arms, he hugged him.

"Welcome back. Black Turtle..."

"Now now, don't celebrate just yet..." A blinding flash of light occurred right before them. And then, a man walked out.

"I still have some FUG members to kill." Winston smiled at them. Of course, the light flash wasn't necessary, it was just there for the added effects.

He landed just before Bam and put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's been a while... Bam." He said softly.

Bam stilled. Then, his features exploded into a smile.

"Long time no see, Mr. Winston!"

Winston nodded and turned back.

Then, he flicked his wrist and a door appeared in front of them all.

"Walk through that door. It'll take you to an airship. Don't worry, it belongs to a friend." He said. "I'll send the rest right after you. And care not about the red witch. I'll be sure to take her with me as well."

Without a word, they all nodded at his words. All except one that is.

"Hey, scary turtle..." Rak said.

Scary turtle?

"What?"

"...You don't happen to be a hermaphrodite right?"

"No?" Winston tilted his head quizzically.

What is he talking about?

Rak shook his head and walked over to the door where everyone else was waiting.

"Nothing!"

He yelled and crashed into the rest, pushing them all through the door. The wooden structure disappeared behind them.

"Now..." Winston turned towards the center of the arena.

"What was that guy's name? Reflejo something?"

Taking a step into the void, Winston disappeared into a puff of flames.

~~~

Hwaryun laid on the ground, completely bloodied and without strength.

Her eyes were slightly clouded over and she had lost too much blood.

A dark shadowy figure loomed before her. Reflejo, one of Karaka's servants.

There was silence in the environment.

Then, a soft chuckle, akin to a fleeting whisper reached her ears.

"You've seen better days." The tone was one of sarcasm. She knew exactly whose voice it was.

She turned her body to look up towards the ceiling. A man looked down at her with his trademark smile. Even though he was bending down at a 90 degree angle, the half top hat didn't fall down as if held up by a spell.

She knew who he was.

He was now her God and the God of every being that pledged themselves to fate. The next God that would shake the tower. He was the one that ripped apart fate and destiny.

Winston Heath.

"Winston..." Hwaryun managed to say.

"Shh." Winston kept a finger on his lips. "Rest." He said. And immediately, drowsiness began to overtake Hwaryun's mind.

She slept with a clear and relaxed mind, knowing that she and everyone else she was leading was safe.

Winston materialized a door beneath Hwaryun and sent her in before looking at Reflejo.

The man had not noticed him at all. And he wouldn't even notice his own death, nor the death of all his lackeys.

Winston looked at them all and flicked his wrist. Instantly, a flame overtook their bodies, burning them away instantly.

With a shake of his head, he again disappeared into flames.

~~~

~~~

Team Shibisu waited in their waiting hall. They knew the workshop battle was a lost cause now. Yet they didn't hurry to escape.

It was because Khun had contacted them at the last second.

'Stay in the waiting room, someone will come to pick you up.' He had said.

And so they did.

Endorsi, Anaak, Amon, Zarhan, Hatz, Vespa, Shibisu, Laure, Verdi and Alexai. They all waited patiently in the room.

Nobody spoke.

And then, there was a flash of light.

Shaaaaaaa!

And then of flames.

And out walked a well dressed man.

"Did you miss me?" Winston spoke with a toothy grin.

Everyone froze as they took in his figure.

Winston would be awkward, if he did could not see how their emotions were changing at the moment.

The next instant, a wide smile blossomed on each of their faces.

""'"Winston!!!!""'" They all yelled, rushing at him and blanketing him in a sea of bodies.

The ones at the forefront were Amon and Zarhan.

"Mr. Winston!"

"Winston!"

Their smiles couldn't be more obvious.

Winston's mask of control crumbled, and beneath the weight of the bodies, he couldn't help but give himself to their force and be carried down to the ground.

"I missed you guys." Winston admitted, "How have you been?"

And for the first time in a long while, a genuine smile, one full of emotions tore through his persona and was out for them to see.

At that moment, Winston realized.

Somewhere along the lines of his travels; between the test floor and the years spent with and without his teammates; he has grown fond of their presence and more critical of their absence.

He had grown attached to them...

He smiled under their weight.

They all laughed. It was laughter of joy and emotions and smiles of elation and companionship.

Maybe... this isn't so bad...

~~~