My Resolution

Hector is pacing angrily when they finally come across a clearing. As soon as he enters the clearing, he gasps.

Before him lays several charred bodies of adults and children. Blood pools beneath them, staining the ground below. Their heads are missing, and their clothes look torn to shreds. Their mouths remain agape, and bloody holes stare back at him from their skulls. Their eyes stare lifelessly at the sky, staring down at the earth below them. It is a morbid sight, yet he cannot tear himself away.

For some reason, he feels a pang in his chest. His throat constricts, preventing him from breathing profoundly and causing panic attacks. His heart pounds faster, and sweat rolls down his forehead. Suddenly, the air grows too hot for him to stand, and he has to force himself to keep standing. Everything seems so much more overwhelming than before. But, despite everything, Hector refuses to run away. No matter how hopeless everything may seem, he can't break down and lose his composure in front of these people who are gone now. He will be stronger than them if he only keeps it together.

Suddenly, a hand grabs his arm, shocking him out of his thoughts. A warm hand grips Hector's shoulder firmly, and his vision clears. Before him stands a figure dressed in long gowns with sleeveless tunics and a pair of long brown hair falling over her shoulders. Her skin is pale blue, like moonlight, and her eyes are brown. Her face is beautiful, with slight curves and sharp cheekbones.

The girl smiles at him gently, "you're not alone."

Hector shakes his head, forcing himself to smile weakly. "I'm sorry, I..."

"It's okay. We don't blame you for feeling upset, and this is a sad place."

"We?" He questions nervously, unsure of whom she means by 'we.'

Then, he notices a black butterfly fluttering its wings on her shoulder, and it is a symbol that he recognizes: Death Butterfly. He suddenly remembers something he read about that butterfly and how it symbolizes death meaning that she is dead.

He gasps, shaking his head wildly. "But you're just a child, and you shouldn't have to feel this pain. You deserve better."

She frowns softly. "My father sacrificed himself for me, my mother, and my sister." She explains solemnly. "We end up dying as a family."

He takes a step toward her. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

She smiles sadly. "All I want is to live." She states, "I wish I didn't have to die like this."

His heart lurches painfully, knowing what she is saying.

Hector nods slowly, looking away guiltily. He looks at one of the bodies, and she lies unmoving. It's impossible to tell whether or not she is even alive, considering the fire engulfing her whole body.

"That's my mother." Her voice cracks as she whispers the words. Hector glances back at her, noticing she has tears pooling at the edge of her eye. "They burned her." She chokes, holding her hand over her mouth.

"They?"

"My father... my mother... and my sister…" her voice becomes weaker as each word falls apart.

"I'm so sorry."

She blinks and suddenly disappears along with the black butterfly.

Hector freezes as his gaze follows the girl as she vanishes. An uneasy fear fills his gut as he stares at where she once stood.

He doesn't know why, but seeing someone's death causes him great grief, especially because he has witnessed so many deaths already. He quickly wipes away a lone tear that has slipped from his eye, making its way down his cheek. He turns away, unable to face his surroundings.

He knows it will take a while to recover, and he would instead do so alone. He walks deeper into the woods, hoping to escape the clearing.

Several hours later, Hector reaches a lake surrounded by trees. The water reflects the bright, orange sunset. He sits on one of the rocks, jutting out from the water as he gazes at the horizon. He stares blankly ahead without moving a muscle. His mind fills with thoughts of the dead people he had passed earlier, his heart aching and his stomach churning. He wishes he could have done something to help them. But what could he have possibly done? They were all dead before he could make a move on them. They didn't even deserve to suffer like this.

Suddenly, a stone hits him in the back of the head. His eyes snap open, revealing his attacker, Ironna, sitting on top of another rock. She scowls at him. "What's with all the brooding? She asks, "Aren't you happy to see me?"

Hector glares at her. "Not really."

She ignores the insult and says, "I promised Silvana I'll look after your back."

Hector nods

"Well, since it's pretty clear that can't help you if you keep sulking around like this," She pauses. "Come on, sit beside me and talk."

Her proposal catches him off guard. He glances around, seeing no one else everywhere, before reluctantly following her orders. He sits next to her, keeping his back turned to her. He watches the sun setting on the horizon quietly and the sky paints red with purplish and pink hues. He sighs tiredly.

"You're not going home, aren't you? She mutters. He gives a slight nod.

She sighs. "Look, I can't promise you everything will be fine if you choose to go to Erith. I won't ask for promises from you, nor will I force them, but I just hope you at least know that if you decide to follow your plan, I won't stop you."

Hector doesn't reply.

"And whatever you decide to do, you know, the decision is yours, alright? Nobody forces anyone to make such a choice. You need to take your time deciding whether to go home or fight Damien."

Hector stays silent, still watching the darkening skies.

"But I promise you," she continues softly, "that there is a good chance things will turn out bad for us. That is a possibility, but at least we're doing our best. We can't control what happens, but we can try to change as many things as possible. So, let's think about this. What do you want to achieve? What is your goal? What does it take to achieve it?"

Hector doesn't answer her immediately. He stays quiet for quite some time before whispering. "Peace."

"Hmm..." She murmurs thoughtfully. "So, peace. Is that what it took for you to stay alive today? Peace?"

He doesn't respond.

"Don't you think that it is worth fighting for peace? Don't you think it is worth suffering and sacrificing? Do you think it isn't worth all that effort and all that death?"

Hector remains silent.

She lets out a heavy sigh. "If you continue like this, you will eventually kill yourself." She warns solemnly.

"There is a limit to how much you can handle without killing yourself first. You've lost so much already. Please understand, and I want you to be safe."

Hector remains still, gazing out at the darkening sky

"Do you hear me?"

No answer.

She sighs silently, standing to her feet and brushing herself off. "Alright then, I will give you space to process what I said. Take care of yourself."

Before he knows it, she is gone. He remains seated where she is, staring straight ahead with a blank expression as the sun sets above the horizon.

"That's it!" Ironna comes back from behind and kicks him in the back. She shouts angrily. "Enough! We have more important things to worry about than your childish act!"

"Why won't you leave me alone?!" Hector snaps. "I can't deal with this right now, Ironna!"

Ironna rolls her eyes, grabbing his hand and dragging him to his feet. She marches forward and drags him behind her, refusing to listen to his protests. Hector struggles against her, trying his hardest to pull his arm free.

"We are going to Erith now! Ironna commands loudly, ignoring his struggle. "We're going to find somewhere safe."

"But -"

"Just shut up and come on!"

With a pained groan, he finally lets himself drag along. Eventually, it feels good to put some space between himself and the dead people, and being pulled through the bushes along the riverbanks and through the dark forest, helps distract him. For the rest of the night, they walk silently, neither speaking, until they arrive at an abandoned building near a deserted town.

This town used to be a popular stop before Erith, but most of the population died in a fire that broke out during the war, causing it to fall into ruins. However, many residents managed to escape the burning buildings. Now, nobody lives here. Even though the walls are falling apart, nobody lives in them anymore. As they enter the building, he notices it looks more like a prison than anything else. There are bars on every window that have been ripped out or rusted open. The door to the room they enter is chained up tightly.

Ironna sighs tiredly and rubs her forehead. "We should rest for tonight. It won't be long before dawn, and we'll probably need to move early in the morning." She turns around and walks past Hector, leaving him behind.

As she walks towards the door, he calls out for her. "Where are you going?"

Without turning around, she answers, "guard duty."

"What do you mean guard duty?"

She stops walking, facing him with a look of annoyance on her face. "It means to watch the door, duh! Come on, get inside! You have nothing to do here besides sit around moping, looking like your life sucks."

"Yeah, but -"

"No buts! Get inside!" She shoves his shoulder lightly, leading him toward the door. He stares at her in disbelief, unsure of what to say or do. He slowly opens the door, letting it swing wide open, exposing the darkness. Slowly, he steps into the room, careful not to stumble over the broken floorboards. Once his foot lands on the first step, he hears an echoing crash that sends chills down his spine. He glances around the darkened room cautiously.

All around him is debris, litter across the floor like an army of fallen enemies. He takes another hesitant step forward, trying to avoid stepping on shards or sharp objects in the rubble. After about ten or so steps, he stops when he notices something lying on the ground. Hesitantly, he bends down and picks it up. Upon closer inspection, he realizes it's a black cloth that has long since faded away, almost completely gone. The fabric has patches. He pulls it close to his chest and holds it tight, feeling the comforting warmth emitting from it, its faint smell lingering.

"Why didn't you light some fire? He hears Ironna's voice calling to him. "You'll catch a cold if you don't." He hears her footsteps approaching him. She suddenly appears before him, sitting, so she is at eye level with him. "Hey, why don't you just light some fire?" she says, motioning her head toward the fireplace.

He shakes his head. "We're in a hostile environment, and if I lit some fire, we might attract unwanted attention. And you know what kind of attention they would attract," he states sternly.

She snorts at him. She pushes him lightly with her shoulder. "I'll protect us, don't worry."

He doesn't respond.

After a while longer, he speaks. "Thank you for staying with me. And thank you for helping me. If it weren't for you, I'd be dead.

"It was my duty." She replies.

Hector doesn't argue with her. Silence once again falls between the two as they sit beside each other, each lost in their thoughts.

After a few moments of silence, Ironna speaks up again. "I'm sorry about earlier."

He turns to stare at her confusedly.

"When I kicked you. I was angry, and I shouldn't have done that.

"You had the right to be angry." He tells her quietly.

She nods. "But it wasn't okay..."

"It's fine..." He murmurs.

She turns away. "I just wanted to make sure you would come home safely. You've always been a bit of a reckless idiot, Hector, and I don't think you realize it."

He smiles humorlessly at her. "Yeah. I am a bit reckless.

"You could die."

"I know."

They remain silent again.

Eventually, he breaks the silence by saying softly. "How's Silvana doing?"

The smile instantly disappears from her face, replaced by a saddened frown. "Not well... She misses you. She adds quietly. "A lot."

Her words hit Hector deep. A lump forms in his throat, threatening to choke hi

He swallows hard. "I miss Silvana too," he whispers. "I wish I could see her..."

"She thinks highly of you and loves you very much. She wants you to be happy.

He gives her a weak smile and says nothing for a moment. "Is she safe?"

"She's at home.

He nods, turning away from her gaze. His fingers clench as he stares at the ground, unable to meet her eyes for fear of seeing that same glint of hatred and resentment in hers.

Suddenly she stands up, startling him. "I'll walk around, and I'm on guard duty anyway." With that, she strides past him, taking the lead, and soon disappears through the door.

He stays still and stays silent. He sits there in the quiet darkness, staring blankly into the distance.

The moonlight streams through the windows as it shines onto his face, illuminating his pale features and making his eyes glow. Despite the lack of sleep and exhaustion, the familiar sight does little to calm him down. He sits with his hands clasped together as his shoulders sag, unmoving.

For some reason, he has never felt so alone. He misses Silvana's presence so much. He wants to feel her touch once again. He cuts her warm embrace, her laughter, and her loving smile. He even misses her gentle laugh and her tender touch. He forgets how he felt being by her side, how she made him feel better after all the bad times. She was his sunshine, his source of hope. Without her, he couldn't move on.

He begins to feel sleepy, the exhaustion hitting him in full force. His eyelids droop, his body relaxes, and he finally lets himself succumb to unconsciousness.

"Oww! Ow, ouch!!" He winces as the pain hits his back. He looks up to find Ironna standing over him.

"That's not funny, Ironna He whines, rubbing the sore spot on his back."That hurt."

"Someone's here." He can hear her voice muffled slightly.

"Who is it?" He asks, confused, pushing himself off the ground slowly

His eyes widen, as his heart suddenly races, when he sees who exactly it is outside the door. The cloaked stranger is standing there with his arms folded against his chest and his feet planted firmly on the ground as if he is daring anyone to try and push him aside. As soon as he sees him, Hector's mind goes blank.

He feels his breath stop short.

"Not him again." He says under his breath, his hands balling into fists.

"Don't worry, I'll fight him," Ironna responds, readying her sword. "But please, don't go near him, and I don't want you to get hurt."

Hector nods reluctantly, understanding that he needs to stay away.

She opens the door carefully, keeping a tight grip on her sword. "Coming here for a second round?"

The cloaked stranger smirks. "Well, excuse me for coming here uninvited. But that's not why I come here."

Ironna narrows her eyes suspiciously at him. "Then what did you come here for?"

The stranger pauses, seemingly debating whether or not to answer her. Finally, he sighs, then says: "I came to ask you to turn around. Beyond this point, you and your friend won't be coming back. He raises his hand, gesturing toward where Hector stands.

"Why would I believe you?" Ironna challenges, tightening her grip around her sword.

The hooded man sighs heavily. "Look at him. He looks miserable. If you keep fighting against me, it'll only be a matter of time until you both die," he states flatly. He moves his arm, pointing behind Ironna with the finger he holds. "Now, turn around, and you may live."

Hector looks back at him. His gaze fixed straight on him. He feels anger swelling up within him. He is furious at this man. Angry at everything that has happened. Fury fuels his energy, fueling his need to fight and kill this man. It's burning inside him, urging him to charge and attack. To give in to the rage boiling within his body, He knows that if he attacks, they will both end up dying, and no one will be able to save them. The stranger's words ring loud and clear in his head.

Ironna turns to look back at him and frowns upon seeing the determined expression etched into his face. Her eyes soften a little in understanding.

"You're not backing up, aren't you?" she questioned.

He doesn't reply.

Ironna sighs. "What a stubborn idiot you are." Then she turns to the cloaked stranger, speaking without breaking eye contact.

"Well, you heard the man."

The cloaked man says nothing but merely smirks. Then he turns his eyes to Hector. "Your choice, young man. If you insist on continuing your path, you can do so."

With that final sentence, he begins walking away, vanishing into the darkness.

They stood in place looking after him. After a few moments, Ironna turns to him. "Are you okay?" She asks, concerned.

His gaze shifts to her, and then he looks away his jaw clenching. "I'm fine."

He takes in a shaky breath. "I can't believe he's here again. And he managed to find us.

She places a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Hey, it'll be okay. I promise. We'll figure something out. Okay?"

He hesitates for several seconds. Eventually, he nods, giving a brief but grateful smile. "Okay."

And then he walks into the building, leaving her standing outside alone.

***

She stays on guard duty for the rest of the night, watching and guarding in case anything happens. However, as night comes and the sun rises, her stomach growls, reminding her that she hasn't eaten since breakfast yesterday.

Her stomach growls yet louder.

She groans in annoyance, pushes herself up from her sitting position, and starts making her way inside.

"Wake up She says, poking him on the forehead.

Hector stirs, blinking sleepily. "Wha-"

His eyes open wide at the sight before him. "Oh... Hey." He says, smiling sheepishly. He rubs his tired eyes and rubs his head.

He notices her holding a sword in her hand and furrows his eyebrows curiously. "It's rare to see you carrying your sword since you usually summon it rather than taking it around.

She shakes her head amusedly. "This time, I decided to carry it with me." She admits, setting her sword beside her.

Her stomach suddenly makes another growl.

His eyes flicker up. "I think we should eat." He says, getting up from his bedding, stretching his long limbs, and cracking his knuckles as he does so.

Her cheeks flushed pink at his comment.

"We should have found something to eat sooner. That explains why you keep your sword with you. It takes a lot of energy to summon one. He was offering his hand to her. "Let's go get something to eat. What do you say?

She nods, smiling gratefully, and takes his hand, pulling herself up to her feet. They begin making their way outside together.

"Where are we going to find food?" She questions him curiously.

"The forest." He replies, leading the way

She hums as she follows him from behind.

***

As the sunlight brightens the horizon, the two make their way deeper into the forest, towards the same la they went to last night. She keeps her eye out while he scans the area looking for any signs of trouble or people that could pose a threat.

"What are you doing He asks, interrupting her train of thought.

Her brow furrows in confusion, and she turns to look at him. "What do you mean what am I doing?"

"Looking for danger?" He clarifies.

"I guess you could say that, yeah..." She answers hesitantly.

"I don't think there's any of that here, at least for now." He informs her, his gaze locked ahead as he stares at nothing in particular.

She sighs, relieved as she realizes that there isn't an imminent threat looming overhead or in front of them.

"You take your responsibilities seriously." He tells her. "You should let yourself relax more. There's nothing to worry about." He assures her, placing his hand on her shoulders reassuringly.

She looks at him, puzzled. "What did you just say?"

"Relax, you look like you've worked so hard every day." He reassures her

"I haven't been working every day." She denies shaking her head.

"Come, let's catch something in this lake." He says, picking a random direction to walk in, dragging her along with him. She didn't have much choice but to follow.

"If you say so." She says, following after him with her head down.

They walked into the shallow part of the lake, and it was pretty, and Hector began splashing water onto his face and neck.

"You could have warned me sooner that we'd get wet."

He chuckles, splashing some more water on her. She gasps, "You... Don't splash me with cold water!"

"Too late." He teases.

She rolls her eyes, laughing lightly.

After a while, they manage to catch a fish or two. They roast it slowly over the fire, enjoying its delicious taste. It wasn't anything fancy, but after everything they had gone through during the last few days, a meal made of wild fish seemed terrific.

"Do you remember when my mom brought us to a fish market?" She asks, reminiscing fondly about her parents and her childhood memory with Hector.

He smiles, remembering the first time they visited the fish market.

"Yeah, I remember. I also remember when we tried to buy fish for our dinner, we argued about who was paying and which ones were better for cooking. Your mom got angry and told us to leave." He chuckles." Remember? That was when I called you a fool, and you slapped me. I thought I was going to die because that slap was intense." He adds, grinning.

Her cheeks flush red as she remembers. "Don't remind me."

Ironna has always been the kind girl that would do her best to protect others. Whenever someone threatened one of her friends, she would step up to defend them. Sometimes, she was even more protective over them than anyone else. Her actions spoke volumes, as well as her actions themselves. She was brave and fierce but never too reckless to lose a life. Until that evening when she met Hector for the first time.

Hector was a kind person that was willing to help others. He never hesitated to lend a helping hand when needed. On top of that, Hector was loyal, dependable, and trustworthy. He was very kind and gentle but could also be stubborn and annoying sometimes. He would try his best to help others. However, sometimes it came at a cost to him. She remembers him telling her that she reminded him of her sister and how much he wanted to protect and defend her. As he grew older, he continued to do what he loved, hunting, fishing, and collecting herbs to help heal. Then, his father died a few years later, and his mother, a kind woman, passed away shortly after. When he lost his parents, he fell into a deep depression. She knew he suffered greatly, but she couldn't bring herself to tell him how worried she was about him. He had enough on his plate without having to deal with her prying. So instead, she comforted him by staying by his side, keeping him company until he finally felt strong enough to get back on his feet.

That's the only thing she knows for sure, though.

Even if she could ask him what he was thinking and feeling, he wouldn't answer anyway. So, she never questioned him again.

Instead, she gave him space to grieve, letting him process things independently.

One day, he stopped talking to her and started shutting everyone, including himself. She knew he needed time alone to sort through everything that happened, so she stayed by his side as always, trying her best to give him support

She knew it wasn't her place, even if she wanted to help him.

He was able to cope with it all on his own eventually, but that doesn't mean that he's not still hurting. But he always had people to lean on and rely on, so she never tried to push him to talk.

***

Hector looks at her, noticing she isn't saying a word after he recounts their story.

"Is there something wrong?" He questions, concerned. She seems distracted, lost in her thoughts, staring absentmindedly at where he was pointing earlier. "Are you okay?" He asks softly, gently tapping her shoulder.

She snaps back to reality and looks up at him, surprised. "Huh? Uh yeah, I'm fine, just spaced out."

"What're you thinking?" He inquires curiously

He watches as her face softens with understanding, and she shakes her head. "Nothing." She answers, smiling at him, but she can feel how fake it sounds.

"Hector, I'm going to ask you again. Are you sure about going to Erith?" She asks him softly, staring directly into his eyes, searching his soul

He lets out a breath. "Yes." He says firmly.

Ironna sighs, knowing there is no point in pushing the issue further, and so she nods, accepting the decision. "Okay then, whatever you decide, I trust you." She gives him a small smile.

He feels relief and pleasure wash over him, hearing her say that. "Thank you." His voice comes out quiet. "It means a lot to hear you say that." He continues.

"Of course. Now," Ironna turns to face forward again, "let's hurry up. We won't want to waste too much daylight, and this place has already been far longer than expected." She says, gesturing for them to move out.

He follows obediently after her and lets his thoughts drift as he walks behind her.