Never Look Back

Arcturus Mercury had always worried about the day his hatred for soldiers would lead him to hurt them and break the law. He never had the intention of ever hurting them, but when Nova had planned to just charge through, he went along with it despite knowing the consequences.

The moment he raised a hand against a soldier, he instantly knew he wouldn't feel any regrets doing this. He had none when he had ordered Kori to dispose of his crewmates months ago. He hurt them because he had to. It was the only way they could proceed.

A worry did spark within him: would there be a day he'd hurt someone dear to him? Would he regret everything he'd done when that moment came? He wasn't sure how he'd feel if such a moment would arise.

All he knew was that he didn't care about who he was hurting in this situation. He needed to stop these soldiers in their tracks and prevent them from calling for back-up. The way a soldier yelled out in pain as he stabbed his knife into his shoulder and electrocuted him was an unusual feeling.

He didn't enjoy the thrill of hurting people, yet he didn't hate it either. He kept doing it to other soldiers that approached him. One of them was a bit more resilient than the previous soldiers. Even after Arcturus had electrocuted him three times, he still got up. He was surprised when the man dropped his weapons and tried to fight him barehanded. He easily deflected his punches and kicks, but knew that the other soldiers would be aiming at him.

This was when Arcturus knew his extraordinary strength was a blessing. He had used his strength to use the soldier as a shield so that his allies wouldn't dare aim their guns at him. It was a cowardly move, but he didn't care.

Nova came to help by knocking out the armed soldiers with his tail, allowing Arcturus to knock out the one he was entangled with. When the coast was clear, they ran towards the airship. He refused to look back at the scene behind him. He knew that the moment he looked back, he would have mixed emotions. He wanted to keep going because he did not want guilt and regret to chain him down anymore; he did not want negative emotions to affect him anymore. He knew that the moment he'd feel regret would be the day he couldn't be by Nova's side anymore.

I have to keep going. Never look back.

What he had done made him think, however. Was he now considered a good person after hurting all these soldiers? In society's eyes, he'd be considered evil. If he were considered as such, he wouldn't mind. He didn't mind as long as Nova needed him.

He didn't care about people's opinions; he never did. He would do things his own way by his own will. Protecting Nova was a condition to his wish as well as staying by his side. Even if he didn't have those as conditions, he'd still choose to stay with him. He knew he needed to reassure himself about the choices he already made and will make in the future. He needed to steel his resolve.

The moment he and Nova stepped foot onto the airship, soldiers and wolf Shifties like the ones from the castle charged towards them. He used his combat skills and strength to deflect and subdue his enemies and then used his knives to stab and electrocute his enemies.

Shifties were trickier opponents than humans. It was as if they were built to deflect any attack. He pitied them in a way. They were alive, yet created to serve people despite being considered perfection. They didn't have wills; developing one would be a very rare case, as he recalled Kori's unusual behavior throughout the past four years. In a way, they seemed as if they were lower than animals in terms of living.

They knew what the cycle of life was as the information was implemented into them, but they wouldn't truly understand it for they could not experience it themselves. If they were taken to the Spirit Realm and given a chance to grant their wishes, he wondered what sort of people they would become.

Fighting inside the airship was a bit tougher than outside because the airship was in an enclosed space that limited their movements. Nova couldn't jump around and use his tail as he pleased. Arcturus also had to be careful on where he aimed his punches and kicks for he could accidentally hit them against the walls; this applied to his knives too.

Disposing of the Shifties was an easier task for they did not shift to their human forms. Arcturus was quick to remove and destroy their earrings. The soldiers were a bit of a challenge to defeat, but Nova managed to help him deal with them; he used his draconic strength to pummel some soldiers onto the ground; he punched a large hole on the wall and threw the bodies out into the snow. He used the snow to move the empty Shiftie vessels onto the snow as well.

Arcturus took the opportunity to electrocute a few soldiers that got distracted from their shock of seeing Nova's strength. Once they were stunned, he pushed them out through the hole; they slumped onto the snow. He tried to not focus on the fallen bodies too much; he had intended to not look back anymore; whether it be on his actions or on himself, he would never look back and just keep moving forward.

That was what he kept doing as soldiers and Shifties continued to charge towards them in the airship. He had lost count of all the humans and Shifties that came their way. He felt as if something kept changing within every time he fought them off. He couldn't be his old self anymore. He had to adapt and change. That was the basics of human survival instincts. 

He noticed that no more enemies came their way. Arcturus and Nova were relieved that they disposed of them all as they went inside an empty room to take a quick break. They both fought non-stop. Arcturus had lacked energy; he was hungry.

"Let's look for food first and then take the airship." Arcturus muttered once he caught his breath.

"Alright." Nova said once he scanned the vicinity and found it safe to move.