Patrick Enenra [5]

Patrick fell out of his daze with a blink before putting away his cane. "Tell me, Ada, if a man can't even be able to protect his loved ones... Can he still call himself a man?"

She tilted her head before putting on a thoughtful expression. She took a deep breath and exhaled, "I can't really say much, considering I'm obviously not a dude, but..."

She took a short pause before continuing:

"It's not just about being able to protect others. Life isn't always that simple." She shook her head with a soft look in her eyes. "If you CAN protect them, that's a great bonus."

"What really matters is standing by the ones you care about, even when things fall apart." Patrick tightly gripped his cane with a pained expression before staring down at the floor.

"But what if things already fell apart before I was able to get the chance to get there...?"

"Even if you weren't there in time, it doesn't erase the care you have for them. Life doesn't always go how we plan, and that's not your fault..." She paused again before continuing:

"Even if they may be gone, it doesn't mean your love or responsibility ends. You can't change the past, but you can honour them by how you live now." She approached Patrick with steady and confident steps before pushing out her hand to him.

"True strength is in how you face the struggles, not in never falling..." The clouds that blotted out the sky seem to open up before beaming down light onto Ada.

"Are you willing to stand by my side and prevent any more innocent people from losing their or their loved one's life? Or stand on the sidelines and let it continue, knowing you could have prevented it?" She held a soft and comforting smile as she waited for his answer.

Patrick felt a feeling well up in him. He began to think back to how he felt when he lost his wife and the last word that was murmured out from his cat's dying mouth. 'It was painful. A painful, crushing feeling that weighed on my heart.'

He pressed his hand over his heart. His once-pained expression relaxed. 'Saving lives? Can I really do that?' He was starting to feel like he was being offered a superhero role in some show.

His eyes flashed with nostalgia as he remembered his youth staring at a screen with a superhero on it.

His hands met with Ada before tightly gripping it and giving it a good shake. His eyes glimmered with excitement and newfound purpose in life.

"I don't want people to feel what losing someone important to you is like. I want to be able to save those who are a victim of this cursed apocalypse..."

He gulped before continuing with an eccentric tone, "I want to be a hero."

Ada's eyes widened by his sudden shift of demeanour before laughing loudly and nodding to his desires." Very well! By my side, I'll shape you into a hero—one that legends speak of, a figure from myths and fairytales brought to life!"

She spoke in a dramatic tone with a humourous appeal to it. Patrick couldn't sense any sarcasm in her words and grinned, 'Anna... Grim... Mom, Dad... I hope you guys can keep looking over me from up there.'

He stared up high into the sky to see the once-cloudy white canvas be replaced with a blue and bright one. From his pocket, he pulled out a cigarette before lighting it and bringing it to his lips.

'Never again... I won't fail you guys Ever Again!' His eyes were shown with a burning passion.

***

Coll, watching his sword reaching over his head after being parried, widened his eyes in shock before regaining his balance. "You... You're at the Soldier stage, aren't you!?" Coll roared in shock before taking a more serious approach to this situation.

"Heh! Why so surprised, boy? Did you think someone as old as me can't reach this stage?" The middle-aged twirled his cane. He had a relaxed smile spread across his face as he pointed with his thumb towards his face.

Patrick sheathed his cane before taking a stance. He rested the shaft of his cane on his left hip with his left hand while tightly gripping the black fur handle with his right.

"Well then? Aren't you gonna come at me?" Patrick taunted with a gesture of his head. This greatly angered the short-tempered man.

"WHY YOU!" He rushed in and brought his greatsword diagonally up from his bottom right. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Oh? You came to that decision fast!"

Patrick flashed his blade out of his sheath and parried Coll's attack again. The greatsword swung back over Coll's head.

Patrick quickly sheathed his blade before giving Coll a sidekick to the chest. "UGH!" Coll flew a couple of meters back before landing flat on his back on the hard, cold stone floor.

Tap Tap

Patrick tapped the ground with his cane with a cheeky smirk. "Where's all that bravado you had earlier, boy?" Patrick taunted in a mocking tone.

He then raised his hand before taunting him again with a gesture. "Didn't you say you were gonna kill me? Come on then, I'm right here."

"Tch!" Coll hurriedly scrambled to his feet. He raised his greatsword in front of him and darted his attention around the room.

"Hm? Not gonna come at me? Well then... Allow me!" Patrick dashed towards him in a zigzag before delivering a slash toward him from the right.

Coll accurately positioned his weapon to block the attack. The sound of two hard and sharp objects grinding against each other could be heard. Coll pushed against the opposing force.

Patrick was pushed back a bit before noticing Coll doing a spinning attack. Coll swung with all his might.

The greatsword swept in an arc in front of him. He smirked but found out the bisected body of the middle man he expected was there.

"Down here, boy." Coll looked down and was met with a kick to the face. Before the greatsword could hit him, Patrick was able to avoid it by ducking down.

Using his arms as a spring, he launched himself up from the ground and kick him in the chin. This action led to Coll being lifted several inches off the ground before recovering and grabbing onto Patrick's leg.

"Eh?"

"RAAAH!" Coll threw him across the hall. Patrick flew several meters before landing safely on the floor. He then yawned.

"That all you've got?"

"Grrr..." Coll growled in frustration before getting an idea. He raised his greatsword and dashed towards Victor (His target), who was still lying on the hospital bed. He stared at the approaching Coll in shock.

Patrick's eyes widened in shock, 'He's aiming for the injured!?'