Chapter 95: Another Battle (Part 1)

Dyne: "Hah!"

Dyne relaxes his muscles for a moment as he breathes a sigh before stiffening up again, but this time with a goal.

Dyne: "You are right, Ethan, I really can't understand you and your resolve. Still, if my duty commands it, I am willing to support as well as to oppose anyone."

Ethan: "And … what does that mean in the current context?"

Dyne: "Ha! I thought figuring out things like that was your speciality."

In a straight voice unfitting for the sarcastic words, Dyne says so.

Dyne: "I have a friend, you know."

And then, he begins his short tale - a tale he wishes for the man in front of him to understand.

Dyne: "I have a friend who is unafraid of the God and the Devil, but he was afraid of your benefactor."

Ethan's eyes widen with astonishment.

Dyne: "Yes, I checked. Your benefactor, the one who prolonged your life years ago, I checked and found out who that man was."

Dyne says those words without any drama in his voice but the black smoke starts churning on the other side.

Ethan: "Benefactor? Oh, please! The only reason he did anything for me was to turn me into a weapon for him."

Dyne: "Well, it seems to me that it worked."

Ethan: "What!?"

A grim mockery of Ethan makes him lose his cool - something Gabriel and Abgere are not used to seeing.

Dyne: "You are doing what he wants to do - oppose The Dragon Alliance."

Mentions the Spectre with the same mocking tone.

Ethan: "I am also opposing HIM and his side."

Ethan says, trying to keep himself from bursting in anger.

Dyne: "Really? When exactly have any of your actions caused any harm to them?"

Ethan: "..."

Dyne: "You may say that you are opposing both sides but truth be told, you have only ever done things that ended up weakening The Dragon Alliance, making his job easier."

Gabriel: "..."

Abgere: "..."

Dyne: "So, Ethan Kales, are you sure your actions are your own and not his? Are you sure you are making your own decisions?"

The fire ignites but the black smoke it leaves only makes the world dimmer.

Dyne: "How much of you is he? How little of him are you?"

And this dimmer world grows uglier and uglier with each passing moment.

Dyne: "Can you really save the world?"

Ethan: "No."

A word leaves his mouth, denying everything and yet nothing.

Ethan: "I can't save the world. I am not the one who has what it takes to save the world. I can't even save one little kid, much less the entire world."

And he admits it right then and there.

Whether it was the oath to never lie to himself or the obligation to answer Dyne's words or something else, it makes him answer his words.

Ethan: "But, you know who can."

And it makes him go a step further, the black smoke getting even darker with those words.

Dyne: "No, I don't."

Yet, it does not change anything.

Dyne: "I am told he is special and can change the course of the war but I have no idea what or how or why. So, no, I don't know if he can or not either."

Ethan understands why an artificial Ghost like him will not understand, he knows why someone like him will never understand.

But, even so,

Ethan: "If you want to question it, then question it. But, when the time comes, you'll see for yourself."

The smoke has engulfed the world in its grasp. Nothing is visible anymore. No one is visible anymore. Humanity has been lost.

Dyne: "... I see."

But, even in this world, the haunting face of the devil shines its malice upon those trapped in the smoke.

Dyne: "Then, let's get back to business, shall we?"

Dyne suggests, asking for the devil's child to come back to the topic.

Dyne: "I no longer care why Abgere was following us but I want to make a deal with him."

Abgere steps back as the Spectre casually looks in his direction.

Dyne: "We have business with the Phoenix so, give up on trying to kill him."

He suggests with cold eyes, a still stature and an unnerving calmness. But, even in the face of that, there's something Abgere would never accept.

Abgere: "There's no way I'd agree to that. No way in hell!"

Dyne: "..."

Gabriel: "Hah!"

Sighs the Hellfire who has only majorly listened so far.

Gabriel: "I never thought I'd say this but I am with Abgere on this one."

Surprising everyone but Ethan, Gabriel says so.

Gabriel: "I can't let that bastard live much longer either, and certainly not for the 'business' you people have with him."

The black smoke shows faces within itself. These faces long for the past.

And, seeing them come up, seeing them rushing to their past, to the world long gone and which they don't even fully comprehend, the silence starts to break.

Ethan: "You were right, Spectre Dyne. He might be controlling my every action. But, I definitely am not the only one he is controlling."

Dyne: "..."

Ethan: "You said your friend met him? When that friend told you about it, did your thoughts and actions not significantly start to change from before?"

Dyne: "Ah …"

Ethan: "But, in any case, the point is that you coming here might be something he wanted to happen, or it could just as easily not be anything of that magnitude."

Dyne: "Y-you mean-"

Ethan: "I mean that everything could be going just as he wanted, or maybe nothing could be going the way he wanted."

So, if it's uncertain which ringmaster controls the ring how much, there's nothing one can accomplish by fretting over it.

Ethan: "Therefore, I will continue to do what I think is right without worrying about him and his actions, for the time being."

Backing away a few steps, bringing back the smirk Dyne has known him for, Ethan says,

Ethan: "And what I think is right is stopping you from meeting the Phoenix, effectively halting The Dragon Alliance's progress and giving the Vampire Kingdom the chance to show up and attack you when you are this distracted, giving us the chance to weaken them as well in return."

Dyne: "You little-"

Ethan: "Yes, that is what I would do. I would let these allies of mine that generally never listen to me do what they want - which currently seems to be stopping you. And I will wait, wait for the rest of the world to show up - so I can take them down."

And so, Ethan Kales turns around and starts walking away like nothing happening there matters.

Gabriel and Abgere look at him, they look at each other and then they look at the Spectres. Even knowing that they are being used though, they can't just suddenly decide to let the Spectres go to the Phoenix.

Both the men know far too well that the only way they even stand a chance against Reid Vezalius Rosevelt is if they don't let him get any support. And, unaware that he already has gotten some support from the leader of the Ghost Nation himself, it seems to them that stopping the Spectres is the most important thing to do at the moment.

So,

Dyne: "You fools!���

Another battle begins.

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