Chapter XX: Fate (Pt.2)

 He figured it was time they learned about the atrocity he committed before continuing with him.

 "No," Alissia answered.

 "I do," Trik declared as he floated next to Alissia. "Brayton Village was a small town in the countryside with a population of just over 7,000. Most avoided going there because of its reputation for sick people. A few years ago, something happened that wiped out half its population, but no one knows what caused it."

 "That 'something' was me," Tymon stated, his voice full of regret.

 Tymon went on to tell them how, until he was 16, he'd been raised there by a man he would later consider his dad. He was found as a baby, but it wasn't until he was 13 that he first noticed bugs would drop and die around him. When his dad found out about it, he called it a curse, so he also began looking at it as one.

 One day, while he and his best friend were playing, they came across a dog that would follow them, so they secretly took him in and fed him portions of their meals. The curse wasn't that powerful back then, but it was still enough for others to start fearing being around him.

 That didn't matter, though. Two people still treated him like a person: his best friend and his dad. That was enough for him.

 He didn't notice it then, but each of his companions was growing sicker over time. Then, one day, when he was 14, he was out playing when his best friend and the dog they'd grown close to began coughing up blood before falling unconscious.

 Their bodies remained lifelessly still even as he shook them.

 It was the first time he had experienced losing someone dear to him. He was so shocked and traumatized about what he'd witnessed that it hadn't registered that it was his fault yet.

 For hours he sat there staring at the corpses of what used to be his best friends until his dad showed up.

 Tymon hadn't noticed then, but his dad looked sick like the others did before they died. His dad feared what the village would do to Tymon, so he covered up the bodies and told Tymon never to speak of what happened for his own good.

 That night, Tymon had nightmares about what had happened. His dad found him crying in a corner and held him close.

 As he did, he told Tymon that he'd never leave him. Tymon remembered thinking to himself, "Please don't." But he never said it out loud.

 For the next two years, things only grew worse. More people and animals began getting sick and eventually died as his curse's range and intensity increased.

 By that point, the people of the village had grown hostile toward Tymon. In an attempt to get rid of him, many gathered at his home and through tear gas in the house.

 The tear gas had no effect on him, but it did on his dad.

 Tymon learned too late that the gas was meant to draw him out of the house so that he could be shot. The moment those outside saw someone walk through the front door, they fired, but the person leaving the house was his dad instead of Tymon.

 Tymon somehow knew that his dad was already dead. Then he heard someone say, "That's not him!" then yelled for the others to charge into the house to find Tymon.

 Tymon had never felt so much anger before then. He remembered suddenly feeling a sensation like something inside him burst, then there was silence.

 Confused, he stepped outside and saw dead, decayed bodies everywhere. Some were at the door, almost inside, while others were on the street and in the dried yard.

 When Tymon looked at his dad's body, he saw it was in the same state as the others.

 He knelt beside his dad's body as hot tears ran down his cheeks. He remembered thanking his dad for loving and protecting him all those years, even when everyone feared and despised him. He noticed the cross his dad wore around his neck was still intact and grabbed it as a memento.

 Walking down the street, he saw that most of the town's animals and people were similarly decayed. It was then that he decided it was best to stay away from people.

 "Then, when I was 18, Za'Fia found me," Tymon said, concluding his story.

 "That's...I'm sorry. I didn't know," Alissia said.

 "Admittedly, that's tragic," Trik said sympathetically.

 "Thanks," Tymon said. "But I didn't tell you that to garner sympathy. I told you because it's important you know about the atrocity I committed before we continue moving forward together."

 "Although terrible, you had no control over that. I don't see a reason to mistrust you," Alissia said.

 Tymon and Alissia looked at Trik.

 "It's not really my decision, but if it were, I wouldn't judge you for something out of your control," he said reluctantly.

 "Well, there you have it," Alissia said as she washed her dishes.

 Tymon sighed as he stared off.

 Before Tymon knew it, the day had gone by, and night had arrived.

 After the nightmare he had the previous night, he wasn't looking forward to sleeping. Why couldn't that be something klevonians didn't have to do?

 He decided to go out for a while and found himself eating at a tavern to ease his mind.

 While there, three men walked in – two big guys and one smaller, timid one. He sensed the two big guys had abnormally high energies and were close to death. From what he felt, he guessed they'd die before morning.

 One of the big men had Jack engraved on his work shirt. According to Jack, the other big guy's name was Mat.

 Jack and Mat sat at the bar next to Tymon's booth. Apparently, they didn't have their wallets on them, and the bartender refused to let them add any more to their tab until they started paying it off.

 After noticing Tymon near them, Mat moved to stand next to him. From his stumble, Tymon realized he'd already been drinking some.

 "Hey, you wouldn't mind footin' the bill, would ya?" Mat said. His tone insinuated that Tymon didn't have a choice.

 The guy was clearly cocky because of his size and him most likely having a higher-than-average EQN.

 "Go away," Tymon said without looking at him.

 "Aw, you gonna turn us away like that," he said before firmly placing his hand on Tymon's shoulder. "Come on; we're here all the time. You take care of it now, and we'll get you back next time. My buddy and I will be competing in the upcoming SVVL tournament, so we're good for it."

 Tymon looked at Mat, annoyed, and sent a small wave of malice at him.

 "I said. Go. Away."

 Mat was struck with fear as he quickly backed away from Tymon.