123 Guys talk (2/2)

Marcus noticed that Daren was looking a little down. ”What's wrong?”

”... I was hoping... I was hoping that maybe... If we knew more about her... We could... I don't know... Find a way to deal with her without...”

Marcus stared at Daren wondering what he was trying to say.

”Without killing her...”

”...?”

”Marcus, you killed demons right?”

”Yes... Many... Many demons... So many demons...” Said Marcus as he stared at his own hands. The same hands he would often turn into blades to slay his enemies.

”But you never killed a human... Did you...?”

”No... My mother never requested me to... Except for Evlin I never tried to harm any person...”

Trying to kill Evlin was one of the biggest regrets in the lad's life. He desperately wanted to do anything in his power to correct that mistake, the mistake of unleashing his own anger and frustration on others, and causing pain. Ever since he received his change of heart, he started to truly value a human life.

”Lilith... She killed many people during a war once... And that memory still haunts her, even today...”

Marcus looked at Daren once he realized this was actually a very important topic.

”She's getting better with each day... Especially after Lance came into our lives... But the memory is still there... Poking the back of her head, appearing in front of her when she least expects it...” Daren said while looking at the wall as if trying to imagine Lilith in her room with Lance. ”This whole thing with Mia... It might end up driving Evlin to go through something similar... And I trust Evlin, I do... But she was not born in the same world we were...”

Marcus then understood what Daren was trying to say.

”If she ends up killing Mia... She might change who she is... Forever...”

”Evlin never killed her enemies before?”

”Evlin never had enemies... She had people that would try to capture her or kill her... But these people always did it to get her power, it was never personal...”

”...”

”But this one is... Mia provoked Evlin in a way no one ever did before... Even when we were going after East... That was our grudge that we were dealing with, not hers...” Daren stared directly into the eyes of the lad in front of him. ”I don't want to see Evlin suffer like Lilith did... Not after all she did for us... I don't want to see her lose herself.”

”Me too... But I'm sorry Daren... I don't think there will be an easy answer for this one... Mia will never stop until she gets what she wants... That's just who she is... Who she has always been, ever since I first met her...”

”I see... Then... In that case...” Daren stood up and came closer to Marcus.

”...?” The silver-haired young man started to worry about the situation. Daren was looking at him like he was desperate.

””Can I ask you a selfish request...?” Daren said while clenching his fists.

”Request...?”

”I don't want to see Evlin Become a killer... But I also don't want to place more blood on Lilith's hands... And I myself can't do anything now that I don't have my curse anymore...”

”Daren...? Where are you going with this?” Marcus asked while starting to sweat.

”Marcus... Could you please help me kill Mia...?”

”...” Marcus didn't know what to say. He never expected Daren to drop this kind of request on his lap like this.

It's not like Marcus really cared about Mia that much, but he was trying to be a better person. A person that wouldn't just declare that he would kill a young girl and her friends just because they were on a quest to defeat his mother.

He felt that accepting to kill Mia would bring him back to who he used to be, who he was trying to avoid becoming again.

”I know this is unfair to you... But you're the only one who can do it... I don't have the power you do... If I did I would do it by myself... But...” Daren started to shake as if making that request was killing him in the inside. ”But if you lend me your power... The same way your father used to... We can spare both Lilith and Evlin from this burden!”

Marcus knew that feeling. It was the same feeling he had when he first met his father, Marceus. At that time, his father also looked in pain while asking him for an impossible request, to take his place as the living-weapon.

And now, Daren was doing the same thing. Asking the lad to do something drastic while looking like he was about to shatter at any moment. Marcus wasn't the same as before. He had long since decided that he wouldn't just follow people's wishes so blindly. Evlin taught him that he had the right to choose who he wanted to be. But he still felt that this was something he should do.

”Ok...” Said Marcus in a low voice.

”R- Really...?”

”I want to help in any way I can... I wanna help Evlin the same way she helped me... If saving her family from Mia while avoiding her from turning into something she shouldn't be can do that... Then...” Marcus closed his eyes before making his resolve, and then opened them again to stare at Daren. ”Then I'll do it... I'll be your sword to help you kill Mia!”

”Thank you, Marcus...” Daren said, with words of regret, wishing he could spare the lad from the burden as well, and secretly wishing Marceus could forgive him.

Marcus stood up and extended his hand towards Daren. Daren himself in return shook his hand, and the two finished their secret agreement.

They were going to kill Mia, so that neither Evlin nor Lilith had to.