At the exact instant the thought that he might be wrong crossed his mind, he rejected it violently.
No.
It couldn't be true.
His pride rose like a wall, refusing to accept even the possibility that he had made a mistake. The mere idea was unbearable. So he reacted the way he always did when he felt cornered: he shoved Morgan hard, almost in rage.
-hey, what the hell is wrong with you?
( Said Morgan, confused and annoyed )
-no… no, you're not wrong… she's wrong… I'm right… I'm right…
( Murmured Xol, his voice breaking, desperate )
Xol stared at him intensely. His eyes burned, not only with fury, but with fear. A deep fear, almost childlike. He clenched his teeth and, with a thread of a voice loaded with rage and denial, he shouted at him.
-¡I AM RIGHT!
Then, he began to fade.
His figure became blurry, unstable, as if the air itself were rejecting him. Morgan tried to touch him, tried to hold him, to keep arguing with him, to demand answers… but it was useless. Xol disappeared completely.
Suddenly, Morgan regained control of his body. The change was so abrupt that he lost his balance for a few seconds, the world spun around him, and the impact forced him to steady himself clumsily. When he managed to stabilize himself, the rage exploded.
-¡WHERE ARE YOU GOING?! I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU YET! I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU!
( Said Morgan, punching the air in anger )
But Xol was already gone.
Morgan remained there, breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling irregularly. He called out to him. Once. Twice. Three times.
Nothing.
Indignant, frustrated, with a knot in his throat, he sat down on his bed. He brought both hands together into a fist and pressed them against his forehead, squeezing his eyes shut.
-what am I going to do…?
( Thought Morgan, exhausted )
Tomorrow he would have to fight.
And he… he had never fought in his life.
He didn't know how to do it. He didn't know how to move, how to attack, how to defend—there had never been a need to learn those things. Ever since he had arrived, Xol had been the one fighting for both of them, the one who took and returned the blows, while he only endured the pain of the wounds, the burning of the blood, the weight of battle.
-what am I going to do if he doesn't come back…?
( Said Morgan, desperately )
He didn't want to admit it.
He really didn't.
But even though he was furious with Xol, even though his pride screamed otherwise… he needed him. He needed him to fight. To survive. To fulfill his objective.
-I ne…
Morgan lightly bit his tongue, stopping himself before finishing those words. His eyes hardened. His gaze sharpened.
-no… I don't need him. I can do it. I can do it on my own.
( Said Morgan, determined, even though his voice trembled )
Then, someone knocked on the door.
Morgan stood up immediately, almost by reflex, and walked to open it… until he heard the voice on the other side.
-Morgan… Morgan, are you there?
His hand froze on the handle.
The voice was Sataná's.
It sounded distressed. Worried. Sad.
-I apologize for my lady… she lost control for a moment. She's not like that. She may seem like a bad person, but… she is very good, believe me, she truly is.
( Said Sataná, trying to encourage Morgan )
-I know you didn't want any of this to happen… I know it wasn't your intention.
Morgan felt guilt sink into his chest. Even though he knew he hadn't caused any of it, the weight was unbearable. Guilt for not being strong enough. Guilt for not being able to stop Xol from taking control whenever he wanted. But above all, guilt for realizing that he was starting to depend on him.
-I'm sorry…
( Said Morgan, in a low voice )
-huh?
( Said Sataná, confused )
-I'm sorry… because of me, your life, Galahad's life, Miss Luzbel's… even Zarathoz's… because of me, everyone's life is in danger…
( Said Morgan, trying not to cry )
Sataná felt a deep pain upon hearing that tone. Morgan sounded broken. Exhausted. Like someone carrying a weight far too heavy for his body.
She gently placed the palm of her hand on the door. She closed her other hand and brought it to her chest, speaking from the deepest part of her heart.
-you know… ever since I became aware of my existence, I dreamed… I longed… for someone to appear who wasn't like them. Someone different. Someone who would stand up and place themselves between them and us. Someone who would truly be on our side. Someone who would look at the way we're treated and say this isn't right… enough is enough.
Her voice trembled.
-but that someone seemed like nothing more than a longing… a dream. I began to believe that someone like that simply couldn't exist. That they would always look at us with hatred, with disgust… worse than animals. And when I started to lose hope… when I believed that dream would never come true… you appeared.
She paused, breathing with difficulty.
-someone who treated us like living beings… and not like things. I couldn't believe it. I was so happy… the more I listened to you speak, the more I knew you weren't lying. I, who have heard so many lies… found someone who spoke from the heart.
Her voice broke.
-I must admit it… I doubted. A part of me always doubts. But then that moment came… that moment when you didn't care that the entire academy was watching. You didn't care what they would say about you. You simply… jumped. You placed yourself between that wolf woman and Galahad just to protect her.
Tears began to fall.
-now I know for certain that you are that someone I dreamed of so much… the one I prayed for so often. I can only thank you… for existing. For making my dream come true. Thank you… thank you so much…
( Said Sataná, in tears, both of sadness and joy )
At that moment, Luzbel and Galahad arrived. Luzbel looked agitated, nervous, in a hurry, almost on the verge of collapse.
-Morgan, Morgan, don't feel bad. None of this is your fault, it's my fault. I knew… I knew I had to take you far away from here. It was my fault, I should have listened to my instincts. Don't worry, you don't have to do this. We still have time. I can take you as far away from here as possible, just let me… trust me… you'll be fine, just open the door and—
She couldn't finish.
The door burst open.
Both Luzbel and Sataná were left in shock.
Morgan had tear marks on his face. His eyes were red. But his gaze… his gaze was different. Firm. Serious. Determined.
-no… please… let me handle this. Please… let me do this…
End of chapter.
Next chapter: my first fight.