[Ugh... All this acting is exhausting...]
Kaelen furrowed his brows as his head laid on Margaret's lap, and although he had said that he was okay, she insisted.
And for some reason, Arthur kept glaring at him, gnashing his teeth quietly.
"What were you thinking Julius? Why would you use Mana on a child?! A CHILD?!"
Helena was extremely furious, cornering Julius against the trunk of a tree.
"H-honey it's not like that. I wasn't going to harm him, I promise! I just wanted to help him remember."
Julius stammered and averted his gaze, his entire face sweating non-stop. If the Adventurers at the guild had seen him just now, their eyes and mouths would have gone wide in shock, that a man of his calibre would cower to his wife.
"By scaring the soul out of him?! Is that how you wanted to help him remember?!"
"I understand your burdens as the Leader, and that you're doing your utmost best to save us from our predicament, but —"
Her voice cracked, and so did her tear ducts, causing her eyes to become watery.
"Honey please, I just —"
Julius stretched out his bulky hand to comfort his wife, but she slapped it away as though disgusted by her own husband.
She couldn't understand how he could be so apathetic, especially given their circumstances.
"I understand your intentions, I really do. But if you're willing to endanger an innocent child to get us to the fifth floor then... sniff! "
"You're no better than the man who took our children from us!"
Her words spoken through twin waterfalls of tears gutted Julius, leaving him with a grim and dreadful expression.
She then stormed away, leaving her husband with the hand that she had just slapped aside still frozen in mid-air like the withered branch of an ancient tree.
[...]
[Their children were taken? Is that why they made the decision to challenge this Tower?]
Kaelen couldn't help but feel sorry for them as his head sank in Margaret's lap, and knowing their inevitable fate, that feeling of empathy quickly manifested as chest pains that caused his breathing to gradually become erratic.
"Hey, where are you going?! There could be Monsters there!"
Arthur cupped his hands on his mouth to amplify his voice, but at that point Helena had already been swallowed by the dense jungle behind them.
"Argh damn it, we don't need this right now!"
Arthur picked up his bow to go after her, but...
"Lead... I'll go and get her, please collect yourself. If you falter here, then we're all doomed."
Hank said, shooting Julius a worried look before running after Helena.
"Yeah, that's right..."
Julius muttered to himself and slowly made his way to a shade away from the others and stood there like a statue.
"Sigh... I understand how she feels, but is this really the time or place for her to go off on her own?"
Margaret spoke, gently brushing the snow-white hair of the boy who rested quietly on her lap.
"I know right? This isn't the time for a couple's quarrel. Is the Tower getting to her?She usually isn't like this."
Arthur sat back down and glanced at the short-statured man who had been quietly observing in silence the entire time.
"Sorry about all that Kaelen, but don't worry. I'm sure the Lead meant no harm, he's under a lot of pressure you see."
"None of this is your fault okay?"
Margaret spoke with a soft tone as she continued to gently brush Kaelen's hair, and he couldn't help but think that she would make a great mother.
[... Is this what maternal care feels like?]
He wondered, her soft touch alleviating the pain in his chest. He had never experienced a mother's love before, not in his current life nor the previous one.
[...]
Feeling embarrassed because of his own thoughts, Kaelen wriggled out of her embrace and stood upright.
"Kaelen? What's wrong?"
Margaret tilted her head.
"I, uh... I have to go to the bathroom."
[I need to get some fresh air.]
[...]
[On second thought, I could use this as an opportunity to run away.]
He hoped that if he left them, then perhaps the Roach and Charymos would leave them be.
[They'd be better off dealing with Honyopi than Charymos...]
He felt gutted, but this was the least he could do for them.
"On your own? I don't think so Kaelen, I'm coming with you."
Margaret stood up with an intense look in her eye, one that made it clear to Kaelen that she wouldn't take no for an answer.
[Ugh...]
The two of them walked back into the jungle so that Kaelen could relieve himself.
"Don't go too far or you'll get lost!"
Arthur shouted.
"He's not a baby you know..."
A grumble escaped Arthur's lips as he watched them, and then he stole a glance at the silent Igor once again.
[Oh great, it's just me and this grumpy old man?]
The silence was painfully awkward.
"So, Igor. What's new?"
Arthur attempted to strike up a conversation.
"Am I really the only one who sees that boy for what he truly is?"
"That Monster has managed to cause conflict between us in such a short amount of time."
Igor spat, his eyes bloodshot.
[Ugh why did I bother trying to talk to this codger?]
Arthur regretted it and turned to Julius who was still sulking in the distance.
"Think about it Arthur. Wouldn't now be the perfect time for us to be attacked, when we're so divided?"
As he asked that question, Igor's wrinkled face twisted into an eerie smile filled with horror.
"..."
Arthur couldn't help but wonder if Igor's hunch was right.
//
"Hey Kaelen, have you ever wondered what the world is like outside of this Tower?"
Margaret asked with her eyes glittering as the two made their way back to the others.
[Ugh, not only did I have to force myself to crap because she wouldn't give me some space, we've had to go around in circles because of her!]
[Why is she so bad at directions?! And it's not like I could've said hey, it's back that way. I'm just a kid who lost his memories.]
Kaelen complained inwardly and stiffened his brows to prevent them from furrowing.
"A Tower? What's that?"
The boy looked up at Margeret with a look of confusion and slight interest.
"Ah, that's right..."
[With how big this place is, I doubt he even knows that he's inside a Tower.]
[This is his world as far as he knows...]
Margaret smiled awkwardly.
"Oop, sorry Kaelen. But this isn't the real world, you're actually inside of a Tower, it's this veery tall structure, it's so tall that it even goes past the clouds, can you imagine that?"
Margaret raised her staff high and spoke in a jovial tone.
"Ohh really?! It's that tall?"
"Yes it is! And we're the brave heroes who conquer these Towers."
Margaret scoffed proudly.
[This girl... Is she actually sly? Was she testing me like Julius did?]
Kaelen secretly narrowed his eyes at her.
"Hm? I feel like we've been here before."
She stared at a tree and innocently tilted her head.
[Yes we have been here before! This is our third time!]
[I guess that's a no on her being sly like Julius.]
Kaelen sighed and hoped the others would come, but it had already been fifteen minutes at that point.
[I give up...]
"Margaret, I think we shoud —"
"Shh... I hear something."
She covered his mouth and the two of them crouched and hid themselves in the bushes whilst they carefully approached the source of the sound.
[Voices?]
Kaelen finally heard the distinctive sound of speech.
"N-no way..."
An involuntary whisper escaped Margaret's lips, her eyes trembling and her spine drenched by a cold sweat.
[What is it?]
Kaelen looked up at her expression and peaked through the leaves of the bushes they hid on.
[!!]
He honestly regretted feeding his curiosity as his eyes reflected the silhouettes of two figures who were no strangers to his eyes.
[What the...]
Kaelen was absolutely speechless by what he beheld with his own eyes, leaving his mouth agape.
It was Hank and Helena getting dressed, dried leaves clinging to the follicles of their hairs.