Chapter 34: Roommates
Arbus strode through the doors of the room indicated as his on the map of the facility sent to his badge. He paused upon entering, glancing around at the bright walls and dark ceiling with a slight frown. He wasn't a fan of that particular combination of colors.
There were only two beds sitting opposite each other, and a single wardrobe on the far wall. 'How minimalistic,' he mused inwardly as he walked over to the bed on the left and dropped his bag.
'I guess this will be my home for the next few months. Well, it's certainly an improvement from my last dorm,' he thought, his mind wandering to Tomber for a brief moment.
He leaned back, crashing onto the bed as he stared up at the dark ceiling with a blank expression.
"...What did I do to deserve this life?" Arbus muttered to himself.
He would be lying if he said he felt nothing from what happened earlier.
It was one thing when his peers hated and feared him. But it was another thing entirely for a Renegade instructor to openly try to kill him. She didn't even seem sorry about it after she understood her mistake. And neither did the other instructors. They were simply glancing at him from time to time, as if he was the one who committed a grave sin by even being born.
Arbus couldn't understand it.
Most Humans were vile and evil, and that point could never be disputed. But pointing that hatred and fear towards half-Humans was something he realized was just stupid as he grew older.
Most half-Humans were not like him. Their Human fathers and sometimes mothers were neither loving nor kind. His father was the only exception he knew of.
They were victims of Humans, just like any other citizen of this universe. And yet, they were still treated the same as them.
Arbus's brow furrowed as he thought of the Sword Saint. 'I wonder if that's what drove him insane eventually,' he wondered, thinking of the constant scornful words and hateful looks the Saint most likely received from his peers and the people he saved, despite going up against his own race. 'How long did he have to endure that?'
"...Will I end up the same way, too?" Arbus murmured, his eyes narrowing.
"No... I won't. If it ever reaches a point where I can't take it anymore, then I'll just leave. Well, at least I'll try to," he said, remembering how hard it was to actually leave the organisation. There was a high chance that he would be deemed a criminal and hunted for the rest of his life if he did. But, he was more than willing to take that chance if it ever came to it.
He touched his neck, his hand finding the bracelet tied around it like a necklace.
"Well, I won't accept that! No matter how long it takes, I'll end this pointless war started by a nobody from a millennia ago! I'll make Humans and the people of this universe come together as one peaceful society! A society where half-Humans won't be discriminated against for no reason."
"No one will ever treat you that way ever again. I promise!"
"So just trust me. Ok? Help me achieve my goal.
His hand tightened around the bracelet as another painful memory came flooding back. "...It's a shame you couldn't keep your promise, Arora. I would have loved to see the world you wanted to create," he said with a somber smile.
"Oh, it's you."
Arbus glanced toward the door, seeing a familiar white Mornan in a yellow jacket walking in with a surprised expression.
"You again," he mumbled. "I guess that means we're roommates."
"Sheesh, don't get too excited! It's not like I'm the only trainee in the facility that isn't seconds away from rioting for your expulsion," Alexander said with a chuckle as he strode to the other bed and dropped his bag. He glanced around the room for a few moments. "How empty."
He turned to Arbus with a smile. "I guess that's why they paired us together. Since I'm the only one not too scared or feeling indignant about your presence here."
"That's the problem," Arbus said with a slight scoff. "Your casual demeanor is unsettling in comparison to everyone else here. If even the instructors are worried, then why aren't you?"
Arbus wasn't the type of person to trust someone so easily. He'd felt the same way about Bridge's attitude towards him weeks ago, but wasn't in the right state of mind to worry about something as minor as that after what he experienced.
Alexander remained silent for a few moments, then shrugged. "Probably because you're not the first half-Human I've met."
Arbus's eyes widened slightly. "You... have met other half-Humans? Where?"
"What? Did you think you were the only one in this star system or something?" Alexander asked with a laugh. "You're the only one I've seen that looks closest to a Human, though. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a bit uneasy about that at first."
"I come from a refugee city on Morgan's largest moon," he continued. "There's quite a lot of them there."
'Morgan, that's one of the planets ruled by Mornans,' Arbus recalled.
"...I see. So you're not originally from this star system, I'm guessing?"
"I suppose you could say that," Alexander answered.
Arbus remained silent, considering his words for a few moments. "And how's their lives like over there? Those half-Human refugees, I mean."
Alexander's expression shifted slightly as a complicated look flashed through his purple eyes. "Not great. Not great at all."
Arbus let out a sigh. "Well, what else was I expecting, really?"
Alexander scratched the back of his head, looking a bit tense about the sudden awkward silence in the room. "Anyways, you can just call me Alex from now on. That's what most of my friends do."
Arbus glanced at him with a raised brow. "Since when were we friends?"
"Sheesh, you really are hard to talk to, aren't you? Feel free to do as you like then, roomie. I'll do the same. Let's just try to make the best out of our next few months here together."