Words...

*Lili's POV*

There's a pearl of wisdom of the old and wise- words are like an arrow nocked on a bow; once released, you cannot take them back.

And I shot the most hurtful arrows at him last night.

"You're worthless!"

I said that to the only person in the entire world who never thought of me as worthless, even though I really am. And why I said that? Simply because, for the first time, he took off to deal with his own demons rather than focus on mine.

I called the only reason I've begun looking forward to tomorrow- worthless. Said that to the very reason I could fight back last night.

"You're a liar!" That too, I called him.

I called him a liar for breaking a promise he never made. I just assumed he did- just assumed it's now his obligation to keep me safe. My Safe Haven…

I screamed, I yelled, that he should've been there for me, scowling at his tear-stained eyes in hatred.

That nade blast in Dungeon's second floor…

He never mentioned it, neither did I. But we both knew- Master Argus had every chance to get away from the blast radius- he had every reason to; after all, I am a Level-1, and he isn't.

Anyone else in his place would've prioritized their own safety, but he didn't. He, even at the risk of death, first made sure that I was safe.

And I said the most hurtful of things for the wounds that don't even make up for a fraction of the ones he was fighting.

And I say the world is unfair.

Memories of last night, those words I spoke, choked my mind the second I opened my eyes.

Came along with the asphyxiation was the haunting realization of- I don't deserve of his friendship… or affection of any form.

He gave me a hand, and I bit it.

But from somewhere- someplace deep, a little voice spoke, "Go make this right."

Right? But how?

Say that I'm sorry, I didn't mean it?

What hurts the most that, even after saying what I did, he still hugged me until I vented, and fell asleep. He never roared back, even though he had every right to. Didn't glare back either, nor did he fight back. He just hugged me till I fell asleep, listening quietly as I cursed him.

'But what will just laying here achieve?'

Nothing.

And so, slowly, I forced my body to move and sat my aching back straight. And that's when I felt it: this strange lightness- a burden lifted from my back while at the same time I felt… strangely drained.

As the mind cleared up- the gears turned and clicked-

"My Falna!" my body yelped on its own.

Feet slipped into the slippers, knees stretched straight- I ran to the mirror, fumbling out of my top, and-

"It's gone!" the Hieroglyphs making up the emblem of a cup of wine and a crescent moon was no longer cursing my skin. No longer was there a mark of eternal slavery on my back.

How long have I dreamed of this? To one day wake up and feel no Falna on my back- free from the leash of Soma Familia. To wake up one day and breathe in freedom.

But not even a shred of the joy I imagined myself in was there. Instead, this suffocating clutch on my heart squeezed my breath away.

I knew for a fact- the reason this dream of mine is now a reality. And I hated every moment of it.

I remember there was once a man who injured a God to get leverage on a Familia.

Outraged, the entire city then banded together to catch him, turning Orario over its baffled head as they did.

They publically executed that man- Death by Fire.

No trails they held, no testimonies they took, no investigations OPD launched, no hearing. They tied him to a horse by the ankle and paraded him to the execution before burning him alive on a stake.

And Master Argus SLEW a God! He killed Soma!

"What have I done?" A crumbling whisper escaped on its own.

"No… maybe I'm wrong!" My heart surged aloud as I rubbed the sweat tricking my brow, "He's in his room! Still asleep! His stomach is too wounded to fight… Yes! It was probably someone else! After all… Soma Familia has too many enemies to count!"

Indeed. The probability of Master Argus being the killer was minuscule at best, but at the same time, almost blinding.

On the one hand, there is a good chance that it was someone else: I was not the only victim of their greedy cruelty, not to mention, I am… was a member of their own Familia. The unspeakable things I've seen them do to others...

Maybe someone finally snapped, and brought an end to this insatiable chain of cruelty, at the cost of his or her life.

While on the other hand, Master Argus fitted that someone's description too much ignore.

But looking at things logically, Master Argus is not stupid enough to pick a fight he cannot win. Nor does he have that so-called 'Alpha Pride' which usually infests the people as special as he is.

Not to mention, Master Argus knows today we join Loki Familia.

And once in, it will only be a matter of proving himself before Soma Familia ceases to exist, along with all our problems.

Yes, he is not the brightest, I admit. But he is capable of seeing the bigger picture.

[Yes! Now that I think about it… of course, it's someone else!] I thought, a smile of relief curving. And just as I breathed a sigh… last night played again.

Frenzied adrenalin gushed in the next second- the blurs in my eyes faded- feet shot to door- a hand reaching forward to the doorknob as I slipped into the top again, and-

-Bang!

The door furled open as I bolted to the one across the corridor.

-Bang!-Bang-Bang!

"Master Argus!" My quaking voice cried his name, dying to hear those sleepy whimpers, "Open the door! Please! You're in there, right?!"

But not even a tic came from the other side.

My hand then shot to the knob, twisting and turning the stuck-locked handle, and I knew… my worst nightmare has just begun.

"No! Maybe… maybe he is downstairs. Yeah! Sipping away his morning coffee! Just like usual!"

If only that were true. This sense of freedom if felt was a glaring proof of the worst.

But I still tried my luck and shot to the lobby.

The screaming pain in my back was nothing compared to the chaos in my mind.

And the second I touched the floor below, my eyes immediately began darting around their sockets, praying to the gods above… but not even his shadow I found.

[Think, Lili! Where would he go after this?]

And the answer came swifter than I ever thought.

The Black Market Hospital! Granny Ren!

Just as my feet sprinted out, the reality of the situation bared its fangs-

[No! I will only draw attention to him! Think your actions through, Liliruka!... Carefully!]

A God was slain last night. I refuse to believe the best minds this city has to offer are not after him right now.

Rushing in blindly will not only draw suspicion of various forces at play, both hidden or not. But I can also be the very reason that Master Argus gets caught- if they haven't caught him already- which will be the worst-case scenario, and I cannot allow that.

[But before I make my move… I need to get info.] The first thing that needed to be done is to get rid of this blindfold of foggy speculations.

And ironically, the best source of valid information was the OPD itself.

Besides, one way or another- if not today then tomorrow, I will have to report to OPD. Might as well do it now while I'm still ignorant.

If I played this right- somehow managed to lie on the fence of truth, I would not only have gathered all the Intel I need to plan my course of action- I would have also cleared my name from their list. That'll give me more freedom of activity, and possibly some insider knowledge if I chose my words correctly.

But a single mistake… one wrong word is all it will take to…