20 Decision

The puppy in his hands cowered due to the loud sound, trying to hide in Al's arms. It hiccuped again and transformed back into the black dagger, and as Al's eyes were on his uncle, he saw him frown even though he had been sure that it wasn't possible for him to get even more serious.

"That confirms it. I was a bit doubtful, before… but now, I'm sure. Al… put it down slowly, and step away."

If asked, Al would never have been able to imagine how the situation could get worse…but as he watched old man Joseph take out the revolver at his hip and point it straight at the puppy's head which had reappeared with another hiccup, the shock coursing through his mind threatened to overwhelm him.

Already, he couldn't even form a coherent thought. He could only look at the revolver that had effortlessly made an entire gang of thugs bolt, and in his mind, the image of the bullet forming a perfect hole in the husky's head just like it had in the baseball bat before appeared.

This finally made him act. He stepped back, alright, but he clutched the puppy all the closer. Alas, he was too slow. Old man Joseph moved with him can perfectly, and the revolver stayed on the husky's head.

As for the little thing… it seemed to have calmed down, now that there were no loud sounds. Inquisitively, it looked all around, the curiosity of a child apparent in its eyes, and after setting its eyes on the silvery gun… it reached forward, and licked the barrel.

It was a sight so absurd that Al would have laughed if the tension in the air wasn't thick enough to be cut with a knife. His jaw quivering with dismay, he looked at his uncle and finally found his tongue.

"What are you saying? You must be mistaken! Eric's old man gave me the puppy, and he did say that it would restrict one when they reached a certain level… but that was about it! Maybe you're mistaking it for something else!"

A flash of anger passed old man Joseph's face as the origin of the Armament came to light. For the briefest of moments, Al felt… afraid.

It passed so quickly that he wondered whether he had imagined it.

'Yes… how could I ever be afraid of him? He was there when everyone else abandoned me! This must be a mistake!'

He tried to reassure himself, but the gun that was still pointing at the husky made it hard for him to do so.

When no response came even after a few seconds passed, the familiar, but still searing pain of being betrayed arrived in his mind.

Tears gathering in his eyes, he looked at the old man, wondering whether he would be parted from this little thing that had become an inseparable part of him. The small amount of time they had spent together did not justify such a bond… but it was still there.

Seeing his reaction, his uncle finally moved. He took back the revolver and holstered it, as if understanding that it might have been a mistake to have had it appear in the first place. Yet… Al noticed that his hand still remained near it, and from all the times he had seen the man draw it so quickly, he knew that it could be back on its target in merely the fraction of a second.

"Al… listen closely. You know I still have contacts in the army, right?"

Al nodded. "Yes. The old man also told me that he got it from the army…"

His uncle sighed. "You should have learned, by now, to not trust a word that man says. He has a way of twisting things so that on the surface, they might appear true… but underneath, they might be the farthest thing from the truth possible. Take this Armament, for instance. Yes, it will restrict one after reaching a certain level. That part is true."

Al nodded again, trying to draw the tears back into his eyes. He hated crying in front of anyone, and in front of his uncle, he hated it all the more, as he always aspired to be as manly as the man.

"Yes, he said that one might have to put it down, then…"

Old man Joseph tightened his fist and shook his head.

"That's the thing. That's where the problem lies. It will work fine in your initial journeys, but after that… it will restrict your power. In other words… it will stop you from growing. And if you do put it down… there is a certain backlash that is so potent that it might even kill you. Al… any way I see it, it is best if you forget that it ever existed in the first place. Unless…have you already bonded with it?"

The tears were threatening to arrive with full force as he heard the judgment being passed by his uncle. Still, he answered.

"No… I haven't been Blessed, remember?"

Old man Joseph dropped on to the couch behind him as he heard him.

"That's good. Al… give it to me. I promise I won't hurt it. I'll give it to someone who can raise it, hidden away. I know how ambitious you are, so I don't want you to be tied down by it. It will be coveted, for sure, even with the curse surrounding it… but they'll resent it, later, and might even take out their frustrations by inflicting harm. I don't want that to happen. I'm sorry that I… overreacted."

It was the first time that his uncle was speaking so much, and also the first time that the man was apologizing for something. This made him understand that he was being honest, so Al began to grudgingly see that what he was hearing… might be the truth.

He looked between the puppy and his uncle. He imagined going forward and giving it up, and never seeing it again… snd his heart filled up with pain.

Innocently, the puppy looked between them both, too. It seemed to have been convinced that it had found two masters to play with, now, and it seemed more excited than ever, making happy sounds while struggling once again to reach his face.

Al brought it up, granting its wish for the second time. He didn't even move as it joyfully licked him all over. All the time, he kept looking into its eyes, remembering that moment when it had touched him for the first time.

'It… trusted me. Should I let it down, like I've been let down so many times?'

Narrowing his eyebrows, he thought about the future. He imagined going to a certain level of power and then being unable to grow any stronger, and he juxtaposed that with a future where the little thing wasn't beside him.

The answer became evident in an instant.

'No! No way! I swore that I would never let down anyone who depended on me, as we were let down by so many! I've only just started on my path… so how can I forget my ideals already?'

He hugged the puppy again, and even though he didn't look up, he heard his uncle sigh once more.

With a determined look on his face, he met old man Joseph's gaze.

"Uncle. I don't doubt what you're saying. But…if I choose power over the love and trust it has shown me, how can I be any different from those I detest? How can I live with myself, knowing that I let someone down? After our family fell…I promised myself that I would never, ever let anything similar happen to anyone who cared for me. That includes you, my mom, and now…this little thing, too. When it touched me, after a long, long time, I felt like my heart began to…heal. It was only a little, but still…I just can't do it. I won't! No matter what, we will journey together. In this new world, anything is possible…and I WILL find a way to break all restrictions. I just realized…that I haven't named it, yet. Well, I'm gonna do it now. Little buddy, you're going to be called Beri, from now on. Beri…for Beric, the brother I lost when I was just five. Tell me, uncle…will you separate us brothers, now, or will you trust me?"