章 23: Love, Compassion, Devotion, and General Times
<Fucked is the right term. If this doesn't go in our favor somehow, he will destroy you.>
'Am I gonna get gutted once that bodyguard is done checking the wounded Vyurborne?'
<...>
'DOMINION!'
<The possibility exists. But I'll be here to save your ass if that happens. I would really prefer staying hidden until we reached the heart of Skystead Keep, though. But with this man, I doubt I'd be able to hide my identity for long. He can be quite… convincing, especially with his favorite interrogation method. You may survive when he's done with you, but you will bleed.>
'You're really making me stressed out here, Dominion. Stop hyping him too much, man! I'm already shitting myself here! How the fuck did you forget about this guy anyway?'
<He has gotten a bit older. I guess the last decade had been miserable for him; I can't even imagine what he's gone through without me. I left him to oversee my empire, or well, what remained of it, at least. And he did it on his own. He must still be in his fifties now, but he looked right about in his late sixties already. That's why I couldn't recognize him at first. And those scars… The one on his face. He didn't have them before. Life really is a cruel mistress for this man, but I see that he hadn't lost some of his bloodthirsty tendency even after ten years.>
'Oversee your empire? Wait, wait, wait, I'm really lost here, Dominion. Who the hell is this man? And how the fuck are you so knowledgeable about him?'
<Because I raised him.>
'What?'
<I raised him. He's like a son to me. In fact, I already told you about him.>
'Wait... This guy is that general we're talking about earlier?'
<Yep. Oh, that's General Times Newel Roma, alright. He's gotten older, his hair had a bit of gray, but his glare is just as menacing as before.>
'What the fuck is he doing here?'
<That's what I was asking earlier! I have no fucking clue why such an important figure would be here out in the open. I would definitely scold him if given the chance, but for now, you must keep my identity a secret first.>
'Well, he's definitely menacing. He's been looking at me as if he's already imagining the many ways he can fillet my body.'
<You're probably right.>
'...what? I was joking!'
<He's definitely a threat. I know all his capabilities. Everything he knows, he learned from me. Everything he is, he got from me. The warring, the violence, the coldness... All from me. I was the one who took him in his first war, and I was the one who cheered for him when he razed his first village. He was orphaned when he was six years old because of a war I started, and I first turned him into a monster because of a war that erupted against me. I turned him into the man he is. Menacing and unkind... And the saddest part is that I wanted for him to be like this.>
'What the hell is a man like him doing out here?'
<You've asked that twice already! The answer wouldn't change just because you kept annoying me about it! Why is the leader of the Vyurbornes flying around outside his halls at twilight with just a single guard? A general of his stature wears more extravagant clothing than the one he's in right now, so he's not out for official business. Is he on an infiltration mission? Why? He could just order someone else to do it for him. Would Times really be stupid enough to charge into a possible enemy camp with little to no backup? This is all too bizarre.>
'Whatever his purpose is, our first meeting couldn't be any worse than this. Seeing a human carrying a dying Vyurborne... What shitty timing.'
<I just can't wrap my head around it... There's no way Times would be this stupid!>
While Dominion was speaking, the soldier checking on the wounded Vyurborne suddenly sprang up with an elated tone.
"It's her, general!"
Times then averted his attention to the soldier after hearing those words. A shocked and exasperated expression painted his wrinkled face. "Be more specific, soldier. What do you mean 'her'?"
"It's here! The traveler saved Gertrude!"
Times looked at me again with a gaze drowning in a sea of bloodthirst. But this time, his dropped jaw showed a rather shocked expression that I never expected to see from him after what Dominion had told me.
<He's moving, Aleph! Get ready. I know his battle style well, so I'm confident we can at least escape!>
And yes, Times really did lunge forward. I took a step back, but my defenses immediately fell when I realized that he wasn't rushing towards me. Instead, he dashed straight into the wounded Vyurborne lady at the foot of the buloke, kneeling beside her with trembling hands and a few weeping hiccups.
And then, he cried.
'Eh?'
<What?>
Times began to choke up as tears flowed out of his dark sunken eyes like a leak in the middle of a storm. The Vyurbornean leader covered his mouth with his wing while the other caressed Gertrude's cheek. The supposed bloodthirsty general started to stutter, and his composure slowly melts away as he tried to utter a few weak whispers. And before long, the general pulled the injured Vyurborne into his chest and wrapped his hands around her head. A refreshed smile suddenly appeared on his now bright and relieved face. Times' wings caressed the injured Gertrude's back with his eyes closed, lips trembling as its corners perk upward. Meanwhile, the soldier with him just knelt beside him wordlessly, awaiting his next orders.
<He's crying... General Times is crying...>
'Yes... I... I can't believe it, but… He is.'
As I continued to converse with Dominion about our shared shock, General Times opened his eyes and directed a gentler gaze at me before speaking with an exasperated voice.
"You saved my daughter, traveler." General Times whispered in a husky tone while sniffing and coughing now and then. "I am indebted to you."
<So this is the effect of my absence...>
'What are you talking about?'
<I have never seen Times weep like that.>
'So?'
<This is the first time I'd ever seen him live. He looked so alive. I never thought my prolonged absence would give a cold-blooded monster the heart to love.>
And thus, Dominion and I gazed at General Times with awe as he gently patted on his daughter's head, whispering her name repeatedly with a beautiful smile of a father elated for his daughter's return.
"Gertrude… Gertrude…" Times whispered as he rocked Gertrude's body in his hands. "Forgive me, forgive father. I'll never let you go again."
クリエイターの想い 
blairehawthorne
blairehawthorne Merry Christmas and a happy holidays to you and your families, my dear readers! <3
Thank you for enjoying and reading Dead Gardens so far! Let us not end this day with more bloodshed but rather, with reunions, love, and heartfelt moments! Have a great day, everyone!
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