Chapter 156 Bittersweet Memories Part 9
[: Daniel POV :]
"Then, what's your next plan, Daniel?"
Eventually, Marco broke his silence, his gaze piercing through the air.
And his words carried a weight of seriousness that demanded my attention.
Marco, he was the current second-in-command of the Bell Organization.
He was a man of stern countenance, exuding an intimidating aura.
He might not have been conventionally handsome or a charismatic figure.
However, what set him apart was his razor-sharp intellect and unmovable firmness.
Among all the branch leaders, he was known as the most relentless and formidable.
It earned him the moniker "Mad Dog" for his unyielding bravery and fierce approach.
The memory of how he had treated me in the alternate future still lingered in my mind.
After the painful loss of everyone I held dear, Marco hadn't offered me hollow words of consolation.
Instead, he took a different approach, one that left an indelible mark on my transformation.
He trained me relentlessly, pushing me to the limits of my endurance until I could stand and walk on my own.
That training had been grueling, nearly breaking me, but it was also a crucible that forged my strength and resolve.
Despite the physical and emotional hardships, I couldn't find it in my heart to hate him.
Over time, he had transformed from a stern instructor into someone important and precious in my life.
At some point, in the alternate future, we had a heated quarrel.
"Daniel, what in the hell are you doing!?"
Marco's voice thundered, a stark display of his fiery temper.
I shot back, my voice laden with deep anger.
"What am I doing? Can't you see it?" I shouted.
"I'm going to hunt down every one of those monstrous bastards! I'm going to annihilate them all!" I declared.
"That's a naive thought and a stupid way of thinking,"
Marco spat out, his words landing on my ears like stinging slaps to the face.
The blunt force of his verbal assault cut deep.
"Don't be an idiot, you're just weak,"
He continued, his voice laced with frustration and concern.
"There's nothing that you can do, and don't even bother dreaming,"
He said, his tone heavy with grim reality.
"Because you'll only end up being a dead fool"
"The fact that you can't understand this, it's pathetic and ridiculous,"
He admonished, his sternness driving the point home.
My anger surged in response. "How dare you insult me?!"
I shouted, my voice cracking with a mix of rage and hurt.
"Shut up and stop acting like a child!"
Marco retorted, his own frustration now evident.
"Listen here, and let me spell it out for you,"
He declared, his words carrying the weight of his experience and the harshness of the world we lived in.
"The only ones who can defeat those monsters are monsters themselves, and not a pathetic man like you who'd always cry in the corner!"
Marco's harsh words ignited a fire of anger within me.
Deep down, I couldn't deny the truth in his words.
But in that heated moment, my hatred overshadowed any rational thought.
Despite his scolding, Marco was more than that.
He had been the one to support me when everyone else was gone, and that meant something to me.
"I will be damned if I'm going to sit by and watch as monsters roam freely, killing innocent people"
"No, I can't, and I won't. So, if you don't want to join me, go ahead, but don't say that I didn't give you a chance,"
I declared, my rage ringing through every word.
Driven by a surge of emotion, I couldn't help but lash out at him.
"Fine, come at me then," he challenged, his body poised in a defensive stance.
I couldn't back down now, not in the heat of the moment.
"Bring it on, you old man!" I charged, swinging wildly at him.
My first blow was easily blocked, and his knee struck my stomach, knocking the wind out of me.
Before I could recover, his foot slammed into the side of my head, sending me sprawling to the ground.
But I was stubborn, and I refused to back down.
"Hmph, you're not a kid anymore. Stop pretending and grow up!"
Marco's taunts stung, and I couldn't help but lash out in anger. "
Go screw yourself!"
I shouted, my emotions boiling over, my focus unwavering.
I had one unwavering goal, to get stronger, no matter the cost.
The memory of losing everyone I held dear was an unceasing torment, and I couldn't bear the thought of losing anyone else.
"Damn you, damn the monsters, and damn the entire world!"
I cursed, my rage consuming me.
"I'm not afraid of death, and the world can go to hell"
"All I want is to avenge them. I'm exhausted, and I have no energy left to put up with your crap."
"Oh, really?"
Marco's response was ice-cold, and his stare pierced into my soul.
"So, why aren't you trying harder? You're a waste, and the worst part is that you don't even realize it."
He didn't stop there, and his words cut deeper than any blade ever could.
"And you call yourself a man when you're not even strong enough to avenge their deaths?"
"How can you make such claims when you can't even avenge your own mother?"
As much as his words were a bitter truth, there was no way in hell I would admit to it.
My pride and stubbornness prevailing even in the face of brutal reality.
"Shut the hell up and fight!"
I roared, charging at Marco with a wild, reckless abandon.
I was past caring, all I wanted was an outlet for the frustration boiling inside me.
Marco deftly sidestepped my attack, his expression unchanged.
"See? What did I say?"
He taunted with a wide smirk, and his mocking tone grated on my last nerve.
The emotional storm inside me raged stronger.
"You're not fit to be a man, and if you want to be a hero, you should stop deluding yourself,"
He continued, his words cutting deep.
"Heroes are made, not born, and you're not the main character in a fantasy story"
"You're weak and pathetic, and I hate looking at you"
"The more you act like a spoiled brat, the more disgusted I feel."
His harsh words pierced straight through me, causing my body to tremble uncontrollably.
"Stop talking and just shut the hell up already!"
I screamed in anguish, unable to contain the overwhelming flood of emotions that had been unleashed
I scrambled to my feet and charged at him with uncontrolled fury, my mind a maelstrom of rage and despair.
As I threw a punch at his chest, he didn't dodge or retaliate.
Instead, he firmly caught my fist and held my gaze with a look that seemed tinged with sadness.
His words came as a bewildering mixture of insight and compassion.
"When the hell are you going to realize that the more you fight the monsters, the more you lose?"
He asked, his eyes reflecting a profound melancholy that left me momentarily disarmed.
In that moment, my intense hatred for the monsters ebbed away.
"You continue to fight because you're afraid to face the truth,"
He continued, his voice heavy with sympathy.
"Your mother is gone, and so is everyone else, and there's nothing you can do to change that."
"Did you really think you're the only one who's suffered loss?"
He growled, his words resonating with a raw, shared pain.
"Do you believe I'm had no feelings when I watch my comrades die before my eyes?"
"Do you think I won't shed tears, having spent far more time with them than you have?"
"Do you think I'd allow you to run headlong into danger, only to die in vain?"
Marco's voice trembled with a mix of anger and fear.
"I don't want to lose you. Not now, and not ever."
His words shattered the dam holding back my emotions, and the tears began to flow.
I realized the weight of my own selfishness.
How I had pretended not to see the pain others were enduring.
I had fought with all my might to protect them, to ensure their sacrifices weren't in vain.
My love for them was so deep that I had grown indifferent to my own well-being.
The consequence of my relentless battle was a heart that had slowly turned cold.
But now, it seemed that even I had reached my breaking point, and the dam holding back my emotions finally crumbled.
Tears streamed down my face as I struggled to speak through my sobs.
"Why... why did they have to die?" I choked out.
"I can't forgive the monsters... they took everything away from me."
My voice cracked as I continued, the depth of my loss and despair overwhelming me.
"The memories of the time I spent with them... they were the closest things to a family, and they meant the world to me"
"I miss their voices, and I can't even tell them that I love them one last time."
A deep sense of injustice consumed me as I cried out, "And they didn't deserve to die the way they did"
"They didn't deserve to suffer or be tormented"
"It's not fair"
"It's not right"
"Why did it have to happen?"
My words hung heavily in the air, filled with the pain of a heart that had been shattered.
"They had their whole lives ahead of them,"
I muttered, my voice quivering with sorrow.
"Their dreams and goals... and now they're gone."
Tears flowed freely as I continued, my heartache too much to bear.
"They were all I had left... and now, they're not here anymore"
"I'm all alone. There's no one left. I've lost everyone... everyone I love and cherish."
In the end, I exposed my vulnerability to Marco, who watched me with a heavy heart.
After a few moments, he reached out to me, a gesture of empathy that spoke volumes.
"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you. It's just..."
He began, his tone laced with regret. "We have to be realistic"
"We can't keep chasing a pipe dream of revenge or glory"
"Even if we can't forgive the monsters, we have to learn to move on."
With genuine concern in his eyes, he implored, "Daniel, you have to focus on the future, not the past"
"If you keep dwelling on the past, it will consume you"
"The future is unpredictable and full of surprises, and you have to live in the moment"
"Let's not allow the monsters to control our destiny, we must be the ones who decide the outcome."
His words offered a glimmer of hope amid the darkness of despair.
"But how?"
I questioned hopelessly, my voice heavy with the weight of despair.
It felt like an insurmountable task to eradicate the monsters, and even if we did get stronger, what was the point if we couldn't take down the most formidable ones?
The monsters were like an endless nightmare, an unsolvable puzzle that left me feeling trapped.
I longed for a solution but couldn't see a way through the darkness.
"You've given up too quickly. Don't underestimate humanity's will to survive,"
Marco insisted, his voice carrying a note of hope.
"You need to believe in yourself and your abilities"
"You are not weak, and you are not useless. You are capable of great things, and you are the son of the woman I gave my loyalty to."
His words, although somewhat cryptic, injected a much-needed dose of confidence into my despondent heart.
I couldn't help but respond with a sarcastic curse, "Screw you," but the sound of his laughter cut through the tension.
"Now, that's more like it,"
He remarked, extending his hand towards me.
I accepted it without hesitation.
"Remember, Daniel, the people who sacrificed their lives for you would want you to survive no matter what, so don't waste it,"
He reminded me, and I nodded, a renewed sense of purpose stirring within me.
His words may be vague, but I know what was the message that he was trying to convey.
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