"Boy, you best start explaining things before I lose my damn mind."
Macron put his elbows on his desk and rubbed his palms against his eyes.
"You can start with that damn skull outside in the arena."
Helix didn't chuckle, and Macron stopped rubbing his eyes.
He could feel Helix's serious gaze burning into his soul.
"What's… wrong, boy?" Macron asked with a worried tone.
"That skull. It belonged to a fifth-evolution Level 357 Stalkwalker Colossus." Helix replied.
Macron instinctively wanted to smack Helix for sounding like a show-off.
However, he could feel the turmoil in the young man's voice.
Macron studied his expression.
When his eyes glided down to Helix's peacoat, his eyes trembled.
"Master Tyrene…." He whispered.
"Yes." Helix replied after swallowing.
Helix grabbed the pin on his coat as if it were his heart.
The two sat in silence for a few minutes.
Macron watched Helix carefully, noting how many times the young man opened and closed his mouth.
It was clear that the discussion was heavy, and he knew the topic.
"I'm not sure if you're aware of this." Helix began hesitantly.
"But I was Master Tyrene's apprentice in Kozen."
Macron's eyes showed a mixture of surprise and understanding.
"I know she journeyed after you for a vacation."
The two chuckled lightly at the word [vacation].
It matched her personality perfectly.
"I didn't know that you took her up on it, and I haven't heard news since."
Helix nodded and then took a deep breath.
"I was her apprentice for two months in Kozen." He began.
"We cut our training short because of news of a mysterious attack coming to the Capital."
Macron nodded in understanding.
"Since… it was cut short, she had us take a final test as her students…."
The gruff man's eyes widened in shock.
"Wait. You're not tellin' me—"
"That's right. Our final test was to kill that Colossus." Helix whispered while averting his gaze.
"Boy, please help me understand." Macron pleaded.
"That doesn't sound like Master Tyrene."
Helix gave him a wry smile and nodded.
"You're right. The circumstances were… deceptive." He asserted.
Macron's eyes trembled in confusion.
"Master Tyrene and Master Tilo were there.
Moreover, there was an army of 1200 Kozen soldiers fighting it." Helix clarified.
"It wasn't a simple test of strength, but rather an examination of leadership qualities and decision-making skills.
We didn't need to fight it, and it was reasonable that they could keep us safe."
Macron listened with a glint of sadness in his eyes.
He didn't want to hear what came next.
"The problem… was that we were doing so well against an enemy that shouldn't have been within our skill levels.
By that, I include Master Tyrene and Master Tilo."
"Wait, what did you say, boy?" Macron asked reflexively.
The thought that an enemy was beyond the skill level of a legendary fighter and grandmaster almost felt offensive.
Helix swallowed and looked at the table.
He opened and closed his mouth multiple times before continuing.
"I know this may be hard to believe, but Marie, Charlotte, and Riley's Nightmares were on par with Tyrene's [Arctic Cry] in terms of raw power."
Macron's eyes widened in astonishment.
"We trapped the Colossus, so battle experience wasn't necessary." He continued.
"Tyrene used [Sub Zero] four times, [Blizzard], and [Frost Nova] in less than five minutes.
Tilo set up three Level 5 disaster-grade circles to attack it.
Riley used four calamity spells, Marie used a dozen attacks, and Charlotte used a level 57 Exodus Blaze at full output for two minutes."
Macron's face looked like a wax statue.
"... And it received attacks from over one thousand soldiers for two hours to be killed after that."
An icy chill crawled down Macron's spine when he heard the conclusion.
"I see…. So if Master Tyrene and her army were to show up…."
The man stopped talking and ran his fingers through his hair.
Helix stayed silent.
"How did it happen?" Macron asked after a minute of silence.
"It was intelligent and lured us into a trap." Helix replied.
"Or, rather… we crippled it so heavily, we never understood how intelligent and dangerous it was.
We only found out when the Colossus sacrificed its life in a suicide attack."
Macron studied Helix's facial expressions with bewildered eyes.
"It was a freak attack, Macron.
In less than a minute, it sacrificed its chance at survival, turned around, and attacked Marie twice.
I rushed in to save her but couldn't see the beast was attacking with both hands.
Tyrene could see, so she rushed in and saved my life at the cost of her own."
Tears welled in Macron's eyes when he heard of his teacher's noble sacrifice.
"It was a horrible situation, Macron.
Master Tilo watched and noted that someone would have died in the situation regardless of what happened.
Later, we learned more people could have died if we tried to get Marie out of her location." Helix continued.
"I'm not making excuses or justifying what happened.
Master Tyrene, Master Tilo, Marie, and I felt it was our fault.
I'm just letting you know that Master Tyrene didn't die failing to protect us or out of a foolish decision on her—"
Macron stood up and rushed to the other side of the table.
Helix's eyes widened in shock and almost hit the man reflexively.
However, before he could process it, Macron was hugging him.
"Thank god you're safe, boy." He said with a choking voice.
Helix couldn't hug the man back because he was smothering him at an awkward angle, so he reached out a hand to touch his side.
Light tears welled in Helix's eyes.
"Thank you for understanding, Macron."
Helix and Macron spoke about Tyrene for two hours.
They reminisced and laughed while sharing stories of Tyrene and her training.
The man shared war stories and her history with him.
Helix made fun of Macron for picking up her quirks and relayed sassy messages from Tyrene.
After the discussion was over, the two still had to talk about what was happening.
"So, tell me, boy. What are you going to do about the super-otakus?" Macron chuckled.
He picked up the name from Helix, and it stuck with him.
"We're here to create a new legal system that will survive us leaving." Helix replied with a slight smile.
"Wait… you're going to stay after this attack?" Macron asked with a bewildered expression.
"Yes. We'll probably winter here unless something pressing pulls us away.
That should give us enough time to establish it." Helix answered.
"Why go so far? Those kids are a stress bomb, so I'm grateful. But it doesn't add up." Macron remarked.
Helix gave him a mocking smile.
"Some softy gave me a Circle of Remembrance even though he knew I was alive.
So it's hard for me to just leave him to die prematurely of old age."
Macron's face flushed with embarrassment, and he narrowed his eyes.
However, his face quickly relaxed in amusement.
"Moreover, there are some people here I've chosen to protect to a reasonable extent."
"You've gotten strong, haven't ya, boy?" Macron asked with a smile.
"Strong enough to protect those I love to a reasonable extent." Helix replied after gliding his eyes to the left.
"And strong enough to strike fear into the hearts of people like Ronka and Lamath."
Macron gave Helix a wry smile.
"About that. Do you think that you can handle this situation?"
Helix gave Macron a mocking smile.
"Of course." He replied.
He wanted to point out the earlier mass manipulation, but he was tired, and Macron wanted a final answer.
"I'm heading out." Helix announced while slowly getting up.
"Before I go…."
Helix touched the blood-red tribal sun tattoo on his neck.
He pulled out a small box and a disc.
"These are…." Macron whispered in shock.
"That's right." Helix replied with a gentle smile.
"These are Master Tyrene's medals she earned while you served with her."
Macron's eyes trembled.
"But this is more important." Helix commented while putting a battle disc on the table.
"A Circle of Remembrance?" Macron whispered.
"Yes. Master Tyrene and Master Tilo went into our battle prepared to save us with their lives." Helix explained with a sad tone.
"As a result, she spent the days before leaving recording her will and left me with messages to give to people important to her."
Helix looked into Macron's eyes.
"You were number one on the list." He said with a gentle smile.
"She talked about you often, even when the conversation wasn't relevant."
Tears welled in Macron's eyes, and Helix turned around and opened the door.
"I'll leave you to it. Take care, Macron. We'll talk soon."
Helix closed the door behind him.
Macron stared at the circle for a few minutes in silence before activating it.
Tears streamed from his eyes as he listened.
Macron laughed at points and became flushed with embarrassment.
When he finished listening to the recording, he carefully wrapped the battle disc in a scarf Tyrene gave him.
He stared at the wrapped circle for a full minute with tears rolling down his cheeks.
Then he unlocked a drawer in his desk, removed every item, and placed the circle in its new home.
Finally, he locked it up, defused the light circles in the room, and closed the door.
There was nothing but love in his eyes as he left.
"I'll miss you, Master Tyrene." Macron choked.
"I promise to take care of the boy. It's a tall order, but I don't want you to use my intestines as a jump rope when I see you next. So I'll do my best."
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