A lone man sat outside of Samantha's Hospital room, his head was drooped low, his thoughts unknown. There were dark circles around his eyes making it evident that he hadn't gotten proper sleep for quite a while.
Guilt. And Regret. That was what he felt. He had deeply regretted his actions on the day of the attack.
He shouldn't have listened, he shouldn't have listened. He should not have listened to the pleas of his wife and granddaughter to fight. He shouldn't have...
If only he had prioritized their safety more, this wouldn't have happened. If only he had left earlier...this would have been avoided. All of this...could have been avoided.
And to worsen the fact...he failed to kill that son of a bitch with the mask. He was just about to shoot when the damn chaos elemental emerged... he didnt remember anything after that.
All of was blank for him. All he remembered was the pain after the chaos energy attacked him before passing out. Thankfully Agents of Twilight had found him instead of the other guilds and so his identity was hidden with Maxwell's help. But he regretted everything.
Why did he stay back to fight? Why did he listen?
'...'
He sighed... He had just gotten his family back. For so many years he just lived an empty life. It was all because of that damn incident. That damn Aror Incident.
It was the beginning of his misery, of his family's misery. His home was destroyed, his child and his daughter-in-law were killed. His grandchildren were taken away from him.
And the memory of burying his own son's corpse...whatever was left of it was etched into his mind. Still haunting him to this day. Still haunting his sleep. And now the nightmare of maybe being there to see his own granddaughter buried was there.
Every night since that day, that horrid scene would play in his mind. Every night.
"...Haa..."
Fuck.
Amanda refused to leave Samantha's room, taking care of her.
He knew she was in deeper pain. She was after all the one who suggested that he stay and fight, Samantha had just followed her grandmother's lead. Amanda was even more injured than him. She was only a normal human, she didnt have any sort of training like him. The chaotic energy still made her cough up blood. Although he was now fine. She was still in pain yet because of her guilt she didnt leave Samantha's side.
She was there too when Alfred and Anna were buried. Both of them were. they shared the guilt and sorrow when they couldnt even get custody of Alan and Samantha.
"..."
He was a man...a cold-hearted veteran of war that killed many, monsters and humans alike. Yet now look at him. Barely resisting the urge to cry.
"Are you alright sir?"
Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice and looked up to see two individuals. Both of them he knew.
One was his own Employee, Emma Foxglove. He didnt know why she was here. The other was Maxwell, the man that hid his identity. He had extremely tired eyes. His condition was even worse than Mathew himself.
"...Ah yes, Thank you for lett-"
"It's ok, please take a seat."
Mathew was interrupted by Maxwell as he tried to stand up to greet them. Maxwell politely told him to keep sitting.
"Hello, Mister."
Emma greeted him before she entered Samantha's room. Mathew was about to ask but Maxwell already answered as he took a seat beside him.
"She is awakened. shocking isn't it?"
Mathew was surprised as he heard Maxwell...but was still confused about why she was here.
"She came here to me with a proposal. She has an incredible healing skill which she showed me. She wanted to try healing Samantha."
"...I see."
Mathew's response was lackluster. It seemed as if he had given up hope. A man of his experience and background should have an idea of the curse on Samantha, so he had low expectations. He had studied Samantha's curse greatly. He knew the only way to cure her was to get an elven tear or just kill the demon that cursed her. Both of them were near impossible.
"What did she ask for?"
Mathew asked his head still low.
"She asked for membership. For both her and her brother. She wanted a proper job here. But most importantly I believe it was more directed towards her brother. She cares for him."
"...I see."
"She is a healer, and quite skilled at that. So I am planning on having her join team Predator."
"...I see."
There was no real depth to their conversation. Maxwell was tired and so was Mathew to say anything. Mathew was feeling immensely guilty.
Maxwell rested his head against the wall and said.
"Please don't worry sir, Samantha will be fine."
"haha..."
Mathew let out a dry, hollow laugh. He thought Maxwell was just trying to console him.
"I'm serious. It seems as if you're unaware of your Grandson."
Mathew raised his head a little bit at Maxwell's statements. He wanted to hear more.
"Alan doesn't give up. He's a tenacious bastard."
How brave, Maxwell called Alan a bastard in front of his grandfather.
"Haha...Well, he does take after his Father."
However, instead of saying something bad, Mathew let out a laugh.
"I see, it must have been a hassle taking care of Sir Alfred then."
"...yes, it was."
Finally, the conversation was getting some depth.
"How did you and Alan meet?"
Mathew asked, he was curious how Alan met a genius like Maxwell. He raised his head and made eye contact with Maxwell. Their tired eyes stared at each other.
"Haha...It's quite an interesting story If I am being honest. I approached him first with lies."
"..?" Mathew was confused at Maxwell. He struggled to understand how their relationship was built this well when it started with lies. He had thought they had met up as Business accomplices.
"Do you know my family name sir?"
Maxwell asked, But Mathew did not know.
"No." He said, his eyes raised in interest.
"It is Parker, My name is Maxwell Parker."
Mathews's eyes widened in shock. Maxwell was a part of the infamous Parker family?! That family which was the founder of the Titan Guild and Parker group? THAT FAMILY?
"...Wait."
But then Mathew came to a realization, why was Maxwell working with Twilight if he was part of the Parker family?
"Talent, Sir. It is simple as that. In the families of the big guilds. Awakener's talent is what matters most. I was the eldest son, yet because I had a Mere D-rank talent...You can guess the rest."
"...My apologies."
Mathew apologized as he heard Maxwell. He now knew why Maxwell worked with Twilight. A guild as prestigious as the Titan guild, which was ranked number one had to place an extreme value on the talent of its heir. He was probably...
"I struggled to find work, I was abused ever since my talent evaluation was held. My father lost all interest in me after that, He treated me like I didnt even exist. I was bullied y everyone, even having to cry myself to sleep because of the pain. I met Alan in Shield when I was given access by Sir Oliver to enter the campus. I wanted to enter to meet him. I studied all about him. During that time, the rumors of the Spatial ring Alan made were false. Everyone wanted one...So I took a gamble. A gamble that I was glad I took. I gathered all that there was known about the spatial ring...and then created a replica of it. With it, I approached your grandson and was successful in fooling him. I gave him my card and after a while, our Predator was established. I worked hard to elevate it. Even In Twilight, even with Alan's backing. I wasn't well-liked here...But team Predator changed that."
Maxwell explained, his voice seeming happy at the end.
"I found the family I never had here. Alice treated me like I was a friend Like I was someone who shared her sorrow and suffering. Even though she was the heir of Twilight, she was born with no talent...but her father and Twilight still loved her. I envied that at first. But soon came to accept it. Twilight...no Richard was different. Kazikato treated me like an older brother. He listened to what I said most of the time. Even though he is lazy the brat is dependable. And although I quarreled with Alan most of the time, we had a sort of bond between us. Samantha even came to the Predator office sometime, she cheered the whole group up with her playful attitude. She was like a younger sister to me as well."
Mathew silently listened to Maxwell silently.
"I found the family I could never even dream of here. Who gives a fuck about blood? I value them more than the blood family I have."
"Predator is strong sir, I can tell you that. Even though my end goal is still Revenge...I can promise you one thing. I won't let anything happen to this team."
His words were like a decree, a solemn promise.
"Predator will not fall. I promise you that."
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