Azekiel stood outside the tower. He had taken his first step out of the majestic tower that was their home, as well as their prison. It was what protected them when they had nowhere to go. But it was also what made sure that they couldn't leave when they wanted.
The tower was their savior, but it was also what controlled them.
Azekiel looked up, feeling the warm sunlight on his skin. He had seen the sun inside various worlds in the tower, but the feeling of standing under their own sun was something else entirely. It was a familiar feeling, which he missed a bit.
There were still many bodies littered all around, even more than he could remember from the last time. Some of the bodies were here for three years, while there were some that were comparatively newer.
"More people tried to get to the sanctuary, only to fail."
He knew that the people of this earth were unlucky. They lost everything, but despite that, it seemed some were more unlucky than others. The people who were inside the tower... They had lost a lot on the way, but at least they managed to get inside the tower and survive.
On the other hand, there were these people... They probably lost their family members as well. Despite that, they took this perilous journey to get to the tower. And after all that, they still died when they were this close to the tower. It was as if destiny was playing with them.
"They probably came here expecting safety. Unfortunately, the tower had sealed itself long ago. They couldn't open the door, only to wait until the monsters caught up to them to kill them."
Curious, he turned around and looked at the giant tower once again. The tower looked even taller than it looked last time. Then again, last time, he was running for his own life. He didn't have much time to think about it or observe the tower. It was the first time he was seeing the tower with such clarity.
The Tower saved his life. It gave him all he had, including the strength and the system. The tower was also what gave him Raphael and Lia. However, even then, he felt that something was wrong.
If the tower really was a sanctuary that was here to save people, why didn't the doors open for these people? Just because they arrive late? That was really strange. It was as if the tower didn't really care for the human life.
But if that was the case, why did the tower let all of them enter before? He didn't believe that the tower could have a bias. Still, different reactions to different groups of people really surprised him.
"I see no monsters here. But these people are definitely killed by the monsters. That means monsters do have access to this place. Then why don't we see anyone?" Lia asked, feeling slightly bothered by the fact that there were no monsters here. It was something really out of place.
"I don't think they will guard this place," Raphael answered. "These people were probably chased to this place and then killed. I'm sure that even when these people arrived here, no monsters were around the tower. You can get a lot of ideas from the direction their bodies are facing."
"I suppose the monsters don't want to waste their time here. Since they can't enter the tower, and no one comes out of the tower, they probably left long ago."
"I think the same. They are probably in the city... Our city..."
The city that was closest to the Tower of Sin was also the city where Azekiel's house was. It was so close to the tower that the only people that were able to enter the Tower were from the city. And even then, they lost most of the people.
He still remembered how arduous the journey was for them. He still redeemed the fear he felt when he left his dead mother behind and ran to the tower, trying to avoid the monsters. The fear... He could still remember.
His fists subconsciously clenched as he remembered the painful moment.
The bodies that were all around him, they had already rotten for the most part, which made him wonder if the same happened to his mother.
He walked through a field of blood, walking away from the Tower of Sin. When he arrived here the first time, he was running to the tower like his life depended on it.
However, now that he was going back to the city, there was a strange calm in his head. He wasn't in any hurry. It was as if he wanted to get there, but at the same time, he didn't want to get there since if he did, he would have to see his mother in ways that could break him.
"Raphael, do you remember your childhood?" he asked Raphael.
Raphael nodded. "Like it was yesterday."
"What was it like?"
"It was filled with training and the urge to become stronger," Raphael answered. "I trained daily under the person we met in the Tomb of Gods in the coffin."
"I was an orphan who was found abandoned. I never saw my mother or even father. All I remember is living in the orphanage until I was five years old. That's when I had decided that I was going to get out of that place and become stronger."
"For the next few years, I trained on my own, watching the Soldiers train from a distance. I tried to learn their techniques. Heh, I still remember how bad I was at it."
"Then, one day, the old man who was training the soldiers noticed me in the distance, imitating their movements. I was only ten by then. The old man decided to train me as well. He took me in... He was my mentor... Someone I can never forget."
"He was the reason I was able to reach where I did. He was the reason I achieved great heights, until the day when my House of Cards came crashing down on me."
"That was it... My not-so-eventful childhood. Was that what you were expecting?" Raphael asked, smiling. "Told you, I've lived a pretty boring life."
"An uneventful childhood is much better at times. I wish I had an uneventful life," Azekiel said in response.
"Just like you, I also don't know who my real parents were, but I never missed them. Because I had a mother... A mother who was most precious to me. I wish I had the strength I have now in the past. I could've protected her instead of watching her be killed right before my eyes."
