The Bird and the Garden

Chapter 30: Y/N Xiao-Long

The fog cleared as he emerged. Dust drifted through the misty air, burning his eyes. The hero pulled the hood of his late mother's cloak over his head, protecting himself. When he turned to the exit, it was not there. Bricks of black stone barred where he had entered, and he could not hear his friends. He faced forward once more, squinting into the dust. But he could not see his surroundings. With a cautious step forward he inched on, his hand resting in the scythe that once belonged to his now deceased sister.

The silence was deafening, maddening. The only thing that helped him retain his sanity was the sound of his footsteps touching the unfamiliar ground. For a moment, he swore he saw something move just beyond his vision. His grip tightened on the weapon and his lips tightened.

"... Ah..."

The voice nearly made him scream. He looked around, trying to identify the owner. When he could not find the source, he drew his weapon and readied it at his waist, his finger resting on the trigger. He listened carefully, ready to attack whatever made a noise.

"Now, now. It is terribly rude to draw your weapon. Rather, shall we converse?"

His eyes narrowed. "Show yourself." The man's voice didn't come as a question. He was demanding it. He didn't much like the idea of being watched.

"I cannot," the voice answered apologetically. "For my true form will is obscured by the mist."

The hero just rolled his eyes. "Of course you can't. Can I ask your name?"

"I have no name."

This was getting frustrating. The man lowered his scythe, his shoulders relaxing ever so slightly. "... Then what do I call you? What are you?"

"I am the entity that rests within what you seek. You may call me whatever you desire."

He looked down at the floor. "... So you're the Relic of Choice? And you don't care what I call you?"

"Indeed, I am the Relic. No, I do not mind what you call me."

The hero just sighed. He was wasting time here. "I want the Relic. I need it if I want to have a chance at Salem."

"Oh? Is that so?" The voice suddenly sounded very smug. "Or do you want it to kill your own brother?"

"... Yeah," he admitted. His voice did not waver. "Even if I planned to let him live, he would stand in my way regardless. He'll protect Salem with his life. And if he lived, he would continue to kill and devour people. His death is necessary."

"... Necessary, or a desire?"

"A-" the hero stopped. That was a question he could not answer confidently. The voice hummed quietly.

"... There is a difference to necessary killing, and killing because that's what you desire. Should you kill him, you'd become no better than your enemies."

The hero tossed his arms up. "Then what should I do? Let him live?" The voice chuckled at his outburst.

"That is up to you to decide. I am the Relic of Choice, not the Relic of Y/N. I simply provided choices for you to make. I do not choose for you." The voice was silent for a bit, seeming to wait for Y/N's nonexistent response. When no sound came out of the hero's mouth, it sighed sadly. "... There are regrets in this one's past... I assure you, you have made no errors in your journey to find me."

Y/N's head snapped up defiantly. "What!? That's not true at all!" He screamed. "Back in Beacon, I knew Vao was getting himself into something deep! I did nothing to stop him! If I just pressured him, I could have stopped this bullshit!" He roared. The voice was silent, so the hero continued. "Back then, Vao would always come back late. It was typical. But some nights, he wouldn't be back until morning and wouldn't smell like alcohol! It worried me and I said nothing! If I had just pushed for an answer, he'd be at my side right now, killing Grimm! We would have nothing to do with this fight against Salem!"