A Journey through Kingdoms

CHAPTER 22- FACING SINS

"Thanks for the save gramps! You think that bought us some time?" Tetsuga inquires as he and another hooded man, along with him, run through the streets of the city. Their pathway is only guided by the moonlight and street lights. "The solution is very potent and solidifies almost instantaneously upon contact with air. It should hold him, but I'm unsure for how long." The hooded man says back as they still keep running. "Quickly! To this alleyway! We can catch our breaths there!" The man then points out a dark alleyway, where they make a short, needed pitstop after running that much. Once they were in the clear, Tetsuga gently put Derrick back onto his own two feet as they began to converse among one another as to what was going on. "That was a lot closer than we wanted it to be," the hooded man says before deciding to take off the hood and reveal himself to be Ecrucio Dalfinger, which surprises Derrick. "Mr. Dalfinger? But when did you?" Derrick spoke as he looked over at the old man. "Long story, kid. Basically," Tetsuga said as he then began to recount his meeting with Ecrucio on his way over to Derrick.

"I'm coming, Derrick!!" Tetsuga yells as he runs through the streets at top speed. I hope to reach Derrick before anyone else does. On his way over, though, Ecrucio calls out to him on his way there as Tetsuga looks over to the side to see the old man exiting out through an alleyway. "Katsugoyo! Over here!" He calls for him, which Tetsuga hastily went over in order to hear him out just in case he was in trouble. "Old geezer dude! You might wanna hurry with whatever is going on because Derrick is in danger and I really need to get to him fast!" Tetsuga says in rapid succession, which was luckily understood by him as he responds in concern as well. "I know! Which is why I need you to take me with you to save him! I might be able to slow whoever is after the boy," Ecrucio says as he pulls out a potion of white liquid. "Are you sure you're up for this? Your not really in good shape, no offense," Tetsuga points out, as the man really was old. He wasn't fit to do this, but he wanted to push himself. Derrick's life was in danger, and he could not handle standing by again. Not again. "Quickly! We must get to him at once! We can't dally here any longer!" Ecrucio exclaims as he begins to run towards the gates of the city as Tetsuga follows right behind. "Whatever you say, ya old geezer, let's haul ass!" Tetsuga says as he continues to pick up the pace. Now, getting back to the present,. Ecrucio approaches Derrick to speak with him.

"Listen to me, boy. Your life is in jeopardy. As Katsugoyo said to you before, Mortimer Blackwell has it out for you specifically. For what purpose, I have not a single clue, but he intends to kill you tonight," Ecrucio explains as he holds Derrick by his shoulders. "Quite the exposition... but I'm confused as to why I'm being hunted. I don't remember ever causing any harm or otherwise to any royal or political figure in this kingdom." Derrick explains his thoughts on the matter. His mind was puzzled. "And also the fact that he knew where you were. That adviser douche came to the tavern to ask for you, but the bartender said he didn't give him a jack squat. So how did he find out where you were?" Tetsuga points out. Somehow, without their knowledge, this Blackwell fellow had gained information that was supposedly kept away from him by friendly hands. As the conversation grew deeper into the subject, a guilty feeling suddenly welled up within Ecrucio. Something that he had felt before but did not want to feel anymore. But this was a chance for confession. If he was going to face his sins, he was going to have to do it now. He was determined to right his wrongs, even if his life was staked on it. "It was me... I revealed Derricks' location to Blackwell," Ecrucio reveals. Leaving the two boys stunned at what they just heard from him. "Wait, what?" Tetsuga couldn't help but speak his mind out before Ecrucio expounds on what he had done.

"Blackwell had visited my shop earlier and asked if I knew who brought in the red gem that Derrick found. I didn't want to tell him, but... but he threatened the life of my son," Ecrucio explained as his grip on Derrick slowly tightens as he scrunches his eyes closed. "My son is precious to me. I couldn't deny him even though I wanted to with my whole being, so I told him everything. Derrick, please, Derrick, please forgive me." It was then that Ecrucio broke down in tears. His emotions and guilt were pouring out like a tidal wave. Derrick was silent. He looked down at the sobbing old man before him as he pleaded for his forgiveness. Then, after a moment,. he raises Ecrucio's head to meet his as Derrick shows him a smile. "It's alright, Mr. Dalfinger. Like I said in the past, you may have told him everything, but that doesn't mean it's all your fault. All you wanted to do was protect your son, right?" Derrick reassured him, but there was still some lingering guilt within him to truly accept his forgiveness. "Whatever you create will ultimately become its own. And by then, it will be separate from you. Your actions to tell him may have endangered me, but it's not you who is trying to at the moment. Your rescue earlier is already enough to earn my forgiveness! I could never hate you for that, Mr. Dalfinger!" Derrick explains away before embracing Ecrucio as the old man slowly wept into the boy's shoulder as they held each other while Tetsuga stood by and watched it all unfold. "That's... uh oh." Before Tetsuga could comment at the moment before him, he noticed the figure of their masked hunter slowly making his way down the street in their general direction.

"I don't want to break you two up, but the guy is here! We gotta skedaddle before he rips us up!" Tetsuga shouts in a whisper to the two others as they separate from their hug. "Right. Where do we go now?" Derrick asks as he looks to Ecrucio, who wipes his tears away before reaching inside his coat and placing whatever it was he got onto the palm of Derrick. "Huh?" The boy looks at his palm and sees the same red gem he had pawned off to Ecrucio. "Back then, I told you that I achieved something great that I also regret. Back then, during the inter-kingdom war, I was tasked with making a sword with Solomon that could turn the tides of war. That sword took the lives of many innocent soldiers. I have long since regretted my participation in its creation, but you, Derrick, made me realize that I was not responsible for those deaths." Ecrucio explains. "That gem belongs to the very sword that was used in the war. Head to the castle and find Blackwell's office and return it to the sword so you can turn the fates into your favor," Ecrucio says, taking a few steps towards the street. "That's nice and all, but what are you doing right now?" Tetsuga spoke up. I was worried about what Ecrucio was thinking of doing. "I'll keep him at bay while you two head to the castle," Ecrucio tells them as he looks back over to them both. "Mr. Dalfinger..." Derrick wanted to talk him out of it, but Ecrucio told Derrick his reasons.

"Derrick, I may not have been the one responsible, but I still owe it to all those lives lost to my greatest creation to try. I've sat with my sins for too long, letting them fester, but now I want to face them. I'll pay for all of their lives with mine," Ecrucio says as he gives Derrick a content smile. Showing him that this is what he needed and wanted to do. "Mr. Dalfinger, you don't." Derrick tried to reach out but was taken back by Tetsuga as he grabbed him from behind. "Mr. Tetsuga, what are you doing?" Derrick asked. I was confused by his actions as Tetsuga looked at the boy with a strained face. "He needs this. We gotta go," Tetsuga says to him as Derrick takes one last look at Ecrucio. "It'll be okay, Derrick. Now go!" He then ushers for them to leave, which they did as Tetsuga drags Derrick deeper into the alleyway and disappears from view. Leaving only the old man by himself once again, he takes a sigh of relief. "There you are." Suddenly, the voice of the masked hunter appeared behind the old man, and not a moment later, his sword plunged its way through Ecrucio's chest as the old man gasped in pain. "Did they think an old man like you could slow me down?" The masked hunter says before taking his sword out of Ecrucio's impaled body and kicks him down onto the floor to bleed. "Pitiful," the hunter spoke before trying to walk past the body and head deeper into the alleyway to give chase once again. But before he could, Ecrucio grabbed onto his ankle and made him look back at him. "The sins of my past... may Cerion's grace forgive me..." Ecrucio mutters to himself before finally dying as he slowly lays his head back down to the ground. Light was gone from his eyes. But as soon as it did, the cloak around his torso began to glow from underneath, as what Ecrucio had with him as his final act was multiple Pyrocitite rocks ready to blow.

"You! CURSE YOU ALCHEMIST!!!!" The masked hunter shouts before a great explosion engulfs him and Ecrucio as a plume of fire and smoke explodes into the air. Wrecking everything in the vicinity. The explosion was also big enough to be heard and seen all the way over to where Derrick and Tetsuga were, as they suddenly looked back at it once they heard the boom. "Mr. Dalfinger!" Derrick cried into the air. Tetsuga was quick to bring him back to their objective. "C'mon, kid! We have to get to the castle!" Tetsuga yells as Derrick clenches his fist. "Right! Let's go get that sword, Mr. Tetsuga!"