The boy's eyes blinked with confusion.
Had he heard right?
"M-maybe I asked for too much," she then said, her gaze became sad, and her voice trembled.
Lloyd felt a pang of guilt in his chest.
"I see, so that's what you want," he said, his hand on her forehead in an arrogant gesture. "Alright, I'll grant your wish. Since you so desire to serve me, I'll let you be my assistant, don't disappoint me."
His arrogance was unpleasant even to him. How could he have said something so insensitive?
Calypso on the other hand didn't seem bothered, on the contrary, she seemed excited, and was smiling.
"Yes! I'll do my best," she declared.
Was it really okay for her to act like this? Why was she able to endure all that?
Lloyd's hand slowly reached toward her, her shoulders relaxed, just when she was about to receive a blow.
But this time, there was no pain. Lloyd's hand rested gently on her head, moving with gentleness.
What was he doing?
Calypso then felt a strange sensation invade her, warm and comforting.
Was this what real love felt like?
"Ugh, you're going to have to bathe when we get home, you're very dirty," the boy then said, breaking that atmosphere.
The blond couldn't help but feel like a jerk for having said that, he'd have to get used to that kind of thing.
"Young Joan is fine, though he'll need a healer," a voice then said.
Lloyd turned around, Sebastian had returned with the other boy. Joan was standing, though with a lost look.
The blond approached the boy with concern.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
Joan didn't respond, though he looked at Lloyd with a face that said: "Isn't it obvious?"
"Well, we'll take him home."
"What about Gustavo?" the blond asked.
"There was no one else in the building, I searched every corner."
"Maybe he's at the attack site, near the central plaza."
"Alright, I'll go search for him."
Sebastian practically disappeared after saying that, he'd moved very fast.
They started walking. It was a gloomy atmosphere, the moonlight illuminated the rural city. There was no one outside, maybe because it was very late, but the silence became unsettling.
No one spoke during the journey, until they finally arrived at Joan's house.
The lights were on, and at the door was a man waiting, pacing back and forth anxiously.
When he finally saw his son, he ran toward him.
"Joan! By all the gods, you had me worried," the man exclaimed.
He was big and burly, with a thick beard, nothing like his scrawny son.
"Mr. Baltazar?" the man stood still for a moment, to look at his son again. "What the hell happened to you!?"
The man lunged at his son while examining him, Joan didn't respond.
"A gang attacked them, but I already took care of the problem," Baltazar said coldly.
The man turned toward him, gritting his teeth with fury.
"It was the xenos wasn't it!? Those monsters... Damn it! I knew they were dangerous. Why didn't you protect us? Look at what they did to my boy," the man's voice broke into tears while hugging his son.
Lloyd felt his stomach turn.
"We'd better leave them alone," Baltazar said, the boy nodded.
However, footsteps were heard. A chubby woman dressed as a butcher came out of her house, accompanied by another man, this one thinner, and with a thick beard.
"What's all this commotion? Did Gustavo come back? He's going to hear it, making me worry all night," the woman exclaimed with a firm voice.
Seeing her Lloyd felt his stomach turn, his legs began to tremble and his body became drenched in sweat.
The memory of Gustavo being pierced by that xeno returned to his mind. It was impossible he'd survived that...
"So you've returned eh? Where's Gustavo? He's earned himself a..." the woman stopped talking at that instant.
Her eyes fixed on Baltazar, then on Joan and finally on Lloyd.
"I-it can't be... Where is he? Where is my son?" Seeing everyone's darkened faces, the woman understood. She dropped the knife, bringing her hands to her face while falling to her knees. "No... It can't be... My Gustavo? My son has...?"
A heart-wrenching cry resonated in the city. Lloyd felt his blood freeze, it was the scream of a mother who had lost her son.
The boy hadn't felt so bad in his entire life, he felt like throwing up.
"It was the xenos... Those damned monsters attacked our little ones," Joan's father said, with a serious voice.
The woman only let out another cry, while her husband caressed her back trying to calm her, though his face showed he was also devastated.
"Xenos..." she said quietly.
You could notice the resentment and hatred in her voice. She raised her gaze, her reddened eyes fixed on Calypso.
"You.... What did you do to my little one!" the woman stood up furiously, grabbing the knife that had fallen to the ground. "Die!" she roared, moving at a speed disproportionate to her weight.
Her knife descended firmly, toward little Calypso...
Everyone watched in shock... The ground splattered with blood.