Chapter 39 Fitran Memories (10)
The sky above Atlantis no longer reflects the colors of the sea; it trembles in a soft dance of grayish ash, as if signaling a deep sadness and the emptiness that envelops the place. Markuez stood atop the Aquanor Tower, a sacred site where poets of the past once raised their voices to sing of peace, now a mere memory. This place is now silent, inhabited only by an oppressive quiet and a singular voice that breaks the stillness, the last remaining breath of hope.
"Have you ever killed someone... just to keep the world clean?" The voice emerged from the darkness, unspoken yet originating from a shadow reluctant to materialize—Fitran.
Markuez fell silent, unable to respond. In his left hand, a secret paper from the council of Gaia unraveled like a web of intricate mistakes, filled with profound hesitation. In his right hand, a scrap of a photograph showed a little girl—her eyes empty, her skin cracked by transmutation magic, her body a result of a horrific experiment involving a combination of rare minerals and the remaining human souls that were not entirely understood, creating a deep pain for a teacher like him.
The child... was his student, a painful memory.
"If you remain silent, this blood will continue to flow," Fitran continued, his voice cold and authoritative. "But if you act... they will label you a traitor, a murderer, a monster."
Markuez gazed at the gray sky, wrestling with his own emotions. He was a teacher, a guardian, an educator. Not an executioner. Yet, Fitran's words began to shake his conviction of his true self. He wasn't being forcibly manipulated; he was simply faced with a choice too cruel to be considered humane.
"That was Elbert's experiment," Fitran said, accusingly.
"Impossible," Markuez replied, his voice trembling.
"This school has a safeguard that prevents all dark magic from being used," Markuez explained, attempting to hold on to his remaining logic.
"Isn't there a teacher who can negate that effect?" Fitran countered, his tone low yet firm, hitting a deep point of doubt in Markuez's heart that was starting to waver.
Marquez fell silent for a moment, contemplating the name that flitted through his mind, "Juliet." However, his thoughts were clouded by the onslaught of doubt; Juliet was an exemplary teacher, a revered figure, someone who could never be involved in such dark matters.