Chapter 49
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE HOWEVER I DO OWN MY OC.
Name: Cedrick Esparza
Gender: Male
Hairstyle: Style 7 (Dark Brown)
God Arc: Burning Maiden (Short Blade), Apega Blaze (Sniper Rifle), Kurogane Tower (Shield)
Blood Art: Fatal Riser III
After fighting against a Yan Zhi and Borg Camlann, I could only hope that the Aragami that Julius and I will face was a lot smaller, but hoping was a fruitless endeavour. Especially when we stand not too far away from a truly mountainous beast with arms that could crush a human and numerous eyes that could locate a meal from miles away. The Aragami in front of us is the largest I have seen.
"Gazing upon such a monster has driven even the most powerful and determined God Eater to fear what's to come in humanity's future." I turn to Julius as he speaks, carefully observing the creature that could destroy a house with one footstep. "Will Aragami grow to be larger than this? That question and many more would linger in their minds. It will ultimately become their downfall." I can't say that I felt the same way about this monster. I wasn't thinking that far into the future. At the minute, I was wondering how the hell he expected the two of us to conquer the mountain in front of us. I continue to listen though, my mouth slightly agape at how calm he is despite our enemy's size. "Not many have faced this monster and survived. However," He looks at me with his usual stern expression, taking his attention away from the beast free-roaming the plains. "those who have died when facing this monster lacked the motivation to conquer it. Those whom have survived were those with the passion and drive to protect those that they care about." He smiles slightly before extending his hand out. "Cedrick, please do me the honour of fighting together one last time."
This very situation was alarming. His smile, whilst warm, did not mirror the words he speaks. His words sound like those that he spoke ill of only one sentence beforehand. Sounded like the words of a warrior without motivation. Surely he wasn't going to give up, right?
"Julius, what do you mean by one last time?" Did Julius think that this monster would take his life? Did he bring me out here to witness his final stand against humanity's largest enemy? Surely not. Yet, as the seconds pass and he does not answer, his hand remains extended. Mine reaches out to his, takes a firm grasp and shakes it. "You aren't going to die today, Julius." I speak sternly to 've already lost Romeo, we don't need another funeral. Wait... Is that what this is about? Julius, are you grieving Romeo's death by yourself? We break the handshake and just before we set off, I speak up.
"Julius, if this is about Romeo-"
"This has nothing to do with Romeo, Vice Captain." He interrupts me but the formal term of address for me gives me reason to believe that he is lying. Or at least, not telling the whole truth. Nevertheless, I'll drop this subject for now. Once we get back to Friar, and I intend to drag him back even if he has lost his will to live, I will explain these events to the others and we can help Julius like we helped each other. After all, he is the Captain.
"How do you plan on killing it?" I ask with a heavy sigh, reluctantly dropping the topic of conversation.
"Well, I want you to lead the charge. I'll back you up and swap with you if things take a turn for the worst." He jumps down the ledge as soon as he finishes his explanation. I follow after him.
After jumping from the ledge, we head towards the monster. Julius opts to stand further back as he provides me with back up. First of all though, I want to make sure where to hit.
"Does it have any weaknesses?" I ask Julius, waiting for him to prepare a suitable long-range stance.
"Try to aim for its feet, arms and shoulders. I've found that hitting those parts of the Ouroboros cause the most damage." With his answer, I prepare myself for the largest battle I have faced in my life.
Forty minutes later, the beast drops to the ground; shaking it as the monster's body weight collides with the hard surface. Wiping the sweat from my head, I walk over to Julius whom had since moved closer to the ocean.
"Mission complete." I speak between pants of breath. Defeating the beast almost single-handedly was very exhausting. Especially after already being tired from the earlier battle.
"Vice Captain." He speaks in a friendlier tone than usual. "Do you recall the day you joined us in the Blood Unit?" I don't understand why he would ask this question. Of course I remember.
"Of course, sir."
"Good. It seems a long time ago." He looks pleased with my answer. I agree with his response. It does seem like a long time ago. We've fought so many opponents, made new friends and lost one, too. "When the unit was created, it was just me. I trained constantly under Dr. Rachel's watch." He gets a far away look in his eye as he reminisces. "It was that way for years before Romeo. It was a difficult adjustment. He spoke... incessantly." Does this mean he was thinking about Romeo earlier? It sounds as though he is still having trouble with his death. "Eventually it stopped bothering me. I rather liked hearing his voice ring across Friar. I miss it." Before we have a chance to delve on the topic, Julius continues; changing the subject slightly. "Then you and Nana joined us. I was truly grateful to have Romeo then, he was... a bridge between you two and myself. Tell me, what did you think of him?" He asks me.
"He was dependable. You could always trust him to have your back. You could delegate tasks to him and he would complete them without much trouble. Blood felt that when he ran away..." I began to trail off. I hate to admit it but if Romeo had never ran away, he would never have grown attached to the couple that he ultimately saved at the cost of his life.
"Yes, he was always the life of the team. He was, in many ways, our soul." Julius smiles as he speaks. I can't help but reciprocate the reflecting smile. I agree with his words. Romeo was certainly the life of the group. "Finally, Gil and Ciel joined our ranks. You all overcame so much together. One by one, you woke the power in your veins. It would never have happened without you. I... I wanted to make sure you knew that. Thank you." This was something I didn't expect. Praise from Julius was rare but I didn't do much to be praised for. I just helped people. "You have a way with people. A gift. Perhaps that warmth is the source of your Blood Power as well. I think... I think you will all be fine without me." He's beginning to get suicidal again. Maybe he is suffering from something like depression.
"Julius, we should go to the Infirmary once we get back." I desperately hope that they have some anti-depressants
"Please, give this to the others." He takes something out of his pocket. It looks like a device that I've seen Ciel use a few times before a video plays on the terminal. A video message?
"Julius, there are ways to-" He holds a hand up to silence me. He seemed intent on suicide.
"I'm leaving Blood." He speaks with his usual stern voice and my eyes widen. Whether out of fear or surprise, I have no idea. "I pass command to you. Lead the unit as you always have and-"
"That's bullshit, Julius!" My anger gets the better of me. "Why would you leave Blood?! No one will accept that you have. Not even me." Leaving Blood may be less serious than suicide but still, "Julius, we're all in pain after Romeo's death. Nana, Gilbert, Ciel, we've all comforted each other in your absence. Now that you're back, we can give you the comfort that you need." With every sentence, I begin to grow calmer. Seeing Julius not even flinch at my anger is relaxing and eases me. He anticipated that I would be angry. How could I not be?
"It's not that. I have taken a place with Dr. Rachel, working to improve the God Arc Soldiers. If they can be perfected, and dominate in battle, then we'll never have to lose anyone again." He has taken Romeo's death the hardest. He's quitting Blood?! I keep my focus on him as he speaks. He speaks as though he had rehearsed his lines. For how long has he been planning to quit? "I'll find a way. I swear that. With a heavy sigh, I speak up,
"They're not going to like this."
"I trust that you can explain it to them. I'll send an email to them with the same information."
"I think they deserve a spoken explanation from you. Writing to them... just leaves no room for instant replies. If you don't speak to them, they'll try to find a way to speak with you." I explain to him.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
