AN: Hello guys! Here is an update on this story. Haven't updated in a while, was just writing so much for my other story. Hope you'll forgive me. Honestly I feel this chapter is a little bit dark for Alvin, but just bear with me. I feel as an Exodus agent that changed sides, it sort of fits... somehow lol
Anyway, time to respond to you awesome readers that reviewed.

ydshahid: Indeed! Shit getting real!

Riku Uzumaki: Yes, this arc basically covers Alvin's past in Exodus... quite a dark past actually O_O

Nameless Knight: Oh wow... no wonder when I gave the name "Galland" to this OC, i was like "he sure sounds familiar." Bloody hell, lol
Nah, he's not Rieze Maxian. It's just he spent a long while in Rieze Maxia that he's almost like a Rieze Maxian

GroundZeroFirework: Don't worry, they'll get Leia out of there! Aw yeah! No problem, I try to do whta I can in writing these chapts.

U-Know Yunho: Oh, Galland is my own creation. He doesn't exist in ToX, hahaha... Good luck with your studies!

Time Heals All: Hehe, you've been mia for a while alright. In any case, this chapter mostly focuses on Alvin but Leia and Alvin bonding will be in the next chapter, so look forward to that xD
Alt. Milla and Ludger will patch things up slowly, along with Elle, but there's going to be something happening in this chapter that will allow that to happen, hehe.

That Mysterious Reader: Indeed! hehehe... well, this chapter is more on Alvin, but LeiaXAlvin moments will come next chapter :D

Well, that's it for reviews! Hope you guys enjoy this chapter ,hehe

CHAPTER 16: TAKING THINGS FOR GRANTED

The duel between Alvin and Galland was enormous. Neither of the two refused to give an inch to the other. Galland's huge used his size to his advantage, forcing Alvin to be on the defensive. However, Alvin was much smaller and thus much more agile than Galland. Thus, Galland could not land a hit on him. The two were basically countering the other.

As for the rest of the party, they were already occupied battling the large number of Exodus. Also, these Exodus members were equipped with advanced weapons and were of the elite. Thus, the whole party was also having a hard time just trying to clear through them. Also, Elle was with them so they had to protect her at the same time.

"Stick close to me Elle." 'Fractured' Milla said, her eyes watching for any Exodus soldier that tried to get close, "I'll protect you."

Elle nodded. It was hard to maneuver properly for 'Fractured' Milla since the warehouse was quite cramped. She had to be careful of how she swung her sword and not accidentally hurting her friends. An Exodus soldier stepped in and shot an electric shockwave towards Elle. 'Fractured' Milla reacted quickly, pulling Elle with her. But, it was a trap. 'Fractured' Milla had avoided the blast and landed in front of two Exodus soldiers.

"Oh crap!" 'Fractured' Milla cursed and tried to defend herself.

Ludger dived forward, his sledgehammer drawn, "Milla! Get down!"

'Fractured' Milla had no idea Ludger was behind her and she simply obeyed without question, diving forward and dragging Elle with her. The two Exodus could barely react as Ludger swung the sledgehammer in an arc like a baseball bat, smashing the Exodus soldier on the right. He continued the swing until it smashed the Exodus soldier next to him. He took down two Exodus soldiers in one attack.

Ludger turned to 'fractured' Milla and Elle, his voice worried, "Elle! Milla! You guys okay?"

'Fractured' Milla nodded, "Yeah… thanks."

Elle made no response. Even 'fractured' Milla's reply was a simple short answer. Ludger's relationship with the two was still awkward. But there was no time to fix that now. They were still in the middle of a battle.

Meanwhile Galland and Alvin's battle was beginning to reveal the victor. The longer the fight progressed, the more aggressive Galland became. His attacks were wilder, hacking his giant double-sided axe like a feather. Most of his attacks missed, breaking down walls and creating little craters on the floor. It was demonstrating how much raw power he had in his attacks. Alvin could not even afford to block them, because his weapon would break from the effort. Alvin was now just on the defensive, unable to find an opening.

"Is this the best you've got?!" Galland taunted as he smashed against another wall, forcing Alvin to fall back, "Stop running and fight me!"

"What're you trying to do Galland?!" Alvin cried out, "This isn't like you! Your attacks are messy! This isn't how I remember you!"

As if to emphasize that point, Alvin suddenly stopped retreating and charged in, catching Galland by surprise. Alvin thrust his sword forward and Galland parried it. This opened up Galland's defenses and Alvin pulled the trigger. The bullet missed, but it managed to graze Galland's right ear. Galland growled in pain and felt his ear lobe. The wet liquid confirmed that he was hit, blood painting his palm.

Galland was trembling in anger now, "You… you bastard! You took my family! And you have the guts to say my attacks are messy?! That's because of you! Every time I see you face… it reminds me of what you did! Of what I lost! I thought after more than a year, I can finally erase you… but your arrogance… it's still the same thing!"

Alvin looked away. The duel was temporarily stopped between them. "That's your own fault, Galland. You had your orders, just like how I had my own orders. You were becoming too wild at the time, Galland. A wild dog that needed to remember what its purpose was."

"You…!"

"Do you still remember, Galland? You, pleading at my feet to stop?" Alvin said with mock pity, "I remember it. And I remember how you looked at me when the deed was done."

Galland released a roar and engaged Alvin once more. But Alvin was expecting that. His plan to rile Galland up was coming to fruition. If he had fought Galland at his prime, Alvin would have lost. So, he took advantage of his only weapon: his connection to the past with Galland. By constantly reminding Galland of what he lost, Galland could not fight at his best. It was a dirty tactic, and not one Alvin was proud of. As a matter of fact, he found it repulsing. But it was the only way to beat a seasoned warrior.

While Gaius fought, he still managed to listen to Alvin and Galland's conversation. It intrigued him. At first glance, Gaius could tell Galland was an impressive warrior. But he wondered what could have broken Galland's will? And Gaius was not the only one to wonder that. Rowen wondered the same thing as well. He had heard of Galland's superb skills in the battlefield, but to think that Alvin's past action had a dramatic effect on him; Rowen questioned what could the cause be.

"Jude, watch your back!" Milla cried, moving to intercept an Exodus soldier wielding a blade. She gave a clean cut across the soldier's neck, killing him instantly.

Behind Milla, another Exodus member snuck up on her, aiming his gun. But before he could harm Milla, Jude ran to him and slammed his fist into the soldier's gut, knocking him out instantly.

"I guess I repaid the favor." Jude said with a smile. Milla returned the smile and the two continued fighting on. Milla and Jude understood one another, trusting their life with each other. Even if they had been separated for a year, their bond never weakened.

Meanwhile, Alvin and Galland returned to their fight. But Galland's attacks were much sloppier than before. His attacks had no pattern, completely random even. Normally a warrior would attack with order and discipline, but Galland was allowing his emotions to control him. He had abandoned what his training taught him and fought like an amateur. For those who appreciated the art of sword fighting, it was a pity.

"Damn you!" Galland cursed. With each swing of his weapon, Alvin evaded them easily. "Damn you! Damn you! DAMN YOU!"

"Stop trying to blame me as an excuse!" Alvin said with disgust, "As much as I despise my uncle, he gave you ample warnings before he gave the order. He told you to stop! But you didn't listen! This was your own fault!"

Galland raised his axe into the air and smashed where Alvin stood, but Alvin had already moved away. "Shut your mouth!" Galland bellowed, "You think I don't know that it's my fault?! But that's not why I want your blood. It's because you… because you killed them in cold blood! My wife and child… you killed them!"

"Those were my orders!" Alvin retorted, "You think I enjoyed that?! My orders were to execute your family or I'd be the one that gets the punishment. You think I had a choice in that? That's why I've been trying to forget my past… my time with Exodus… it's nothing but a nightmare! But I can't… I can't forget! It's a part of my life, and all I can do is move on from that."

"It doesn't change the fact that you killed them in front of me!" Galland exploded, "That… that is something I can never forgive! And that's why I'll kill you! I'll kill you to restore their honor! I cannot live in peace until I atone for their deaths!"

Alvin shook his head and aimed his gun at Galland, "If you cannot live in peace, then I'll end your misery here!"

"ALVIN!"

"GALLAND!"

Both went in and the same time, their weapons drawn. As the two met, the two trust their blades at the same time. The sound of metal meeting flash was heard and a streak of blood painted the ground. Both Alvin and Galland stood on opposite sides of the warehouse, unmoving. Both dealt the same attack at the same time, and since blood was visible, the conclusion was obvious. Either only one of them received a fatal wound, or both of them.

Jude and the rest of the party were also done with their battle against the Exodus soldiers. They only suffered minor wounds. They quickly ran to the scene of the battle.

"Alvin, you okay?" Jude asked, his eyes searching for any wound.

"Don't worry about me." Alvin said and gestured to the unconscious Leia, "Get her out of there first. That's what we came for."

Jude nodded and rushed to Leia's aid with Rowen. Galland did not move from his position, unmoving like a statue.

Gaius eyed Alvin and then to Galland. "So… it looks like the killing blow was struck."

Alvin turned around and looked at Galland's behind. As if on cue, Galland dropped to his knees, coughing out a pool of blood. On his chest, a large gaping wound was clearly visible. A fatal wound, no doubt.

Meanwhile Jude and Rowen untied the rope binding her and quickly proceeded to heal her with artes. Rowen was not the best healer, so it was mostly Jude that did the healing. However, Rowen was still a gentleman and removed his coat, covering Leia's body with it. It was a simple gesture but it was all he could do at the moment. As Jude continued to heal Leia, she started to react to the healing. She groaned and winced in pain. A while later, her eyes opened, but even doing so took a great effort.

"Ju… Jude…?" Leia said, barely a whisper.

Jude nodded with a smile, still continuing to heal her, "Yeah, it's me Leia. Don't worry… you're safe now."

"I'm sorry you got involved in this mess Leia." Alvin said with regret.

Leia saw Alvin and realized all of her friends were here. With a weak smile, she uttered, "Thanks… everyone… and you, too… Alvin…" After that, she lost consciousness.

"She's okay." Jude assured, "She's probably still exhausted. Whatever happened before they kidnapped her, she put up one hell of a fight."

Alvin sighed in relief and chuckled, "Yeah… that's just like her."

The attention of the party returned to Galland when he started laughing. Alvin and the rest drew out their weapons, thinking that Galland was going to attack. But he did nothing. He just laughed, and then finally, he collapsed. Silence filled the warehouse.

"Can you imagine… how you would feel if she died, Alvin?" Galland questioned, referring to Leia. The silence was broken. Alvin knew Galland was referencing to how he felt when he lost his family. "Even if you say you do, you don't. The pain of losing a loved one in front of you… is unbearable. Even worse, is when you could do nothing about it. That's what happened to me. I watched… and could not help them. I watched as you executed them in front of my eyes."

Alvin shut his eyes and his memories went back to that specific time. Although he wanted to forget it, it would never happen. That event would always remind him of his time when he was affiliated with Exodus. He was ordered by his uncle, Gilland, to 'punish' Galland for jeopardizing Exodus's objectives. Exodus was worried that their identity and mission would be revealed if Galland continued his ruthless mercenary life. So after ample warnings, Exodus higher-ups decided to punish him. The punishment; to execute Galland's family in front of him.

At the time, Alvin obeyed the order without too much conflict. He knew it was wrong, extreme even, but he brushed it off. The higher-ups reported to Galland that his wife needed to 'see' him, which brought him home. There, Galland learned the harsh truth. His wife and child coldly murdered in front of him. Despite his fearsome temper and battle prowess, Galland could not react, too stunned to say or do anything. Alvin and Exodus left quickly, hoping to avoid his wrath. On that day, Galland was never the same. He never returned for Exodus missions, but that was fine for Exodus since he was no longer endangering their objectives. He was mentally broken.

However, Galland was not the only one that changed. Alvin drastically changed as well. While still a part of Exodus, he started to question their methods. He started to question missions assigned to him. And it was this change that allowed his new friends, Jude and Milla, to slowly change him. It took a lot of sacrifice, but the current Alvin was who he was now because of what happened.

"I took them for granted." Galland said weakly, "I thought… that they will always be with me. Whenever I returned, I assumed I could see their smiles. But in the end, reality is harsh. We can never know when our loved ones will disappear." Galland used his elbows to prop himself up, staring at Alvin, "I never got to tell my daughter that daddy loves her… I wanted to at least tell her that before she died."

Galland's words reminded Alvin of his mother. The mother he lost. Even when she was alive, she could not even recognize him. He wished he could have at least told her he loved her, when she was still healthy. He could now understand Galland's regrets now. "Galland…" Alvin muttered softly.

"At least… I'll be able to see them soon." Galland said and put up a smile, "Heh… or is that just wishful thinking? Will I actually see them in an afterlife?" Galland laid back down on the ground, "Here's a piece of advice Alvin, before I go. Don't take things for granted. Friends, a lover, a family… it doesn't matter. Don't assume they will always be there for you." Galland closed his eyes, feeling his death approaching. "My wife… always told me to stop being away on missions for so long… I wish I listened to her."

Alvin stepped up, deciding on his words, "Galland… you and I never saw eye to eye. We respected our abilities, but that was it. We were never friends… not even acquaintances." Alvin stopped and looked down at his weapon. The tip of his sword still had Galland's blood on it. "But… for whatever it's worth… I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what happened to your family. It probably won't mean much but…"

Galland released his last breath and scoffed at Alvin's words, "…I don't need… your pity." And with that, the Exodus giant finally earned peace.

Alvin stood where he was, staring at Galland's body for a while. Back when he was in Exodus, he could never imagine anyone taking down Galland. And now, he was the one that dealt the killing blow. He had grown in the past year or so.

Despite not knowing Galland personally, his last words affected most of the party. Gaius had regrets of his own. He wondered if he actually treated the Chimeriad as friends, would things have turned out differently. Rowen also thought of his old friend, Nachtigal. If he had served as Nachtigal's advisor when he ascended the throne, would Nachtigal have become a just ruler? But in the end, the past was the past.

However, Galland's words affected both Elle and 'fractured' Milla the most. Galland said to not take things for granted. To not assume that your loved one would always be there. Elle remembered her father. She knew he was wrong. He attacked Ludger first, but that did not mean she wanted Ludger to kill him. But her daddy was gone now. And she realized that if Ludger died now, she would probably shed more tears over his death compared to her father's death. She did not want that. She did not want Ludger to die when they were now not speaking to each other. She decided when they returned back to Ludger's apartment, she would apologize.

'Fractured' Milla was thinking the same thing as well. After Ludger's sudden confession, the two have not spoken. She took drastic measures to try and avoid him. But it's not like she hated him. She just didn't know how to respond. But if Ludger, who had sacrificed everything for her and kept her alive in the prime dimension, suddenly disappeared before she could give her response, she would never forgive herself. She did not want that. But at the same time, she did not know how to approach him.

Rowen toyed with his beard and then turned to the group, "Well, we have secured Leia's safety. Shall we-"

"DIE!"

Before Rowen could finish his sentence, one sole surviving Exodus soldier revealed himself. The party was taken by surprise, unable to react quickly. But the Exodus soldier was not aiming for any of them. He aimed for the most vulnerable target; Elle.

"Elle! Watch out!" 'Fractured' Milla cried out, drawing her sword and moving towards Elle. But she realized she would never make it in time.

Elle screamed for help and looked away, cowering in fear and waiting for death to take her. But in the end, it never happened. She slowly opened her eyes and was staring at the back of someone. The Exodus soldier was already dead, lying down on the ground in the pool of his own blood.

Elle looked up, whispering the words, "Lu… Ludger…?" Ludger turned around and smiled, glad that Elle was safe. He got down on one knee and embraced her. She had never been so happy in her life. "Ludger!"

She held onto him, feeling the warmth he was emitting. His large hands patted her on the back, reassuring her that everything was well in the world. She missed this. The comfort, the reassuring words he would say to her, it was only something Ludger could do. Everything was right in the world. If Ludger had not come to save her on time, she would not be here. But Ludger was always there for her. Then, Ludger started to remove himself from the hug.

"Ludger…?" Elle whispered, confused. Normally she would be the one to pull away from the hug. Ludger would just go along with her.

As Ludger released the hug, Elle caught one last glimpse of his emerald, green eyes. And then, he started falling. Elle reached out to him, trying to pull him back but he was too heavy. He landed on his back and then Elle saw it. There was a blade protruding at his stomach, all the way through the back . There was a large amount of blood seeping through his shirt. A small pool of blood was visible on his feet as well. Ludger landed on his side, a loud thud rang across the empty warehouse. Ludger's eyes were shut. The blade was now clearly visible, sticking out through his body.

"Ludger!" Elle cried out.

Elle tried to move to Ludger's side, but instead she felt powerful arms pulling her away. She caught a glimpse of Jude, Alvin and the rest of the party rushing to Ludger's side before the sight of Rowen's face came into her view.

"It's okay Elle." Rowen assured, although his words held little truth in it, "Everything's going to be okay. Don't worry."

Elle tried to break free from Rowen's grasp, but his strong arms continued to hold her. Rowen continued delivering words of assurances to her, but none of them registered with her. She wanted to be at Ludger's side. She did not want things to be this way. However, the old prime minister of Rieze Maxia continued to hold her down. When she realized she could not break free, her walls finally broke down.

She cried. She hugged Rowen, burying her face in wherever Rowen would let her. Her tears drenched Rowen's clothes, but that did not matter. Rowen hugged her back, to try and calm her down. And even though it was the same way Ludger had just hugged her a minute ago, it was not the same. Rowen was not Ludger. It was not the same!

Elle's sobs continued on while Jude barked orders to try and save his friend's life.

CHAPTER END