Omega Wars Chronicles

Chapter 35 Episode 34: Love

Years ago as little Dam and Meeno were walking on the road, Meeno was gazed at Dam and observed the depressed demeanor on his face as he was staring at the ground.
"So, big brother, you were screaming in your sleep last night." Meeno said, "Do you want to tell me what it was all about? You know... The nightmare?"
"I've told you before, Meeno." Dam said while still facing the ground, "It was nothing. Just nothing."
"That didn't look like nothing." Meeno said, "The nightmare you had last night... Your screams... They're still haunting you, aren't they? What you suffered in your past."
Hearing Meeno out, Dam took a quick look at Meeno and resumed facing the ground.
"Big brother...?" Meeno called.
"I can still feel them." Dam said, "All the pain ... All the suffering. I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask to be an inheritor of the black ice."
"Yeah, it's completely unfair on how you are being treated by our people." Meeno said, "But i want you to understand that even though people look at you as a monster, you're not one. And you don't have to worry about yourself. Knowing you, i doubt you will follow the chain of the black ice users."
"How can you be so sure about that?" Dam asked as his eyes rolls towards Meeno, "We've heard stories about the heinous acts committed by the previous black ice users. Once in three generations, a black ice user must emerge and that black ice user always falls into darkness.
I don't know... Maybe they are right about me. Maybe i am doomed to follow that chain of the accursed."
" Here i thought father's voice was depressing when singing." Meeno said with a blank face, "Big brother, stop telling yourself that. Just because the previous users got corrupted by the darkness of their ice, that doesn't mean you will.
The future isn't set on a stone, it can be altered with the choices we make. I've seen what you can do; how you stopped by and helped that injured bird when no one else would. You won't fall into the darkness, believe me."
  Meeno immediately grinned at Dam with his eyes closed which Dam respond with a warm smile.
"Demon." A masculine voice said.
Dam and Meeno quickly turned to their side and spots a group of teenage Kenar boys walking while discussing among themselves.
"I don't know what they were thinking."
"They made a big mistake bringing him into their family."
"Yeah, they did."
Angered by what they were saying, Meeno growls at the group.
"Hey! The only mistake i see here is what your mothers gave birth to!" Meeno said with his fist raised high.
Dam instantly became shocked with his brother's outburst.
"Meeno, calm down." Dam said while having his hand placed on Meeno's shoulder.
"As far as I'm concerned, your mothers would be having the time of their lives if you weren't born but ever since you came into existence, they're just sitting at home miserable, worrying about you little sh*ts!!" Meeno said while still having his fist raised high.
The Kenar boys instantly stopped and turned around to look at Dam and Meeno.
"What did you say, you little rat?" A Kenar boy asked with a glare.
"Forget you are Chief Dai's son, we'll humble you here." A Kenar boy with a mohawk said with his head slightly bent while glaring at Meeno with his irises glowing.
"Meeno, let's go." Dam said, "I don't want any trouble."
"You guys think you're so tough?! You're all talk!" Meeno said while smiling as his irises glowed, "Come on!!"
"You little sh*t!" The Kenar male with the mohawk said as him and the other Kenars charged towards them.
"Oh boy..." Dam said as he covered his face with his palm.
Minutes later, Dam and Meeno were laying on the ground, bruised and battered while being surrounded by a few unconscious male Kenars.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! That hurts!" Meeno said with his eyes closed, "I hit that big gorilla at the back of his head three times, why wouldn't he go down?!"
"You know all this could have been avoided if you had just ignored them and let them talk, right?" Dam asked as his eyes rolls towards Meeno.
"And let them talk crap about my big brother? No way!" Meeno replied, "Anyone that got a problem with my big brother has got a problem with me too! We're family and family always sticks together!"
Dam stared at Meeno for a moment and suddenly smiles at him which Meeno responds by grinning with his eyes closed, exposing his missing front teeth.
"Big brother..." Meeno called as the sun was setting.
"What is it?" Dam asked.
"I think i'm unable to get up." Meeno said.
"Me too." Dam said.
"They beat us up real bad." Meeno said.
"Mother is going to be so pissed." Dam said.
At the Shard court, the audience watched as Dam and Meeno locked eyes with each other while standing afar.
"So tell me, what's it going to be?" Dam asked, "Make the decision quick before i make it for you."
For a moment,  Meeno stared at the ground with a saddened expression and raised his head to look at Dam.
"I... I-"
"Meeno!" A feminine voice called.
Meeno turns around and sees the person to Yagura who happened to be smiling while still standing in the audience center.
"Forfeit the match." Yagura said, "Your work here is done; there is no need to continue fighting."
"Mother..." Meeno said with a slightly astounded demeanor.
Meeno smiles at his mother and quickly turns to look at Dam.
"I forfeit." Meeno said.
"Good. Now get out of my sight." Dam said.
"No. Not yet." Meeno said, "I still have some things I'd like to say."
At this moment, the audience became astonished and confused about Meeno's decision, leading them to murmur among themselves.
"He still has some things he'd like to say?"
"I don't know but isn't this kinda dangerous, considering the kind of person he's speaking to?"
"Yeah, i agree. That black ice boy is quite dangerous and unpredictable."
"Just hear me out." Meeno said, "I know a lot of things has changed ever since that moment but i just want you to know that i cherished all those moments i spent with you.
Ever since what happened 10 years ago, things has become quite lonely without you or father."
"At times when i'm celebrating my birthday or mother's, i tend to imagine you and father among us." Meeno said as he recalls the younger version of himself with a cake while sitting beside Yagura, Chief Dai and little Dam.
"I feel the absence of you and father's presence more when i even visit his grave." Meeno said as he recalls the younger version of himself being accompanied by Yagura as he dropped flowers on Chief Dai's grave.
"Happy birthday, father." Little  Meeno said.
"Things have really been lonely without the both of you." Current Meeno said, "Each year, me and mother would go to our calendar and mark your birthday to celebrate and imagine what you look like."
"Though, you're not what i imagined in both attitude and looks but you've gotten stronger, way stronger!" Meeno said while smiling, "You came back and became an A+ candidate. You put me on the ropes and you were barely even trying! You really have gotten stronger...
There are so many things i want to share with you. I wanted to tell you about the first girl that had a crush on me. Her name is Tikaela! She's cool, beautiful and quite strong! We once spared with each other for 10 rounds! She won 8 and i only won 2!"
"How pitiful." Karma said within herself with  her arms crossed.
"Things really have changed without you and father." Meeno said, "But i want you to know that no matter what happens, i will always consider you as my family."
"Me too!" A feminine voice said.
Dam's eyes moves towards the audience center and sees the person to be Yagura.
"I've really enjoyed those moments with you, Dam." Yagura said while smiling, "From the times we laughed to the times we've talked, down to the times i spent training you and many other things as well.
When my womb was damaged due to Zaiara's attack, it broke me so bad because not only were the Kenar healers unable to fix my womb, i also knew that i would never be able to have a child again until my husband suggested adoption. Though you were only a year older than Meeno when you were adopted, Meeno bonded with you quickly and accepted you as his big brother and as a mother, that warmed my heart.
  Dam, what happened to you 5 years ago... What you suffered is something no one else should have suffered but i really want to let you know that i still love you and consider you as my son. And if the others have a problem with it, then let them come and face me.
Good luck in this tournament and if you ever come back to the Kenars domain, our home will still be open to you."
At the Chiefs center, Chief Miza's eyes rolls towards Chief Akuro.
"Got nothing to say?" Chief Miza asked.
"Hm?" Chief Akuro said as his eyes rolls towards Chief Miza.
"After everything that has happened to him, don't you think you have to make things right?" Chief Miza asked.
"Agreed." Chief Tenya said while facing forward.
Chief Akuro glanced on Chief Ezgord (who happened to be staring down at the arena), lets out a deep sigh and quickly stood on his feet.
"Dam!" Chief Akuro called, causing Dam and Meeno to look towards him, "Your father... Chief Dai... He really was a good man.
When he adopted you, i tried to talk him out of it. I tried to make him see how wrong he was but he wouldn't listen. Even though I could copy his Kan ability of void frost, he was still 10 steps ahead of me, so i took him as my rival.
  Even though i am currently the Chief of our people, i feel that Chief Dai was the one more worthy of the position."
Chief Akuro sighed once again with his eyes closed.
"There is no excuse for how our people treated you. All i could say is that some of us were scared of the horrors that will befall us once again while some were just trying to stay on the alert while making sure they don't repeat what happened before.
Your mother... Lady Yagura... Is indeed a good woman. Even when our people were determined to hunt you down and kill you off, she asked that our people shouldn't do it but instead place you in trial and give you a chance to speak for yourself.
She even went face to face with me, a Chief and made it clear that she doesn't care what my status is or if I'm stronger than her, that if i should touch you without a fair trial then she would fight me with every last drop her blood; heck, she even went as far as threatening the tribe that she would gladly make an enemy out of us if any harm should come to you without the trial!
I know what i'm about to say isn't enough to make it up to you but..."
Chief Akuro quickly placed his balled hand on his chest and bowed his head with his eyes closed.
"Please forgive us for everything we have done to you! On behalf of all of the Kenars here, i Chief Akuro apologize!
  I swear unto you, young man, that no more will you be treated as a monster but rather as a person and we'll help you discover what happened to Chief Dai.
Your home is with us and you are and will forever be one of us, Dam of the Kenar tribe."
"No. Not one of you. Never one of you." Dam coldly said, "My place isn't among any of you."
"However..." Dam said as he glimpsed at Yagura and Meeno, "I am considering staying with them for a while."
Hearing this, Meeno and Yagura smiled while Dam still maintained that deadpan expression.
"Hey, short straw." Dam said as he glanced at Trengal, "Aren't you going to do your job and announce the winner?"
"Oh right! Sorry! Forgive me!" Trengal said, "Your winner... Dam of the Kenar tribe!!"
The audience instantly lets out a massive cheer for Dam which made Schroeder and Leorona smile. At the audience center, Cloud, Sting, Karma and Rish  quickly took notice of Killer bee wiping off the tears from her eyes
"Bee, what's wrong?" Cloud asked.
"I just took notice of how similar his past and my past are." Killer bee said, "I'm just glad that he still had people that stood for him despite what happened."
"Yeah, indeed." Sting said while smiling with his arms crossed, "This goes to show that blood doesn't always define a family."
"Agreed." Rish said while facing forward.
"Family, huh?" Cloud asked while staring down at the arena and smiling as he quickly recalls the faces of his mother and father.