Aeternum Vindicta

Act I, Chapter V

ACT I, CHAPTER V

Hope was for fools.

Zoe's abrupt departure had left him to his own thoughts once more, as if he had never met her to begin with.

Now, he felt more alone than ever.

It hurt - to tear his eyes away from what was left of his former life. It was a familiar bone-crushing sensation he was no stranger to. The emotionally draining effects of his situation did nothing to dampen the effects of distraught, death, and the loss of his loved ones.

Now that Zoe was gone, an undying sensation of anger had coursed through him. He clutched at the hairpin - cold and smooth against his palm. It pressed white-hot against his skin.

He wouldn't be seeing her.

Didn't have the courage to firmly say goodbye.

His own fatal flaw, loyalty, had become his own undoing. He had seen two heroes, walking side by side, together -

The girl, reticent yet motivated.

The boy, lost but with something to prove.

- but for how long?

And the source of the problem? Aeneas. With him alive, and as Aphrodite's pawn, he would never be truly free. Perhaps Priam was correct.

'You'll always be a child. Lost. Forgotten. Powerless. Unloved.'

His past, forever a burden. He was defenceless, powerless against the oppressors. Yet the desire to tear their limbs apart, to make them feel every bit of heartbreaking commiseration he had felt himself was begging to be satisfied.

There was never solace in the so-called purity of one's innocence. This was deliberate, intentional, calculated, done with will.

They wouldn't get away with this.

He was beyond the point of waiting, standing by while rumors of war between two nations - leaders of two nations he had met and bantered with - were now at war. He'd pick a side, that was for sure.

Didn't mean his allegiance would fully be with them, though.

To any casual observer, he simply looked as part of the throng of warriors that were as equally as rumpled and unappealing as he were.

However, it was clearly noticeable that there was something different about him. They way he walked quietly, or the invisible barrier that kept anyone from coming too close. Whether it was from fear or respect, it was unknown.

It was the subliminal sensation that the more astute individuals felt, which forced their distance. The brimming abyss of the sea's expanse, teeming with a vicious and untamed storm awaiting to be unleashed.

As the warriors stomped towards the Achaean camp, he fell behind, his quiet steps echoing over the clash of weapons. His lifeless aura, coupled with the degree of trembling in his limbs only further unease his counterparts as he scanned the area.

They stopped in the middle of their makeshift camp, curious glances that went unnoticed in the empty green orbs, albeit glowing.

These men would never experience a fraction of the pain he had went through.

So he smiled.

Masked his inner demons with a simple grin, and realised sooner or later they'd leave him alone if nothing seemed amiss.

When one assumed how a person particularly acted, less thought was put on a collection of assumptions, and more on accepting said person.

No one knew.