Crumbled Ideals - World of Atonement

Departure

Oppressive. Demanding. Anticipation swelled in the air with a single thought: the decapitation of the Pillar of Taurus. Cheers echoed amongst the crowd as the unknown executioner readied the silver halberd. Time slowed as Taurus' heartbeat thumped inside of his head. A glint on the halberd's fine blade blinded the minotaur, burning the image of his late family smiling in his eye. Ultimately resigned to his fate, Taurus smiled as his own weapon sliced the air. Explosive cheers silenced quickly as a thud echoed throughout the arena.

A wave of boos and hissing erupted as Taurus touched his head. Drac had severed his good horn, leaving a smooth surface where it once stood. "Why have you not decapitated me?" Taurus asked silently, shocked at the development. He arose, enraged at his should-be executioner. "I have already resigned myself to death, so do your obligation as victor and take my life!" he demanded. His assault was stopped by a kick in the leg followed by a swift wack by the back of the blade. Brought to his knees once more, Drac lifted his face with the halberd. The crowd chanted "kill him" in unison as they urged him on.

Drac released an annoyed sigh before firing six bullets into the sky. Everything went silent against the gun's cries. "Shut up already," he said with irritation in his voice. His soft spoken words entranced the crowd as he slammed the axe into the ground. "Infatuated with a hollow strength, you forfeited your will to live long ago, Pillar of Taurus. Hiding your true desire behind a false mask, you used your goal as an excuse to seek out your perfect executioner." His words free from arrogance and pity resonated with Taurus, causing the minotaur to look down in shame. Drac walked past Taurus towards Delta in order to grab his cloak, picking up the discarded horn in the process. "If you wish to perish then do so where no one else is around. I have no intention of burdening myself by aiding in one's suicide. Not again," he added silently.

Taurus stood up, looking apologetically at the crowd. "You are correct, Drac," he replied. "I denied the truth by continually drowning myself in battle after battle. Clinging to a hollow goal, I was too afraid to meet my family again under cowardly circumstances." Drac turned his back on Delta then raised his right hand. The halberd that he had dug into the ground flew into his palm as he began to walk away. "Answer me this, Drac. What drives you to challenge the Pillars while carrying such heavy burdens in your blades?"

Drac paused for a moment. Facing Taurus with clarity and resolution in his eyes, he answered. "Atonement is a simple word to describe my goal. Far too much was taken away from these hands, and the Pillars are but an obstacle that need to be cleared to move forward. In order to attain the unobtainable illusion I desire, I will defeat the remaining Pillars."

Delta and Crow looked on as Drac exited the stadium without another word, each seeing something different. Unable to describe what he felt while staring at him, Delta stared at the lonely figure as he vanished. Entranced by Drac's figure, he was the complete opposite of Crow, who glared in contempt. Before him was someone who humiliated him and mocked his goal, but at the same time had drive and determination that matched his own. Barely able to move with the injuries he sustained, Crow shoved his way through the crowd.

"Wait, Crow Marino Alexandros Morte I," Taurus called out. The crimson knight stopped, wondering how much more they could humiliate him. "Your resolve is great and will even greater, so I have no doubt that you will achieve your goal. However I must give a word of caution. In the moment where pride turns into obsession and hope into desperation, you must reevaluate yourself. What caused your desire to grow in the first place? What lies beyond a goal that may never come to fruition? These are questions that I neglected to answer myself, allowing my true goal to be hidden behind an empty desire." Crow nodded at the heartfelt warning, disappearing behind the crowd. Taurus hesitated as he turned towards Delta. The primordial energy that once threatened him was nowhere to be found, and the man was back to his previous self. "What do you intend to do now, Delta Posterus?"