The Final Hope: Awakening

Chapter Ten

"WHAT!" Mia and I shouted simultaneously. What was he saying? How was that even possible? I mean, Freya and Ryan did say that they were orphans but they couldn't be his children right? They were nothing like each other. Ben was a kind, benevolent person whereas they were wretched human beings. It just wasn't possible.

"Are you sure?" asked Mia, open mouthed. "Surely it must be a mistake."

"No," he replied, wiping the tears off his face. "There's no mistaking it. I had two children that I named Ryan and Freya. The last time I saw her, I'd given Freya that silver necklace. She was just a small child- no more than five years old. Was the first present I had given her so I had it custom made. There's no way I would mistake it."

Immediately, I remembered the silver necklace which always hung around her neck. I thought it was a normal piece of jewellery. Now that I thought about it, it seemed to suit her perfectly, as if it was made for her.

"What happened?" I asked. I knew that it was none of my business but I still wanted to know. In the end, if he was truly their father, then it was his fault that they ended up on the streets and became the monsters that they were now. But I couldn't judge him straight away, he deserved a chance to explain himself first.

"It was the night of the day when I gave her the necklace," he began. "I'd put her 'n Ryan to sleep in their room. I'd planned on takin' 'em out to the amusement park the following morning. You see, their mother died when they were young so I was everything to 'em. I wanted to be a good father and take 'em to all the fun places I could think of." Then he looked down, before saying, "But it was not meant to be."

"On that night, a monster appeared," he spoke facing the floor, and his voice started croaking. I felt bad for putting him through this but it would be good if he managed to get it all out. "Clad in black robes and surrounded by shadows, it was a terrifying sight." I couldn't believe it. That sounded like the draith we had encountered.

"Was so frightened I was, but not for myself. I didn't want my children to fall prey to that thing. So I struck a deal. In exchange for my cooperation, it agreed not to 'arm my children." He paused for a moment then added, "Now that I think about it, it never said that it would spare my children forever, but at that moment it was enough for me so I agreed immediately. I just wanted 'em to be safe. So then, it took me away and locked me in this place- I've been 'ere ever since."

This was so messed up. If what he said was the truth, then it had been the draiths' fault all along. They were the reason why Freya and Ryan became orphans. All this time, they had been blaming human society for their suffering but the draiths had caused it all. But the most ironic thing was that Ryan and Freya were working for the same creatures that caused them so much misery without even realizing it. It was just sad.

The draiths must have made them suffer so that they would start to loathe all of humanity. That too must have been so that Ryan and Freya would offer their services, allowing them to be used as pawns in their game. Having been manipulated from birth, they weren't the villains here, they were the victims.

"Guess I'm a failure of a father, huh?" asked Ben, looking up at me whilst holding back tears. "Thought I was doing the right thing, I did. But it's all been for nothing." Then, he snapped.

"THIS WASN'T HOW IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DAMN IT!" he cried. "This wasn't supposed to happen." He was holding his face in his palms now, tears dripping from the side. It was truly pitiful to see him in such a state. "They were supposed to be happy. They were supposed to live a normal life. They were supposed to achieve great things, use their talents to become rich and famous and lead great lives. WHY DID IT ALL HAVE TO END THIS WAY?"

Unable to look at him anymore, I stared at the wall. It was too painful. I couldn't even begin to imagine what he was going through. He had sacrificed his life, his very existence for the well-being of his children. Now, to not only learn that he had sacrificed himself for nothing, but also that he had only made things worse by seeing his children as monsters filled with hatred and ill will towards life itself, it must have been agonizing.