“Gustav’s dead…”
Roxanne mumbled absentmindedly. Raphael nodded.
“After we left he stayed behind with Kelz and fought off the enemy. I don’t know the details, but things went south and they needed to escape. Father stayed behind to allow Kelz to escape.”
Raphael spoke in a monotone as if he was emotionally disconnected from what he was saying.
“Dead?…Father’s dead?”
Roxanne took her hands from around Raphael and leaned against the wall. Raphael could only watch her in silence.
“Gustav…Father…”
Tears gathered in her eyes.
“Daddy…”
A single tear flowed down her cheek. As if the dam had burst, tears flowed non-stop. She stared into space crying without making a single sound. Raphael stood up and stood in front of her. He stooped down and started to silently wipe her tears with his fingers.
“Cry all you want, nobody is watching. Nobody will call you a crybaby.”
His shaky voice and trembling fingers caused Roxanne to look at him. His face reflected in her blue eyes. He wore a smile overflowing with pain and resolve.
“If anybody makes fun of you for crying, don’t worry.”
He weakly slammed his fist over his heart.
“You’re big brother will beat them whether they’re human or a god.”
Her eyes widened.
“Raphael, Raphael.”
She slowly reached for his face and grabbed it.
“Who will stand up for you? Who will tell you it’s okay to cry?”
She hung her head and her tears dropped to the ground.
“Who will be there for you if I break down? Who will protect my big brother if not me?”
Raphael touched her hands and slowly brought them down from his face. He clasped them together and placed them in her lap. She looked up at him. A single tear flowed down his cheek.
“It’s alright. This single tear is enough for me, so please cry enough for both of us.”
He stood up and turn his back to her, however, he didn’t move. Raphael just silently stood there blocking her.
(He’s making it so no one can see me cry….)
She covered her face with her hands.
“I’m so sorry. I’m so so sorry, Raphael.”
She cried harder than before. Raphael stood as still as a statue with a stoic expression as if a soldier.
“Don’t worry, Roxanne.”
He clenched his fists.
“After all, I’m the oldest.”
Hours later, everyone else had woken up. Raphael gathered them to talk to them.
“…What?”
Chul mumbled with his eyes peeled open. The others wore similar expressions as they looked at Raphael in shock.
“…Raphael, this isn’t the time to be joking.”
“This isn’t a joke, Damini. The General—”
“You’re lying!”
Damini screamed at the top of her lungs. She walked up to Raphael and grabbed his collar.
“You’re lying! Say you’re lying!”
Raphael remained stone-faced and looked at her. Damini started shaking him.
“Come on, say something! Come on, Raphael!”
“Damini.”
Roxanne put her hand on Damini’s shoulder. Damini looked at her with a begging expression. Roxanne silently shook her head.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“No, no, no.”
Damini started shaking her head.
“You’re both lying.”
Tears started gathering in her eyes. She released Raphael and fell to her knees.
“Please tell me you’re lying.”
“We’re not. Gustav Fernandez is dead.”
Raphael looked down at her with no change in expression.
“You’re all allowed to cry now, but remember that the mission is not over.”
Damini collapsed to the floor and started wailing. Chul walked up to Raphael and grabbed his collar.
“You didn’t have to sound so cold about it. She’s the youngest, she’s not as experienced as us.”
“She’s still a soldier.”
Raphael looked at Gina who was crying while holding on to Alfa, and Ryder who sat on the ground staring in blankly into space.
“We all are still soldiers, and as soldiers, we will carry out the mission given to us by our General.”
Raphael slapped Chul’s hand off him.
“We still need to save Melissa.”
“I know! We know!”
Chul gritted his teeth.
“But do you know?”
He poked Raphael’s chest.
“Because it sounds like you’re constantly trying to convince yourself.”
Raphael said nothing and just stared at Chul.
“Did you confirm it?”
The two looked at Ryder. He spoke with no specific emotion in his voice or on his face.
“You were told by Kelz that he died. Did you confirm it?”
“I did.”
Raphael dug in his pocket.
“I was the first to wake up and got the news. I doubted it at first, so I demanded they confirm it. So they brought me to the mansion. When I got there, I found this.”
He took out a platinum ring with devil cravings on it and a red stone.
“I’m sure none of us would mistake this. It’s the General’s favorite ring.”
He put the ring back into his pocket.
“I found the ring on a severed arm belonging to the General.”
“What’s the chance they are lying?”
Ryder asked.
“Meaning?”
“What if Kelz was the one who killed him?”
“The chances are slim. I’ve seen Kelz and she’s in a severely bad state. Also…”
When Raphael woke up he was summoned by Kelz to where she was being treated. He was surprised to see her hooked up to strange machines and missing a limb. When she told him about Gustav’s death she told him this—
“As I was escaping he whispered something only for me to hear.”
“What?”
“A message for you.”
She sat up and spoke.
“The snake has shed its skin.”
Raphael repeated the message to his siblings.
“It’s a code he and I created years ago. It means we have been born a new. In other words, I am to become the new leader and lead us in a new direction.”
Raphael paused for a bit before mumbling—
“It's his final words to me.”
“Then what about us?”
Ryder slammed his fists on the ground so hard the building shook.
“What about the rest of us he left behind? What are his final words to us? What are we supposed to do now that he’s gone?!”
He started punching the ground causing everything to tremble.
“What’re his final orders for us?!”
“I have them.”
Roxanne spoke up causing everyone to look at her.
“Years ago, father told me the final words he would want to pass on if he dies.”
She smiled.
“He left Raphael orders to lead us and his sentiment to me to guide us after he’s gone.”
The memory of her and Gustav flashed before her eyes.
“Why do I have to be the one to write this down? It’s depressing?”
She was sitting in an office with Gustav. She was behind a desk while he was laying on a sofa.
“It has to be you because you’re my oldest daughter and the one I’m counting on to keep everything together when I’m gone.”
“You say that, but I can’t see you randomly dying in battle. I’m sure you’ll die of old age or something. You might outlive me.”
“I hope not. The cruelest thing a parent can experience is the funeral of their child.”
He sat up.
“Besides, if someone like me had a peaceful death, that would mean there’s no such thing as God or divine punishment.”
“Alright, alright. Just tell me what you want to pass on to everyone.”
Gustav nodded and started dictating his final messages. Each message was unique to the person, tailored to guide them. Roxanne wrote them down, occasionally wiping a tear from her eye.
“Only ones left are me and Raphael.”
“I already gave Raphael his orders.”
“Only orders?”
“Well, can you blame me? He doesn’t allow himself to look weak in front of anyone besides you. If I left a mushy message, he’ll react negatively.”
“I still think you should give him one.”
“Nah, I prefer to give you yours.”
He stood up and walked over to the desk. He placed his hand on her head and smiled.
“Support your brother for me. He’s a lot softer than he looks, so he might crumble if you leave him alone.”
Roxanne looked up at his bright smile and soft gaze.
“Also, I want you to know I’m proud of you. You’ll always be my little girl.”
She stopped writing and turned her head away, hiding her flushed face.
“……..”
Roxanne wore a lonely smile as she remembered the day.
“Our father thought a lot about each of us. He knew this day would come and made sure to guide us one last time.”
She started passing on their father’s last words. She perfectly imitated his tone and body language of that day, as if to allow them to talk with their father one last time. After she was done, she looked at her siblings who cried without restraint. They showed rage, pain, and sorrow while holding onto each other. All except, Raphael. He leaned on the door with his eyes closed and arms folded.
(Blocking off the room so no one can interrupt their moment.)
Roxanne frowned.
“Always putting yourself last.”
“I know, right?”
Chul approached her wiping the tears flowing down his face.
“It pisses me off how much he doesn’t care about himself.”
Roxanne looked at Chul and hugged him.
“Why the sudden hug?”
“I just felt like it. Is there a problem?”
“….No.”
Chul hugged her back.
“Don’t worry about Raphael. I’ll make sure that he doesn’t break. You and others just focus on yourselves.”
She released him and placed her hand on his shoulders.
“One death is enough. Nobody else will die.”
She turned to the rest of her siblings.
“Do you guys hear me?! Nobody else dies! You must live no matter the cost! That’s an order!”
Gina, Damini, and Ryder slowly stood up. They wiped the tears from their eyes and saluted.
“Yes, ma’am!”
Roxanne nodded. She then looked at Raphael.
“Is that alright, General?”
Raphael looked at her and nodded.
“That’s right. Dying is unacceptable.”
He stepped away from the door.
“We have two missions. Save Melissa and…”
The veins in his head bulged and his eyes narrowed. He spoke as if he was cursing the world.
“Kill the bastards who killed our father.”
Teeth gritted and fists clenched. Everyone in the room had eyes with rage swirling inside them.
“My soldiers, we will teach these gods the meaning of fear.”