This man should be dead a century ago...No he was already dead!

"Your body was stolen from its casket..." I murmured still not believing the reality in front of my eyes.

Eleo smiled and pointed at the crumbled part of the ground where Seven had fallen through. "The thief resurrected me," he replied. "I was also shocked when I found out that I was revived. How would you feel if you were resurrected when you purposely took your own life?" he asked me before laughing. "I was supposed to kill him for disrespecting a dead aechean's wishes but he offered me something that I couldn't resist."

Team Ske emerged from the entrance and their concerned faces brightened up when they saw me. I waved at them and they rushed towards me. Hyuk Min was the first to pounce on me and I maintained my balance to prevent myself from falling and having Gilmos' body get scratches.

Ki was the second one to reach me but instead of embracing me tightly like Hyuk Min, he gave the back of my head a good whack before finally noticing Gilmos who was on my shoulder.

"What happened to Gilmos-ssu?" he asked.

His question gave an impact of guilt into my ticker and my eyes lowered down to the ground from disgrace. The rest of Team Ske came and Stugox placed his hand on top of my head.

Today felt really peculiar. I have always been positive with my outlook in every aspect of life no matter what angle I look from but now...I feel drained. I felt dry. I just felt...tired.

"Don't blame yourself, we're here for you," he comforted. Even so, even when all of them believed in me, I just can't help but look down on myself.

I raised my head to acknowledge Stugox and at that time, I caught Joe tense up and I darted my gaze at the location where he snapped his head to.

"Watch out!" he screamed.

Stugox brought out his enormous sword possessing a neon blue color and blocked the incoming attack of Typhi's own blade.

"Why are you attacking us Typhi-ssu?! We're friends!" Hyuk Min questioned.

"That's not Typhi-ssu!" I declared. If Seven was able to copy Gilmos' appearance perfectly then that would mean that the other four were also false figures.

Seven leaped up from the bottom of the hole that he had fallen in through and landed in front of us. Eleo turned to him with a grin on his lips and he dangerously swiped his sword to his side.

"I'll leave that one to you," Eleo stated. "Or err...maybe I'll leave the other four to you since you guys are hmm...one, two, three, four, five...eight."

"Other...four?" Hoets queried.

Stugox's biceps continued to bulge from overexertion and Won —who had a low profile this whole time—had his crossbow materialized in his hands. Before the fake Typhi could avoid Won's fast judgment of things, Won sent an arrow to his head successfully slaying him and successfully making us scream from the sudden kill.

"What the heck Won?!" Ki reprimanded him.

"Heads up," Imsothy gave notice. Trux, Saek, and Dryp came just in time for Typhi's fall.

"Tsk...This happens when I rush my copies, they turn to be failures," Seven muttered.

"Aw...does having your toy get defeated by a rookie hurt your pride?" Eleo teased.

"This isn't a time to joke around," Won reasoned out. "It's time for us to get serious. The faith of planet Aecha lies on our hands and I can't have my hours of sleep later get deducted from prolonging these battles...."

"That's why you make these rash decisions?" Ki asked him. "I can't say I'm completely disappointed though," he added. Ki's slicer materialized in his grasp and he stepped closer to the three copies left. "Let's dance then."

"What are you saying? You can't even dance," Hyuk Min scoffed.

"Don't offer dance battles Ki, we'll get pulverized," Hoets added with humor in his tone. Each of Team Ske began to bring out their best weapons as they prepared themselves from an incoming fight.

"Just relax Aecha, leave this to us," Stugox assured. Worry erupted in my chest and Stugox must have perceived my uneasiness when he suddenly smiled genuinely.

Our apathetic leader smiled.

"Trust us, when Team Ske is serious about something, we make sure that we get the job done." Stugox walked pass Ki and rotated his shoulders. "Team Ske, what's our motto?" he asked.

"We have a motto-"Stugox hit Imosthy's gut before he could complete his sentence.

"They can take away Ki, they can take his stuff too but they can never make Won stay up for dinner!" all of them declared in unison with much dedication and willpower except for Ki who was the target of the battle cry and Won who never was the cheering type.

"Let's go Team Ske!" Joe cheered and leaped up from the ground and started up his machinegun. Harsh and continuous line of bullets sounded which sparked up the start of the battle.

The three false figures were shot out of their positions and got separated and the false Saek was fast approaching to our direction. Stugox had assigned Joe, Won and Hyuk Min to meet up with Trux and assigned Ki, Imsothy, and Hoets to handle Dryp. Stugox stayed with me as my bodyguard.

"Would you like some help with Saek?" I asked Stugox who was anticipating him.

I saw him slightly sway his head. "If you don't mind, I'd like to handle this myself. I want to see how much I improved," Stugox replied.

I nodded. "If things get into a bind, please don't hesitate to ask for me. I'll be at the corner right there," I informed him and pointed at the space beside the stairs leading up to the open store.

I turned around and walked to the place where I told Stugox of and gently placed Gilmos down on the floor. My eyebrows scrunched up when the position of his body remained the same as when he was placed on my shoulder. His body was stiff and cold and no matter how much I try to bend him back, his body remained curled.

"Gilmos-ssu..." I mumbled sadly. "I believe I deformed your body from having you stay so long on my shoulder. But you still look handsome so please do not worry. We accept you for all of your imperfections and...curvatures."

I gazed down on Gilmos' peaceful face and rose on my feet. The ground beneath my feet trembled from the various clashes. My eyes blurred out from staring at no particular target of interest and I leaned my head against a rough wall. I did not notice that I stopped breathing until my system alerted me of the danger of holding my breath for far too long.

It was strange.

I felt relieved when I stopped breathing.

I wanted to continue doing so because it was calming. I did not feel tired. Was this how Gilmos was feeling at the moment? Did he feel relieved? Did he feel like all his burdens were finally lifted from his shoulders?

A scoff erupted from my throat and I swayed my head at the silly thought.

Once I stop breathing, I'll be torching everyone's efforts and dreams. Once I stop breathing I'll be breaking promises made and releasing promises yet to be made. Once I stop breathing, I'll be abandoning friends who cared for me and the world that nurtured me in the hands of an unforeseeable future.

Once I stop breathing, hope ends, lives will bend and the world will never mend.

Therefore...I won't give up this breath. I will keep on living until the day that dying will be the only way for the world to be saved. This will become my new promise. This will become my new goal. Because each and every one of us depended on everyone's breath of life.

I will continue to court victory until failure finally loses hope for me.

My ring containing the seed of Ecgtheow warmed up which caught my attention. I raised my hand and found that the seed was emitting a yellow glow. My system notified me of the agitating medallion in my crate which led me to bringing it out. Once I did bring out the medallion, my ring was instantly magnetized by it. The medallion released a blinding white light which shut my eyes. I perceived the absence of the medallion in my grasp and the absence of the ring embracing my finger. I opened my eyes and uncovered the swell of warmth in my chest.

"I know where to go now...I know what to do..." I whispered as I slowly placed my hand on my warmed chest. I picked up Gilmos from his place and I gazed back at my friends who were fighting the false figures. "I believe in you...Thank you for everything."

I scampered up to the stairs and headed outside of the city of Zhekson. Once I arrived outside, I saw the ship that Team Ske used to get here beside our ship.

Now that I realized it, I was riding with a false group from the very start.

I got inside our ship —luckily Dryp left it open—and gently placed Gilmos on the floor. I sat on the pilot chair and gazed at the panel of buttons in front of me.

"I forgot...I don't know how to fly a ship."

I placed my hand on my forehead and sighed. Before I could learn how to fly one, Seven purposely did something to the chair I was sitting on which caused me to fall into the ocean.

My eyes snapped open when I heard a knock at the front window revealing Eleo. He pointed at himself and then at the chair beside me and I flicked a switch which would open the panel door. Eleo got inside and then sat beside me.

"Did you defeat Seven?" I asked him.

"He disappeared on me. So where are you headed to?" he asked and started up the ship. "I'm assuming you don't know how to fly this thing knowing that he tried to kill you before teaching you?"

I smiled sadly. Whenever I discover others' desires to end my life, I always feel like I have been a bad aechean to them.

"I do not know how to..." I replied.

He patted my head and then pulled the steering wheel of the ship towards him. "I'll escort you wherever you go so erase that hopeless face will you?" he requested. "Now pull that wheel," he instructed me.

I gave him a smile of gratefulness and did what I was told to do. The ship rose up from the ground and he instructed me to step on the accelerator. "Where to?" he asked me.

"Seven's laboratory," I replied.

"Why that place?"

I clenched on the wheel when I felt my chest get warmer. "That's where Necron will appear..." And that will be the place where all of this will end.

I will put a stop to the dispute between my eomma and Necron.

I will put a stop to Necron's unending invasions caused by regret.

"You're not seriously thinking of feeding yourself to that monster?" Eleo asked. "Your brother worked so hard on preventing this from happening to you and even in death ... he told me to protect you."

I looked at Eleo who was so focused on keeping us up in the air and a question rose up in my mind. "If you don't mind me asking...why did you take your own life?"

It was a fact that they were very close friends and that even up until now, Eleo cared for my brother.

Eleo grinned in the most melancholic way possible. "Do you believe in...romance?" he asked me.

"Romance?" I repeated.

I have never seen much of that attraction in our world but I know that in other planets, people tend to 'fall in love'. I heard rumors of other aecheans "romancing" but never experienced that for myself.

Eleo laughed. "Never mind, just ignore that question. Just to make it easier for you, your brother is a friend that I can't live without. He's annoying yes but at that time; I couldn't imagine myself living without him. I took your brother's life in my own hands because he made me promise that I'll do so if he becomes out of control. When I did it...I lost my desire to live. Thinking of the days I'll go through without hearing his voice and thinking about the days when I won't hear his whining and complaints was just too painful for me. I just love your brother so much that I could kill myself...which I obviously did, " he explained.

"That is a very strange way for you to express your love. I do not think Laechea would be happy if he found out that you did that to yourself," I commented. But this "Romance" seemed to make one lose himself if not guided in the right path. I wonder if I shall experience that one day?

"He would probably cry if he found out and I'll laugh at him because that annoys him."

Silence erupted between the two of us and I look at Eleo who seemed to be in deep thought. His eyes were looking outside yet his face was calm and happy.

"What do you plan on doing there?" Eleo spoke breaking the tranquility between the two of us. "Don't think you escaped that question."

I gazed back outside and pursed my lips. "I'm being directed there. I don't know what I'll end up doing but...my instincts are pointing there. I just have to be there."

"Which directs me to another question... do you feel like you'll end up in Necron's belly?"

It took me awhile to answer him back because I was trying to form the right statement but no matter what I do, I just couldn't explain it.

"I feel like I'll end up beyond that. I can't explain it. I apologize."

Eleo released a sigh. "I'll believe in that gut feeling of yours then. Both you and your brother cause me the same headache. I enjoy the torture," he chuckled.

I received a calling notification from my system and I picked it up.

The headache given to me by this agitated voice will remain as a headache for the next few minutes.

"AECHA YOU LOWLIFE WHERE ARE YOU? WHERE'S GILMOS? I SWEAR I'LL CREATE SEVEN BUTTHOLES ON SEVEN'S ASS!"

Without a doubt, this was the real Saek-ssu.

I told Eleo to land the ship temporarily and I sent Saek our location. We waited for about thirty minutes before they could get here and once we saw their ship landing beside us, the fear of telling their team about Gilmos' death suddenly hit me.

How will I tell them that Gilmos-ssu was dead? How can they take that?

Saek was the first one to get out of the ship followed by Trux, Typhi and Dryp. Eleo was standing beside me without his mask on.

"Aecha, what happened out there? Where's Gilmos?" Saek bombarded.

"Saek-ssu, Gilmos-ssu is in the-" before I could finish my statement, he impatiently got inside our ship causing me to shrink down and fear for the most undesirable reaction.

Saek's loud and pained wail created a wall of fault around me made of hands pointing at me for the blame.

"No no! Gilmos wake up! Wake up Gilmos! No...no...no..." Saek cried. His voice started out strong and ended up in a squeak of begs. We let him grieve inside the ship while the rest of us let his wails fuel our own grief.

As time went by, Typhi wrapped me with his arms and held me close.

"It's okay to cry...don't restrain yourself," he spoke in a trembling voice.

I returned his embrace and swayed my head in disapproval. Despite this intense emotion that I was feeling inside my chest and despite the hammering pain forcing me to tear up, I have to refrain from shedding unnecessary tears.

Because I was still fulfilling his command and if I can't even do this small order of his, I'll never deserve to be a Paragon.

"I have my orders Typhi-ssu...I can't abandon that."

I turned to Eleo and placed my hand against his arm. "Please take me to our destination."

"Where are you going?" Typhi asked.

"We will head to a place where I can finally end this," I replied. "Please stay put and may we borrow your ship?" I asked him but I was already heading for their ship even without their approval.

"Aecha, let's talk about this," Typhi called out.

There was no time to have a conversation. I can't lose anymore lives.

"Wait...Aecha! Ah...Eleo, you're Eleo Amoz right?" Typhi now referred to Eleo. Compared to myself, Eleo gave him his complete attention. "I am your younger brother. My name is Typhi. Please big brother, please take care of him," Typhi pleaded.

I got inside the ship and sat on the pilot chair while waiting for Eleo. When he finally arrived, he placed his hand on top of my head and gave me a light pat.

"I hate this...I feel like I'm delivering you to your death," he confessed. "Are you really sure about this?"

I slowly lifted my head to look at him. "I am sure. I won't back out from this. I won't let my brothers' deaths be in vain and I am also securing the future child of Ecgtheow by doing so. Please do not feel remorse."

I can't lose this opportunity. I already have the key to open the gates to where Tom-Ak-Ta was and these keys where given to me by my eomma and by Kesein. 

Eleo scratched the back of his head and groaned. "I'm an official child of Ecgtheow assistant now huh?" he spoke and plopped his arse on the chair beside me. "Just make sure you make it out alive because~" he prolonged the last word in a happy tone.

"I'm hosting a family reunion," he ended with a wink.

==============================================

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Mahgash