Redemption

CHAPTER XLVII: 'Goodbye, Graves'

When you trust someone, you feel as if you're always going to be indebted to them, as if you're never going to let them go. In other situations, trust is a dirty act, because it really shows how you are going to be treated by a friend of yours, no matter the situation. It incorporates the feeling of an invisible string, a string that holds two people together spiritually, a string that ties them together eternally until it is broken by either.

It's completely impossible to alter somebody's fate, and that's the purpose of the string. Only those who are held together by it, could cut it by using any ways necessary to break their trust and their intimacy with one another. The same invisible being, Graves and Nikolais, in which the two were held together by that string, thinking they were going to be inseparable for life. That was the problem. They weren't truly going to be forever friends just because a part of the Russian had left him, forever missing that piece until the time that it decides to mold itself again.

And as Nikolais ran through the hallway, Graves followed along. It was as if, that string was coming back, but not completely, because they still have distrust, and it just completely changed their perceptions on each other.

Nikolais knew that Graves hated him. Badly. The fact that he knew hurt him more.

But he was never going to settle living that truth. He wanted to change the man's thought on him, by helping him disarm the device once and for all. That is, if fate had changed its course again and completely dominated the play, making way for new changes as it tries so desperately hard to make them live off a tragedy.

And so, they both fought for that freedom.

—-

The two had ran through the hallways, never stopping as they were nearing the source of the orange glow. Oddly enough, they had taken one more turn as they kept running, and they noticed the fact that the one hallway was getting wider and wider as the orange glow was also getting brighter. From that sight alone, they both knew, that they were approaching the source of the device. Nikolais was still leading them both as Graves also tries his best to catch up, trying to get a glimpse of what the device looked like.

Eventually, they were near enough to the point that they could see the open room with the device itself. It looked like a mechanical source of orange dew that was violently shaking due to how close the time of combustion was, and Nikolais could feel it coming as well. He had always known about the device in the first place, so technically, Graves was at good fortune here – because the man probably knew what to do.

Nikolais' pace slowed down as he was nearing the opening that ventured towards the core, Graves slowly catching up as he walked with Nikolais to witness the sight. Both of them shared looks, knowing what they needed to fulfill at this very moment. Graves was nervous, because he had never done something so abrupt like this before, but he knew, that he needed to be the sacrifice to save Las Almas from destruction.

Deep down, Graves felt like this city was home. He had experienced a lot during his time of staying, and he felt like he must now put down his life in order for the future to prosper. He felt like he needed to, especially when they're all at the risk of dying. That includes Task Force 1-4-1, Los Vaqueros, and all the other innocent people who lived at the urban part of the state.