Chasing Dreams (Dropped)

Chapter 193: Power

Family is power, and family is my strength...

Ren took a deep breath. All he could think to do was breathe. The news of Homura's plan didn't shock him much. He expected nothing less from the monster that birthed Mei.

"Of course..." Ren said dryly. It was difficult for him to hide the anger within his voice.

Ren looked to the right, eyeing his daughter, who was sleeping peacefully.

Ren looked to the left, gazing upon his sister, who appeared stricken with disbelief.

Finally, Ren looked straight ahead, focusing solely on Jack and no one else.

"Have you made your choice?" Ren's face hardened like stones as an unbridled frown swallowed his face.

Jack was no different. His blank expression faded, and some semblance of emotion rushed forward in the form of a look of contempt.

"I have..." It wasn't a difficult choice for Jack to make. For over a decade, Jack was living on borrowed time. As an artificial human, there was no chance that'd he'd live a long life.

Although, with Nana's sacrifice, Jack had a second chance to live his life how he saw fit.

Jack didn't avert his gaze. Not because he didn't want to. But, because he was unable to. Jack found himself trapped within Ren's blazing stare. Ren didn't look particularly angry, but his eyes were intense, to say the least.

Standing before Ren felt like standing near a firestorm. If Jack stepped any closer, he'd be burned, so he made sure to choose his words carefully.

"Would it be wrong of me to say I want to live...?"

Initially, Ren seemed confused by Jack's comment. But after glancing down and noticing his trembling hand, everything became more apparent.

"No, it wouldn't." Ren said softly.

"Would you hate me if I chose life over death?" Jack then asked.

"No, I wouldn't." Ren muttered.

Ren noticed Jack's expression relaxes as if a feeling of relief cleansed his soul.

"But, I would be lying if I said I wouldn't do anything to defend myself if you chose life over death." Ren clarified. "But, I would like to give you the benefit of the doubt, that if you chose to live that wouldn't also mean choosing to take my life..."

Jack didn't answer. He was about as silent as a lone wolf hunting in the frozen night.

Ren exhaled again. His intense stare didn't waver in the slightest.

"Jack, I'm thankful for you coming to my aid when times were tough. But I want to live as much as you do..." Ren thought of Suzume, Manasa, and then Anji. "I have things worth fighting for and I have dreams I need to fulfill. I can't afford to die just yet."

Ren's eyes only softened when glancing at Natsumi. He saw emotions cloud her face while Ren did everything he could to hide his. With a swing of his hand, Ren drew a line of scarlet flames.

Ren hardened his heart like it was made from a diamond.

"Jack, do you think there is meaning behind strength?"

"I don't know..." Jack whispered.

"I would like to believe there is a meaning for everything in this world." Ren said honestly. "Whether it is acts of good, or acts of evil, everything in our world has some sort of meaning behind it even if we don't understand it. Power and strength is no different."