The Judgement Of Divinity (TMOE #2)

Chapter 43: The right choice

"Anthony," he almost yelled, only keeping from hugging the frizzy-haired man out of caution. "You— You're... Outside, I see."

"I'm..." Anthony's gaze was on the ground, and he pinched his lips together while finding his words. "... Sorry. The others told me what happened at the gallows, and... I should have been there for you. I— I should have been there for you all along. Not just then."

Lucius had no words of comfort to say. He wanted to have them, but Anthony had more or less left him to die and it was true that he had let Damien go too far too many times before that as well.

"I couldn't handle it," Anthony whispered as Lucius said nothing, and he sat down next to him on the crypt floor. "I'd already screwed up so much, and no matter what I did it got worse. I wanted to choose both sides while I already knew it wouldn't be possible."

"Choosing the side of a man you care a lot about or your father who's trying to murder said man just so you can't be with him?" Lucius laughed wryly. "Yeah that sounds rough."

Anthony did not find this amusing, and Lucius couldn't help but feel bad.

"You shouldn't listen to him just because he's your father, you know?" He placed his hand on Anthony's. "I know it's hard to realise your family sucks, but the sooner you do, the better."

Anthony scoffed.

"I've known he... Sucks, for a long time. I guess I just waited for him to stop."

"Kind of like Ethan?"

"Ethan hoped Damien could change back to himself, and be a good father again." Anthony's lips quirked. "I know better. I just wanted him to be decent enough to let me die."

Not that again.

"Would you... Really destroy it immediately?" Lucius' words were barely audible. "If you got it back?"

Anthony looked down at their hands.

"... I can't risk having it taken away again."

Lucius hummed. While he wasn't kind enough to wish for Anthony's death, he wouldn't risk scaring him away again.

"Maybe you could, I dunno, put a trap around it or something? If someone tries to touch it, it will be destroyed somehow."

Anthony finally managed a soft laugh.

"I suppose... Though I shouldn't keep dreaming about things that won't happen."

Lucius' shoulders slumped as the man's smile died again, and he tilted his head to the side.

"What was he like before? Ethan's been so set on having him back, and you've held out some kind of hope for so long."

"He... Was a good man. I don't know how to describe it." A pained smile appeared on Anthony's lips as he shrugged. "A good father, and husband. He loved his family more than anything, and... He still does, it's just become a twisted kind of love over the years."

"He sure has a strange way of showing it to Ethan."

"Well, yes and no. He still talks about Ethan fondly, but... He doesn't acknowledge that the current Ethan is his son, you know?"

Lucius scoffed.

"So despite everything, his faith comes first?"

"It's not just that." Anthony shook his head. "I don't think his faith plays a big part at all. He's just scarred by his past."

"Oh..." Lucius' face scrunched up. "... Something happened?"

Anthony nodded gravely.

"Hundreds died. Damien was terrified something would happen to his family so he swore to protect us, and... Make sure we wouldn't meet the same, cruel fate."