evanescence

00・03

"Lia! Thank goodness you're alive!" His voice cracked while he held me tighter in his arms.

There's no mistaking it.
It is dad. And he was crying.

Was it for me...?

Geez. You should know better, old man.

"Uh, h-hey...?" I awkwardly greeted, wrapping my arms around him too. "... I-I'm sorry."

"Shush. Don't waste your breath. What matters is that we're fine." There was this urgency in his voice, and I couldn't help but to obey him, even perk up a bit before he reprimands me.

"Y-Yes." There goes my response, before I eventually relaxed for awhile. All the while, I took my time to look at my surroundings. It was relatively dark, with a dim source of light from afar. The only other thing notable is the presence of rock formation. Tons of them. I couldn't contain myself, so I asked. "Where are we...?"

By then, I'd already push myself away from him, only to observe the place even more.

"A cave in the rainforest."

"... I see." And a subtle nod from me. "I guess, things won't go too bad."

"I hope so. But it's always best to be alert." And with that, he held his Counter Arc close by.

A Blast Impacter.

"... Say, dad." I tried to speak up, my eyes locked onto the weapon. "Isn't it scary? To wield such a powerful weapon? To face terrifying beasts everyday? To risk your life to save others?"

He let out a sigh, a warm smile flashed upon me. He plopped a hand onto my head, stroking my hair gently, probably to help me calm down.

"If I said no, can I even call myself human?" He replied nonchalantly, laughing softly, even.

How he could chill out at a time like this bewilders me to unknown extents.

"Let me guess: you're gonna ask how I manage to pull it off, no?"

Oh. Whoops. A small nod coming from me.

"You've probably asked that your entire life, dear." His hand slid down to my shoulder. By then, our eyes had met each other, and I could see a spark lighting up in his eyes. "However, the answer's pretty simple."

My mouth gaped open, he makes it sound so easy.

"Let me ask you this time, dear.
Have you been living life for a purpose?"

"... P-Purpose?"

Now I ask myself.
What have I been doing in life...?

"... I want to fight, like you guys. To stand up and be brave. To face my fears without a wavering heart...!"

"Is that really the case?"

"H-Huh...?"

"You never know, you might be living for the wrong purpose. What you know might only be something trivial, maybe a bit too shallow... evanescent."

"Dad... I don't get you."

"Aha, maybe for now, darling. You're young, and you've a long way to go. Someday, you'll find it. Just you wait."

A pat has been given to my shoulder, making me come to a realization that my breathing's been halted for awhile.

But then, he got me thinking.

To be stronger... is that really... my purpose?

Wait, whoa—.

Dad and I looked at each other with concerned looks on our faces.