Chapter 111 - Your Mistake

"Now you're here saying you regret it, but your regret and your sorry is not going to bring Alphius back," Hecathe continued with a sigh, "He's gone forever and you'll never be able to get that precious friend back. I heard that you, Alphius, and Hecathe used to stick together since you were kids. A group of three who were joined at the hip..." 

Hecathe scoffed as he added, "It's quite funny to think that after killing the two, you're the only one left behind." 

Marvin frowned as he heard this and this time, the boy decided to defend himself, "I wasn't the one who killed Hecathe! He died because of the mutants! Those damned creatures... If Alphius had wanted, he could have saved him... But he turned his back on Hecathe! If there is anyone responsible for Hecathe's death, it is Alphius!" 

Hecathe couldn't help but feel a little weirded out by hearing his own name, however, he didn't dare let it show on his face. 

"Now you're back to blaming Alphius...?"

"..."

"You're saying that what you did to Alphius, he did to Hecathe...? Three best friends that betrayed and killed each other?" Hecathe chuckled dryly, "What a crappy ending to such a beautiful friendship... And all because you couldn't trust anyone." 

Marvin's eyebrows creased together as he heard the man accusing him, however, before the boy could say anything in defense, Hecathe continued with a question. 

"Do you really think Hecathe died because of the mutants?" 

"..." The boy was a bit stunned to hear this question and there was nothing he could say as a response. 

"Do you really think Alphius turned his back on Hecathe?" The man decided to ask another question as he saw such a wordless response from Marvin, "Think about it and tell me. Do you really think that was all there was to it?" 

"What... are you talking about...?!" Marvin's eyes looked to be a bit scary at the moment as he questioned in all seriousness, but Hecathe was naturally not intimidated by this boy. 

"You're an idiot," Hecathe's pupils seemed to have contracted as he commented accusingly, "After losing everyone you trusted and cared for, you're finally coming to realize your own mistakes... But you're still blind to the truth." 

Marvin looked to be conflicted as he heard this and the boy dare not say anything as he waited for Hecathe to explain further.

"What if I tell you that killing Alphius wasn't the only mistake you made...?" 

"..." Marvin gulped as he heard this.

"You know I feel sad for Alphius. The boy was certainly a pitiful one to have trusted you and considered you a friend," Hecathe clicked his tongue as he commented, "And not just Alphius, but Hecathe as well. I feel bad for him too because even after his death, one of his closest friends decided to blindly push the blame onto Alphius without even bothering to question the situation." 

Marvin gritted his teeth and it seemed that Hecathe had managed to truly agitate the boy this time. 

"What the hell do you know?!" Marvin fumed and this anger that the boy displayed was the reaction that Hecathe was waiting for.

Hecathe smirked as he nodded his head and replied, "I do. I know better than you do." 

Marvin was an impulsive boy and at this moment, it almost looked as if he was ready to punch Hecathe. 

Hecathe sighed as he continued, informing, "Hecathe was killed." 

Marvin flinched as he heard this and Hecathe could clearly notice the shock the boy had received by hearing this. 

"He was killed by someone you trusted," Hecathe added with a small smirk. 

Marvin gulped and immediately started to think for himself, however, Hecathe was sure the boy would not be able to find the culprit on his own, so he decided to help him. 

"One of the three willows of spring." 

"..." 

"To be more specific, the willow that Alphius killed," Hecathe continued as he spoke truthfully without filtering out his words, "While you were there blaming Alphius for not saving him, Alphius was busy avenging the death of your friend." 

Marvin's eyes widened as he heard this and it seemed that he was also slowly starting to put the pieces together. 

"And what did you do afterward?" Hecathe asked with a scoff and he was certainly not acting since he was really a bit annoyed at this boy, "You blamed Alphius and turned on him. You decided that since he had killed one of the three willows of spring, he was the one to blame." 

"..." By now, Marvin really had nothing left to say for himself. 

No matter from which angle he evaluated the situation, in the end, it seemed that he was the real one to blame for everything. 

"Without even letting Alphius explain, you blamed it all on him. You're an idiot who dances like a monkey on the rhymes of the three willows of spring. You think you're the hero who is trying to make this world a better place but you're nothing more than a puppet being controlled by the ones at power." 

Hecathe sighed as he added, "The world is not a pure place and not everyone you meet is as they seem to be. However, trusting the wrong people is never going to justify your own actions."

"I'm sorr-" 

"Apologizing to me isn't going to solve anything," Hecathe interjected in between as he spoke, "I'm not the one that you should be apologizing to." 

"Then... What do I do...?" Marvin asked and his voice sounded to be defeated. 

Hecathe couldn't help but smile a little as he heard this response. It was the exact response that he had hoped to hear. 

He had planned to first agitate the boy before making him feel guilty and in the end, he would try to merge all those feelings and use them to turn the boy against the three willows of spring. 

His agitation and guilt would be turned to hate and all that hate was going to be directed towards the three willows of spring. 

Marvin was a boy who was easy to manipulate, whether it be by the three willows of spring or Hecathe trying to use the boy. 

"Why are you asking me that?" Hecathe clicked his tongue as he questioned in response, "As I have said before, your sorry isn't going to help anyone. Hecathe and Alphius are already gone and there is nothing you can do to bring them back, however, sitting here drowning in guilt is also not going to help you." 

Hecathe took a step closer to the boy and poked Marvin's chest with his finger harshly as he added, "You can either forget about their deaths or let this anger inside you take control. Both of them are dead and your father is also dead. Are you just going to apologize and do nothing about it?" 

"Right now, if I was the one in your shoes, do you know what I would have done?" Hecathe asked with contempt. 

"What... Would you have done?" 

Hecathe had a small smirk on his face as he leaned in closer to Marvin's ear and whispered, "I would want to avenge them. I would kill the real culprit, make him realize that he messed with the wrong person." 

Marvin's breath got hitched in his throat as he heard this and the boy seemed to have been startled to hear the bloodlust in Hecathe's voice. 

In the very next moment, Hecathe sighed as he didn't even wait for the boy's response and patted Marvin's shoulder as he commented, "But then again, it seems that you didn't care about them enough to do that. You're a coward who only cares about yourself and maybe that's the reason why I'm here." 

Hecathe stepped back with a smile on his face as he spoke, "Even if you decide to drown in self-pity and guilt, it doesn't matter to me cause I'm going to find that bastard and I'm going to definitely kill him as well." 

"But... Why?" Marvin looked to be a little stunned and confused as he questioned in disbelief, "You don't even know Alphius..." 

Hecathe chuckled dryly as he heard this and nodded his head as he spoke, "You're right, I don't know him but unlike you, I'm not a coward. If I see someone being wronged, I sometimes tend to take it personally." 

As their friend, Marvin was not ready to do anything, but even after having never met them, Hecathe was ready to risk his life to avenge them... 

If Marvin were to simply remain doing nothing after hearing Hecathe, it would truly be an insult to the boy.

Marvin gritted his teeth and clenched his fist as he made a decision in his mind and even without him having to say it out loud, it seemed that Hecathe was able to automatically guess what the decision was. 

"So do you want to join me?" Hecathe asked with a smirk and it seemed that by now, the man was confident that he was going to get a positive response to this question. 

"It was him!" Marvin suddenly gritted out, exclaiming and Hecathe's smirk widened into a small smile.