(At Present)
Inno stared at Florisha with a dull look. He could see the bitterness she had filled herself with. She had changed so much from when they first met nineteen years ago, while he had practically remained the same.
Sure, he had gotten better. Sure, he had adapted. But the path she took was truly a wonder. Well, the true trigger was The Village Head, but he had only played a substantial role.
"I'm going to leave you to do what you do best. I'll only drag personal emotions into this. Just try to get to the core area of their nest and... kill as many of these critters as possible," Florisha said, walking past Inno, her face lowered.
Inno stared at her a little longer and curled his lips.
"You just want to exploit me, just like The Village Head wanted to."
He wasn't stupid. He knew that he practically could not die, so she wanted him to fight the Cropgores in the village's stead.
Despite the fact that he couldn't die, he could still feel pain—and he could still fall unconscious, which would leave him vulnerable.
He wasn't that different from a normal man, apart from his centuries of knowledge, his experience of trying to survive, and his proficiency in adapting.
Florisha froze as she heard his voice. She sighed.
"I know how it seems, but please. If these creatures are left unattended to, it will only cause more chaos."
"No," Inno said bluntly.
"No? You can't just say no." Florisha frowned.
"When has anyone in this village cared about me? Huh? Tell me. You expect me to suffer just for those ungrateful ********? No chance. I already have to endure those villagers' wrath every ******* night, and that's already difficult enough," Inno spat.
"Do you know how long I've been going through that? Long before I met you, long before you were born. Since I was five years old—five ******* years old—and that has been a long, long time. I told you the stories when you were young. I have been hunted, praised, rejected, worshiped, accepted, and many more throughout my lifetime. And it hasn't just been a nice ride. This generation has been the most wicked to me—and you expect me to just help them? So what if they stop the Hunting Time. So what if chaos may ensue. I don't give a ****."
Inno had made up his mind. He wasn't going to go through an unimaginable amount of pain because of people who relentlessly strive to bring him hurt.
So what if he was the embodiment of weakness? He was still... human.
But could he call himself that at this point?
Human... what does it mean to be human?
I guess that's a tale for another day.
Florisha stared into his eyes.
She unsheathed her blades.
"I see..."
She began to walk toward him slowly. She didn't have a hostile look on her face. It was just blank.
"Weakness. Do you know why I call you that? Because that's what you are: Weakness. But do you know why I am called Florisha? Because that's what I was called to be.
But what am I? A burden," she said, her tone grave.
"I know it hurts. I know it's difficult, but please just—"
"Save it. I've already made my choice."
Inno walked past Florisha through the hole he had dug with her.
Florisha didn't chase after him. She just stayed quiet. She didn't know what to say at this point. There was no changing his mind once he had made a decision.
---
* * *
The Council Room was dead silent.
A new member? They hadn't been expecting it—especially not so soon. The most recent was over two centuries ago, and now one all of a sudden?
"She has actually been an embodiment for quite some time now, but she had suppressed it and was tending to the kids of the village. But I think that something triggered it once again," Thomas spoke, his hand on his chin.
"So... we have a new member. A female one at that," the woman in the yellow robe said.
"Yes. It seems so," Thomas responded with a nod.
"Her robe is still being prepared. Immediately she assumes seat, she will be given it—and she will be one step closer to becoming an official member," Thomas said, a slight smile on his face.
"I wonder what color her robe will change to," the man in the black robe asked curiously.
"What is the emotion she embodies, anyway?" the man in the green robe asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh. The emotion she embodies is quite complex, I'll say..." Thomas said, trying to be suspenseful.
"Don't start this again, Thomas. Just spit it out!" the man in green robe snapped, annoyed.
"Okay, okay. Sheesh!"
"Florisha, daughter of Master Carson and the late Mrs. May, embodies..."
Sorrow.