He had been a coward, hiding in the shadows, trying to convince himself that life would finally become a bed of roses.

He had chosen to hide, rather than confront.

Back when he and Maren were teenagers, Maren had always bathed in the limelight while he had retreated to the hidden tranquility of the background. He had never found the limelight to be appealing and found being thrust into the spotlight to be a terrifying experience.

He preferred the background, and being unknown. Maren, being the egoist that he is, preferred the limelight and longed to be remembered for his amazing deeds even after he was long gone. Even as a teenager, Maren fought hard to be acknowledged and rewarded. He was obsessed with leaving a legacy of sorts, and thus he often volunteered himself for missions or some risky programme that would gain the heads of the Ascendancy Agency's attention.

It was why he had been an agent that had been so early on.

Meanwhile, as his best friend found adoration in the limelight, he, Elioenai Seibert, had stayed in the background, observing the world and people around him. He was an observer, and that gained him the skill of analysis which would later be one of the main factors for his being in the Bomb Squad team. Contrary to popular belief, he did not just defuse bombs. Part of his duty was fixing and preventing any technological faults as well as analysing the evolution of the Amorals' weapons so that he can help the Agency further refine theirs'.

His life changed when he was admitted into his current department- the reputable Weapons' Research and Development Department of the Ascendancy Agency. Here, he was thrust into a hectic work life. The result was that it made him an absolute workaholic. To retain his sanity, he took on the role of a comedian, throwing lame jokes at his co-workers.

Ever since Renald's return, he had returned to his role as an observer again.

Yesterday, he had stumbled upon Alara and Maren talking privately in low, serious tones. The grimness of their chat made him sick with worry, and that was when he knew that he had been an observer for too long. How could he call himself a friend when he was trying to run away from the troubles?

Don't friends share their burdens with each other? From experience, Eli knew that if Maren didn't share his share of woes with him, it was either because they worked at places too far apart from each other, or because Maren's was too great to share.

If Maren had been dealt with an onerous burden and kept quiet, Eli knew there was no way that he could get anything from him.

And he'd bet his life that it had something to do with Renald Berrera.

But what? What could it be? Walking around the room in circles, Eli thought hard until it hit him. Anew with sudden energy, he ran for the room, praying that he was right.

"Sophos, please," he begged for the umpteenth time. "I need to know. You know me, Sophos. Hadn't we trained together when we were in our early teens?"

"So much time has changed since then, Eli."

"Yes, much has been changed. But let me ask you: has my loyalty and friendship to Maren changed? Has it? You tell me, Sophos."

He was finally no longer facing her back the moment he said that. He knew she had sensed the truth in his words, and if it wasn't for her taking the confidentiality policy seriously, he would have gotten his hands on the transcripts by now.

"Eli. These documents that you are asking for are confidential. I..."

"Sophos. You know I will die for Maren, don't you?" He only decided to continue when Sophos nodded her head. "Okay, good. There is no time for ethics now, Sophos. Renald is hurting, and Maren cares so much for Alara he'll go to the freaking underworld for her without a second thought. Maren is like my brother. I'm worried he'll do something foolish or make the wrong choice. I want to help."

Silence greeted his torrent of words.

He was about to give up when Sophos left the hallway and went back into her office. Eli was just about to leave in defeat when he heard the sounds of hurried tapping of her heels. He paused and turned around, surprised when she handed him the documents.

"Don't make me regret this, Eli."

"I won't. Thank you, Sophos."

While it was relieving for him to finally let the cat out of the bag, he was unhappy that his worst fear proved to come true. His sister was berating herself for what the Devil had done to him even though she was innocent in all of this.

Worse still was the way she looked at him. No matter how hard she tried to hide it from him, there was an undeniable look of guilt in the chocolate brown eyes of hers.

Guilt. Why does she feel guilty when she has done nothing wrong? It's not like she did nothing anyways.

He was sick of it all. The pretense he was keeping, the false brave front his sister was putting on. Returning to his bed, he lay on the comfy blanket, smiling as he breathed in the sweet scent of the flower that Loia had given him. It was one of the few things that gave him comfort these days, and the fact that it came from someone who neither judged nor pitied him meant a great deal to him.

One day, this will all end. Until then, I have to fight. Fight for the happiness that Alara and I deserve. I have to fight- I cannot succumb to the darkness within.

Sometimes, ignorance was really bliss.

He would give anything- literally anything- for someone to remove his most recent memories. He wished dearly for someone to remove them, starting from his visit to Sophos's office, for the contents of the transcript were so horrendous he vomited after reading them.

If only he could get rid of the memories just as easily as that. Never again would he inquire Sophos for something that was never his to read to begin with.

His heart broke while he read the documents and he wasn't even the boy's kin! How Alara was going to pull through this was beyond her, but he had faith in her. She was a strong girl.

Renald, on the other hand... he was only so young but had survived such horrors at the most precious ages of one's life. The teenager was subjected to torture when he should have been loved and cared for.

If he was honest with himself, his desire to help his friends was the fruit of a selfish wish. The fruit was borne after Tania's passing- when he knew he could no longer cope by himself with the memories of Operation Endgame, he had actively tried to find a new distraction to focus on.

Renald was his new distraction. Though his offers of help had been to help him in his running away from his internal trauma, he was even more sincere after Renald's plights were made known to him.

In Tania's last moments, she had been most sincere even as life seeped out of her.

She had ran to him, trying her best to save his life and ended up dying in the process.

She had even tried to joke to placate him. Him, of all people. Him, who was alive and kicking. Him.

She hadn't cursed their names or wished them Hell. Instead, all she asked for was for him to protect her family. To watch over them. That wasn't all- she had requested him to take care of Alara too.

He had visited Tania when everyone had left alone. That was the day when Tania had found out that she would be joining in on the mission, and in spite of everything that they had done to her, Tania had asked him for a favour.

"Can you take care of Alara for me?" she had asked, her tone a grave and severe one. "I think I won't make it out of here alive."

"Why do you think that? Don't worry; they'll give you the antidote. They aren't heartless people." he had rambled on. "Gosh, Maren has a cushiony heart. He's a softie."

"That's not- just please. Promise me."

She was truly an enigma. His mind had frequently visited his previous conversations that he had with her. Though they were always a small few, her genuine concern and heart of gold had always shone through.

Gazing at the sky, Eli clenched his fists. I promise you, Tania. I'll look after your family, Tan. And Alara and Renald, and always be by their side.

"That flower is so pretty. Is it new?" Alara walked towards the flower placed in an elegant vase. "So pretty... I've never seen it before. Who gave it to you?"

"Oh, that." Her brother hurried out of his bed, looking flustered. "Ah, err... a gir- my friend."

A girl, eh? Smiling brightly, Alara withdrew her hand from the flower's petals and patted her brother's head. "I'm so happy that you have friends here, Ren. I'm so proud of you."

"It's nothing, Lara. Who isn't capable of making friends anyway?" Her brother shyly made his way to his bed, covering his small body with the blanket. She couldn't help but note how he seemed to be swallowed up by the bigness of the blanket.

"Alara, go hang out with Maren or something. I'm sleepy."

Hang out with Maren? "Ha, ha," she laughed dryly, planting a kiss on her brother's forehead before leaving the room. "Goodnight, Renny. I love you, forever and always.

She got the fright of her life when she bumped into Elioenai Seibert outside her brother's bedroom door. "What the-"

"Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Elioenai shifted embarrassedly, and beckoned her to come closer.

Warily, she did. "What?"

"I... I, err, I read the transcripts."

He had never seen such raw anger in Alara's eyes until now. Shit. I should have just kept my mouth shut!

Before he could say anything however, Alara dragged him away from the vicinity of Renald's room to the library. He did not protest when the reason for why she was literally dragging him away struck him.

She was protecting her brother from his careless mind and mouth. It did not even cross his mind that Renald may have heard his words and Gods, he hoped he had not. When she finally released him from her grasp, she glared at him and he started rambling.

"Look... I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking and please don't get angry at Sophos. She's innocent as a lamb in this- I pestered her for the transcripts."

Some tension left Alara's shoulders, but he could still see her lips set in a firm line. She sighed, casting him a weary glance. "Why did you want to read the transcripts for? Honestly, if Sophos showed them to you, it means that she trusts you. So I trust you too. But still, what good will reading them do to you?"

"I want to help, Alara. I get it if you're suspicious of me. I mean, what will I gain if I help you? Here's the thing. Maren cares so much about you that he doesn't even realise it. He probably thinks he's an expert at masking his true feelings- hell, he may have even convinced himself that his heart is hardened or some shit. But no.

He'll walk through Hell for you. And by being involved in this, I'm watching out for my long-time friend. Please, Alara. Let me join this. If not to help in some small way, at least let me protect you and Maren. Please."

Silence hung in the air for so long that one could hear a pin drop. He was certain that she would decline his offer when she finally said, "Fine. But on one condition." She stepped nearer towards him and placed a ring on his finger. The thick silver band was simple with no designs on it and he could not figure out why she had given a ring to him. He surveyed her up and down and was startled to find the same ring on her forefinger. Wait. Does she have feelings for me? Is she trying to tell me that she likes me-

"To idiots, it looks like a promise ring or even a couple ring. Only geniuses would feel a small bump against your skin. An emergency button is hidden beneath the bump. You can activate it by pressing against it three times. When I need you, I'll press mine. Our rings are connected and you'll feel a vibration when I do. That's the signal that Maren or I are in danger. It won't stop beeping until you reach us.

That's how you can help. The only way you can help."

It wasn't a suggestion or a question.

It was a statement.

And he was okay with it. As long as he could help, he'd do anything. "Thank you, Alara."

She nodded and left the room, leaving him alone with the ring.