We found ourselves in another fight, this time the titan took the form of a living tree, I'm always amazed at how fast Ozwald learns to be better at fighting, "wither!" he said as he made some of the sharp branches turn dry out, in the fight we ran out of barriers, this titan was strong it was keeping us on defense as the roots and branches came to pierce us, I had to hack away at them with my axe while Ozwald needed to find new synonyms for "dry" however he was running low on energy if this keeps on we will be killed here.

  I tried an attack against the body but was promptly smacked against the ground, without the barriers I felt the full pain of the hit, and my body was covered in cuts and bruises I managed to stand up and saw a sharp branch coming my way, this is it, this is how it ends, was it a good life? I guess it was fun, I tried to find a way out of the attack but there was none I closed my eyes and waited for the strike "Higen!" but instead of the piercing of the roots I felt the hand of Ozwald pushing me away from the strike, I saw as his body was pierced and fall to my hands.

  "Oz-Ozwald... Ozwald NO!!!" I didn't understand why did he do that, I threw my axe at the titan but it retired underground as its labyrinth disappeared and the after team rushed to help us, "Mr. Banna are you okay let us hea-" I smacked their hands "him... help him first!" I ordered them they nodded and took Ozwald; he has to be okay, he is going to be okay right? The after team took me and Ozwald to Dr. Cambell's office I was reluctantly patched up against my will, this is horrible nobody told me anything about Ozwald's condition.

  "Remember Higen..." Did I fall asleep? I saw myself and my father as he was training me, "You have to be brave and strong, to protect everyone, you have to be the hope when everything is dark, that's what we the knights are" "Yes Father!" I puffed my tiny chest and stood as straight as I could "I will not let evildoers or monsters hurt anyone!" "That's my brave boy, come here" he ruffled my hair and laughed with me, I missed him very much, the feeling of someone moving my shoulder woke me up from my dream and I saw Lulu standing next to me.

  "How... how is he!?!" I urged her, she bit her lip looking for the right words, I shook my head "No... no, he can't... he has to be okay!" "He is not dead Higen, but... follow me" She led me to Ozwald's room, he was hooked to a lot of machines I didn't know what they did but they were beeping and lighting, Ozwald was sleeping on a hospital bed "the titian you were fighting didn't kill him but" she interlocked her fingers and took a deep breath "it stole his heart."

  "What do you mean it stole his heart? If he doesn't have a heart he should be... how do I save him?" there wasn't time for the details if he is not dead and Miss Lulu is showing him to me then it must mean there's a way to help him, "listen Higen, the titan will reappear if you manage to defeat him you might be able to claim his heart back" "say no more" I turned and started to walk to the door all I have to do is win the fight and get his heart, but she placed her hand on my shoulder "Higen you can't go a look for it, I have my best melodist on the before team looking for the titan, the sun is rising, you and Ozwald got into a car accident, you have to keep up appearances and go to school"

  How can she be suggesting I do that? How can she think... but I can't say that, if there is something I'm well accented with is keeping appearances, I forced myself to smile like I usually do "Understood, I'll be taking my leave then, please inform me if anything happens" "... Mr. Banna you don't have to force yourself to smile, is okay to..." I shook my head "no, no, no if I act differently people could suspect a knight should bring joy even in the darkest of hours, so I'll go rest for a moment at home" She didn't try to stop me when I returned to our home I closed the door, I walked to Ozwald's room, with each step my heart sunk farther and farther until I collapsed on his bed, "such a great friend I turn out to be" I said out loud, I will save him I won't be robbed of the people I care again.

  My alarm woke me up, I sat alone at the table to have some breakfast before classes, I changed clothes, grabbed my bag and I was on my way, "come on Higen just think of happy things so you can smile" I thought to myself, I pictured my weapons being clean, the Hills back at Elysium, "Higen" Ozwald smiling and laughing, I wonder when did he become part of my happy thoughts, but I have no time for that, for once in my life I wish I had a script that told me what to do or how to feel, something to reassure me that there is a happy ending in the end, I am a knight, casualties in a fight are normal, especially against the titans, I have seen my fair shear of people die in the fight so why is this different, it's not the first time I've seen someone close die.

  When I got to the main hallway, some of the students gasped as they saw my bandages, although the wounds had been closed Lulu asked me to wear them to keep the illusion of me and Ozwald being in a car accident, "Hey bro what happen?" a guy from the team asked me with a very worried look on his face "yeah... am... where is that Ozmar guy that always comes with you?" his girlfriend asked "..." come on you can do this "we had a car accident some guy was going to ram me over with his car but Ozwald pushed me out of the way" the girl's face went pail "so sorry I meant Ozwald is he okay?" funny she never mentions him and now she is concerned? "Well, he is in the hospital, but I think he is going to be fine after a few days" "Oh that's sucks man anything we can do?" "It is fine" I tried to not show my discontent and went to my Literature class, this has never been so difficult.

  "So, class today we are going to discuss choices, as you read in the previous chapters of the "Odyssey", do you think that Odysseus made a good choice at this point in the story... Mr. Marten?" "Well, I think he took the right call at the cave, he chose to get more food by sacrificing some of his man" Carter answered I don't know why but I scoffed instead of silently agreeing "Oh do you have a different take, Mr. Banna?" the class turned to look at me, all of their eyes burning in my skull, judging me as if they knew "What good does a captain that abandons his troops do? I do not think he made a good choice, instead of helping the others even at the risk of his own life he shouldn't have been called a captain at all!" I have never raised my voice in the time I have been here, but my blood was boiling "hey man is just an opinion on a dumb book chill out!" I probably looked agitated, but Mr. Hannigan looked concerned "And that is my opinion, a person that needs to sacrifice another to thrive on should not have embarked in the first place!" I broke my pen without realizing it, the shards dug into my hand, and it started to bleed, I was excused from class and went to the doctor's office to get it treated.

  I was walking down the corridor when Niko came running behind me "Higen dude, are you okay?" he stopped near me to catch his breath "Yeah I'm just fine with a shard of plastic in my hand... sorry that was uncalled for, it's just been a morning" "hey don't sweat it, I heard about what happened to Ozie, I'm surprised you came to school, is he alright?" I started to walk to the office again as Niko followed me, "No... Yes... I... I don't really know, he was in a pretty rough state, and I didn't know where else to go, I don't want to be alone at home and I don't have anyone else in town" he placed his hand on my shoulder gently "hey you know you can hang out at my place or I can hang out at yours we are friends, that's what we do support you when you are down" me and Niko have expended some time together even though he hangs out mostly with Ozwald, he is a nice person and gives the best advice.

  Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  "How come you are skipping classes Niko?" I asked him "Well after your rant and the pen I asked the teacher if I could come see you were okay like emotionally okay" Am I okay? I'm not even sure there is a right answer to that right now, why is my fa?ade breaking for Ozwald? How am I supposed to save everyone if I cannot save even one person? The person that means the most to me. why does it feel like my heart is about to burst? All the questions swirling in my head, and I have answers for none of them "Higen you know that is fine to be angry or upset about this, right?" he asked me as the office door came into view.

  "wh... what do you mean?" he sighed "You always look so happy and mesmerized about the little things, especially when Ozie is around, but, seeing him hurt must be killing you, you don't have to put on a brave and strong face you can just be a you" I ground my teeth and folded my fingers into a fist, "I can't do that Niko, not now, not ever" if I accepted that, if I let my emotions seep through, than I'm accepting that nothing can change, and I won't do that "excuse me I need to get my hand fixed" I entered the door and let him behind.

  I was excused for the rest of the day, so I had to go back home, not having anything else to look forward to I pulled out my weapons and started to sharpen them "I... Will... Get... It... Back" I keep chanting as I sharpened all of my Elysian weapons, my mind flashed to when I lost my father, how he told me we were going fishing next week and he returned in a box, "You are a knight! You will save him!" I keep sharpening the edge of my sword I gaze at my reflection on the sword on one side I see a knight the symbol of hope someone that should keep everyone safe and on the other I see a scared little child afraid of losing his friend if he is not capable enough, I closed my eyes and remembered the funeral of my father how my mother didn't even cry how I was unable to cry because I had to pretend I was strong I don't want to do that ever again, a notification rang on my phone from the Tartaro's app "TITAN LOCATED!" I put on my gloves, grabbed the jacket Ozwald made for me, and ran to the location of the Titan.

  "This time..." I arrived at Claudet's natural park, the labyrinth entrance was on the oak trees "I will not let you escape" I pressed the barrier button and entered the labyrinth, it was the same forest area from before just that instead of pail roots and branches they were beaming with life, I ran to the center of the forest where we find the main body last time, the tree was as tall as our apartment building, the markings on the wood made eerie eyes peering at me, I clapped and my bastard sword appears on my hands.

  The roots spear no time as I marched forward they uprooted themselves and moved in to attack, with a guttural roar I started to hack and slash at the incoming tendrils made of wood, I jumped into the air to dodge the striking roots and pulled my shield out, I landed on it and used it to skate down the roots to attack the main body, but the branches started to shoot themselves like arrows at me I twisted my legs to propel the shield to my hand to block the incoming projectiles, I hack at the main body before the roots lashed at me pushing me backward even with the extra sharpening I did I barely managed to make a dent on the wood a few of my petals were shattered in the after matt, but I couldn't give up when I saw the glittering sight of a jewel amongst the branches, a heart-shaped stone hanging like a fruit form a branch.

  I started to throw all of my available weapons with all the force I had to stoke them to the tree in the process the roots managed to brake all of the petals so from this point on I'm on my own, I sprinted full speed ahead dodging all of the attacks I could a few of the branches were lunged into my sides but I didn't care all I had in my head was my objective to take that jewel back to Ozwald I leap from weapon to weapon using them as stepping stones to reach the top of the titan, but when Ozwald's heart was within my reach the tree trapped me in its roots to add insult to injury it lowered the jewel, showed it to my face "wait... no, no, NO!!!" the titan smashed the jewel against his body shattering it to pieces one landed on my hand, it got sucked into my gloves as I stare with burning hatred to the titan's many eyes.

  I cut the roots that were suspending me and landed on the ground, the roots didn't move for a moment it was like the titan realized what had happened "Heed my ward foul monster..." Blue sparks started to swarm around me, "We have a saying in Elysium" The sparks reformed around my body strengthening it and making it sturdier, "hell hath no fury like a scorned Knight..." "Remember this well Higen" I heard one of the last things my father told me "There are only two circumstances to summon this armor from the gloves, one: the kingdom of Elysium is in mortal danger and there is no way out, and two: if whatever standing on your midst shall atone for a grave sin" the armor finished forming around my body black and blue like the rest of my armament the armor that can pierce anything "I want you to carve this onto your memory, thou shall always remember..." the roots try to stab me but they were like soft feathers against the armor.

  I pulled a single-edged sword from my globes one bearing the crest of the Banna family "This is me been merciful, thou shall find a swift death, now prepare thyself, for tonight, a titan's core shall be eradicated!" I leaped into the air in one jump I was probably fifty feet over the top of the tree, I hoped the after the team managed to get everyone out of the garden this surely would leave a mark on the real world, in a single slash the tree, the earth and anything else was cut the labyrinth got disrupted and I managed to see that the real world was affected by the slash, I didn't care, I fail to protect the one person I mean to keep safe so nothing will be the same.

  I opened my eyes I was at the hospital; Lulu was near my bed she put a book down as I sat on the bed "The Lament of Sigurd, the ultimate regalia of the Banna hose, I presume nothing was left of the titan or the heart" I still had my gloves I summoned the shard of his heart "this is all that is left... I couldn't... I'm a failure" she took the shard and smiled, "maybe you are not, came with me quick" moving hurt like hell that was the price for using the armor even for a moment but Lulu's words give me one last hope, my body might break and shatter, but if it means I have I chance I will follow her to the end of the earth.

  We went to his room she gave me the shard "Higen a heart is something curious it can be shattered but it can be mended too, remember the favorite saying of Rosaria?" "Words hold weight and power..." She left the room I understood what I had to do, I walked to his bed and sat on a chair, I opened his hand and held it. "Ozwald... I'm sorry I failed you; I tried my hardest, but I let your heart shatter... without it you... you will..." I couldn't hold my emotions anymore I held his hand and the shard so hard that ether could break at any moment, tears started to fall from my eyes, my body started to tremble, and I was struggling to form words, is the first time in years that I cry for real my wheeling could probably be heard through the hospital "I... I don't want to lo...lose my best friend!!! No... that's not true, you are more than that, you are one of the only good things in my life I can't lose you, not you, please... please I'm sorry please come back to me, please don't leave me here all alone!!!"

  I kept crying and screaming until I felt something soft caressing my head I looked up and saw Ozwald patting my head "Why are you crying Higen? Did something horrible happen?" I started to sob unable to form words in my mouth I jumped onto his bed and hugged him "No... I'm just happy you...you woke up!!!" "Hey, it's okay I won't go anywhere, you seem to have been through a lot, you can rest here if you want" I took him on his offer, I burry my face in his shoulder, and a wild thought cursed through my head "Ozwald... can I ask you a favor?" he nodded "can you sing the lullaby you sing in the mornings?"I suddenly feel very tired "is a little bit embarrassing but okay... you are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when..." I suddenly realized something, I realized why his loss hurt me so much, here in his arms is where I felt at peace, here is where I want to be for the rest of my life, I quickly fell asleep here at the place I can call home.