BXBX NOVEL Chapter 41: Verdict
Of course, it didn't help that the Chief ruthlessly denied his request, but he could hardly be blamed for that.
"Come on, Kid. Get a grip. Take some deep breaths and analyze what's currently happening. I know you're still tired but this conversation couldn't be delayed since I'm busy." Chief Brightstone instructed.
Cedric took a deep breath to center himself. He closed his eyes and pondered deeply, realizing shortly that he was indeed panicking. He initially thought that he was above this since he had the 『Willpower』 skill but it turns out that it doesn't work like that.
Nevertheless, he managed to get a grip of himself. Realizing that he was being hasty here. He regained some clarity in his clouded mind, enough to get some ideas as to why his previous offer was turned down mercilessly.
"You good?" The Chief asked.
"Yeah." He nodded in reply.
"Great. I'll tell you why you can't stay here." The Chief continued. "Well, the main reason is that you're potential is wasted in this shitty environment."
That got Cedric's attention at once.
"Like I said, Boy. I've read your file. I know what you're going through." The Chief paused before sighing. "Actually, no I don't. But I have an idea at the very least."
"..."
"The sheer fact that you're here, sitting in front of me, alive and well, means that you're far from a pushover like the rest out there." The Chief stated, "Not only did you manage to hold out this long, you even regained your civilian status despite how difficult your Hell Dives were."
"That means that your skills are the real deal..."
"Kid, this isn't where you belong." The Chief shook his head softly. "You've known this place like the back of your hand. You've experienced the madness, desperation, greed, and corruption that drowns this place."
"I don't want you to rot here." The Chief stared directly at him, trying his best to send his genuine words across. "Staying here will only hold you back. You have so much potential to be, and I'd hate to snuff that just to keep you here. The world is big, explore and live, boy. Don't waste your youth here."
"...I'm not sure if they'd even want me there. I have nowhere to return to. I have no one, period. I just...I just don't see the point." Cedric muttered loud enough for the Chief to hear.
Chief Brightstone grimaced upon hearing the vulnerability in the child's voice. He inwardly cursed since he's not an expert at handling things like this, but he figured that he had to since he just couldn't let this kid rot here.
"Don't let that stop you, boy." The Chief uttered softly. "You don't have to 'return' there per se. You can just start a new one. Start a new chapter of your life and make it memorable. I won't say that it'll be easy, but it's much better than staying here, that I'm sure of."
"...start a new life out there? A broken man like me? Do I even deserve that?" Cedric bit his lips in indecision.
"What's broken cannot be fixed." He said, to which the boy winced, "But that only applies to items and other things out there. You're not an item, boy. You still have a chance to heal. You won't find it here, so you must brave the world outside of these walls."
"..."
The Chief looked at the boy who was contemplating right now. He sighed in lament, seeing how miserable the boy felt about himself.
This place really got to him. He might've staved off the madness but the despair permeated deep into the boy, causing him to end up like this. It's this part that the Chief hated about this place.
Anybody who stays here long enough will turn into lesser husks of themselves due to their environment. The Chief had always hated to see how it broke all manner of men that arrived here. Much worse, kids like this one.
"You will receive help, of course." The Chief continued, causing Cedric's attention to return to him. "It's pretty obvious that you're not yet ready to socialize. I'm sending you to a rehab facility, specialized for handling people like you."
"It's free of charge, you won't spend a dime on any counseling or courses that will help you improve. Of course, you'll need to provide for yourself but you'd obviously understand that."
Cedric looked pensive about the idea but not in a negative manner. In his mind, he recalled some information about that and if he were to be honest, it doesn't seem like a bad idea to start.
"I guess that's my next destination then," Cedric replied after a while of deliberation.
"Good. I'll arrange a meeting for you. I just need your signature here, and here."
The Chief then handed him a stack of papers, which he signed shortly after. Of course, he read the documents himself and didn't discover anything shady about them.
This isn't to say that he was suspicious of the Chief. He's just being careful since these are legal documents. It's never been a bad idea to be thorough about those.
Once he signed the papers, the Chief gave him some more advice and did his best to placate Cedric's still turbulent emotions. After that, he sent him away because he still had mountains of paperwork to wage war with.
Cedric didn't overstay his welcome. As soon as he stepped outside of the office, he turned into a blur and returned to his humble abode. He did this to avoid the attention of other convicts, he didn't want to deal with them right now.
Back in his hut, Cedric groaned and dropped face-first on his mattress. He stayed like that for a couple of minutes before switching positions.
Staring at the ceiling, he wondered if that just really happened. Well, kind of too late for that since he already signed his release papers, but still...
He truly didn't know what to feel about his sudden freedom. Normally, it should be celebrated since, well...he's gonna be free of this place! No more madness, no more harassment from fellow convicts (never been a problem to him but whatever), no more close inspection from the authorities, and so on...
But like he confessed earlier, is there even a place for him out there?
He had truly doubted it simply because he would never be ridden by what he did. His status of being an ex-convict of the RMC will always remain with him. It will stay on his public profile forever and for others, that's enough to change their opinion of him.
Cedric was never under the illusion that it would be happily ever after once he got out of this place.
He was not expecting to be welcomed with open arms upon leaving this place. Hell, even if that was the case, he wouldn't want it.
It's just...daunting, to say the least. For others, starting a new chapter of their lives might sound exciting, but not for Cedric for some reason. He just doesn't see the point you see.
By all means, he is young, especially considering how long the Superhuman lifespan was, he is really young. It's partly the reason why he doesn't rebuke the Chief whenever he calls him 'Kid', 'Brat', or 'Boy'. Cause for a man of that age, Cedric truly is that young.
That being said, even if he's young, Cedric has been exposed to the ugly side of Humanity. Hell, he'd even say that he's neck-deep in it. He had seen the worst part of it, and that obviously warped his perception about their kind in general.
He wasn't the most optimistic guy out there. Nobody who shares the same experiences with him ever would. So he truly wasn't convinced that life out there would be any 'better'.
Still, that's where he'll end up next. He already signed the papers for it after all.
He's gonna go under rehab first but that's to be expected. Speaking of which, he also has mixed feelings about receiving therapy since he really didn't need anyone telling him that there was something wrong with his brain.
Of course, he knew, duh! But since he didn't need to pay for it, he might as well cooperate. After all, who knows? Maybe that's just the thing he needs to face in this new chapter of his life.
Closing his eyes briefly and spreading his senses ever so slightly, Cedric sighed shortly after.
Despite everything that this place did to him, he just knows that he will miss this place. Whether he'd like to admit it or not, this place has served as his home for years, and it'd be a lie to say that he didn't get attached to it.
'Alright, that's enough sentimentality for today. I'm tired now, I need some sleep.'