CLEAVER OF SIN-Chapter 613: Perfection

Seeing Asher fall into his thoughts while making various expressions and clenching his fist, Malrik could already guess his little brother was worrying about the villagers who had died. And as for how Malrik had come to his conclusion, it was simple, since Asher had started behaving this way at the mere mention of that father and son, and they were responsible for the only blemish on his otherwise perfectly executed mission.

"Nobody is perfect, little brother," Malrik spoke as he gazed at the Knights on the other side of the building, who were training diligently, "you are still a growing child, you are allowed to try and fail, allowed to fall and rise again, although you are smart, plans do not always go a hundred percent according to how you envision them," he stated calmly as his blue hair danced with the wind while a faint yet reassuring smile rested on his lips, his tone carrying both experience and quiet understanding. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Although I would love to tell you to chase perfection, that would be me deceiving you," he paused as he turned to Asher before continuing, "perfection does not exist, perfection is merely a state of stagnation that one who cannot accept change has reached. To accept perfection is to reject change. To reject change is to reject evolution. To reject evolution is to embrace stillness disguised as perfection. Those who accept perfection are simply afraid," he stated as he patted Asher’s shoulder, coming to understand that Asher seemed too tired to keep fixing his hair only for it to be scattered again by him.

Asher snapped out of his thoughts as he heard Malrik’s words, remaining silent for a moment as he did not know exactly how to respond. So many people spoke about perfection, so many chased after it relentlessly, so many longed for it as though it were the ultimate destination.

Back on Earth, people talked endlessly about perfection, glorified it, worshipped it even, but here, at this very moment, his elder brother spoke against it, dismantling it as though it were nothing more than an illusion.

Of course, back on Earth, as Ethan, people had once teased him for being the embodiment of perfection, the so-called perfect man, the perfect child. He was tall, handsome, healthy, wealthy, and academically excellent, maintaining a flawless CGPA, it was only natural that people would assume he was a perfect human being, an ideal that others could only aspire to but never reach, a standard placed upon him without his consent.

’I’m not perfect,’ Asher thought to himself, and of course, he had never truly believed that he was, not even once, not even in fleeting moments of arrogance or pride.

His plan to save everyone had failed, and so what?

Should the world bend itself to his will and ensure that his plans worked flawlessly simply because he was intelligent and capable of thinking several steps ahead?

Should reality conform to his expectations merely because he desired it to?

He could only learn from this, only adapt, only refine his approach and implement the necessary changes, evolving his mindset so that next time, his negligence, however small, would not cost innocent lives, so that next time, he would be better, sharper, more aware, more prepared.

"Thank you, Big Brother," Asher stated with a small but genuine smile, one that carried both gratitude and quiet determination.

Malrik smiled back at him, seeing a reflection of his younger self within Asher. The words he had spoken about perfection were not originally his, they were the words of their mother, Lily of the Abyss, spoken during one of his early training sessions, words that had etched themselves deeply into his mind and heart, words he had carried with him ever since that day.

’You would have been proud of the man he is becoming, Mom,’ Malrik thought to himself as his heart tightened at the thought of their mother, a fleeting ache passing through him like a distant echo. As the first son and child, he had enjoyed their mother’s love longer than any other Sun or Moon, basking in a warmth that some had only briefly experienced.

’I’m sure she is watching, wherever she may be,’ he concluded as he turned towards the Knights who were still training, observing them closely as though he were itching to correct their slightly flawed postures, his mind urging him to step in and refine their movements, to mold them into something better.

As Malrik’s gaze remained on the Knights in training, Asher’s thoughts drifted elsewhere; to the villages, to places like Blackstone Village that he had visited first, and the Sand Village from which he had been kidnapped. Although their villagers were dead, he could only compensate them with gold coins. Yes, money could not bring back people’s wives, sons, daughters, husbands, or children, it could not mend broken hearts or erase grief, but still...

It could help. It could ease the burden, lessen the financial strain that had fallen upon those villages after they had pooled their resources for the mission. It was the least he could do, the bare minimum of responsibility he could shoulder. He had thousands of platinum coins lying unused, gathering metaphorical dust, and although that alone would be more than enough, he could always acquire more whenever he wished without any real difficulty.

With that thought, Asher made note of his next course of action, engraving it firmly into his mind as something that must be done without delay.

"Big Brother, I need your help with something," Asher spoke, pulling Malrik’s attention away from the sweating, panting, and exhausted Knights who were still in the midst of their relentless training.

"What do you need, little brother?" Malrik replied without hesitation, his tone steady and unwavering, ready to fulfill whatever request Asher might present.

"There is a boy named Hito that I know from the First Trisnin Ground..." Asher immediately began explaining his thoughts, laying out his suspicions and deductions clearly for Malrik to understand.

Yes, before anyone was accepted into the Wargraves, a background check was always conducted, a standard procedure that ensured security and loyalty. But as always, there were levels to such investigations.

"Of course, there could be nothing there, and I am simply grasping at shadows," Asher spoke with a sigh, attempting to place himself in Hito’s position. Being accused by a friend, or even a colleague, of being a traitor was not something anyone would take lightly, it was a heavy accusation, one that could not be thrown around carelessly, but at the same time, it was something that could not be ignored.

Malrik remained silent for a moment before nodding with a faint smile, "it’s good that you brought this to my attention. If it is nothing, then it is nothing. One can never be too careful, little brother," he stated, already deciding that the investigation would be among the first things he would handle once he was done with Asher.

Asher had made Malrik promise not to abduct Hito or resort to torture for information or anything of that nature. He had made him promise to investigate thoroughly first before taking any drastic measures, ensuring that no innocent person would suffer unjustly.

’If this Hito boy is truly part of them, then during the background check, their Instigator branch is bound to react,’ Malrik mused internally, as though he could already foresee the chain of events unfolding, as though he had already grasped the first thread of this mysterious organisation. Even if it was a thin thread, barely visible and fragile, it was still a thread, and that alone was enough to begin unraveling something far greater.

As for his thoughts on Hito, Malrik remained indifferent. Why would he concern himself with a mere child, someone insignificant in the grand scheme of things, unless that child proved to be something more than he appeared to be?