Warning: Chapter mentions Heavy themes such as Suicidal intent that readers may not be comfortable with. Viewer discussion is advised.
The man spoke 'Why, what`s the matter? Got cold legs? I guess that man died for nothing'
'What`s the purpose of all this…' he claimed 'This pointless slaughter?' said the boy with narrowed eyes to avoid the headache.
His question could no longer be answered so he asked the only person he could see… even if that person wanted him dead.
'Pointless?' questioned the man as he replied 'You see, we are bandits. We kill and loot for living'
'Bandits?' as he looked him in the eyes 'If you really were bandits, you would have not left the ring behind' as he took out the ring from underneath the clothes.
The man was surprised to see the ring in his hands and responded 'It seems like you hold no grudge against me'.
'I do… After all you took the people who were my hope to see another day' said the boy yet showed indifference in his voice.
For him it was not about justice or vengeance but his reason to live. He questioned himself if life was even worth living anymore for now he had no reason to open back his closed eyes.
The man replied 'Then avenge them like a man'
The boy repeated the question 'a man?' as he looked at his sword dripping in blood and the people behind him lying motionless on the ground.
His voice knew no rage. After all, even his own hands were now submerged in blood.
Even if he did it to defend himself, he knew if he used it as an excuse, he would grow numb to that excuse and turn it into a lie for another.
'Tell me what's so manly about killing someone whom you just met for the first time?… so their loved ones are left to grief over their manly death. Making children wait at the door that will never open again. Who decided that we must kill another when none of us had to be enemies, yet we stood here killing one another just for the sake of playing manly as we lie to ourselves into "make-believed enemies"?' as he looked and thought 'The only revenge born during war is the enemies we make along'
The kid tightened his grip onto the sword as he claimed 'I don`t know why I feel no rage nor sorrow for the one I have killed. I do not feel enraged about losing the people I knew.' said the kid showing indifference, not knowing if he should smile or cry.
'What… Am I?' he sighed 'I am tired… It feels like living an endless cycle repeating itself' he paused for a moment. 'We find peace just for death to follow…'
His eyes were not open for vengeance or rage for revenge. He is just going on because his master said so. He had not been given permission to die… so he kept on going.
He had not lost his father once but twice already. Even when Fariz was scary sometimes, he was scary when a father needed to be. Maybe he seeked his approval to hear the words he could not hear from his own father… only to fail once again.
The man thought to himself 'Is he abiding his time? Or genuine questions?'
The man looked at the kid and wondered if it really was the same person he met before. The boy who was so timid now spoke so boldly.
'Lucky for you. I don`t have anyone to cry for me.' as he gripped his sword tighter and shoved it into the ground 'At least in this world, feel free to kill me. Living or dying makes no difference for ones like me.'
As he glanced toward the youth standing in front 'But you on the other hand, still young, so it is a regret that I will have to kil—'.
'Nor do I…' the kid whispered.
The man did not say a single word.
The kid simply just glanced towards the tree in the far off distance which was no longer even visible and pointed at it as the gaze of man followed. The sight itself answered his question yet the boy still responded 'They are all dead'
The man responded 'And you still choose to tolerate me? You have my respect'
Man paused 'But even so, this world is not going to accept your way so easily. I am afraid that one of us has to die here'
The kid looked up 'Is that not an excuse itself? For there is no sane answer'
The whole conversation had not reached the end. It just circled around and started from where it began once again.
Man spoke 'Humans were never creatures of morals to begin with.'
The man took a deep breath. 'Such a shame, if only we had met differently, just not today, we could have shared a different fate…'
'For Fate can be cruel'
The kid asked 'Is fate to be blamed for this?'
The man replied 'I have already killed your comrades and you have killed those men. We both can no longer turn back' as he readied his sword 'I can not defy the orders so ready your blade or share the same fate as fallens'
The kid completely opened his eyes yet still narrowed as he looked towards the man.
Just a single step was taken by the man and yet the shadow shown to the boy made him realize how weak he truly was.
A single step forward, yet the shadows that appeared were not only faster than the previous soldiers he saw but also multiple of them as they all aimed for his vital point.
He could see the foreshadows and yet he felt lost of which blade would end up where. If he does not understand how the man fights, he will surely die.
Ironic how one can see into the future yet still feel lost. It felt like the gift that showed him the way was now showing him the cruel difference of reality between them. He could see it all coming and yet could not do anything to stop it.
The man with another step jumped right towards the boy in swift speed as he readied his blade to cut the boy down.
The boy froze as the sword swept closer and he only had a few moments to dodge, his brain felt like it was on fire just by looking at it and he thought 'I see… this is the end'
…
Or it should have been but his body— it refused to give in.
When his mind screamed in agony, his heart begged for a place to die but his body refused to give in to such temptation. It screamed to live on and suffer more. His body cursed at him for forgetting his reason to live in the moment of his misery.
The boy's body moved off his own to the side, dodging all the blades from the shadow that should have stabbed him. His body was flexible which let him perform such a feat with ease but even he himself knew how he survived that.
The young man instantly looked towards the man and he was just standing there. Completely still on his track which just goes to show how much control he had over his body and speed.
'Calm down. Think and notice how he moves. Understand his movements' he thought to himself trying to figure out how he moved so that he can try to mock his movements.
But it was useless as his eyes could not even keep up with his speed. Even if he could learn and adapt, it would be useless if the ceiling was decided by the limitation of his eyes
The man just looked at the kid and charged his sword up for a slash from above. The boy got back on his feet and readied his sword to block but the moment the sword hit him. The difference in strength became too obvious as his foot drifted backwards.
The boy decided to redirect the sword sideways as his only other option followed by a counter as he aimed for where the shadow was moving towards.
It goes without saying that his attempt failed but for an entirely different reason. His headache made him lose focus and timed it before the man even started to move, the kid had already attacked the shadow of his.
The man stopped and moved backwards and paused for a moment. Confused 'Did he just attack where I could have been before I even move…'
The man had not even shown any hint of him attacking and yet the kid had already attacked to the location where he could have been following the shadow.
The man looked at the boy in doubt, 'Are you imitating someone?' shocked, the boy replied 'Imitate?' trying to play fool but he knew deep down that his only advantage had been revealed.