"They say someone up there loves everyone, the most...," A person is chained with a wooden block, his face was covered in blood. Four royal guards held him. The iron grips dipped into his flesh, ensuring he couldn't even try to move.
"...Then why did he abandon us, in this world?" He turned his head slightly at a guard right beside him.
"What do you think?"
Thwash!
That muscular guard struck him with a cudgel.
"Don't you dare to take God's name with your cursed mouth! " The guard exclaimed at him.
"You should beg for some mercy because those executioners will not!"
A drop of blood trickled from his mouth. Yet his face betrayed his condition.
Ptooh!
He spat the blood on the guards feet.
"Hey pull! Pull! Don't let him move! Pull!" One of those four guards, ordered others.
Sweat beads were dripping like a shower as the guards struggled to hold him down.
The chains ratteled clashing one another as he moved his body.
"This won't send me to your god." The chained man grinned, a blood droplet trickled from his eye. "Believe me? I've tried more hellish ways than this."
Stungh! Ghr! Ghr! Ghr!...
With a rustling sound, the big gate opened before them.
A huge white glare of daylight blinded them.
Then a scenario cleared.
Millions of people were gathered, outside. No. Maybe millions is too little for them.
The noise was flooding.
"Go to hell, you monster!" A small boy, yelled from the crowd.
"Don't show any mercy!" "Make him struggle!" "Yes! Yes! Kill him!!" "May god destroy you!"
"Go to hell!!"....
Many voices rose up.
On the Sixteenth sun of Garmai, in early Ethorox, a massive crowd gathered around the execution stage.
"Don't cross the line!" Royal guards were forcing the chaotic crowd away from the trail."Move back! Behind the ropes! Move back!"
A bare foot touched the ground. Chains rattled, as he moved forward.
The chained man came out of the dark prison. Walking on a path that leads to the stairs of the execution stage.
On both sides the uncontrolled crowd were forcing the guards to get in.
Dark blood was dripping from the chains. His hands and legs were shackled with a heavy metal ball which was dragged as he walked. Four guards held him tight and he walked.
With his every forwarding step, the crowd drew back a little though they were behind the rope.
"Move forward!" The muscular guard forced him with a spear.
Through the millions, the chained man walked.
The executioner was waiting with a knife layered with the venom.
*Gasping *gasping
'Walking...He is just walking... Yet I am feeling pressure. Why?' One of the four guards questioned himself.
"Hey! How long this man was unfed for?" A guard on the execution stage asked another.
"I don't know. But he's been in jail, for months. Beside, general ordered us only to torture him."
The general came to the stage. He looked at the chained man. As his eyes met chained man's he remembered...
A devastating blow given by that man by which he lost his arm.
"Guards! Attach those chains to the anchors!" He commanded.
The guards on the stages started attaching those chains. They secured the chains to the anchors set in the large wooden posts.
The chained man stood still.
'What is this feeling?' A guard asked himself. 'My hands are shaking?'
"Fast!!" The general order.
After checking everything all guards came down from the stage.
The chained man gazed at the crowd. Many people raised the burning flags of his kingdom.
A wooden effigy of him was burning before him in the crowd.
"You deserve hell!" An angry drunk man from the crowd burst into rage and threw an empty wine bottle at him.
"Go back!" The guards held that man down.
Crinsh!
The bottle shattered. Shards of glass pierced into his cheek and eye.
His eyes filled with blood and shattered glass. The chained man moved his eyes at him.
The old man's hands trembled. He held his head. "AAAAAAAH!!"
The guards dragged him back behind the rope. The old man was screaming repeatedly.
"Is that all?.." The chained man said.
His single sentence instilled a terrifying silence cutting through the clamour of millions. The loud crowd paused for a moment.
"Is that all!!"
"This is nowhere near making me suffer!"
"The one who attacked your nations!"
"Who seized every colony in this world!.."
"Who killed your so-called rulers in their own kingdom!.."
"Who was it?!"
"I was it!"
" I attacked them. I seized them. I killed them. I am the only Zinor Agatsu! The man you hate the most...
Then where is your anger?"
Shanks!
A blade pierced through his back.
"That's enough as your final words." A man clad in wolf fur emerged from behind him.
Blood spilled from Zinor's mouth.
"Let the execution begin." The man in wolf fur ordered the general and royal guards. Therefore he stepped down from the platform.
Hearing the order, the crowd erupted in cheers and rage.
Drums were played high as the enthusiasm of the crowd touched the sky.
Khlash!
The executioner struck Zinor's back with the poison tinted knife.
Khlash!
He did it again.
Again.
And again.
This process continued until only blood was visible.
A huge amount of blood gushed out from those wounds. His body was standing by the support of the chains.
Yet no strike had been placed on his chest.
Zinor's vision was gradually blurring. He was seeing everything in red. And soon it started fading too. The world in front of his eyes started turning to be colourless.
*panting
The cheerful curses of the crowd, silenced. He could not hear anything anymore.
'Is this...'
'Death?'
His thoughts seemed to be stalling.
A black skull was floating in air before him, above the crowd. But no one cared for that.
'What is..'
The immense pain of getting pierced multiple times started to fade.
Everything started turning black and white.
Smokes started coming out from the black skull. Zinor tried to look above. It was...
A colossal figure emerged from the dense black smoke. It looked like person, but not exactly a human. Slowly, its hands and body became visible.
The black entity was wearing a cowl that hid its face.
He was holding a huge scythe. It was burning with bluish flames. Twisted branches were tightly woven together, forming the handle for the scythe's massive
black blade.
The scythe's blade was attached with the wooden handle by a skull.
The entity leaned back like preparing for a strike.
"Who are... You?" The words were faintly choked in Zinor's throat for the first time.
"I.... Am.." The being spoken in a harsh rasling voice.
"Death."
Swoosh!
A massive blow landed on Zinore's shoulder.
"Aaaaah!"
Zinor opened his eyes. He sat up with a jolt. "What happened?" A sweet voice, asked him.
It was a beautiful woman on whose lap he was sleeping.
"Nothing."
Saying this Zinor held his forehead. Thousands of thoughts in his mind. 'Was that a dream?' He thought.
"Did you see a bad dream?"
Zinor didn't answer her.
"Don't worry, it was only a nightmare." She hugged him. "Just lie and sleep."
Zinor exhaled. 'Maybe, that was only a dream.' He assured himself.
'Huh?'
Suddenly, he found himself standing. "What is this?"
That woman was helping him to wear his armour. She was in a bit of a rush. Her eyes were filled with tears.
"Ah!" With a gasp, she pulled her hand off.
"What happened?" Zinor rushed to see her hand. "I told you to take a rest; someone else could have helped me."
She started crying. Tears streamed down her eyes. "Couldn't there have been a better way?" she cried out."Must you really declare war against those Emperors?"
Zinore winced. He wrapped her in an embrace. "Don't cry, Desdi, I'll be back."
Hearing his words, she let out a breath.
"Promise?"
"Yes..."
Suddenly everything went dark. Zinor found himself injured and shackled in a dark room. The place felt like a prison cell.
"Eat this!" Someone looked like a guard threw a bowl filled with filthy food before him.
Zinor tried to stand up.
"You!" The guard yelled.
Clash!
The guard stuck him with his spear.
Aaaaagh!
Blood spilled from Zinor's chest.
"Know your place! Slave!" The guard ordered Zinor.
Suddenly his eyes open. He found himself in a field. The sun was setting. His wife, Desdi, was standing before him facing towards the dying sun.
Zinor's words tangled up as he tried to say something.
Desdi turned to him. With slow steps, she approached him. She leaned down and asked him,
" So... what did you get from this?"
"Nothing."
Desdi smiled hearing his answer.
"Finally. You understand it. I am glad."
" Are going away from me again? Desdi. "
" I am there. Come... Find me."
A pleasant wind blew as the sun died at the far west. Desdi vanishes with golden dust carried by the wind.
Zinor was crying for the very first time.
The field of crops lost it's glow as she gone. It became field of corpses where Zinor was chained in the middle.
Some pierced with spear or crushed by hammer appeared instead of crops.
His eyes were full with tears. The very scenario vanished with a dark mist.
All the memories of his life, flashed before his eyes. Slowly, life in his eyes, started fading. He heard people's joyful words. They were rejoicing at his death.
The entity had successfully struck his blow. It stood there still lowering his scythe.
Zinor's soul came out of his body.
Whoosh!!~
A colossal light blinded the scene. Along with it, his soul vanished.
People have only one life to prove them dear to god. But if one fails, certain punishment awaits. This statement is absolute. But the one who created you is the most merciful. Will not he give them another chance?
Who knows?...
* * * * * *
A very cold breeze swept across the grass field. The sun was about to set.
"Hurry up, Siri!" A young lad with bluish hair ordered a girl. "The evening is on the way and the night too."
"Don't order me around my feet hurt !" The young girl pouted her face. The orange sun cast a copper tint on her pinkish hair.
"Ok. I think someone won't get Hira Soup tonight." Damo grinned teeth taunting her.
"Haaauh!" She puffed up her cheeks and lay down on the field. "Damo. You dummy! Hhng!"
"Ha.... I am not your babysitter! Don't cry if a big grasshopper kidnaps you."
"I can't hear dummies. I can't hear..." Siri started rolling over the grass and repeated her words continuously.
"Ok! Go wherever you want." Damo turned his face but paused to see what she would do.
She ignored him and started rolling fast.
"You are really getting into my nerves!" Damo got a little angry.
Siri ignored him and rolled faster.
Whlp!!!~
A stone slipped and she rolled downwards to the river.
"WAAAAAAAAAAH!~" She exclaimed.
"Siri!" Damo rushed to her, throwing his bag.
Suddenly she rolled into the bushes just before the river.
Stumbh!
A sound came.
"Siri! Are you alright!" Damo exclaimed while sliding to stop her through the down field.
Damo moved the bushes. "Siri! Where are you!"
"Waaahhhh!!! Hwahh! Hwahh!" She was crying. As she got hit by something metallic causing that sound.
Damo was relieved as she didn't fall into the river. He walked close.
"Whaaaaat!!" Damo was surprised. He witnessed a chained man, lying beside the river. He was senseless. Thanks to him Siri didn't fall into the river.
"What the heck is this!!!"