Repentance

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Chapter 62

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Alone in this darkened forest, the distraught child tried to find any nuts, berries, or anything to forage editable plants just so they could eat in order to replenish their energy from today's activities. Unfortunately, his mind was too far in chaos to even focus properly on gathering food, despite not feeling hungry at the moment.

Pacing around through the woods as its gleaming moon cast his shadow over the dry soil while crickets chirping echoed throughout the place, Solomon's troubled heart remained restless. Anger, hatred, fear, sadness, and regret swirled within the boy all at the same time, an unstable combination that threatened to drive him over the edge.

Who can blame him after the horrible experiences he's had to go through? Of course, not anyone who has an ounce of empathy, that's for certain. He realized that aside from losing his mother and vowing revenge on those who wronged him, part of him still valued those whom he considered to be important.

And Seth is one of them.

His face was full of shame and guilt, something that rarely happens when dealing with other people, especially those who don't share mutual understanding and compassion towards each other. Like all people, he himself has chosen to distance himself in order to not get hurt anymore.

After losing his mom and the friends he made in Lighthaven, what else is there to offer aside from avenging their deaths? Love, compassion, and understanding? Such stupidity would be meaningless and pointless, for that is all an illusion of happiness, one that will be destroyed if given a chance.

He chose himself in this pitiful world, where the strong deserve to thrive and the weak have no choice but to cower in fear or suffer for all their lives. Only the strong have a purpose in this world. While those who are unable to defend themselves or their loved ones have nothing left but helplessness,.

"Dammit it all!"

Punching a nearby tree in frustration for having so many conflicting emotions after hurting Seth, who was concerned for his well-being, Solomon found himself staring intensely at his own bleeding fist. That blow did more damage to the object than himself, though it doesn't change the fact that he hurt the very person who had helped him and his mother.

Holding his own bloody fist, the boy lowered it down in disappointment while glaring coldly at the oak bark full of cracks from where his own fist struck. "Why must the gods mock me like this? Why are you trying to get in my way when all I wanted to do was live the life I wanted?" He asked angrily as a single tear slid down his cheek.

Those fucking gods, the great divines, who proclaimed themselves to be benevolent and virtuous beings to those who served them, What a joke—just a bunch of filthy liars who want people to obey their every command. Their worshipers are nothing but fools and idiots for falling for such idiotic beliefs.

Oh, how much he hates religion right now. Just being near them and hearing their shitty lies makes him want to vomit. Even if they're saying that it is possible to attain peace within one's own mind, all it does is fill their heads with empty promises that will eventually be shattered someday.

In other words, bullshit! Pure, unadulterated horseshit! This is why everyone in the village was dead! They didn't lift a finger to save them, and they demand worship for doing absolutely nothing to help anybody whatsoever. It makes him sick just thinking about how easily those people followed religion's teachings without questioning its morals or values.

"Fuck all of them and anyone who follows their garbage," he swore bitterly in hatred, shaking his head as tears poured from his eyes. "I hate them! I hate those stupid fucks so much!! They are the reason why my family and friends are dead!!"

Before anything else could be said, the boy fell to the ground, curling into a ball while cradling his own head with arms to block out reality itself from invading his mind. He tried desperately to keep the raging fire inside of him from spreading, but it was too late. All the hatred, bitterness, and sorrow were uncontrollable as they flowed from deep within the very core of his soul.

So he cried out loud in this lonely world Solomon had made for himself, screaming for his mother to come back from the dead while cursing out the empire that had taken everything from him. He hated them all with a burning passion, wishing they could experience all the pain they gave others so they could understand how much suffering they caused his precious home village.

Despair was a dark emotion that consumed his mind entirely. The weight of reality crushed down on him harder than before, until it felt as if he couldn't breathe anymore. The boy struggled to stand, struggling to live. Yet no matter how hard he fought against his inner demons, Solomon failed to overcome their relentless assault.

Throughout the whole month, he learns to hold a weapon by himself to exact his revenge on those who did wrong to him and his people. Not once has his body wavered whenever it came down on a foe or was threatened by someone stronger than he could handle, but it was all in vain as he continued to suffer within.

As he stood and hazed, gazing up at the starry sky through blurry vision and uneven breathing, it pained him to see that no amount of vengeance was worth the grief he received from his mother's demise. Sure, he achieved nothing but satisfaction from slaying those monsters, but it all seemed meaningless when thinking about Judith.

Especially that man he used to look up to. He can't understand himself, whether he hates Seth or is just lashing out all the negative emotions at him. Not wanting to believe that he'll become the very same kind of monster those soldiers are, though, what choice does he have when they ruin everything?

The nearby bush rustled ever so slightly, causing the boy to snap out of his dazed state when hearing the suspicious noise coming somewhere around him. I thought it might be another animal scavenging for food that could be both dangerous and harmless if it encountered him.

Solomon wasted no time in drawing out his sword and quietly listening carefully through sharp hearing, yet his instincts told him otherwise: whatever's around him is more than an animal but rather a human being watching from afar who's observing him from a distance.

Either way, he doesn't give a damn who or what it is; anyone who tries to mess with him will end up being cut in half. Turning around fully with a glint of ferocious gaze, he gritted his own teeth tightly, keeping eye contact with whoever was hiding within the bushes.

Then he felt and heard it altogether, approaching footsteps coming from behind, breaking him into a fighting stance with the sword drawn in front of his body. Whirling around and raising the weapon immediately, he was ready to stab any incoming attacker who dares to sneak attack on him, but instead he found himself an ominous visitor.

"You got good senses, kid," Striker smirked arrogantly, holding his treasured battle axe along with a crazed grin plastered onto his handsome face. "Although I found your screaming to be quite entertaining to listen," he teased the youngster with a tone of mockery and amusement lingering on his own tongue.

Clicking his tongue in disgust, "pervert," Solomon scowled as he tightened grip on the hilt of his blade. "Who are you, and what do you want?" Eyeing the green-cloaked, shirtless man, "better be quick before I decide to fucking chop you up into bits." He growled dangerously at his mysterious intruder.

Shaking his head and sighing deeply, the hired assassin could only continue smiling in this amusing conversation they are having: "Hah! I am starting to like you, but there is another reason why I'm here," speaking confidently before revealing a rather unsettling answer from those words.

"The Empire wants me to bring Seth alive."

Solomon froze in his tracks, unable to register those words after a while. When realization hit him like a hammer, anger and hate boiled over. Swallowing hard as saliva formed inside his mouth, his facial muscles twitched involuntarily while sweat rolled down his forehead and his palms became clammy.

It wasn't the fact that this bastard was looking for Seth; the confirmation that this son of a bitch claimed to be working for the corrupt regime filled him with so much rage. They are nothing but filthy pigs who spread disease wherever they go! They are a plague on society. They don't care who dies as long as those scum get what they so desire.

And that's why he fought so hard to hunt these monsters across the land so nobody else suffers the same fate as Judith. The Empire is full of sh*t; every single soldier he kills brings relief to others around him while also showing the imperial forces how many have fallen due to their madness.

"DIE IMPERIAL BASTARD!"

Screaming at the top of his lungs, he brought his sword up and lunged forward at the assassin with utmost vengeance, ready to slice clean across the neck. However, his attack was effortlessly blocked when the axe slammed onto his blade before pushing backward with enough force to send him stumbling a few steps back.

Striker let out laughter as he gazed upon the enraged youth who regained footing fairly quickly and glared murderously at him, "Oh-ho! What a feisty brat; it looks like they aren't joking around after all." He chuckled in sinister manner under his own breath.

"Shut up!" Solomon spat at his opponent, "I'm not interested in hearing anything that comes out of your mouth! You bastards destroyed everything and killed the one person who mattered to me! I'm not letting any of you monsters see the light of day!"

Readying his blade once more, he held it in front of him, poised to strike this bastard as he darted forward at high speed while unleashing a flurry of strikes that flew towards Striker like bolts of lightning. Each swing was met with deadly precision that forced the hired killer to step back multiple times while defending against relentless assaults from the furious teen.

But Striker only found this amusing, "amazing! It is going to be so much fun cutting you into pieces!" His expression became demented when he spoke those words aloud before grinning madly and swinging his heavy axe against Solomon, who instantly raised his sword up to defend himself but was sent flying a couple feet away when a powerful impact occurred.

Landing roughly on the ground, the boy realized something else about him. Every time the assassin delivered a swing with his axe, a powerful force came afterward, traveling fast enough to knock him off his balance despite standing firm.

This gave him something to note; it is not good to repeat this tactic. His sword isn't invincible to handle powerful blows each time it absorbs; he'll end up getting the weapon broken, or it might get cracked if lucky. So he has to find a way to deliver fatal cuts to his enemy's vital organs while evading the attacks.

"Come on! Come on, kiddo!" Striker grinned widely like a savage predator: "I wanna see how much blood will come out of that tiny little body of yours. I bet it'll be as red as the flowers blossoming on a beautiful  evening."He lunged and swung his axe sideways, hitting the ground hard enough to create a large crack that nearly broke the dirt apart.

Rolling over and dodging the follow-up attack in time, he swung the blade onto his lower legs before being blocked by the pole of the axe. "Crap!" Realizing there would be another attack heading towards him, Solomon jumped away swiftly while avoiding a second attempt at striking him again, landing safely a few meters away from the crazy person who laughed hysterically when seeing such a performance.

Panting heavily, "What the hell?! How are you able to react to my movements?" Solomon managed to say, despite catching his breath from these intense fights that happened within minutes, "This shouldn't be possible at all!" He had to use some of his unpredictable swordplay to catch his opponent off guard.

When he found out Striker can counterattack even his own hidden techniques, it made the young swordsman's eyes widen in surprise at this. "Tell me!" Spatting angrily at this clever bastard, "How?! How the fuck did you know I was about to do?!"

Cracking his neck, "eh? You really want to know?" He replied lazily, giving the boy a slight smirk before chuckling, "Do you?!" Baring his teeth in excitement as if enjoying every bit of their encounter in their equal fight to the death.

"Yes..." Whispering lowly, Solomon swallowed thickly as his heart raced rapidly in anticipation, waiting anxiously for any response from this mysterious person who seemed more skilled in combat than he initially thought to be: "Explain it to me," demanding seriously while clutching tightening his hold on the sword's hilt with both hands, "and don't lie to me, you bastard!"

"Okay, then listen to me well, kiddo, because this will blow your mind, ahahaha!"

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by 3 Armored Kittens · Prodromos v.1.1 - World Anvil 0.9.15.042 © 2017-2024 [en] | Anvil Time: 09:21, Nov 5 2024