But something did not feel right, as his senses were screaming, telling him something was wrong before he himself realized it.
The kid instinctively retracted his sword and jumped backwards and soon the place where he stood crumbled a little as he felt a gust of wind.
'You are smart for an ignorant person. I will give you that' said the man whose wound started healing up.
The kid looked at his sword just to find no blood on it nor was there any on the man's wound.
The man spoke as he stood up from his throne and stretched his arms 'You got lucky for I was merciful and let you strike me once, but that is how far you will go'
The kid thought 'Merciful my foot. Did I miss his heart? Why is he even able to regenerate in the first place.' He looked at his blade. Even the clothes were unharmed as if his sword did nothing against him.
The boy noticed 'No wait. His cape is damaged… well that does not help at all'
The man said 'Now knee before me.' as he raised a single finger from his right arm pointing towards the boy
The kid said 'Na, I am good' and charged back at him, aiming for head this time but the man with just a single gesture of him swiping his finger downwards caused the boy to feel an enormous pressure dragging him down. The whole area around him felt heavy as if some force itself pulled him downwards.
The kid tried to stand up once again, resisting against it but was left powerless and soon one of his knees gave up soon to be followed by the other making his knees touch the floor.
The man spoke 'Learning when to give up is an essence in your life. Listen to the adults and give up. World isn`t kind to fools like you.'
The kid laughed 'Haha… all I see is a kid playing grown up.' but the boy knew it was hopeless. That he can never best someone like him and deep down he felt relieved as he smiled.
The man posed as arrogant after looking at his smile 'Poor soul, I guess till the very end, you were not able to gain enlightenment.'
The man raised another finger on his left hand, increasing the pressure as it weighed more on him but the boy's body was too stubborn to give up that easily.
The man stated 'You are really annoying.'
'I will take that as a compliment.' the boy smiled despite his hopeless situation.
The kid looked towards the door again to which the man spoke 'Oh and don't worry about the one outside. As I said, you are trapped here with me. They can not enter when someone is already inside the room. The only way in is when one of us dies but the only thing that will leave this room would be your grave… if you are lucky enough that is.'
The boy mumbled 'I guess I can`t count on anyone.'
The man spoke up once more 'Stop being stubborn, kneel fully before someone like me and beg for your life and I might spare yours.'
'Ha… I would rather die.' to which the man paused, smiled and warmly responded 'Very well. Death it is' with no hesitation.
The kid looked up upon hearing those words while on one knee, shocked to find the man with a single finger pointing to his head.
While the kid tried to stand up, his body was not strong enough especially with the pressure that he felt.
But the boy showed no fear and even mocked him 'I guess you ran out of strength to make me kneel—'
But before even finishing his words, a sudden force of something invisible hit the kid on his head like a blunt weapon. His vision went white and he started to fall backwards while the droplets of his own blood flew in the air as his nose dripped blood.
The kid thought 'Huh what– happened? My vision… It`s gone'
His vision slowly recovered as the white flash disappeared from his eyes to find a liquid floating in the air
'Is that— my blood?'
And the realization hit him 'I see' he smiled 'I guess— it is…'
He slammed into the ground hard to cause bleeding more severely as he stared at the tall dark high ceiling of the room with narrow eyes that was slowly closing every passing moment. Colored opposite of the walls and floor.
The room was quite taller compared to its width.
The kid said to himself 'This is it… I tried my best, right? There is no way I can win.'
The kid's eyes started to close up as he accepted defeat.
But the man was not done yet. He put his hands away and positioned one of his legs high above the kid's guts and held it above for a few moments, hesitating before throwing it down as he spoke out 'World has forsaken you.'
The kid's eye opened up and he just gritted his teeth as he got the wind knocked out of him yet he just stared at the roof.
'You should have knelt when I asked you.' but the man's voice became heavier while tightening his fist.
The kid struggled to keep his eyes open as the darkness started to take over his sight while his iris started to become dull and losing their light.
'Now I can finally rest… right? I am free now'
But no one responded.
'It really was not my fault. Right? That you all died— I really was not strong enough to protect everyone right?– It's not my fault…'
His mind paused, not convinced by his own lies.
'Right?…'
Yet he continued waiting on someone… but no one came.
He just laid there with a slight smile as a tear flowed down his eyes.
'I can finally rest up. No one there to mourn for me… no one out there who will miss me. No one has any high hopes from me.'
He kept on smiling 'At the end of the day, it's just another person who`s going to die. Nothing will change. No one will feel it… I no longer have to stand up again. I am free to die' as he slowly closes his eyes.
He tried to comfort himself in his own lies, reassuring himself that he was not strong enough to protect his group. That their death was not his fault. He lied to himself that he can finally let go of this world with no regrets.
His eyes were about to close. Giving up his life so he could take the easy way out.
Shiwk sheek
Something scribbled.
Multiple words echoed in his ears.
"When you come back… You still have to thank the village people for protecting your freedom and the miss at tavern for the chain, those things aren't cheap you know."
'Stop it…'
"Carry our will till you find yours."
'Let me rest already–'
"Idiots… Come back safely"
'Do not give me false hope anymore'
'Don't die, if you ever feel lost, you can come to me'
'Please just— let me rest.'
He shut his eyes completely.
'for eternity'
… Plop
A sound of a drop falling into a silent puddle appeared.
A new voice whispered in his mind. A voice that was his own but sounded foul 'You say that yet you still are trying to stand up. Why?'
The prideful man spoke 'I guess your master wasted time on teaching a dud and people believed in you for nothing. Poor soul… rest up now for your hard work is nothing compared to my immeasurable talent of others.' As the man rubbed his foot on the ground to clean off after touching him.
The kid stated 'You will have to take that back' as the kid breathed out faint smoke which was not visible.
The man looked back to find the kid trying to get back up with the support of his wobbling sword which was right next to his neck.
'Pathetic existence like yours is pitiful to see, wanting to live even when given a chance to die off easily. Utter foolish I would say'
The man raises his left hand with a single finger and instantly his right arm towards the kid but before doing much.
The kid gave no resistance and just slammed to the floor from the pressure. He fell down like a puppet whose strings were cut off which was not surprising as the kid should have already been dead by now.
Sounds of multiple drops falling into puddles and something loosening appeared.
The dark voice that sounded like him but foul whispered 'You had false hope many times before, So why fall for it once again? It will be empty once again.'
The light from the boy's eyes started to disappear and his heart slowed down.
The sound of multiple streams of water falling into the lake emerged.
The dark voice manifested as a dark shadow that sat beside him, the shadow looked just like him but blurry and covered in pure dark mist 'You lied to yourself and begged for death, So why?'
Sound of something heavy falling into the water appeared.
The dark voice stood before him as his own reflection said 'Just why do you still have that hope deep within your heart…?'
The pressure kept on increasing, almost crushing him to his death.
The pressure made him feel pain in every inch of his body yet he did not let out a single scream of pain as if he was already dead. No, he was no longer breathing.
The boy's heart which no longer beat was now enveloped by darkness with a faint white light shining in it.
The reflection of himself echoed 'In the end only you will suffer. Not the one who has hope in you, give up…'
The sound of a waterfall submerging into the sea emerges.
The man stopped using the power as he saw a motionless body with no resistance laid there.
The voice cried out 'The world is flawed. Let IT suffer alone.' and the shadow started to go into a frenzy. Shadow was not in rage but cried for the boy's sake.
A sound of a single drop falling to a still silent sea echoed.
The kid smiled back as he mumbled 'There is no way a world who gently carries a soul after their death can be a bad one…'
He paused 'And I still have a promise to keep' as the light returned back to his eyes brighter than ever before.