For some time now, I've felt the need to get out of my comfort zone, but it hasn't done me any good.
Lying in my bed all day, I always wondered why I couldn't get out of the cage I was in.
I felt like a slacker, lying in bed all day doing nothing; my body was already going numb from not making any physical effort.
But I decided that had to change. As I left my room, I noticed the walls were cracked, which wasn't too unusual coming from this kingdom.
I decided to go to my father, the king, to complain to him about why I couldn't go out.
Each step I took towards the large room felt like a great pressure that suffocated me with the silence of that place.
Upon entering the room, one fixed gaze from my father was enough to make me kneel instantly, while my sweat ran down my body.
Is it pressure? Fear? Or worry?
Those were the questions that went through my mind when I thought about how stupid it would be to say something out of the ordinary.
"Father, why can't I leave the palace and go out into the garden?" The awkward silence made me ask directly in order to get an answer.
"Kurzo... and why do you want to be abroad?" (The King)
"Um... I was just asking, that's all. I had no intention of leaving the castle." (Kurzo)
"You know, it's time you took the path of the sword." (The King)
"Father, are you sure? I'm only fifteen years old." (Kurzo)
"So? Any problem?" (The King)
"Tomorrow, your training with Gabriel will begin in the training room." (The King)
"Well, Your Majesty." (Kurzo)
I left the room as quickly as I could, feeling a bit angry and helpless, since I didn't dare contradict him. I resigned myself to it and went back to my room.
At the entrance to the room, there was a tall man in armor who was waiting for me.
"My lord, I believe His Majesty the King informed you about our training, did he not?" (Gabriel)
Gabriel Stuart Segundo is the person in charge of the army and other things that are not of interest to me, but the truth is that he is very likeable.
On occasions like this, when conversations with my father feel monotonous, he helps me to vent.
"Yes, I've already received my father's order. I'm going to my room to rest for a while." (Kurzo)
I went to my room to rest. Lately, I feel like Gabriel has been acting strange; he's always arguing with my father, and nobody knows where he is.
"Bye, Gabriel. See you tomorrow." (Kurzo)
I said goodnight to him before going to bed. "Well, see you tomorrow," he replied, followed by a sinister smile.
Although I didn't pay much attention to it and fell asleep as soon as I touched the bed.
In a dark corridor, silhouettes moved like rays of light while a silent wind tinted the castle corridor.
A man was walking slowly by; it was so quiet that only his footsteps could be heard, while the moonlight illuminated his suit a little.
"I see that a little snow has fallen and it has made the moon visible through the window," (Gabriel thought.)
The moon illuminated Gabriel's face, as he headed to a room that led to a staircase leading directly to a basement.
As he descended, he took out a crystal resembling an eye and lit a nearby candle as he walked through the dark room. In the center was a man tied to a chair.
Gabriel threw the glass at the man who was in the chair.
He writhed in pain and turned into a giant monster that began to smash the entire room as he grew to the height of the castle.
Gabriel quickly left the room and headed towards the king's room.
Upon entering the room, the king was not there. The queen was seated on the king's throne, holding a goblet, her cheeks flushed.
"Hey you, w-what are you doing here dressed like that? Your ungrateful weakling, human trash... where have you been hiding?" (The Queen)
"I see you haven't changed since we met. That's why you'll die quickly today. Take this as revenge for the way you've treated me." (Gabriel)
Gabriel swiftly drew his sword, and the gleam of the blade revealed the queen's neck being severed as she fell to the ground.
A scream was heard behind Gabriel. The source of that deafening scream was a maid passing through the room, and she too was beheaded.
"I don't need witnesses." (Gabriel)
Gabriel's footsteps grew stronger each time as he approached the place where the king might be.
"Thinking about what they did to me when I was little makes my skin crawl," Gabriel thought.
[10 Years Ago]
I felt the cold eating away at my skin. The dark and desolate landscape of the streets and alleyways made me think I would soon die of hunger or from Andromeda syndrome.
Many of my comrades have already died and become those dark beings that torment the citizens, and the Sun Guardians do nothing.
"Damn them, when will they do something right?" (Gabriel)
"Calm down, Gabriel, everything will be alright. We just need to hug each other more so we don't get hypothermia." (Gabriel's mother)
"Okay, Mom." (Gabriel)
As long as nothing happened to us and my mother was always with us, everything would be alright. That was the thought that kept running through my head.
A great noise shook everyone in the alley, and the darkness surrounding the capital vanished as great flames burned everything in their path.
The desperate cries of the citizens filled the entire city, while a crowned figure floated above it, burning everything with flames that shot from its hands.
"Arnolf, I've burned the whole city down as you asked. Now keep your end of the bargain." (King)
"Okay, okay... there's just one last thing." (Arnold)
High in the night sky, the king was accompanied by a small black cloud with a face, which told him what to do.
"The last thing I ask of you is that you destroy the house next to the alley where the homeless people are." (Arnolf)
"Why do you want me to destroy that specific house?" (The King)
"Just do it." (Arnolf)
"Okay, just this and that's it." (The King)
A brilliant flash of light rises in the dark sky, illuminating the entire city. The flash transforms into a sword that swiftly hurtles toward the house, while the king, pointing his finger, laughs sarcastically.
The impact causes a huge explosion that destroys the house to pieces, which fly towards Gabriel, who is paralyzed watching the debris coming towards him.
His mother pushes him so he doesn't hurt himself, while the house falls on top of him.
Gabriel, getting up as best he could, ran towards where his mother was, taking her hand as tears streamed from his eyes.
"Your mother is dead... I know who caused all this. Do you want me to help you?"
A tender voice, as if from a fairy, invaded the poor child, who was crying desperately with an empty heart.
Do you want power? Do you want answers?
The voice grew increasingly intense inside his mind.
"Yes... I want to know who took away my happiness." (Gabriel)
"I like that, hahaha… Nice to meet you, I'm Elizabeth."
"And I hope we get along well," Elizabeth added.
An aura emanated from the child, who gradually stopped crying as he wiped his eyes. From that thick aura emerged a beautiful woman with reddish-purple hair, wearing an elegant dress and with a strange symbol in one of her eyes.
"From now on you will have to follow my orders to the letter." (Elizabeth)
"Okay... let's go." (Gabriel)
[Present]
Gabriel wastes no more time and heads to where the king is, who was in the castle's blacksmith shop.
The king, taking a sword, turns around and, seeing Gabriel, points the blade at him.
"So you're finally worthy to show your face, you scum... do you think I don't know you have Elizabeth on your side?" (The King)
"What does that have to do with anything? You have Arnolf, don't you? Or have you stopped licking his shoes?" (Gabriel)
"Hahaha... I think you're being a little arrogant. I'm going to teach you some respect." (The King)
"I don't believe it, old man." (Gabriel)
A light breeze extinguished the candles that illuminated the room, and a few moments later, only a spark could be seen after the thrusts they exchanged.
Kurzo lay sleeping peacefully in his bed… were it not for the shouts and loud noises that woke him up.
She jumped up, opened the door, and watched from there the chaos unfolding in the castle. Leaving her room, she ran to find her parents.
Upon hearing a noise in the blacksmith shop, he headed in that direction.
A guttural scream, which gradually faded away, was heard from the room, bringing the battle to an end.
A victorious but tired Gabriel emerged from the blacksmith's shop, covered in blood as he limped.
At the same time, a devastated Kurzo entered the room without noticing who had just left and, upon seeing his father lying on the floor, burst into tears while cursing the moment he was in.
Do you want revenge? Power? Hope… and, above all, revenge?
Those words flooded my mind again and again, so many times I lost count. I felt my life had ended pathetically, devoid of ambition or even a purpose. I just wanted another chance to rebuild my life, to have a family and goals to achieve. Maybe… I just needed to rest.
I threw myself to the floor and decided to wait until I died of hunger or was eaten by rats, but that voice kept tormenting me until, in the end, I accepted.
"Yes... I accept receiving that power."
It was the only thing I could say to relax a little.
I closed my eyes for a moment and felt someone trying to open them. When I did, I saw a person who looked very much like me, but taller and blindfolded. He held out his hand to help me up and then introduced himself.
"Hello, let me introduce myself, I'm Course." (Course)
"Course? How is that possible? I am Kurzo." (Kurzo)
"Yes, that's right. And from now on I'm going to train you so that you can obtain my power more easily." (Course)
"Wait! What do you mean you're Curso? And second... why do you look so much like me?" (Kurzo)
"It's a long story, but I'll tell you later. Right now, let's train." (Course)
"After this training, I'm going after those who took everything from me." (Kurzo)
"Okay, let's not waste any more time; come on, go in there." (Course)
Without wasting any time, the man created a portal and pushed Kurzo into it.
"Don't worry. Here, in this dimension, years will pass, but in the real world it will only be a few minutes." (Kurzo)
Destiny is about to change...