Somani’s POV:
Blood. I was used to it—my father was a butcher, but human blood was different. It wasn’t the colour that changed, nor the texture, no, it was… something else.
A man that you’d known your whole life, and had expected to do so for longer, not even thinking of his demise, died. The village guard, the friendly farmers, the soldiers who were outnumbered… they all died.
What shook me the most was my father’s end; he died protecting my mother and me. My best friend, my father, was dead.
No new memories were going to be created, no stories told, and no playing together again. It made me feel like nothing mattered anymore.
They took us, put us in chains, and made us march for weeks.
We passed the Great Jungle and entered the Deep Ravine, with me unable to think of anything except father’s demise.
His last words were, “Take care of your Mom.”
I was doing a bad job at that, keeping her worried with my absent expression and lacklustre reactions, but I couldn’t help it. My life had always been flowery and pink, and now… now it was filled with pain, misery, and death. Life had lost all colour to me.
“Honey, you should smile more,” My mother said. She put a finger on each side of my mouth, then made me raise it.
“See, that’s better.”
“…Yeah.”
She dropped her arms, looking at me worriedly.
“How about this. If you smile now, I’ll get you the game you wanted. What do you say? Great deal, right?”
The game I wanted?
I remembered it then. It was a stuffed cat that I had been saving to get. It…
It has lost its colour too.
I pretended to smile to please my mother, but she still looked worried.
“We’ll move in a minute!” A soldier shouted.
We continued the march, our endless march in the dark confines of the ravine of death…
Huh?
I was awakened from my reverie by a greater shock; they took my mother away, and at that moment, as my eyes left her heaving body, I felt regret, fear, and betrayal. It wasn’t that I was betrayed, no; It was I who betrayed my father’s dying wish—take care of your mom.
As I sat all alone, surrounded by darkness that promised to swallow me whole and cold that wanted to make me join it, I cried for the first time since the beginning of this war.
It wasn’t that I was heartless and didn’t cry at all, but the enormity of everything happening had made me forget that crying had solved lots of problems before, that it was my shield and weapon as a child.
At this moment, I felt the only support I had in this life was these watery tears streaming down my cheeks. They had never betrayed me before, and even now, if they didn’t work, they couldn’t harm.
But then…
“Don’t be so gloomy, son,” an elder said. He had gentle blue eyes, a bold head, and a twirling white moustache—he looked kind.
“B-but they~sniff~took my mom. H-how can’t I be sad?” I said through crying hiccups and snot sniffs. It was the longest sentence I’d spoken since my father’s death.
Sigh
“Come here, kid.”
The old man patted the dirt to his right. I looked at his wrinkly hands, the deep grooves around his eyes, and his small smile; they beckoned to me, and I crawled towards the elder.
“What’s your name?”
My name…
“S-Somani.”
“The rising sun, huh? What a beautiful name… Do you like stories, Somani?”
I nodded while swiping my eyes with my dirty shirt.
“Then, let me tell you an old story…”
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The elder went on to speak of a just king who ruled over a kingdom called Tulliria.
“Is this a real story?” I jabbed in. My father used to tell me lots of stories, and I always liked the real ones better. It was nice to know that the characters you’re hearing weren’t just non-existent.
“Now, now, don’t interrupt me. Let me finish before asking whatever you like.”
The king had managed to create a skill that could grant immortality to anyone, but said immortality could also be taken back if the king wished so.
Leveraging this ability, the king solidified his rule and made reforms—reforms that solved history-old issues.
He spread peace, ended poverty, and made his kingdom a haven for science and innovation.
Decades passed, and the kingdom continued to grow through alliances, marriages, and nobles who sought immortality. The kingdom then became an empire, and the king an emperor.
But alas, everything good comes to an end, and this wasn’t an exception.
After centuries, the emperor grew distant, passing his duties to his offspring, who had become in the thousands.
Unfortunately, the emperor’s children and grandchildren weren’t as noble as he was, nor did they have his talent for rule; they spread corruption, misery, and wars.
Never-ending wars. Expansion wars, resource wars, and even some petty wars.
The emperor’s children became known as the Supreme, or, as some called them, the Noblesse—a ruling class of proud, arrogant, and immortal beings.
The Noblesse spread corruption throughout the lands.
If a Noblesse wanted to kill the inhabitants of a village, no one could stop him. If he wanted to get a new concubine, perhaps marry another married woman, he’d do it. They liked orgies, drugs, and torture. Their parties were said to be so extravagant that they could bankrupt countries or end poverty in other nations.
No one dared to oppose them—no one could. When a warrior, general, or adventurer gained too much strength, they were given an ultimatum: either join us and become one of the royal guards, or die. No one thought they could be taken down, until…
“A warrior clad in silver armour descends from the sky!”
And with him, an army of millions: animals, beasts, never-before-seen creatures, and even other sentient species.
Using his unparalleled strength and unending army, the hero brought down the arrogant Noblesse and killed their progenitor.
“After killing the emperor, the new hero ruled over all, uniting nations and kingdoms… Any questions?” The elderly man asked me with a toothy smile, a few teeth missing.
“Is this story real?” I asked sceptically.
The elderly man nodded his head sagely. “Part of it, yes. The part where the hero comes… It’s a prophecy; one made by the best oracle—the Darkest.”
“The… Darkest?”
Cool name.
“Yes. He’s the elf who rules the Giant Jungle. He and his people opposed the empire’s expansion, making the Great Jungle a barrier between the southern nations’ lands and the empire’s. Of course, that’s until the emperor’s eldest child, Bacalora, created the Deep Ravin.”
The ravine that we’ve been walking through for weeks is man-made?!
I felt cold air enter through my agast mouth.
The elder seemed to notice my surprised expression, so he explained…
“It’s said that Bacelora swiped his sword, making a beam of black the size of the sky descend on the Great Jungle. That’s how the Deep Ravin was created.”
I felt my eyes water from how long they’d been open. I quickly rubbed my eyes.
If the Noblesse are this strong, then how did the hero defeat them?
“What about the hero. Doesn’t he have a name?”
“Yes, he does. One with Mana.”
I asked the elder a few more questions—my excitement growing with each passing one as my sadness lessened a bit. Apparently, the hero had unparalleled control over Mana and life, which made him defeat the emperor. He also had good aides, but nothing more was known about him.
“Now, it’s my turn to ask a question.” The elder raised his palm, stopping my question barrage. “What do you think is the moral of this story?”
My father used to tell me lots of stories, and he would always ask for the moral of each one. He’d say that I was smart, attentive, and obedient after I guessed correctly.
Hoping to be praised again, I thought deeply of the moral behind this story.
“Is it that good always wins over bad?”
The old man raised his bushy eyebrows in genuine surprise.
“For one so… Yes, Somani. Always remember that nothing lasts forever and justice will always prevail.”
“Always?”
“Always.”
“…elder, can I know your name?”
Hohoho
“Of course, I’m Naeem, but you can call me Grandpa, son.”
***
Grandpa’s head fell and rolled beside me—his hot blood splashing my face. I…
Fear’s cold hands reached for my heart, wanting to paralyse me again, but for some reason, I resisted; I had gained immunity.
I’m no longer gonna stand while all my beloved die!
Without thinking, I rushed the soldier, aiming for his leg.
But then…
It was painless.
I had always thought it caused great pain and misery whenever I saw it happen, but as the sword impaled me, I felt nothing.
I looked up at the soldier; he was snickering. He drew his sword and cleaned it on his long skirt.
I tried to chase him, but found myself trying to steady my movement as I inexorably walked backwards until I fell onto my back on the road’s side.
“What did you do that for?! Kids are worth less, but they still bring silver!"
“He attacked me; I had no choice.”
“The commander will hear of this. I’ll be taking the money from…”
The conversation slowly started to fade.
As I lay on my back, the sky… it looked tantalising. A migrating bird swarm passed over me.
I tried to reach for it, but my hand fell helplessly by my side.
Father.
Mother.
Grandpa.
It was then that I felt it. A hand reached for me, and I reached for it.
Would you like to heed the Manima Monoform’s call and achieve a perfect unity with its copy?
The system’s paper front appeared in front of me, blocking my view of the sky. I was a bit surprised; the system rarely spoke to me.
Would you like to heed the Manima Monoform’s call and achieve a perfect unity with its copy?
For some reason, the system re-sent the message, but this time, the letters were bigger.
Is this you, Grandpa? Are you trying to help even after death?
Without thinking much of it, I agreed.
Yes.
I felt… bliss.
A happiness, I didn’t know was possible, spread through me. It washed away my fear, pain, and sadness. It made me forget the past month of misery and death.
But as Grandpa said, nothing lasts forever, and soon the feeling was over.
I heard a voice, no, not a voice. It came from inside of myself and sounded like my Grandpa.
Hmm… so perfect unity lets me have a host’s species skill and a second class?
But the voice didn’t wash away the coldness I was starting to feel, and so I asked for…
Help.
What was that?! I must be hallucinating.
Grandpa seemed confused, and before I could appease his worries, a soft red colour shone from my injury, catching my attention. It made warmth spread through me again. I sat and saw that the injury was mending. Suddenly, a force made me lie down again.
Thank you, Grandpa.
What?!
I said, ‘Thank you,’ Grandpa. I felt your… You wanted to help even after your death, right? I answered your call. But where are you now? Are you inside of me?
I conversed a bit more with Grandpa, but he seemed to want some time to think, so I obliged—I was obedient.
Thankfully, my patience was rewarded.
We’re going to kill the magus who hit your mother and killed me, letting us join bodies
Ya!
***
After Grandpa healed my injuries, stopping me every time I tried to sit, we set our sights on a lonely farmhouse; I was hungry, very much so.
The raid ended successfully, and as I staired at the farmer’s dead body… it felt nice.
With Grandpa’s strong skills, we’re going to get our revenge!
I was really pleased as I cooked the food. Grandpa had strong powers that could heal and destroy. I was safe with him.
But… what has Grandpa become?
I thought about this question, but then I remembered the bliss I had felt, the warmth, the happiness.
Stupid. Grandpa is Grandpa. That’s who he is and will be.
The next day, a man called Hambara interrupted our journey. Thankfully, through Grandpa’s great wisdom, we managed to evade getting inslaved again.
Grandpa is truly smart!
Hambara made me wait at his house, and as I had a roof above my head for the first time in a month, I asked Grandpa what had been going on inside my head for the last week.
…Grandpa.
Hmm. What is it, Somani?
C-can we go and find my mother?
Yes, but not now. We’ll only see your mother after we become strong. You’ll have to train hard so that we can kill the magus and save your mother.
I nodded. I felt something deep within my heart—a desire.
I want to become stronger so that I can avenge my father and help my mother!
When Grandpa spoke to Hambara in the bathroom, I felt, no, I heard it… His thoughts, which he sometimes tried to hide.
Exact my revenge, and increase my all!
My Grandpa shared my goal, but something was missing…
“Protect my mother and go back home!”
And by that, I had made my goals clear. All that was left was to strive to achieve them.