Vengeance Upon Fate - Chapter 27

“Huh..?”

Kurogane had awoken from what felt like a deep sleep. His vision slowly cleared up until he could capture a slight idea of where he was.

He appeared to be in a room that was small and somewhat dark, though a lamp was lit against one of the walls to prevent the place from completely dimming out.

The building was made of bricks and had no windows aside from a typical wooden door at the opposite side of the room.

{Ack..}

Kurogane felt an immense amount of pain swerve through his body, especially on his chest and lower abdomen as he attempted to sit up from his rather thin bedding. The chains that held the wooden frame against the wall rang as he fell back down.

Gently rubbing his eyes, he noticed that he had a black t-shirt and slim silver pants followed by multiple bandage wraps on his biceps, arms, abdomen, forehead and ankles.

Beneath the lamp appeared to be a small table with his belt and dagger on it along with a pair of black shoes that sat before his bed.

(This looks exactly like one of those small rooms near the walls where the guards rest during their breaks.)

The front door suddenly opened as a guard walked in with a cup of water in his hand.

Unsure of what to say, Kurogane was startled at first. He didn’t have a clue as to what the guard was going to do. Before he could say anything, the guard spoke as he started approaching him.

“Good afternoon, kiddo.”

It was definitely one of the guards from the entrance.

He handed the cup to Kurogane and sat next to him. .

“Drink up, we can talk about what happened right after.”

{Gulp…gulp..gulp…}

Kurogane nodded and rapidly chugged the water in a few large gulps, finishing off with a deep breath. Surely it felt like he hadn’t drank in an eternity.

“We saw your cousin limping his injured self to the southern gate, so we rushed and took him in and immediately went to find you. Your body was completely drained and you had injuries all over.”

“I-I see.. how long have I been here…?”

“It has been more than a day. We treated you with some medications and essence potions so that your body wouldn’t fail in your sleep. My partner also fetched some clothing for you.”

“Thank you sir.. you really didn’t have to do this much.”

“Heh, think nothing of it. We’re here to help, nothing less.”

Kurogane nodded gently then looked down, eventually placing his hand on his forehead as he began to remember the events that occurred.

From having fun in the city to simply enjoying a harmonious view, only to end up in a tragedy that changed both of their lives for the worst.

Especially after he remembered the immediate aftermath of the incident, he could not help but feel depressed.

〔Stay away from me…〕

…..

〔YOU MONSTER!〕

Kurogane’s eyes began to water. He never imagined that the situation would turn out this way. After his lonely self made a friend for the first time in his life, he was certain that he had lost him in such a terrible, unforgettable manner.

Moments later, he turned his head towards the guard.

“Sir… what I did back there.. does that make me an awful person..?

“…Have I become.. a monster?”

The guard stared at him for a second before chuckling to himself.

“Several other guards including myself went to investigate the scene after getting some information from your cousin. He looked as if he saw hell itself and could not even speak properly since he was so badly wounded. Not gonna lie, it spooked me.”

Now feeling even more guilty for what he did, Kurogane looked downwards.

(He’s probably going to feel the same way, isn’t he?)

“Upon seeing it all, it had to be one of the most disturbing sights I’ve witnessed in a while. Didn’t think you had that much in you honestly, I was speechless.”

Only feeling worse by the second, Kurogane slowly turned his head away in shame.

“But the answer is no, I don’t think you’re a monster.”

The guard placed his hand and pat Kurogane on the head, whose face lit up and blushed slightly.

“Your cousin eventually explained more details on who these guys were, and after further investigation we found that that they’ve been kidnapping kids in the past. They’re responsible for a good amount of disappearances and deaths in the city.”

Kurogane looked at the guard in surprise, not realizing how much of a threat those individuals were.

“I had no idea they were criminals to such level.” replied Kurogane in a low tone.

“If you were to ask me, they didn’t deserve to live any longer after God knows how many victims they murdered and kidnapped. Because of the nature of the situation and the fact that you’re a minor, you weren’t summoned for any legal affairs. You did the right thing overall, at least in my opinion.”

“I still completely lost control… I couldn’t contain this immense energy that appeared within me. It was as if… it was consuming my ability to reason from right and wrong.”

The guard looked at Kurogane with curiosity.

“Kid, are you familiar with a person’s “awakening” status?”

“Y-Yes.. someone told me about it a while back”

“I see. You most likely went through that phase when you encountered those men.”

“I had a feeling that was the case.”

“Typically when this moment occurs, it’s like unlocking a gate within an individual – a gate that was sealed for so long that the essence within it became desperate to leave.”

“A gate…?”

“Yes. As a result, the elemental energy is immense and difficult to control. For you it must have been a dire moment, hence your emotions caused you to go beyond what a normal individual experiences. I don’t know what was bothering you so much internally, but I’m sure anyone who had to watch that would be shook from what they saw.”

“So that means I must have pushed myself too hard when it happened.”

“You certainly did. You drained all of your elemental essence in the process, which was probably why you passed out with a lot of body strain related injuries.”

“Elemental Essence?”

“That’s how they refer to your energy to cast spells and enchantments.”

(So if I want to use these powers when I will, I’ll likely have to use similar chants like that man did…)

“All of this makes more sense now.”

“That’s good to hear. Anyways, listen here kid, based off the reports, you most likely have the shadow element within you. It’s a powerful kind that covers a large area with a destructive level of damage. As good as that sounds, make sure you do as much as you possibly can to tame it as you venture, or else you may end up destroying more than you need to.”

…

〔I fear that this power would drive me to do things I normally wouldn’t want myself doing.〕

The same words his mother once spoke about regarding the elements entered Kurogane’s mind.

“She was right… I can’t imagine that things could possibly be the same from this day onward.”

“Who was right..?”

(Did I really say that out loud?!)

Too startled to try and give an explanation, a drop of sweat rolled down his face.

“You don’t actually have a family here, do you kid?”

“N-No… it’s not like that..”

“From what I observed overtime, you’re not originally from this city Not that it’s surprising, but that boy isn’t your cousin either. Heh, I almost believed him when he mentioned you had an older brother complex.”

Turning his head to the side, Kurogane frowned and blushed.

“Not denying it huh? Well, I understand. Wherever you ended up coming from, you must have had it rough. I can tell.”

Kurogane looked down, his eyes trembling out of grief.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“It’s okay kid. You have your entire life ahead of you. Whatever happened and however it happened, it’s too early to give up now. I wish I knew about your situation earlier. I honestly feel bad for being rough on you that one time.”

“No sir…It’s fine.”

The guard stood up and turned towards Kurogane.

“Alright. Well, I was only able to convince some of the guards to keep you here for a day. They might come by anytime now. Most of your injuries have been tended to, but you might have issues sitting up for a while.” Wuxiaworld for visiting.

The door suddenly burst open. Surely a guard walked in, likely to convey a message.

“We received orders to release the boy. You must return to your shift now.”

“Roger that, I’ll be there soon.”

The other guard nodded and immediately went back outside. The two of them stood up and made their way out the door as well.

The sky appeared to be cloudy. This was quite uncommon in Varsilis, which was almost always bright and sunny.

“Good luck out there. Make sure watch over yourself. I hope you never end up going through something like that again.”

“I sincerely appreciate everything you did sir. Thank you for all the help and information!”

The guard saluted then proceeded to walk towards the south gate to resume his shift.

After bowing down in return, Kurogane made his way into the city. It was time to resume his day as any other individual would.

…

Or so he thought.