Vasteaira, a vast mystical land of mystery and the home to many species, is my homeland.
I aspired to be an adventurer when young. One could say my dream was to witness all the enchanting beauty of this land.
Alas, reality hit hard.
I have never left the human kingdom Darto. I didn't have the money or the choice to.
Besides Darto, there are two more neighbouring human kingdoms. Icaris and Malromie.
...
The war tore all three kingdoms apart. It was chaos...
"Hap! Huff...Hap!" I repeatedly swing the wooden sword vertically beneath the grace of the moonlight.
"Hah...phew..." I throw the wooden sword on the ground and collapse on the dirt.
The image of Ruri's death is fresh in my head but what's worse is my unfazed state of mind. I've seen even toddlers and newborns dead in the war, stabbed by spears and thrown to their deaths.
...
I don't have time to waste. I need to become stronger.
My palm grabs ahold of the sword and begins slashing. Despite the pain and soreness in my muscles, I keep pushing myself.
At a tree behind me, several swirls of cut paint on the trunk. My current physical body cannot keep up with my experiences and techniques. Thus, this is what I must do no matter how mundane it is.
I finish my training after an hour and return to the cabin. I don't see any light from the windows. They must be asleep.
However, my attempt to sneak back fails as my mother catches me red-handed, jumping from behind the door.
"Roar!" She screams.
...
"Huh? Odd, this used to scare you." My mother says.
"I've grown out of it."
"Right...anyways, what are you doing training so late?"
"I just want to make use of time efficiently."
"Sleep is important as well!" She exclaims.
"Then why are you awake?" I ask.
My mother sighs. "I'm planning to visit Auroa's funeral when everyone is asleep."
Auroa? That name sounds familiar.
My mother frowns. "It's the tailor." She says.
...I nod.
"Since you are awake, follow me." my mother says.
"Okay."
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She sighs and mumbles "Odd, so many acquaintances passed away..."
We travel to the west of the capital on the outskirts. Auroa and Ruri are buried beside a serene tree. Grass terrains extend to the far mountains and the only entity reaching for the moon is this tree.
A woman on her knees sobs on the protruding dirt. Her eyes are red and her hair is messy, she's been here for hours.
My mother solemnly stares at the graves. She clasps her palms together and prays for the departing souls. "Rest in peace." She mumbles.
...
I copy my mother and pray. It's been a long time since I've done this.
A profound silence descends around us. My mother takes out a small lamp from her basket and hangs it on the tree with rope. It's a tradition of this kingdom to send the dead off by lighting the path with lanterns.
My mother gestures to me to come closer and hands me a lantern. I tie the lantern using another rope provided.
We leave without interrupting the woman and return home.
My mother clicks her tongue and gazes down. "Which monster would do that to a defenceless father and child?" she asks herself.
Monster huh...
Countless memories of my victims flash in my head. They wept and begged for mercy while most called me a monster in human skin.
...
"Mom," I say.
"Yes?"
"Let's say the killer attempts to seek redemption. Is it already too late?" I ask.
My mother looks back at me and points at her chest. "It will be difficult but as long as the killer has the heart, I believe the killer, no, everyone can seek redemption at some point."
...
I forgot this is the kind of mother she is, a forgiving, caring, and naive woman but I like this part about her.
I gaze at the moon among countless majestic stars. The moon I remember is red, full of blood and death.
On that day, I set some rules for myself.
One, I will avoid using the power on innocent people with a low amount of "Fate".
Two, the responsibility of those who died will be my weight.
And lastly, family comes first.
I glance back at my shadow. Frequent hallucinations of my victims used to plague my mind as they attempted to drag me down to the depths of hell.
My sins will only stack higher and higher...
===============================
Two days later...
===============================
One dominant group that maintains order is The Holy Light, an organisation working for a religious head, The Father of Peace. But occasional bad apples sprout here and there.
A patrolling knight of The Holy Light deviates from his route and enters a small alley in the darkness. A few outlaws lean against the wall with a large bag.
"So? Did you get what I requested?" The knight asks.
The outlaws step aside and let the knight inspect the contents of the bag. An unconscious young man is restrained with a rope around his limbs.
The knight smirks and caresses the young boy's cheek.
*TING!*
!
A sudden sound behind the knight springs him into alert. He exchanges glances with the outlaws and draws his sword.
"You, go check it out." The knight says to an outlaw.
"Fine..." The outlaw whips out a dagger and heads out of the narrow alley.
A few seconds later, still nothing. There was no sound or response from the scout.
...
The knight slowly walks out with his guard up.
Suddenly, the moment he steps out of the alley, I throw a patch of dirt at his face, immobilizing him.
"Ark?!"
I swoop in and slit his throat with a dagger.
----------------
Fate: 1800->2000
----------------
The remaining two outlaws lunge at me with their knives.
I swiftly evade one slash and throw a cut to his wrist, blood spills, and the weapon falls to the ground.
The second assailant thrust at my body. I spin my body, dodging the attack, and generating enough force to slit his neck.
----------------
Fate: 2000->2110
----------------
Only one remains. The sight of everyone dead triggers his flight instinct.
"Turning your back on an enemy?" I mumble.
I pinch the handle with my index and thumb, throwing the knife through his skull.
----------------
Fate: 2110->2200
----------------
"Phew..." I pull down the cloth around my head concealing my identity for a breather.
I throw the dagger at the corpses and head into the alley.
For the past two days, I've been training my body in the morning and 'hunting' at night and discovered new features of this power.
Killing someone counts as extracting their Fate and killing people with Karma won't increment my own. Saving people on the other hand decreases Karma, albeit unsure what Karma does.
I check the victim in the bag and untie him.
----------------
Ryse Kard
Fate: 40000
Role: Minor Character
Affiliation: ARW
Talent:
-Sword Tier 6
Attribute:
-Holy Tier 2
Extract?
[Yes][No]
----------------
!!?
Ryse Kard?!
I take a closer look at the boy and recognize his face, a future grandmaster of justice.