Ethanial was surprised to hear someone called him 'Ethan'. There was only one person who called him as such. Leila.

He drew his sword as the woman pulled off the cloak. It was not Leila.

From voice alone, he knew it was another person. It did not have the melody which Leila possessed.

"I am not Ethanial," he lied. As a wanted man, Ethanial was being cautious about anyone looking for him.

"Then you are either a thief or a deserter. Those rings you are looking at, it belonged to my lady, Leila."

"How do you know about the rings?"

"My lady specifically requested the smith in plaza for pure gold rings, just like the ones Ethanial promised her in front of an inn."

"Who are you?"

"I am Leila's nanny. I brought those rings from plaza to her until she gave it to a fugitive named Ethanial."

"I see. I am that fugitive Ethanial. I apologize."

He sheathed his sword and apologized for his rudeness earlier. He sat back and stared into the pond. His eyes dried and dull like there were no souls in them.

"What is it you want? Take back the rings?"

"Those rings are yours. You promised to put those rings to her finger."

"Yes, I did."

"Then why did you not try put it on her? Why did you break your promise and run away? You said you would marry her after you proved your innocence and became a warrior. So why did you run away in the middle of trial? Why did you never come back to see her once? Why!? I am asking you! Answer me!"

"I am sorry. I failed to keep my promise."

"I don't want your apology. I want answers!"

"What does that matter?"

His nonchalant answer angered her more. In fury she closed to him and slapped him with a letter. It was the letter Leila wrote to Ethanial, the letter she protected through rains and winds.

Ethanial read the letter slowly. As he read, he felt his chest congested, his heart painful, he felt agony. Yet he did not stop, he read again to the first and the last letter from a girl he loved most. He tried his hardest to read again.

"She trusted you," said Mrs Borger, "she said you are the man who fought a mantila alone for her. She said you would never leave her in danger. She confidently said you will keep your promise, that you will prove your innocence and become a Templer, then marry her."

Her sorrowful voice added pain to an already hurt Ethanial. Each words, like an arrow pierced to his chest. It was excruciating.

"I am sorry. Leila. I am sorry. I am so sorry." He cried in pain.

"If you can't answer me, I will ask another one. Why did you lie her? Said you are a Templer and slept with her. Why did you do that to her? You knew she will be punished severely for that, yet why?"

He tried to answer her. But he did not know the answer himself. Was it because he loved her? Or because of his lust and greed? Was he out of his mind? Or was he intentionally?

His head fell as he no longer had answer for her. It was the first time he felt so dejected and lost. It was all his fault. He concluded. Lust or love? It did not matter. He should have never done that.

"You failed to answer again. What are you? A mute? Or an idiot? Did Leila fall in love to a bastard? Do you know she was detained in darkest cell of the dungeon? It was cold and shone no light. The floor was flooded. I walked in there for a candle time and the chill hit my bones. The smell so horrible, I felt my lungs shredded. The food so rotten, I wanted to cut away my tongue."

As she continued, the horror of his dungeon days revisited him. He felt pain through his ribs and spine. The image of that woman whose hand were cut off flashed back into his mind. He felt nauseated. He understood the very things she said.

"Yet she smiled brightly in there, ...when she mentioned you, the memory she cherished most. At the time she heard you ran away and broke the promise, she did not blame you. She asked if you made it out away safely. Even before the hang, she asked me if you were safe. That not you were not caught back while trying to enter town to save her."

"Please stop." He begged. He could no longer endure this heart shredding agony. He was on his knees.

"No. You must listen. There was a rope that would took her life away around her neck. But when she heard you were not there, safely hiding somewhere, she smiled. At least you are safe. That's what she thought with a rope to her neck."

"No!!" Ethanial screamed. Then he took out his sword and got up.

"What? You can't take it anymore so you want to kill me and end everything? Good. Do it. So that you proved me you are a worthless shit and that I can curse you from hell without guilt."

"No."

Abruptly he swung his sword to his throat and cut it.

Blood flowed along the sword edge. It dripped to the stone and splashed. It stained to his pants and the skirt of Mrs Borger.

A moment before he cut his throat, Mrs Borger hurriedly grabbed the edge with her bare hand and stopped him.

"Coward," She cursed to Ethanial, "you try to run away again."

Anguished, he asked, "isn't this what you want? You told me all that. To hurt me. You hate me. You loathe me. You want me to die. To avenge for your lady. Then why stop me?"

"Yes. I hate you. I despise you. That is why I won't let you end your misery so easily."

She glared into his eyes intensely and then asked, "you agreed that you deserved punishment, correct? Then I should be the one giving you the punishment."

Ethanial did not replied, did not deny neither.

"Suffer. You don't get to end it quickly. Live. Live with guilt, until it consumes your soul and burn you in hell. The moment with you were the brightest of her life. But for you it must be the darkest, the coldest memory. Live with it the rest of your life. To fullest. That will be your punishment."

"You curse me." He said happily like a mad man. It was as if he wanted it. He stabbed the sword to the ground and kneeled on his one knee.

"I accept your verdict. It shall be my punishment." He bowed to her.

Mrs Borger left the cave after she was done with her mission. Finally she had successfully conveyed the message to Ethanial. "I am sorry Leila. I knew you wanted him to live happily but I could not let him."

She approached the horse as she came out. She petted it dearly. As if the horse knew her already, he gently rubbed his head against her chest.

"You must be rings. Indeed a handsome boy. I am sorry that I cursed your owner. I hope it will not reach to you." She apologized to it as she combed his mane.

She watched the sunset from the mountain through the cliff. From up here she could see the everything, even the town. It was a beautiful sight.

"No wonder you had your first romantic night here." She mumbled.

As she sat on the ground and watched the sun hid behind the horizon, she fell asleep from tiredness.

Meanwhile, Ethanial was still rereading the letter from Leila. It was third time already. The more he read, the vivid her melodic voice became in his ears. He noticed a yellow spot over her name at the end of letter. A drop of palm oil, her unique fragrance. Although it had became faint, he could feel her love from it.

He closed the letter and rolled it with a cloth to keep it safe. He then dropped himself into the pond on his back. As he closed his eyes, he saw vivid memories of that day.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

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He was in the middle of crowd in the plaza. He wore a cloak so that others would not recognise him. He pushed through the crowd and saw the stage of atonement. No one was up there yet. There were many guards from temple near the stage. Some of them were Templers. He figured he could not reached there without a fight and a fight he would definitely lose as well. There were too many.

When he was about to disappear into the north and to live in secret, he remembered the gold rings Leila gave hurriedly at his final hearing. After that he galloped back to town through rain and wind; with many questions to ask, many answers to confirm.

He easily reached the town by midnight as there were no patrols along the road due to the storm. The guards on the wall did not notice him as he approached the gate. The rain were too heavy, it was hard to see even twenty steps away.

The north gate was closed so he went to the east gate. Since entertainment quarter and workers quarter were accessible from east gate, he concurred it had higher chance if they were any secret passage into town. His thought was correct.

All the sewers from town were connected to river at the east. Among the four openings that drained through the city wall to river, one closest to east gate had a broken iron bar with a gap big enough for a man. But due to the storm, the sewers were flooded and impossible to pass. He had to wait two days before the water level dropped and re-accessible. He exchanged his leather armour just to enter through it.

As soon as he got into surface, the bad news hit him hard. Leila was to be hanged in front of temple next morning.

Many people attended the event and security was tight in the plaza. He found no opening to rescue Leila until the victims of storm threw rotten garbage to Leila. He wanted to punch them but he suddenly got a better idea. He moved to the front and stole an egg. Then he directed it toward the groin of Templer Ferde. It hit.

He laughed as he saw Ferde's face turned red and angrily ordered his men to arrest the people. He successfully thinned the security. Now all he needed was to approach the stage and waited for an opening. He gradually moved to other side of the stage within the crowd. Everything was going smoothly until_

Two men abruptly approached him behind and rubbed some white powder to his nose and mouth. They got him by surprise and soon his head turned swinging, his vision blurred. He felt his heart beating slower and his breath shallower. Then he went dark.

The moment he regained consciousness, he saw a wooden roof over him. Noises from men and eating utensils could be heard loudly from his room. He got up from the bed and watched outside the window. He was inside an inn in the middle of wood. Rings was found eating grass nearby.

The room was a small one. Only a bed and a wooden box inside. His sword was placed on the box along with his cloak.

Since he was not sure how he got here, he decided to go downstairs and checked the situation first. Like him, many people here wore a cloak and possessed a weapon each. All of them seemed sketchy_ either fugitives or criminals. They were minding their own business, selling or exchanging items. Some posters of items or monsters were hanged by a wooden board. They must be requests.

Ethanial approached the big bulky innkeeper. He was reminded of his late friend Drake by him. Since he did not want the owner be cautious of him, he asked for direction to town gambit, rather than asking where he was.

The owner looked at him displeased but he still answered him.

"Go West and cross the river then you will see the town."

"Thank you. Erm..."

"If you are not ordering, don't bother me." The keeper shooed him away.

It flustered Ethanial. He needed to get more information. He wanted to ask who brought him here but he had no coins left to order something.

When he was in tough spot, a man with a cloak sat beside him. The man even bought a drink for him.

"I knew you never left to the north, Ethanial. You hate cold." Said the man. He removed his cloak.

"Drake!" Ethanial surprised. "You. You are alive."

He happily hugged the Drake's shoulder but he was stopped.

"Yes. I am alive. You must be shocked."

"Of course. I mean. Don't get me wrong, man. I am happy to see you again. I thought I lost all of you."

"Why? Because you left us with those ugly creatures?" Drake replied.

Ethanial noticed some aggression from him so he stopped being merry.

"I understand you are angry. I am sorry. There is not a single day that I did not regret my decision."

"Humph*" Drake scoffed, "you were so merry with that girl; I doubt you even remember us."

"What?"

"You fucked that girl that night. Didn't you? You were so busy feeding your snake, you forgot to come back for us." Drake said angrily.

Ethanial wanted to argue but he could not. His conscience did not allow him to deny. He felt guilty.

"I am sorry." He mumbled. Drake chuckled and smiled as if he had forgiven Ethanial. He touched Ethanial's shoulder.

"Sorry? Don't be. I understand you. Your first lover was eaten alive by a monster in front of you. You were afraid that girl would be eaten too, right. So you took her to safety."

After hearing Drake, Ethanial eyes glistened. He was so happy that there was one person who understood him. But all his hope were crushed by Drake's next words.

"I understand you. But I can't forgive you. You chose a bitch you just met over our two years of friendship. You chose that whore!"

Whore? It triggered Ethanial. He would take all curses and swearing for he believed he deserved it. But not to Leila.

He punched right in his jaw. It threw unguarded Drake to the floor.

"Leila. Her name was Leila. Call her with respect."

"Respect? Why should I to a whore!?" Drake yelled as he charged with his head like a boar, slamming Ethanial to the wall.

The sudden brawl excited the crowd. They cheered them as if that was what they were waiting for. The owner did not care like this was usual and happened daily.

Ethanial gripped tightly by Drake elbowed him to his back again and again until Drake released him.

"She is a lady."

"What lady slept with a man she just met? A whore."

Drake threw a punch to Ethanial. He guarded and hit Drake's head with a mug. The owner raised his brow and warned Ethanial.

Drake threw another punch to stomach as Ethanial focus was on the owner. It got him off-guard. Ethanial could not breathe for a while. Drake immediately kneed him to the face but Ethanial managed to block with his hands. Then Ethanial countered with an uppercut. It hit directly to the jaw and dropped Drake to the floor for second time.

Beaten, Drake chuckled like a maniac.

"You were always a killer. ... Right. It was not that girl's fault. It was yours. You killed Jimmy, Smule and Boba. You left us to die. Then you killed that girl. That girl was hanged because of you. Like your first lover was killed because you took her there. You are the actual abomination. I must become a Templar and destroy you to end all. Lord Mordu', in his name, I swear. Next time, I will kill you."

Drake swore as he stared into the nothing. Ethanial left the inn dejected. He lost his teammates. Then he lost Leila. Now he lost his friend. Drake must be the one who testified against him to Templar Faün.

He got on Rings and rode to the place where it all started, to that cave and to mount Raza.

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Water splashed as he got up from the pond. At first he came here, the cave where he and Leila shared the bed, to kill himself because of guilt. But Mrs Borger cursed him to live a life fulled of suffering. And Drake also swore to destroy him with his hands. So he decided to live a curse life until Drake ended him.