They say, those who receive the most pain in life are the ones that are most sympathetic to it. The person that never got to laugh is the one always making jokes. The person who had to starve is always the one feeding people.

But the funny thing about trauma is that the longer it goes on, the more desensitized we feel to it.

With the Demon Kings’ advent 50 years ago, humanity was put under a significant risk of extinction. Significant enough to where humanity could put aside their differences for a second and in a moment of unity, was able to finally defeat him after 30 years of struggle.

However, human greed knows no bounds. As each country behind the heroes’ party wanted to claims the rights of the demon kings’ remnants, soon a fierce competition began.

The party members, realizing the danger the items made from these materials could bring, decided to individually retain a portion of the byproducts and refuse cooperation with the authorities.

Without a way to obtain those drops, all the worlds’ authorities including governments and top guilds hatched a plot. Instead of recalling the heroes’ party as saviors of humanity, they were quickly antagonized and criticized by the public.

Realizing their betrayal, the party disbanded and each of the members disappeared from the public eye. No matter how much they searched, finding the strongest individuals on Earth when they go into hiding was a nigh impossible task.

With the spark of conflict already lit, it wasn’t long until a global war for supremacy began except, unlike the previous times, this time the powerhouses weren’t tanks or ballistae, they were humans who could use magic, martial arts and other mystical talents.

…

Abdur Rahman led a humble life. He lived in a hut on the outskirts of the village over a small hill. He earned his living though simple labor and odd jobs around the village. He worked to shepherd a flock of sheep, work the fields, house construction and much more. His amicable behavior and straightforward attitude made him a universally adored figure.

He was the youngest among the first settlers in the migrant village, being brought there by his nanny at the age of 4. Orphaned, he considered all the people in the village his family and strived to make others smile whenever possible.

At the age of 24, on a summer night, he went back to his hut at night like any other time. His nanny was now old, and as such, lived in the resident care home of the village. He’d become used to living alone for some time now.

Laying down on his bed after a long day of work, he looked up at the ceiling and recalled his embarrassing memories for a while until he silently fell asleep.

His relaxing rest was interrupted when he suddenly jumped up in the middle of the night, feeling a prickling needle-like sensation all over his body. It didn’t hurt, rather it felt like exhaling a breath he’d been holding in for a while.

Slowly, a creeping feeling of pain travelled up his spine and into his head. As the pain kept building up, he tried to keep calm and analyze what was happening. Just as the pain was about to become unbearable, his entire body lit up in a colorless hue before returning normal.

The pain was gone and so was any proof of the event happening. Questioning to himself if any of this was real, he rolled over and went back to sleep. He could deal with this nonsense in the morning.

The next morning, he saw no changes in his physical appearance. And with no other way of seeing physical proof, he chalked it up to him having another weird dream.

That day, when he was sitting under some shade while the sheep were grazing, he had an ominous feeling and quickly guided the sheep away to another place. Aside from this slightly irregular event, the day went as usual and was eventually discarded as just another regular day in his memories.

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Some time after that day, the local warlord decided to make his bi-annual inspection of the village. He’d make the trip every now and then to remind them of his authority as well as flaunting his power.

The warlord wasn’t the worst in the area and the village itself was in relatively peaceful locality so the there wasn’t much hatred between them. The villagers paid the ‘protection fee’ regularly and the warlord rarely bothered them.

He wasn’t the kind of motherless bastard who would abduct people for his pleasure. But no matter how much of a peaceful vibe he gave off, the armed guards following him reminded them of his position.

He lugged around an oversized belly and had a head of curly hair which he regained after drinking a potion of hair regrowth. He always wore a high-tech looking watch which clashed with the rest of his loose outfit.

When the children fearfully asked him about it one time, he only responded that it was ‘to find his golden ticket’. Not understanding his words or perhaps not caring for them, the children only ran off giggling.

This time, when he was taking a look around the village and meeting with everyone, a beeping noise started emanating from his wrist. Dropping his carefree demeanor instantly, he hopped to his feet and started yelling to his subordinates to bring everyone in the village to him.

The villagers were somewhat startled, each having gone through plenty of hardships in their lives, and realized that something was amiss. They wordlessly gathered in front of him in unorganized files and looked down at the ground, not daring to look up at him. Regardless of how he behaved usually, they knew how cold blooded he could be.

He went around, glancing at his watch whenever he passed a person with a look of displeasure slowly forming on his face. By the time he was done, his face had contorted into a look of anger as he yelled at his subordinates.

“You useless ingrates! I told you to gather up every person in the village. Every single one. Do I have to take a toilet brush and scrub out your ears until you hear me? Someone isn’t here. That’s the one I’m looking for. Do I pay you for this sort of incompetence? Useless.”

He turned to the villagers.

“Hey, look at me. Take a look around and tell me who’s missing. If you’re hiding them, it’s pointless. I’ll find them soon enough. It’s just a matter of how many will get hurt before I find them. And if you’re hiding alone, hear my warning. If you care even a tiny bit about these people, I suggest you come out.”

Sometimes, you’ll mess up without even knowing how it happened. This situation was like that. The villagers had no idea what they’d done to attract his ire or who they might be hiding. A few moments later, a villager yelled out.

“Hey, I don’t see Abdur Rahman here.”

“Oh yeah. Didn’t we inform him that he didn’t need to go graze the sheep today?”

“We did, but you know how close he is with those sheep. He still cries like a baby whenever one of them dies.”

“Silence!” the warlord yelled out, “Is this Abdur Rahman the one who is absent? If so, find him! Now!”

“Someone go fetch him then. Hey Karim, you go and tell him to come here immediately.”

Hearing this, the man, presumably named Karim, rushed off to the plains to find Abdur Rahman. After a while, he showed up with Abdur Rahman who was walking leisurely.

“Man, why all this fuss? I’m here. If you need me, just call for me. No need to raise hell just to find me.”

His relaxed and carefree posture would usually be seen as charming. Unfortunately for him, this wasn’t the time for that.

The warlord approached him angrily and put the watch up to his forehead. Soon, the same beeping noise rang out as previously and the corners of his mouth twitched upwards. Then, he began laughing uproariously and muttering to himself.

‘This is it, my big break is here. Finally I can get back at those bastards that ridiculed me for my weakness. I had to stay silent for so long. But finally, I’ll have my revenge.’

“Hoho, Abdur Rahman was it? Come with me, I’ve got big plans for you.”

“Like, into a room? With you? Yeah I’m not into that stuff. Or do you mean leaving the village?”

Doing his best not to explode, the warlord answered, “Clever boy. Go ahead and pack up your stuff, it’s going to be a while till you’re back.”

“What if I refuse?”

“Nothing much, really. They probably wouldn’t mind if we roughed up the merchandise a bit and worse comes to worse, your friends here will not be having the best of times.”

“Got it. Give me two hours. I’ll be packed up and ready by then.”

“Don’t make me wait any longer than that.”

The warlord walked off into the tent prepared for him previously, humming cheerfully as he did. The people were relieved that no one got hurt but they could overhear the conversation that just happened and were very worried for him.

“What do you mean two hours? That’s barely enough time for each of us the hug you for 3 minutes!”

Listening to everyone advising him as well as sharing their emotions, his cheeky smile turned into a solemn one. He listened to each of them and shared a last parting with them all individually.

While they were worried for him, none of them said anything to stop him from leaving. While they all loved him, they understood both his position and theirs. Sometimes, the world is cruel like that. Instead of putting up pointless resistance, they at least wanted to send him off without tears.

The children didn’t understand all of that and they clung to him, wanting him to stay. He wanted to reassure them but looking at their faces, he couldn’t lie to them. He only caressed their heads and told them to be good to their parents.

He took extra time to meet with his nanny who constantly reminded him to take his meals on time and to be careful. Though she didn’t want to show it, she broke down crying at the end, unsure of what might be waiting for him. He could only hold her as she cried, himself not knowing what awaited in his future.

With about five minutes remaining, he packed up a few sets of clothes, his parents’ keepsakes, some camping gear like ropes, tarp etc. as well as a knife and met with the warlord.

As they got on a jeep to leave, he asked, “So, where are you taking me?”

With a sneer, the warlord replied, “I’m selling you.”

“Jeez. With this face? Man, you’re going to be so rich after this.”

“Not for money. For weapons and ammunition and if I’m lucky, even some mercenaries.”

“And who’s going to buy a dude with those kind of resources?”

Revealing his yellow teeth, he smiled, “I’m selling you to the military.”