He awoke, but something felt wrong. He couldn't see anything. Yet, he felt pressure of something pulling his wrists. He was bound by this force. A rope perhaps? He didn't know, nor was he certain.

Why can't I see anything? He thought.

It didn't take long for his inherent powers of regeneration to set in.

His pupils contracted as his vision slowly returned. It was afternoon and the sun was setting. He was on some kind of wooden proscenium stage. There was a jet-black humanoid figure right in front of him. A monster to be specific. He thought that it was such a hideous figure. He couldn't describe anything else that could have been uglier than the underside of his foot covered in calluses and dead skin.

The hideous, jet-black monster punched him in the stomach.

"Oof..."

He hunched over... although, it was only out of reflex as if imitating how a hurt person would feel. The body he has numbed any kind of physical sensation.

"Human, who sent you here?"

Apparently, the monster can speak in a growl. It was interrogating him.

What urged him to come to their monstrous den?—A monster den that held its townspeople, his own fellow human beings as slaves?

Of course he knew what to tell this creature. He was tasked as a Hero to save this world after all. He has to abide by what he stands for, what he believed in.

He has to save them.

"I have been telling you this. No one sent me... and I've also been telling you this... if you don't stop this now, you and your friends will, unspeakably, be dealt with horribly."

The creature thought the bounded man was threatening him. Provoked, it drew its sword.

The creature was going to attack. However, the man can't do anything as his hands were bound by a thick rope.

The creature swung its sword, and it cleanly rendered his eyes blind once again.

Ah, so that's what happened. He thought.

His head turned forcibly to the side due to the centrifugal force that came along with it. His brain rattled.

Yet other than that, he didn't feel anything else due to the nature of his ability. There's nothing he can do at this time. How can he get out of this situation?

He needed to be free.

He felt woozy due to the head trauma. Blackness was all that swept over his vision once again as he fell into unconsciousness. And then, he smelled something burning.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

The time he spent asleep felt immediate.

His eyelids shot open as he realized the smell. The whole village he was in was now charred and engulfed in fire.

Numerous soldiers in arms actually invaded the village and many of the monsters that were forcefully occupying the place were slain by these soldiers. They were also a race of human beings like himself. They came to save the village.

Some of the surviving villagers were being led to several carts and wagons to be escorted to the city.

One soldier was on the proscenium stage undoing the ropes that binded the man's limbs.

"Don't worry sir, we'll have these bindings untied soon."

As the rope that was binding him was being untied, a dark-skinned woman approached him who was apparently, also part of the army that arrived. What differs from her apart from all the darkened-armored soldiers who came to help the village was that she wore a silken, crimson cloak.

"Byne?" The woman said. She was referring to him.

"Abigail." He recognized the woman who spoke to him.

"I guess you failed to save people, again?"

"I—"

He suddenly dropped to the ground on his butt.

"Oh, sorry sir. I should've warned you that I'd be cutting the rope," The soldier who helped Byne told him. He left right after.

"As I was saying, it wasn't like that. I tried talking with these monsters. They were going to set me free sooner or later."

"And they did that by torturing you?"

Byne shook his head.

"Alright, I know it looked like I was in a tough spot but I think it looked like I was about to have a good deal with these village party poopers."

Abigail raised her hand as if signaling him to halt."

"Okay, stop..." She shook her head. "You need to stop being so naive. I have to say this again, but you need to fight. You can't talk with these monsters."

"Look, I don't think we should just—"

"There is nothing for us to argue here." Abigail interrupted him. "You're being dumb, Byne. If you weren't chosen as the hero, you would have been dead by now if you didn't have that power of yours."

All Byne could do was keep his mouth shut. His ideals were once again rejected.

"What would father think... this isn't what he would have wanted—"

"Don't mention father." Byne responded immediately upset of hearing their father mentioned.

Abigail continued, "—And think about how mother would feel with you putting yourself in this kind of danger."

Byne knew this. Yet, he kept placing himself in similar circumstances all the time.

Yet, it's not the way he wants to live. He thinks it was right.

Still, he knows he can't just do anything he wants. He has to respect the people around him.

Abigail saw her kid brother and thought she knew what he was thinking of. She didn't like seeing him this way with such a vexed expressio. But she had to let him know.

Even if it means she has to remind him over and over again.

"You... you should just get a blade... and stop being a wimp."

"I don't believe in violence."

"Then you got your ears wrapped around into the back of your head!" Abigail yelled at him.

Byne stayed quiet. Abigail sighed.

"I don't like getting mad at you... can't you see? What we do... this is the only way."

Byne couldn't say anything.

"Now, you should head back to mom. And get some rest... you've done enough here."

Abigail turned around and walked back to her men. She had to continue her duty being the commander of the empire's army.

Byne lifted his head up. He didn't like the confrontation from his sibling. Not like he had any other choice.

At the corner of his eye, he saw the monster that blinded him earlier. The creature was at a wooden block, forced to bend on its knees and set its head against the block by one of the soldiers. The monster saw Byne and it recognized him.

Byne saw that this monster had a look on its face of helplessness. He could tell that it was crying out in the back of its mind that it was begging for mercy.

"Wait, don't—!"

Before Byne could finish, the creature's head rolled over the charred ground as one of the soldiers decapitated it. Some of the soldiers at the block looked at him strangely.

Byne bit his lip and looked down as he hurriedly walked home on the dirt road away from the mess of slain monsters, slaughtered villagers, and survivors that were now being dealt with by the empire soldiers.