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"I made the biggest mistake a soldier can make, I followed orders blindly..." - Scars
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The quiet village was nestled in a clearing surrounded by a forest of shadows. Its inhabitants, accustomed to the mundane routines of their simple lives, thought that today would be just another day. Little did they know that their world was about to change, and it would all come from the depths of the forest.
A wanderer named Scars emerged from the shadows. His pale skin was covered with scars that spread like the roots of an ancient tree, and his red hair was mixed with blood. His armor was silver, but now only his boots, breastplate, and helmet remained, all of which had dents, scratches, and parts missing.
With a gait as majestic as if he were parading, Scars walked through the village. Her right eye, blue as the sky that day, saw the expressions of fear and disgust of the villagers watching her from their windows. With her left eye, she saw an invisible world of beauty and wonder. She saw the world of guardians and lost souls. Her left eye was gray like the skin of the giant head she dragged behind her on the ground. She had been separated from the body of the monster she was holding by its black, twisted horns. His blood-soaked spear was in his right hand.
She stopped in front of the village chief's house, which was not much different from the other houses. It was made of stone and wood, but it was larger and had two floors. Murmurs could be heard coming from within. Scars entered the house, and the wooden floor creaked beneath his feet.
The receptionist started talking, but Scars interrupted him with a look. The receptionist, along with two other young men, ignored her presence.
Scars went upstairs to the upper floor, which led to a hallway with doors on either side and one at the end with a sign that read "Village Chief." She opened the door and threw the monster's head onto the rectangular table in the middle of the room. The village chief was standing at the window, looking at the entrance to the building. He was an elderly man, with a gray beard contrasting with his black skin and a dark purple robe. He closed his eyes and let out a long sigh before turning to Scars.
"Hey girl, it's been a few weeks. I didn't think even the big Scars would be able to hunt down a Nightstalker," he said, his voice heavy and low. A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Now we will no longer worry about our cattle and sheep disappearing overnight. We are truly grateful to you."
Lie, they see me as just another monster that kills monsters.
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The village chief let out another long sigh, and this time it took him longer to open his eyes. When he did, he couldn't look Scars in the eye.
"You know, Scars, since you came in a year ago, things have improved a lot. You always helped us by hunting the monsters that surrounded the village. You've even gone into the shadow forest several times and saved our animals, our children, and us. You were already covered in scars when you arrived, but countless others appeared later. A lot of things have changed since you arrived, but there's one thing that hasn't changed to this day, and that's fear."
Scars listened in silence, watching the old man walk up and down the room, clasping his hands together as sweat began to take over his robes, ignoring the putrid smell of the head on his desk.
"It's been a year, and yet most of us are afraid of you. You came out of nowhere, with no name, no past, just broken armor, scars, and a spear split in half. You smelled like blood, just like today. "
The old man stopped in the center of the room and finally looked Scars in the eye.
"Even now you are silent, just watching, you don't even seem to breathe, the villagers believe that you are a creature from the abyss who stole the body of an unfortunate girl and who... and that keeping you here will be worse than when we were surrounded by monsters when you arrived."
Even I don't know what I am anymore.
The village leader breathed one more time. "And because of that, Scars, unfortunately you must leave this village."
Scars stood motionless, his face expressionless, as if he had already waited for the village chief's decision. She always knew that her presence in the village was only temporary, that one day she would have to move to the next village, to the next forest, to continue her solitary existence as a hunter.
But despite this knowledge, Scars couldn't help but feel uncomfortable about having to leave. She had grown fond of the village and its inhabitants, even if they feared and despised her. She watched over them and protected them, but it seemed that it had all been in vain.
Without saying a word, Scars turned and headed toward the door. She didn't look back, didn't recognize the villagers who were watching her with a mixture of fear and relief. She knew she had made an impact on their lives, but she also knew that they would never fully accept her.
As she left the village chief's house, Scars felt a cool breeze on his face. She looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was beginning to set. She realized that she had been in the village longer than she intended and that it was time to move on.
With a heavy heart, Scars headed for the Shadow Forest. As she walked, she felt a twinge of longing for human companionship, for someone who would accept her for who she was. But she knew that this person did not exist in this world and that she would have to continue her journey alone.
Scars entered the woods and disappeared into the shadows. Trees loomed over her, their gnarled branches reaching out like bony fingers. The air was thick with the smell of decay and the sounds of creatures lurking in the darkness.
But Scars wasn't afraid. She had been in this forest many times before, had fought and hunted the monsters that roamed its depths. She knew every inch of the forest, every sound it made, every creature that called her home.
And so, Scars continued on her journey, alone but not lonely, her scars a testament to her strength and her will to survive, even if she had long forgotten that death will never embrace her. She walked toward the horizon, toward the next village, the next battle, the unknown future that awaited her.