Ken rose his hand, aiming for the skies.
Not even flinching, at the nearing threat.
Barbatos could only, in relief, sigh.
"Finally, the hero had lost his mind."
The worms continued to try and kill him,
As he could only jump here and there, arms still high up.
He, not once had attacked.
Only focusing on the skies above.
"Are you that moronic?"
Barbatos asked, quite intrigued.
"At least defend yourself a bit,"
But Ken had not changed at all.
Higher and higher, he walked on the giant worm's head,
Trying to escape the other hungry beasts as well.
He looked up, hoping that heaven would cry.
"Bless me with rain, and my enemies would die!"
With the force of his blast becoming stronger than it was,
The clouds finally gave up.
Soon, droplets of water fell on Ken's face,
And soon, his enemies started to rattle and sway.
They shrieked in the outmost pain,
Too distracted in agony, to even bite their prey.
Ken teleported on the ground,
Proudly watching, the enemies shout.
Barbatos could only shiver.
Ken had defeated his most precious soldier.
He knelt to the ground, almost depressed,
He's slowly losing ideas,
What could have been next?
Even his papers were no longer of use,
His strength and motivation, almost fading away.
Could it be, that his predictions were all false?
And this man before him, is truly of God's?
Ken showed no hint of sway,
No hint of fear.
Not a glisten of uncertainty in his face.
He knew that he'll win no matter what,
And no amount of poison or arrows,
could dare make him stop.
Barbatos stood, then backs away,
His mourning face turning to anger in second's pace.
He shook his head slowly, as he watches Ken approach.
The rain kept pouring, but his tears were also shown.
"This is so unfair.
You barely worked yourself off,
You barely suffered enough.
You barely had the experience to do that.
You barely...you don't...you don't deserve to win.
Your bloodline...is of cheaters.
You took one of the only things I was proud of.
And it's hurt more, knowing we're of the same blood.
Why would one prosper, while the other shunned?"
Ken's mask started to fall from his hands,
Revealing that he had in fact, widened his eyes.
He did not dare make himself another one that time,
Only moving forward, willing to hear what Barbatos meant by that.
Barbatos tried to attack Ken yet again,
Desperate like a child, he ran, as he yell.
Ken quickly dodged his sloppy move,
But did not kill him, as he recognized his wounds.
"Are you a victim too?"
Barbatos pushed Ken away.
"I don't need your pity.
No one ever did that.
Why try to pretend you care?
You haven't given one all your life.
You never helped anyone back then.
Back when the monsters don't eat human flesh.
You saw people commit wrong,
But you've only shut your tongue,
As those same creatures go on.
They're monsters too you know?
But like God, you don't care too much.
You have this human-bias or whatever,
Just because they look harmless,
means they're no capable monsters.
They, all of them, deserve all the pain in the world.
They have always been the ones, making it unfair for everyone else.
No one truly cares about the other.
Not before, and not after.
So don't pretend like you pity me.
Or you pity anyone, at least.
Your true color, your past,
You're not as amazing as one think you are.
You only fought when you were told.
But if no one did, would you risk yourself?
You only fought because you gained powers,
But if you don't, you'll shiver as well.
You are still a coward in my eyes.
You only acted, because the angels told you so.
But you'd never risk your life before,
You just did so now because many eyes are peering unto you.
Two-faced brat. What happened to the five steps you were talking about back then?
'If you want to live, think of yourself?'
Hah, none of those steps mattered now, huh?
Suddenly, this man who wanted nothing but survive,
Ended up being on the frontlines.
I pity you.
I pity your delusions.
You won't be loved even after giving your life,
You will be forgotten, the moment you turn to ash."
"Enough! What debt have my bloodline have to you?
Is it just my eye? Is it all the human lives are to you?
Is it the sole reason you killed billions years ago?
If so, then it's safe to say you're a fool!
Why do you have to put the blame on everybody?
There are plenty of humans who don't even know you exist.
Living their lives, doing none wrong,
Wanting nothing but peace and to live long."
Barbatos looked at him,
Almost at the brink of insanity,
Ken couldn't tell if he would laugh or cry,
But he did none of it, he only smiled.
"You don't understand.
Very few humans have been truly kind.
Soon, even without my other eye, I can tell.
With how human nature is, they'll all rot in hell.
None of them deserves good.
None of them, deserves even half of it."
Barbatos relieved his memories of the past.
He hated it, very very much.
The past had always been his least favorite,
Recalling his long years of neglect and pain.
He crumpled his fists, hoping that he could peer unto the future,
For him, it was his most remarkable power.
He knows if his arrows would miss, what he should do,
He knows if he'll end up defeated, or end up victorious.
But ever since it was stolen,
He've always felt awful.
A lingering unsatisfaction on the corner of his heart,
A fear that would never leave no matter what.
"Among all my eyes, why is it the one taken away?"
He looked at the ground,
Shard of memories coming back,
As Ken contemplates on what to do with him,
Should he attack? Or try to understand?
.
.
.
Barbatos had never felt this low before.
Just as when he thought he could finally regain his lost power.
It felt rare to see his eyes appear after all,
But now, he was left speechless by this little boy.
Life had always felt unfair to him.
Giving him gifts, but a curse along it.
He could remember how much they were treated differently,
He was the least favorite twin.
Even as nobles, he was not favored so much,
Having what they thought was a defect,
for in his forehead lies another eye.
It felt stupid even for him,
That both of them had gifts,
But only one brings joy to the King.
He was forced to hide his existence from the world,
Saying if they saw him, he'll be ridiculed to no end.
He was a disgrace, a bad omen, the king said.
And no gift or talent would make him look blessed.
Barbara, his older sister, could see the unseen.
She was friends with angels, that tells her of wisdom that must be passed to the King.
Barbatos warns the King first at times, of what would happen to war,
But because he only tells of bad events, thought he was associated with devils somewhat.
Deeply hurt, he could remember locking himself in his room,
Refusing to come out, even to eat food.
His beloved sister, would always come and check him up,
But no amout of consoling, could patch up his heart.
He left the palace after he saw a dreadening future.
He did not tell anyone, not a single soul.
And it felt so satisfying when he heard about the news,
His father and mother, had died on it too.
He tried to look unto the future,
To see where his sister had gone,
But for some reason,
He could see none.
Still, he felt weird for not feeling remorse,
Ironically though, it didn't make him nervous.
He felt the weight on his chest disappear,
The death of his cruel parents made him pleased.
Soon, the young Barbatos wandered,
No one knowing who he was.
No one dared try to help an unusual-looking child,
Thus, he believed, most humans truly are unkind.
He could see that some had hid behind their masks,
Looking at him kindly, but planning to sell him for a lowly prize.
It felt scary to him, to think if he couldn't see the future,
He would have well by then, had been done for.
On a rainy day, he took shelter on a hollow tree.
It's hole smells of birds, but he couldn't afford to be choosy.
It felt torture seeing every animal's future death.
It was all so close, most caused by men.
Suddenly, he noticed a worm crawling near his foot.
It was slimy, with a hammer-shaped head.
Barbatos was relieved to see the animal,
Even with his future peering eyes, it seemed immortal.
The little creature was his only company that night,
And for once, he could confidently curse his lands.
He wished to make them all suffer one day,
And then appeared The Devil(Satan), on his front the time he wake.
The demon seemed to have heard his prayer,
His body was bloodied, and his eyes the color of crimson.
Barbatos looked around, and saw Satan was holding a dead dove,
"Don't side with feeble creatures, and come side with us."
And Barbatos did.
But he did not expect,
That because of his agreement, his sister was yet again blessed.
She soon married, and had another set of gifts.
Her descendants was blessed to see the past.
She begged the angel not to pass her seer-like eyes,
As it had caused her fear at times.
The kindly angel agreed and gave them the said gift,
Saying that the past would help them know of a person's spirit.
And thus, what funny fate.
Her greedy descendants seemed to want more.
One of them decided to live in the woods,
Break traditions, and search for the future too.
One heard of the tale of Barbatos,
And called to him, begging with her might.
Barbatos soon felt intrigued,
As like his sister, her future cannot be read.
She begged to borrow his eye,
To save herself, from her father's wrath.
For if she had not made money, covering her father's lies,
She would lose, both her eyes.
It was clear now that her father was pretending to be a future-seeing seer.
And feeling empathy for the first time in a while, he then agreed.
He figured that perhaps his family had changed,
But he was ended up being tricked,
Since the woman had not returned it.
The woman had used the eye for money,
But it was to do denying that she did felt guilty.
The night she wanted to give it back,
She felt a bad feeling about her lovely child.
She peered unto the future and saw she died,
And thus, changed it to save her life.
A reaper then felt angry since she changed what must be,
Saying that the future of her child, was not meant to changed.
Learning she had stolen the eye as well,
He had cursed her family, every five generations.
A child from one of her family would always see the unseen,
And their fates, are always to be sealed.
Barbatos, after hearing of the curse,
Decided to add to the chaos.
He bestowed upon them that every holder would die young,
And that every time they use the ability, they'll age as twice.
But since the angels heard the mother's cries,
They decided to protect them, so long as they can.
But good didn't always win,
And Barbatos was successful, claiming lives.
Still, he wasn't able to get close to the holders,
Fearing of the angels, always near the corner.
It felr unfair to him, since he was clearly cheated,
And yet, the thieve's family was the one protected.
It felt infuriating,
Ken was still, firmly standing.
It's even more annoying that he doesn't have a clue,
How much the eye meant to him,
How much he'd kill the world.
...
Ken tried to walk closer,
As Barbatos from the rain, shivers.
He cut his long hair, to make a huge metal arrow,
Hoping to finish what he deems, an unlikely hero.
"Everything is unfair.
I've waited too long for this moment.
If I don't retrive my eye now,
When else would I get the chance to get as close to this?"
"Why punish everyone when only one sinned?
Why put a curse on someone who never did wrong?"
Ken's question suddenly made Barbatos skeptical.
Remembering his own questions when he was young.
He never did wrong and yet he was punished.
Had he become like the King?
He looked at Ken, fingers shaking.
But he had waited too long for this.
"I don't know what happened to you before,
But if you don't want to die, better surrender.
Don't stab the eggs of the snake that bit you,
They know nothing of what the past was.
Don't rob them of their future.
Barbatos, I'm trying to understand,
Since like you said, we're related by blood.
Whatever that happened before,
Does not define your future.
They did you wrong, then you become the bad guy?
You just proved everyone that you're weaker than a fly.
Don't let hardships change your morals,
Even if you were treated without kindness,
Don't become those you hate.
Barbatos, aren't you tired?
You've given so much, and in the end, you lost.
Can't you consider changing? And let go?
Wouldn't that be better?"
"It's easy for you to say,
Because you haven't walked in my shoes.
How can someone be kind when I know them inside out.
Their dirty thoughts, their gimmicks, their victims.
People only do what it takes to save their skin."
"Right, the victims. The victims.
And here you are now, being the same thing.
You are the kind of person you now dislike,
The kind of person you wanted out of your life.
You seemed to be two-faced too, Barbatos.
It seemed like we're really, alike."
Ken mocked the demon,
Since he too, was losing patience getting him on his side.
Barbatos felt shocked of Ken's response,
And hesitated of how he'd act.
Knowing one answer,
Could strip him of his life.
He looked at Ken, wondering what the hero was thinking.
After all,
Would he really be forgiven?
He laughed, he could be tricking him.
After all, he had always been.