Anger is all she feels, the house reminds her of home. Bad living condition but doing their best, and they came to destroy it.
Enju grabs the attention of every single enemy. Along with a man on a horse in fancy clothing, he seems like the commander.
"What's this ruckus?" He gives a peek over with all the guards on alert towards Enju's direction.
"What're you doing!" Enju gives off a fearless cry even though her hands are shaking, I killed. I killed people out of anger for some strangers I don't even know.
"Collecting late taxes." His eyes coldly gazes at her, "what are you doing young lady."
"I-I'll pay for those taxes then." She moves towards the kid slowly. He's barely standing, with marks of red all over his body pointing a knife at the guards.
...
Enju gives off a slow turn towards the tax collector. "You gang up against a kid... and didnt even knock him down..." I don't know how much magic I have left but it's probably better to abuse this body and fight until I feel tired.
Enju kicks a nearby guard and soon the battle starts, she finds people trying to poke at her from all directions sitting behind their shields and stabbing. She's stabbed into the arm and leg but moves them off.
I really thought this body was stronger. She gets high tail out of there flying away with her platform. She's bleeding but nothing too bad although the adrenaline soon dies and she's left with a new feeling. Her wounds starts screaming out a shriek of pain, unheard was this cry however. As she continues running away with the platform.
She lands down exhausted, it's been three whole minutes of high speed flying. She finds the kid already asleep and the mother with her eyes wide.
"You shouldn't have done that. You'll now be labeled a criminal..."
"Ah funny thing, I already am... apparently." The old lady doesn't flinch or look scared rather smiles.
"Well whoever you are th-" she coughs up blood this time. Enju's hand moves on their own and bring out the bottle.
She drinks the entire bottle, taking a second to take in the taste of bitterness. She gets on her knees and to the ground. "Thank you... thank you for what you've done."
With her body barely even awake Enju falls giving off a satisfied smile. She wakes up upon a room, it's a nice decorated room. With a greekish white marbling to the room. Not a place to sleep in but what's interesting is the nine weapons all laid out on the floor in front of Enju. She finds the door opening to reveal a red haired lady with a mask on, Kitsune mask except it's deep purple in color with red lining. She's in a kyudo holding a bow in her hand. Walking and sitting across from Enju she pulls off her mask with two fingers and smiles. Her eyes are red in color along with her lips.
She doesn't utter a word but rather places the bow on the ground in front of Enju. She grabs Enju's staff and wields it, she activates the magic circle and a planetary map of the solar system appears. The red lady starts looking for something, far away from home and eventually comes upon a mass of bleakness. It's black in color and sucking everything in, the red haired lady then spins the staff in a circle around the central crescent moon. And the same black appears although not sucking anything.
She moves the black sphere onto a plant and the plant dies immediately. The red lady's smile is gone instead is met with a straight face. She taps the magic circle on the staff again, making the black disappear. She hits Enju above the head, "Idiot!"
The dream abruptly ends, Enju finds herself on the forest floor with a nice smell smacking her nose. Enju sits up and gives a good old stretch before finding the mother cooking over a campfire. She finds Gly sitting next to enju, "did they not chase us?"
"No I think they thought of us as low value targets. They don't go for criminals but money." The mother looks much younger now and has a soothing voice different to her once raspy voice.
"So they're corrupt?" Only ever heard of corruption in manga but living relatively safe country I didn't expect to see it here. In a country that looks civilized like the US but then again politics isn't my thing.
"Oh we wouldn't be in this situation if the taxes weren't so high when you missed them. Corruption is basically the way of life in this country, if you want to be successful you have to get your hands dirty." Enju walks over to the pan and takes another look inside. Fish.
"Who caught these?" No way that kid was able to get all those fishes in his state. Neither did the woman when she's barely back to healthy, then.
"That little lizard of yours although it's gone to go look for some more but he's awfully nice for handing in all those fish." Thank goodness he's more useful rather than a burden. Would've left if he was useless, but... would I...
Enju sits down getting ready for the meal while thinking about her dream. Bow... she held my staff as if it was hers but still handed it back to me, and that acceleration thing with her staff while using a black hole. What is that... did she create those and if she did why do I have one of them and why did she give me one.
Enju looks up at the mother, she has brown hair. Along with an earring, large ones that hang down.
"Nice earrings they look pretty on you but they also look old."
"Just a gift my late husband gave me... before serving the guard and dying to a rebellion." She has a frown on his face. "When the grandmaster disappeared a rebel force formed. One that wanted to make a better life for non magicians. The guards were tasked with silencing the group and a conflict happened... taking my husband. The same one who agreed with their philosophy but placed his job above his personal opinion."
"I'm sorry for as-"
"No need to take pity, he hated being a guard. They treated him with no respect, the other soldiers. Just because he was a non-magician, I know he wouldn't have minded for the rebellion to win that day if it meant a better life for me and Banny if he's just a sacrifice. So... I tend to not think of his death as a negative thing." She still has eyes of sadness.
That's... such a twisted way of thinking... I-if my pops died then I would blame it all on the murders and not put them in a good light... so why?
"Why are... why do you put them in that light?"
"All the kingdom has brought for non-magicians is suffering and every citizen with magic turns a blind eye. Each day we're suppressed by the kingdom but we still must serve and pay the kingdom." She takes the fish off the pan. "Blue salmon, but I don't have plates."
Enju goes into her pouch again and brings out plates and forks. They all look clean, with a nice shine to them.
"So why not leave this country?" Enju holds out her plate.
"Well that's because none of the neighboring countries would accept humans, all the surrounding countries are controlled by elves who will brutally shoot any humans unless they're under a diplomatic immunity. Next would be the beastman, same story. Last would be demons and well they're a bit friendlier but would still be an issue as they see us as lower creatures." She places the cut piece of salmon on Enju's plate.
"Is there any other human kingdom?" Enju takes a bite of the tuna. Her face melts, everything from the spices to the soft chewy texture of the fish salmon to the unique taste. Bless this mother's soul I wish you could marry my father.
"They're just past the elves territory." The mother takes a bite of the fish along with her. "Oh! Ha I can't believe I could still impress myself with my own cooking..."
Enju finishes eating the fish, "excuse me." She gets up and walks into the forest, sitting down and looking at the ground.
Those guards... if I knew them would have I killed them still? Why did I kill? Just because they burned down the cabin I took two lives...
She balls up, what right do I have to judge others lives. I'm not a god yet I killed, how do I redeem myself... or can I even redeem myself. Papa... please help me I'm scared... I don't want to die and be lost in hell... or in a black void... please I don't know what to do.
Rustling happens behind her and she immediately wipes her face. An emerald colored lizard walks up to Enju.
"Something wrong Gly?" Her voice still sounds a bit off. He's grown about the size of half a tree. Inside his mouth is a live deer, survival of the fittest I presume... but still it's right it's the law of the land... yet-yet it's not right. What's right and what's wrong... pops please...
Gly rubs his head up against her arm. "Dumb human. Life is unequal, survival of the fittest and food chain are such examples of those. The only time we are all equal are in death. Yet there is an exception, people who are alive should live and not get hinged on the ideas of death. Rather they should start fixing themselves and such, don't find excuses for killing others. Accept the truth, you can't bring them back so the best you can do is bring them an honorable death that they deserve as in the end, death will come for us all."
Enju looks at Gly dumbfounded... "then... I killed people... but I must just accept that I did it? That I'm a murderer?"
"Why did you kill?"
"B-because they were hurting others."
"Then you killed them because they were hurting others? I don't think you should be so worried about people who committed evil deeds."
"B-but just like the lady's husband over there, he had a family! He had people waiting for him to come back."
"Listen to me, if the man had a sword up to your neck because of duty then would you care about who's right or wrong? Remember survival of the fittest, survive if it means killing others or your naive thoughts will kill more. A killer who kills on duty will kill because they're ordered to and will continue to do it."
...
Enju looks away... "you're right. But at the same time naivety can save a lost person."
"Correct human."
She goes back to the camp with Gly this time with a built resolve, sometimes taking a life is necessary but other times saving one is better.
When she gets back she finds the mother still cooking while the kid is still asleep. Enju gives off a smile to the mother and in that instance she hears a roar before finding a beam high in the sky, green in color.
Gly is seems running towards it, Enju following behind. They come upon a giant green colored monolith. There are Unknown writing on the monolith carved into it. But it seems Gly is reading it.
"No... no no no no..." his slow steps backing up as he stutters along. Can dragons cry? Well Gly just answers that question with a tear running down his scaly snout. "My people... my family... they're all dead... killed by one lady years ago..."
"The monolith is asking me to be the king... and save my people." His eye closes and he nods. "I will take it..."
She finds four beacons of light fly into the air, staying lit up into the air.
"Dare to help me... human..."
"We still have to sit and eat with each other."
Gly gives off a smile. "Thank you... mom."
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Massacre of 2010- lukcor
Recorded this event was an event prior to a rebellion in 2014 during the same year the grandmaster at the time disappeared roughly two months prior. The massacre was an event that the grandmaster took care of in a flash killing off all protesters in one swoop and leaving. The protesters did not show any aggression, just wanted to have laws protecting non-magicians from magicians who would "cleanse" the population by killing off non-magicians. None of the murderers ever got convicted and public outrage was at a high. This was the last straw and soon the man who goes by La Kori stepped to change the country.
-Ulysses Kori, Observer of history.