"Touch it" he said.
"...I…I don't understand, what do you mean by game?." I said this to him while I was looking over the rock with nervous look on my face.
"To accomplish the very prospects of this challenge and to attain its skill, one must meet its conditions." said the meerkat with such a playful tone.
"So your saying that I can't pass through this challenge without playing your game?"
"Exactly." affirmed the meerkat
"But Gord never mentioned anything about me playing a game."
"Hmm, are you sure about that? I mean this whole time on your journey, you've done nothing but participate in his challenge. If you ask me, you were already playing his game." the meerkat tried to express his understanding towards my actions.
"I...I see. In that case if I touch this rock, I can finally be done with this whole challenge?"
"Yes."
Hearing him say yes brought me hope. Seeing as how I will finally be done with this challenge. But looking at the game itself, I needed to face the sins and my sufferings to complete the game.
"Can I ask you something before I get through with this game of yours?"
"Sure."
"Who are you?"
"I am Dubbfrey. A subject to my king, Gordeseus."
"So you're the third and final Subject?"
"Hmm, I assure you that I am the second subject you have met so far. After all, there are only three subjects that offer themselves unto the king; Me, Semon and Gerda."
"How did you know that you were the second subject? I was sure I meet the second one when I was climbing my way up this mountain. I think it was an armadillo."
"You are wrong on that assumption. That "armadillo" was nothing more than the average guardsman of this mountain. The Final subject to the king is a beast that collects herself underground. She herself controls an army that helps maintain the very land that my king has created." said the meerkat as he explained to me who the third subject was.
"...an army." I mumbled.
"Semon said that you guys were after this rock, why aren't you taking this way from me now?" I ask him since I was reminded of that fact that this rock had the ability to attract the servants, since it contained some sort of power.
"What Semon said was correct. This rock does have a certain appeal to it that makes me want to take it away from you but I myself can control my urge to do something so primitive like greed. What I only ever want is the ability to serve my king and nothing more. If you want to worry about someone, it should be the third Subject, Gerda. She hoards things that she likes more than anyone of us could." explained the
"Okay…." I said
"Your lucky that she's quite slow when it comes to traveling up the mountains…if she was twice as fast, she might already be making her way here. But lucky for you, she isn't." said the meerkat.
"I see…" as I sat in wonder over looking at the rock, I was at the process of strengthening my mentality over the upcoming "game".
The meerkat proceeds to push the rock all up to my feet, telling me that I should play the game now.
"Remember, this is the representation of your sins and your suffering…surpass it and you can finally wake up back to you world." he told me this, reminding me of what I could receive if I did go through with it.
As I slowly reached out my hand to touch it, the rock itself felt like it was responding to my call…
*Tap*
As I tapped the rock, I could not see any difference or change happening my way. Then all of a sudden, a snap of a finger was heard and my mind went blank.
***
It was a dark room. In that room, a little boy was found sitting in the corner with care so little that even in that humid room, he was found sleeping away like a cornered rat.
With not much to go around, all you can see in the room was a bland sight of a white bed, a gray wall and a single lamp that was broken from a recent tantrum.
While the room the stayed as bland as ever, it couldn't be said the same with the boy. Although he was wearing a pair of gray pajamas, behind that emotionless clothing showed a beaten body. From injuries like slashes to the flesh, whip marks that comes from a flimsy whip-like weapon and the undernourishment that was shown by his skinny body.
It wouldn't be surprising to see the boy as a crying mess. Even now, the little boy was shown to have tears in his eyes while he was in that very cold corner.
Moments later, the sun was now seen to be rising and its light entered the very room he was staying at.
"..hnn" But even though he notices this, he couldn't give an ounce of his strength to stand from that corner.
As the sun slowly shoved light into his room, it was clear to see that at his feet, injuries were found. Injuries that he was not to proud to show to people.
It explained why he couldn't stand up even though it was already morning. The pain was too much for him to do anything.
Suddenly a man enters the room with a crop on his hands. A sort of whip used on horseback.
"...wake up, number 15." called out the man as he approached the boy.
As he came near, he pulled out the crop and whipped the floor.
*Whack!*
"!.." the boy reacted to the sound and soon he raised his face to meet the man in charge.
As the stick whips the floor the second time, hearing those whipping noises made the boy squirm in fear. He could not offend the man so instead he endured the pain and stood from the corner.
His legs were shaking but he still walked and followed the man out of that room.
As he slowly walked out, the moment he opened the room for that door, he was meet with a few other kids the same age as him. All of which were pretty healthy and fit. As if they themselves weren't injured from the waist down.
The moment he walked out of that room, the kids immediately looked to his way and turned back to face what was in front of them.
15 children were present in that hall including him. All with the same age but with different genders and different body figures. Some were tall, some were well built, some were arrogant and some were cold.
"Attention!"
As the man called out, the kids immediately stood firm and straight. They acted like they were just like polished army men who were in the perfect condition.
All of them followed well with the practice except the boy who was struggling to stand up because of his injuries.
"Today's Objective, We will only proceed with normal activities for the day. Starting with the 10km run."
As he said that, he blows his whistle and the kids immediately followed suit with their practice.
One by one, they marched out of the room and unto the outside of the building where they were meet with a large field. A field fit for heavy training.
The kids immediately made their way to the running field and started their march around the field barefooted as they were instructed. They were easily making strides without hardly being tired, only after 3km of running did they start sweating.
While they continued on their exercise, one particular kid was left behind with a limping foot.
They trained the whole day like they usually would, except one kid who was struggling to get by. A kid who was 3 km behind the group.
As the group of kids passed the boy, they could only show a cold gaze on their face as they saw the boy struggle to march along with them.
Minutes passed and the 10km was finally over, except for the boy who had to continue on his run while the other kids made their way to the next step of their training schedule.
Although the other kids were easily passing through each and every training regiment, the last boy was very tired all to the point that he nearly fell on his knees while he was only halfway through the schedule.
He was very weak to a point that the coach had to walk up to him and advise him to either pick two options yet again like the last time.
"Either you Finish the training in an hour or you will receive punishment yet again…just like yesterday."
"...N-no, I'll finish it." said the boy as his knees were shaking on his march.
As the training finished early for the other kids, each one of them were rewarded a meal…
They enjoyed it very much and almost each kid had their fill.
Until finally the last boy came walking into the canteen all sweaty and tired…
As he walked in, the kids immediately took notice of his presence and some started to whisper with one another, as if they were talking badly to the boy behind his back. Bad-mouthing him as he was.
As he grabbed his lunch set, he walked to one of the empty tables and began eating his lunch all alone.
As he did so, he looked down on his feet and saw his bare feet bloated and red like a tomato.
"..." he remembered back when he came to get this injury.
When yesterday, as they were proceeding with the exercise as natural as they could. A form of test was proceeding. A test to see if all the candidates were ready to take the next level of their training.
On that test, a reward and punishment basis was held as a form of discipline. With the winner being given a simple pill to increase their strength and for the failure to only receive some heavy punishment.
It was somewhat clear to him that he was going to fail in some way because of how weak his body was. He questioned himself why he was so weak, even though he trained as much as the other kids, he could attain a form of improvement. His body could never adapt.
At the end of that test, it was inevitable that he would lose.
As he turned back to face his lunch, a certain adult suddenly walks up to the boy and handed him a sort of invitation letter.
"...The Elders have called for you." said the tone of a woman.
Seeing the letter, the boy suddenly looks to it with a smile on his face. He then turns to the lady with hopeful eyes and asked her
"...Are my Parents finally getting me out?"
"..." the lady could look to him with her cold gaze and patted him in the head.
"...we'll see." said the lady.
As soon as the lady said those words, the boy immediately finished his lunch set and readied himself to meet these "Elders".
As he made his way to his room, he dressed himself with his proper uniform and grabbed a piece of handkerchief from his drawers. He looked to this handkerchief with such care and soft emotion that he could remember the memory of when he got this from his parents.
A memory of when his parents look to him with such a happy smile as they gave him this handkerchief. And with it, they gave it a certain blessing of luck from their words.
"This is something your mother made just for you…it is a piece of her that will give you luck. It is a piece of me that will give you strength…"
"...so you when are having a hard time, wipe your sweat with this, wipe your tears with it and look ahead with a smile on your face."
As his parents told him this, he could only ever hug them in return…right before they went to someplace far away.
"..." as he remembered those words, he looked to this handkerchief and placed it in his pockets as a good-luck charm.
He made his way out of the building and was soon meet with the lady that waited for him to get dress.
"lets go." said the lady.
As they made their way to meet the elders, the boy wanted to ask the lady something as they walked.
"...Say aunty, do you think the elders will finally allow us to leave this place?"
"...I hope so." said the lady with a rather soft tone.
"Do you think mom and dad will notice how tall I've gotten?"
"...I…I'm sure they will." for some reason the lady's tone suddenly croaked when he asked her that question.
"I wonder if they got me something on one of their adventures?"
"...I'm not sure." said the lady.
"I can't wait to meet them again."
"..." the lady was quiet.
Not before long, the boy and lady finally arrived at the entrance to where the elders were waiting at.
As the boy handed the invitation to the guards as a form of confirmation, the guards then proceeded to the open the gate and the two walked in.
They were meet with a very traditional house that somewhat resembled that of a Japanese style aesthetic. Beyond that, four old men were found sitting in patio, sipping tea on their cups.
As the lady and the boy approached them, they proceeded to bow in respect to the elders.
"It seems you finally came, boy." said one of the elders.
"Y-yes, here I am." the boy was nervous when replying to the elders.
"Hmm, good. We've called you here because of a certain promise…a certain deal…"
"Does that mean…" the boy looks to the elders with hope in his eyes, assuming that he could finally be granted his wish.
"...yes, we have come to the decision that you will finally be set free from this household."
"Really!" the boy was excited.
"Yes. You will live out your life without the burden of worry from our expectations, from our blood, and from ancestors."
"Be glad boy, your parents made it possible that you could finally be set free." said one of the ancestors.
"Wait, what about-" as the boy wanted to ask something, the elders suddenly cuts him off from his sentence and added a detail to this event.
"For five years, you could set your life the way you want it to be."
"Wait, five years?" the boy was saddened to hear this sort of time limit.
"Only five years…" said the elders.
"Why!?" the boy got angry and wanted answers.
"You can never be able to fully leave the family behind…it is by our blood that this clan remains united and never separated…it is our blood…it is our code to remain strong even to this day…to remain."
"The Crow clan does not wallow in the idea of full freedom. If any man intends to leave, then it can only be permitted by the exchange of their life."
"!?' the boy was shock to hear this from the elders. His hopes of fully leaving this hellhole was crushed by tradition…suddenly he was reminded of his parents. The thought of his parents brought him a slight of hope to maybe try something…to maybe be strong about this situation.
"W-what about my parents?"
"Your parents…have passed."
"What?"
"During a mission inside an S-rank gate, a certain incident happened that caused your parents to fail in that mission. The gate crumbled and closed and your parents didn't escape the gate in time…so we presumed they were dead.
"Since the gate is an S-rank, two A rank members don't have the capability to survive in such a harsh world."
"Wha…"
Before the boy could fully speak, tears began to fall from his cheeks and his hope was nowhere to be found…His strength was loss and was replaced by the heavy need to cry.
The lady beside him could only look to the ground with a cold and sullen expression.
Before long, they both left the entrance.
The 12 year old boy was continuously crying while the lady could only hug him in comfort of losing his parents…
Even when the lady wiped the tears off the kid, she could help him gain his strength back…even with the help of his handkerchief.
***
5 Years passed and the boy has done nothing with his freedom...he was still sad by the lost of his parents.
But with those years, he came to a thought of hope once again…the hope to find his Parents.
"it's all their fault…it's their fault my parents are gone…the Crow Talon is at fault"
"...they didn't find my parents even up to this day… So I can't rely on them even If I tried…I have to find them on my own."
"I need to be strong…strong enough to go into an S-rank gate and I need to escape the clan. To do that, the only place that could give me any sort of protection and chance is the academy…the academy is my only hope left…If not…I might as well kill myself so that I could finally be free…"
He said this to himself while he was looking down at the barrel of a gun on his desk. As he did, a letter drops down from his door and he came to pick it up.
"Hmm...It's from Aunt Mary…it's the same letter as always…"
The same letter that was asking him if he was doing okay in his life.
Meanwhile, a certain presence was watching by the background.
{It Finally made sense now…the reason why he has gun on his desk. That must mean that Hamil belongs to the Crow Talon Clan and that Mary Clinton is his family member…his aunt.}
{...its sad that he only gets five years of freedom from the clan. Five years has already passed so that means that he's going to the clan…Which means I'm going back to the clan.}