We are all victims of how much it hurts when love is gone.
Eternity is not for everyone.
We cannot undo what has been said and done. Ursine Vulpine & Annaca
--
POV Kévin
The middle school years ended as they had begun, resulting in many disappointments. Another emotional wound quickly added itself to the rest. My mother and father's divorce, who finally separated after nearly 15 years of marriage. It was a difficult event to endure, seeing my parents argue constantly before making the ultimate decision.
We love our parents so much when we are young that we tend to idealize them, and when the fall comes, the pain is sharp and persistent. To see two people who once loved each other so much gradually drift apart in pain and anger. Even though my father was very seldom present, he is still my father, and I still had some good, albeit rare, moments with him. As a child, I could see with my own eyes the love he had for my mother.
"I have seen what love looks like, I have seen its beauty when it is alive, I walked in its paradise, it is gold, it is blue, it is in the skies. But I have witnessed the death of love, there is no blood, there is no body, nothing remains. This is how it goes when two people decide that love is dead." (Kévin)
This had a significant impact on my psyche and on the rest of my family, just as it did for my sister and brother. It was difficult and cruel, there were no other words, and this accumulation caused many tears to be shed. So, instead of crying from the very beginning of my life, as when I was in that hospital bed, I chose to smile.
---
Sometimes all we can do is smile, move on to the next day, hold back the tears, and pretend that everything is fine.
---
My father left and my mother naturally inherited our custody. I was angry with both of them, but especially with my father for letting such an exceptional woman go. Fool, I wanted to shout at him, you let the sun that illuminated the garden slip away.
My mother, Karla, possessed many qualities: hardworking, kind, courageous, loving, and unmatched beauty at 40, with beautiful caramel skin, short black hair, and magnificent brown eyes.
However, what could I do but endure and move forward as best I could? My brother and sister also grew up with me, and their presence was a real comfort: squabbles, fights, but also lots of love.
Middle school was also the time when I started the CIMC classes: Introduction to the Hunter Profession classes.
These were taught by specially certified teachers, who taught combat techniques, powers, or self-defense, because most people awakened at a very young age. Therefore, training them was important in various areas: reacting in case of danger if a dungeon broke and eventually being able to defend themselves, engaging young people, and identifying the most promising ones for the hunter profession.
Many professions emerged, such as police specialized in hunter-related crimes, because many people abused their powers in the early years and a safeguard had to be created. Different professions evolved to face this new era.
It quickly became clear that I was mediocre, with the worst rank that had ever existed. I did exceed the limits of a normal man, but it was ridiculously minimal. This earned me more mockery from my classmates, however, Arthur was always there to support me in any situation.
Compared to me, he had a better rank, he was even the best in the class, but he was never arrogant or had any degrading behavior. On the contrary, he was my partner in every class and gave me advice after advice. I doubted him at first, but he proved his trustworthiness. I had found what is called a true friend, the kind of person you can count on the fingers of one hand at the end of a lifetime.
Time moved on until our entry into high school. I never had as much fun with Arthur despite the many troubles. Our friendship kept growing stronger over time, which finally brought us to our senior year.
Life, which had never disappointed me as a cruel trial, was going to test me again as if I hadn't had enough. It was on a Monday morning that I learned the terrible news. I was in class when my phone started vibrating in my pocket. I quickly answered it as I left the class because it was my mother. I answered as I hurried out of the class.
The teacher called my name repeatedly, but nothing mattered except my mother. Moreover, it was the first time she called me during class.
"Mom!" (Kevin)
"Darling..." she said, her voice trembling.
I could feel through it that something was wrong.
"Mom, explain to me calmly what's happening!" (Kevin)
"It's... It's your father!" (Mom)
"Dad!" (Kevin)
"My angel, a blue rift appeared at your father's workplace. He... He couldn't escape..." she sobbed.
My body suddenly lost all its strength. I collapsed to the ground, my legs no longer supporting my weight. Life had knocked me down again, taking away a loved one for the first time in my life. My father was dead!
"No, it's a dream and I'm going to wake up, right? Mom, it's a joke, right? Isn't it?" I asked, unable to believe it.
"Kevin, I'm sorry..." (Mom)
My phone crashed against the wall before my mother finished her sentence.
Sadness gradually turned into rage, a rage that waged war against the grief within me for as long as possible. I cried, I cursed, all while refusing to believe it was real. The man who gave me life was gone without me being able to say a single goodbye.
POV: Kevin's Mother
I saw my son come home, and when I met his gaze, his eyes were begging me to be wrong. Yet such was the sad reality as I held him in my arms to comfort him. No man or child should feel this, but life was like that. My guts tightened seeing his expression, my tears threatening to take over, and his brother and sister were also in shock.
The man I loved, with whom I shared 15 years of my life and the father of my children, was dead. He was one of the few awakened ones with enough strength at the site. He had sacrificed himself to allow others to escape, to then call a guild to close the rift. "Your father was a hero," is what I wanted to tell them, but eventually, I reconsidered. A hero, but what's the use of a dead hero? A father who would no longer be there for his children.
"Christian, the only hero you should have been was for your children."
POV: Kevin
An entire week passed, seven extremely sad and gloomy days. Arthur stayed with me, my sister Marie, and my younger brother Yan for several days. His presence, calmness, humor, and humanity were enough to lift our spirits.
My father was laid to rest in a beautiful and theatrical ceremony, with one beautiful song after another. I suppose I also had the right to such a ceremony. Crying, I threw a flower into the grave where the coffin lay before saying my final words: "Goodbye, Dad."
My father used to say that the dead become more and more present as life goes on, like longing, like sadness; you never really recover from the death of your loved ones; life is also made up of the absent who burn in our hearts. (My Bad Thoughts - 2005) by Nina Bouraoui.
My father's name, the man who sacrificed himself to save people, appeared in the newspaper. In the thin category of miscellaneous news. Just one day after the funeral, two men came to visit us. They were named Richard Neville and Moretti. Moretti was dressed elegantly in a suit, while the other wore an equally elegant but much more subdued outfit.
Both came from a large French guild called the Royal Eagles, with a golden eagle as their emblem. That day, only my mother and I were home, and we thought they had come to apologize or offer their condolences because the area where the incident occurred was one of their warehouses under their jurisdiction. However, the reason for their visit was entirely different.
They sat down at a table where my mother kindly offered them tea.
"Don't bother, we are not here for a courtesy visit." Moretti interrupted.
"Why are you here then?" my mother asked.
"Well, your ex-husband during his fight destroyed many goods belonging to our guild. The losses amount to millions. That's why we are here to ask you to repay." said Moretti.
There was a heavy silence; this request was not only senseless but also extremely sadistic. I couldn't hold back because by this action, they were also insulting my father's memory.
"Are you kidding us? My father saved lives. And you dare to come here and ask us to repay your stupid merchandise!" (Kevin)
"If your father hadn't played the pseudo-hero, professionals could have avoided the damage." Moretti declared coldly.
"Repeat what you just said!" (Kevin)
Without thinking, I threw myself at the agent, unable to contain my anger. Before I could touch him, I felt a massive force grab me. I was slammed violently onto the table, which then collapsed.
My body was numb and aching, my mind drifting. I felt a liquid running down my forehead, it was blood that then flowed into my eyes. I was pinned to the ground by this powerful hand, unable to move.
"You're not even awakened, kid, stay in your place." (Richard)
"Son of a bitch!" (Kevin)
I tried to gather any strength left in my body, and the man tightened his grip on my head.
"Please let go of my son, Mr. Richard!"
My gaze turned to my mother; she, who was so strong, now had a resigned look.
"Mom, no! Don't do this...." (Kevin)
"Kevin, be quiet." (Mom)
She turned to the two men.
"If I refuse, will you sue us or take our house and belongings? All this as damages?" (Mom)
"You guessed right, and I doubt you have the means for a trial. I also doubt you want to lose your house. All for the good of your family, of course." (Moretti)
"Very well, I will sign the debt acknowledgment contract." (Mom)
I watched my mother, whom I had always admired, give in to this terrible and odious blackmail. He handed her a paper, which she signed with a trembling hand.
"Oh, and I expect you to keep this a secret. We wouldn't want any bad publicity." (Moretti)
They stood up to leave, and Moretti turned to me while I was still bleeding, the blood flowing into my eyes.
"You can glare at me all you want, kid, but there's nothing you can do about it, and your father was nothing but a zero." (Moretti)
"I'm going to..." (Kevin)
"That's enough, please leave!" my mother shouted.
They finally left, but he had said something true. I am weak, no, I am powerless. I am so insignificant that he didn't realize I was awakened.
Furthermore, we now have an unearned astronomical debt. What can we do now? Opposing a guild as strong as a governmental body was suicide. I was cursed, and my family was suffering too. I couldn't hold back my tears, which ran down my cheeks, mingling with my blood. My mother held me in her arms, but nothing could take away this bitter taste in my mouth.
"Why am I so weak?" (Kevin)
***
Two more weeks passed, life almost resuming its course, returning to the usual routine. However, the feeling of helplessness never left me. Sitting in my chair, following this boring and gloomy math class. During training, I couldn't practice with the others for fear of getting hurt.
The only thing I could learn was martial arts and swordsmanship. So that's almost all I did; I had become a real pro over the years. Unfortunately, against an awakened one, it was useless since I was devoid of power.
Arthur, however, always reserved 30 minutes for me to spar with him. Of course, he held back, limiting his abilities so I could face him somewhat equally.
"You know, if you had a higher rank, you would be really strong, a monster, I would say." (Arthur)
"You said it yourself, if I had a higher rank, but I'm so weak that moving up in rank is nearly impossible." (Kevin)
Fragments of memories came back to me, that day when I was powerless. A guild sending awakened ones to intimidate a poor little family. A sudden hatred suddenly rose within me.
"Arthur, fight me seriously!" (Kevin)
"Are you sure?" (Arthur)
"Yes!" (Kevin)
He released his energy, and my legs started to shake like a leaf in the wind. Despite everything, I got into a fighting stance, sharpening my senses to their maximum.
Arthur disappeared from my view, but time seemed to slow down despite my trembling legs. Every part of my body was alert.
Then I saw him, a brief glint, and I parried a blow. My body was sent flying through the air before I crashed to the ground.
"Ah, I really don't stand a chance." I said, getting up, my body numb and covered in scratches.
"What are you talking about? You stopped one of my blows! You..." He said, running towards me.
"Gather around!" Professor Henry called out.
"As you know, in two days, it's the monthly raid, so get ready and see you tomorrow." (Henry)
In truth, I had never participated in a single raid in a rift with the school. They had always dissuaded me from doing so because of my weak abilities. However, frustration and rage took over me. I wanted to move forward and become strong, and for that, I had to fight.
This time, I begged the professor to let me participate. Even though I was weak, I was still an awakened one, and it was my right. Despite the strong opposition from my mother and some teachers, in the end, they finally gave in to my request.
The big day finally arrived quickly, and I was now carrying heavy protections to make up for my weakness. It was one of the conditions imposed on me. Arthur was waiting for me with a smile:
"So?"
"I'm nervous."
"Don't stress, it will be fine."
With us, there were 3 professional awakened ones who supervised us, along with Professor Henry.
"Okay, we will stay together, and as usual, we will be accompanied by Gaby, Yac, and Charles." (Professor Henry)
Level 10 dungeons contained monsters that even a normal human could kill, though it could be complicated. So, supervised by 3 professional awakened ones of rank 8, there had never been any problems here or elsewhere. Especially since most of the students in the class were rank 9, except Arthur, who was close to rank 8.
We all entered, the sensation of crossing was very real. It was like passing through a thin film of water. Once everyone had entered, a scream echoed. A scream of horror came from the professor, who was the last to cross.
"Damn, a gray portal!" (Professional Awakened Ones)
The portal, which had been ruby red a moment ago, suddenly turned light gray. Something that had a one-in-a-billion chance of happening had just occurred. We were now in a rank 6 or 7 rift.
Everyone was petrified, except for the professor and the professional awakened ones, who remained calm.
"Alright, we are in a gray rift, we will not be able to provide adequate protection. Stay together and remember your training! Those capable of long-range attacks and healing stay in the back! Fighters and tanks up front, we will move forward in a triangle formation!" Gaby declared with force but calm.
My legs were trembling; the chances of me dying were now almost inevitable. However, Arthur placed his hand on me with a serious look.
"Don't worry, I'll stay close to you!" (Arthur)
"Thanks, buddy." (Kevin)
"I'll assign Charles to Kevin, who will need more protection than the others." Professor Henry declared.
All eyes turned to me, filled with contempt. Protecting someone who couldn't fight at the expense of their own safety. In other words, I was a burden that could drag them down.
Those looks were cut short when horrible screams echoed, sending shivers down everyone's spines. A horde of black wolf-like monsters with deformed and horrific shapes appeared.
"Prepare for combat!" Henry shouted, taking a defensive stance.
My heart wanted to leap out of my chest as everyone prepared for the worst.
---
Do not pray for an easy life.
Draw your strength from adversity and the sufferings of life, for strength does not come from the absence of difficulties but rather from our ability to face and transcend them.