Chapter 47 - The Pacesetters

A peaceful breeze wafted playfully on the hilltop. Accompanying it was the sound of rustling leaves and insects shifting between their homes and food sources.
Being here, in this serene atmosphere away from the difficulties of human society, brought one's mind to a state of equilibrium.
All thoughts and feelings at this moment were in their most primitive form of stillness.
"I like this place." Haoyu said, looking ahead as an impish gust of wind sneaked between his clothes.
"It's private, peaceful and showcases a grand view of society at its basic." He stood by the dangerous edge with his eyes trained in the distance.
Haoyu looked at the sophisticated skyscrapers and luxurious houses on one side, and the mundane buildings with brown rooftops on the other.
"From this position, I get a clear picture of the two main groups of people. The fortunate and unfortunate."
Haoyu turned and faced Bawa who was held down by Yaqub.
"The fortunate get rich, marry, form a family and live long healthy lives. They follow the path deemed proper by society, aspiring to become…relevant." He added after a pause while approaching Bawa.
The old man pursed his lips and watched the young man cautiously.
This person possessed an unusual air around him. It was unlike anything he had ever come across.
His aura was strong but flaccid. Turbulent yet gentle. It was chaos but, at the same time, order.
Bawa was unsettled. He had never felt such an incoherent presence, and the most terrifying part was that he couldn't discern his true form.
He was unable to see through his guise. It was like there was a veil of mystery obscuring his identity.
Much like the case with the other four men, Bawa failed at uncovering their identities.
However, he could tell that they were intentionally masking their forms.
Well, except for that black-clad fellow. His aura was just as formidable.
With this person however…
Bawa gulped inaudibly as his thoughts arrived at this point.
This person wasn't putting any effort into his concealment.
It was more like Bawa was at a far inferior level when compared to Haoyu. The gap between them was so wide that the old man couldn't hope to reach a tenth of his strength in this lifetime.
In other words…
'I am far too weak to escape.' Bawa concluded internally. He looked up at Haoyu who stopped just inches from his position.
Those dark eyes observed him like an overlord looking down at an ant. His piercing stare alarmed him and caused him to buckle under their suppression.
Were it not for the mammoth of a man holding him in place, Bawa was certain that he would have collapsed in fright.
Yes.
An overwhelming fear towards Haoyu had taken root in his heart.
But being who he was - the great priest of the Popobawa, Bawa Elimu refused to crumble in the face of adversity.
Haoyu had been watching the old man for several minutes and didn't fail to capture the multiple emotions that crossed his face.
His lips hooked into a discreet smile and shifted his gaze towards a falling leaf.
Catching the leaf between his fingers, Haoyu opened his lips to speak.
"In a world burdened by overpopulation, more than ninety per cent of people fall in the ranks of unfortunate.
These people suffer, fall sick, and are subjected to poverty and hunger.
They are destroyed by wars and victimized by their fellow humans.
They are hit by the worst life has to offer and treated as the scum of society…" His words trailed while he twirled the leaf by its petiole. His unfocused gaze gradually regained clarity as his eyes narrowed on the thin veins.
"However, a third classification exists. No, they're more like a subclass of the unfortunate.
Pathetic, right?" Haoyu chuckled and looked back at Bawa.
"I like to call them the Pacesetters." At the end of this sentence, Haoyu's eyes glistened with a strange light that made Bawa's hairs stand on edge.
"The pacesetters. People born into gloom and doom. Forced to battle with the nastiest aspects of life without hope for better days.
As their pain and suffering persist, a portion of their being breaks with each setback.
Piece by piece, they lose their humanity until all that remains is a hollow shell of their former self.
In place of their heart is a deep, endless darkness that thirsts for the agony of others. But mind you, darkness in itself is not evil because without it, how would there be light and vice versa?
Heh…
The pacesetters however choose to become the embodiment of evil. In doing so, they take up two vital roles.
One is to torment the unfortunate, while the other is to become stepping stones for the fortunate.
A vicious circle to maintain the decrepit mask of balance that governs our world. But what can you do? That's just life." Haoyu ended in a dull voice.
He let the leaf fall from his hand in the now silent atmosphere.
The tiny curved veins were sliced medially. And as if losing its support, the leaf twisted awkwardly as it fell to the ground.
Not long after, it landed just mere inches from Bawa's feet.
He looked at the disfigured leaf on the ground before raising his head towards Haoyu. The two men watched each other in the heavy silence before Haoyu spoke again. This time his voice sounded a little darker.
"The pacesetters have no scruples. They will do anything to achieve their goals. In a way, this makes them admirable.
Alas, their methods are often perceived as callous by the public. For example, …"
"Arghh! You brat!" Bawa screamed in pain, caught off guard by Haoyu's sudden attack as his head twisted sharply to the side.
On the left side of his face were four deep gashes from where blood flowed non-stop.
Bawa held his face in discomfort— temporarily unaware that Yaqub had left his side, and looked back at Haoyu.
The first thing he noticed were the long, blackish-green claws still dripping with blood.
Haoyu shook his hand to remove the blood in disgust, while Bawa's eyes widened in astonishment.
His surprise didn't last long though, because he discovered that the wound on his face wasn't healing.
Even worse, the pain seemed to be…intensifying?
As seconds passed, Bawa began to feel as though he were trapped with an undying body within a vat of corrosive acid.
"Shocked?" Haoyu asked flatly after examining the old man's expression.
"Right now, you're perplexed and trying to make sense of the situation. You're wondering why you've stopped healing, yes?" Haoyu asked in a tone which didn't match his words. His innocent expression was a sharp contrast to the grim gleam within his gaze.
Bawa was frightened. He hadn't even realized when he backed away from his opponent.
Haoyu noticed his silence but continued speaking regardless.
"Since you're so curious, I'll just tell you. See, my claws are…pretty unique." He said, turning his hands as if to show off his favourite toy.
"They inflict continuous pain and irreversible harm after an attack. The receiver will continue to bleed as the wound proceeds to fester and rot. The decay will eventually spread from their point of injury to the rest of their body. However, they won't die." Haoyu's dark eyes turned to watch Bawa closely.
"Only when your skin falls off, your muscles liquefy, and you remain only a pile of bones will the process cease and allow you to regenerate. And once you're fully healed… hm." Haoyu couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips as he watched the horrified man writhe with his trembling hands clutching his face.
"You guessed right. The whole excruciating journey will begin anew, and there is no cure."
The weight of Haoyu's words pressed heavily on Bawa's mind and heart.
Feeling like he was thrown into an ice cellar, he lost his footing and fell to his knees.
His body shuddered uncontrollably while the pain continued to torment him.
The area had descended into silence, with only Bawa's heavy breathing and agonized grunts being discernable.
Salvador, Jung-hee, Nicklas and Yaqub stood not far off, watching the scene. Except for Nicklas, who had his face obscured, the other three had varying expressions of vigilance.
They seemed neither unnerved by Bawa's plight nor by Haoyu's ruthlessness.
Instead, they appeared to be looking out for a particular event.
"Unless of course, I give you the antidote." After what felt like aeons, Haoyu spoke again.
In response, Bawa who was trying to resist the effects of whatever Haoyu did to him raised his head sharply.
His irises were now a deep scarlet, with the whites of his eyes showing bulging vessels of the same hue.
"Give it to me!! Quickly you brat!!!" The image Haoyu painted chilled Bawa to his very core and stripped him of whatever civility he had left.
Never in his life had he felt so terrified. He could feel the pain spreading from his wound to the rest of his face.
Now all he wanted was for the pain to end.
He wanted relief!
Bawa hurriedly stretched a hand towards Haoyu, but froze after seeing the piece of flesh attached to his palm.
"How vile." Jung-hee found the scene revolting and looked away. His action, however, earned him a "chicken" from Salvador, who received a glare in return.
"Give me the antidote now!!" In his desperation, Bawa had forgotten his earlier caution and rushed towards Haoyu.
Alas, Yaqub was on standby and quelled his deranged actions before the old man could make any progress.
"Stay put." Yaqub ordered with a frown, exerting force on Bawa's thin shoulder. Yet, in his current state, Bawa was akin to a rabid animal.
His contorted expression and wild grunts were eerily inhuman.
"Now now. We have to understand our guest's plight. Still, if you want something, you'd best be polite."
Haoyu said, extending a finger towards Bawa. He exhaled lightly and spoke as if coaxing a child;
"I'll give you the antidote under one condition. That is you have to answer my questions obediently and truthfully. No lies, hmm?"
Haoyu's dark eyes curved slightly as he waited for the oldsters' response.