He didn't want to return because he knew everyone despised him.
He was a disgrace to his family. He was called "The cursed one" since everyone near him died.
The rumors resulted in making him lonely.
"Should I just die?" he pondered as he examined the dagger beneath his belt.
"Yeah!", "Everyone will be relieved to know that I died," he murmured, tears streaming down his cheeks as he tried to convince himself.
He inhaled deeply, mustered his bravery, and unsheathed his dagger.
His memories started appearing before his eyes; it was as if he was watching his whole life in a movie.
He was about to commit suicide with his dagger across his throat when he saw himself appearing in a courtroom. He saw Lord Yama sitting on his throne, looking at him.
He then realized he was standing before the crowd as if he was about to be judged. He saw that many people were behind him, directly facing Lord Yama.
The left side of the courtroom was filled with many standing people.
They all were wearing black colored clothes and looked at Rishi full of hatred, They all looked like they were punished daily and had a negative aura surrounding them.
He turned his head to the right side and saw some people sitting on the right side of the court; compared to the left side, people looked significantly less, but they all looked happy.
He saw that all the people he cared for wore white clothes and were giving a positive aura which repelled all the negative aura approaching them.
He saw his mother looking at him with a smiling face; beside her was his father.
Then he saw his grandfather and all his guards. He wanted to meet them when Lord Yama stopped him and said, "Child on one side are the people who hate you, who always despised you. On the other side are the ones who love and always believe you."
"It is up to you to decide who is right about you and who is wrong" Just as Lord Yama finished his sentence, Rishi opened his eyes.
He then again remembered the captain's last words.
"Live a happy life, young master."
"This is as far as I can be with you."
"Be a good person, like your parents."
The scene flashed before his eyes as he punched the ground in rage.
"This is pathetic. How can I even think about ending my life, which so many have protected at the expense of their own lives?"
"I will prove all those who despised me wrong and make all people who always believed in me feel proud."
"Focus, Rishi, focus," he whispered, clearing his mind of distracting thoughts. It is not the time to dwell on unimportant matters.
He then looked at the sky, joined his hand, and said, "Thanks, Lord Yama, for showing me the way."
He then stood up, analyzed his situation, and began planning his next steps.
"First and foremost, I need to survive in this jungle," he said.
"I only have a dagger while I have learned to use a sword in the clan. It will be hard to defend myself with a dagger," when he was interrupted by a howl.
"Aoooooo"
When he looked around, he spotted a brown wolf rushing toward him.
The wolf's unexpected approach took Rishi off guard, but he instantly ducked to avoid the wolf's strike.
"Ahh," he cried as the wolf's claw ripped his shirt apart and scratched his back.
From the back, his white shirt began to become red.
Rishi yelled as he tightened his grasp on his dagger.
"How come I'm so unlucky?"
He would have raced away to save his sorry ass if he could, but he wasn't an idiot to think he could escape a wolf with an injured leg.
He also knew that turning his back on the wolf was similar to giving up.
He gazed at the wolf, who was surprised because he did not anticipate his prey to avoid his attack.
After recovering from his initial shock, the wolf attacked him again, this time showing his teeth to intimidate his target.
This time, Rishi was prepared; he dodged to his right, but his movement was too slow compared to the wolf due to his injured leg. The wolf's claw made contact with Rishi's left arm, causing him to scream again.
Rishi was enraged that a level 1 beast was playing with him. He was feeling pain from the wounds caused due to wolf's attack.
The adrenaline rushed through his body as he yelled, "Die Beast!" and rushed at the wolf with his dagger, but suddenly he returned to his senses and focused on the wolf. This effect occurred due to his passive skill, 'Enhanced Focus.'
Rishi wasn't an expert with daggers, but he knew the fundamentals. He charged at the wolf from the front with a clear mind. The wolf was also growing agitated, so he also charged toward Rishi to end it all in one blow.
They both attacked each other. The wolf's claw landed on Rishi's chest, causing the wolf to crash on him.
The wolf was in control of the fight as he was on top of Rishi and was about to finish the fight when Rishi thrust his dagger full force into the animal's head.
The wolf was taken off guard and couldn't avoid the attack from such a close range.
'Stab!'
Rishi's face was covered in scarlet blood after he took out his dagger from the wolf's head.
He threw the wolf's body to his side and stood up; this was not the time to rest, he thought in his head as he looked at the wolf's corpse.
"Shit, I have to leave."
"Wolves never move alone," he said in a tense tone.
In haste, Rishi chopped the wolf's front two legs and fled. He was so scared that he didn't even look back.
While walking back towards the cave where he was sleeping, he also picked up some dried grass and wood in his path.