This continued until nightfall. As he had anticipated, amidst the chaos, he managed to steal food not only for himself but also to bring some back to the shelter. He even managed to pilfer a few apples, which he intended to share with his brothers and sisters.
On this evening, the moon was exceptionally beautiful. In such moments, Kai couldn't quell his curiosity and yearning for freedom. He loved to wander around the outskirts of the village during such times. Lost in his thoughts, he meandered towards the river. As he gazed at the water, he began to reflect aloud:
"I wonder why my parents abandoned me. Although, why am I surprised in our world? Melancholically chuckled Kai.
"Perhaps my parents simply didn't have enough food, and feeding another little person would have been problematic... Or maybe they fell into trouble? Damn, perhaps I'm the offspring of a noble family that their enemies destroyed, just like in those epic bedtime tales? Hahaha, well, to hell with it... I'm already lucky just to be alive. Luck is practically my second name! He-he". Kai laughed.
"Yeah, I need to grow up a bit first and try my luck in the outside world... The world must be huge. Decided, when I grow up, I'll roam the world, earn money, support the shelter... Quite a merry plan." Kai chuckled.
Kai was always drawn to strength. With his insightful mind, he had long noticed the patterns of this world. Therefore, he wasn't concerned about injuries from theft or potential death. He had seen plenty of that around him...
Although he was only seven years old, his mental resilience was astonishing. Since childhood, he had been running around and training his body, albeit not fully consciously or systematically. He did it in a way he thought was right. The systematic thieving and skirmishes had developed his reflexes and endurance. Pain threshold? Pff, physical pain didn't frighten him at all.
The evening continued languorously, but suddenly, Kai heard distant shouts and saw lights illuminating the night sky. He swiftly stood up and ran towards the shelter; his innate instincts alerted him to danger. For about a quarter of an hour, Kai sprinted until the shelter began to appear through the trees. And there he stood frozen in place... The shelter was ablaze!
"Oh no! I need to call for help quickly!" Just as Kai was about to rush towards the city, he witnessed a large man and several others in black armor throe Abbess Frida out of the shelter.
"Ugh! There are no beautiful women, no alcohol, not even decent food in this backwater! Damn it, where are your supplies?" The man barked.
"But, Sir, we're just a rural shelter, we don't have enough food for proper sustenance. For the past two days, we ourselves have barely eaten, we have nothing!" Frida pleaded.
"Hmm, fine, damn it..." Scratching his head, the man pulled an halberd from his shoulders and calmly drove its blade into Frida's throat.
From the woods, Kai could only watch as the halberd's tip slowly emerged from the back of Frida's head. He was so shocked, he couldn't even cry.
"Alright, go and kill the little rats, and let's keep moving. The commander said not to linger." Saying this, he turned around and began walking towards the city. His three lackeys started entering the shelter.
When Kai heard what the man said, he grabbed a sharp rock near his feet and sprinted towards the shelter. At that moment, there was nothing in his mind but the word KILL!
As he ran, he muttered to himself:
"KILL! KILL! KILL! I must kill these scum!"
As he burst through the doors of the shelter, he saw nothing but a bloody massacre and the scattered bodies of his friends. His brothers and sisters! And the laughing warriors.
At that moment, he leaped and tried to drive the rock into the neck of a man standing nearby. Due to the element of surprise, they didn't notice him, and he grazed the man's neck with the rock. Unfortunately, all he managed to do was lodge the stone slightly under the man's skin.
For a warrior, such wounds were like minor scratches from shaving...
Kai only saw something sharply slash across his chest and throw him to the side. All the food he had gathered in the city spilled onto the ground. All he saw was a lot of blood, the bodies of his friends, and apples lying in crimson fluid and mud. He only thought about how damn unfair it was... He wanted to kill, but he couldn't... Furthermore, he wanted to save, but he couldn't... In the end, he couldn't even feed his siblings...
"Hahaha, the spry kid even scratched you a bit. The guys in camp will die of laughter when they hear about this." The monster who had cut Kai's chest laughed loudly.
"Alright, let's go. This trash is already dead; we need to hurry to the commander, or they'll skin us alive." Saying this, they started leaving.
The man Kai had scratched considered finishing him off, but then he just clicked his tongue and left with the others.
Lying on the ground, Kai felt nothing but overwhelming pain, both physical and emotional.
"Unfair!" He wanted to cry, but he couldn't!
"Does strength really decide so much? They're just monsters who decided to crush ants. For fun... They knew damn well there was nothing to take from the shelter... Why?" Lying on the ground, Kai thought.
Presently, Kai resolved that he didn't want to die; he wanted to live, to find strength, to seek vengeance – he wanted to kill those scoundrels. He decided to calm himself. His tears and regrets wouldn't help him now. This was a cruel world, and he had always known it, though he tried not to acknowledge it. After all, the dead couldn't be brought back. All he could do now was try to survive. And perhaps, someday, he would be able to kill all those who had destroyed his settlement.
Something clicked in his mind, and he quickly composed himself. He began to think about where he could escape to.
"Right, to the river!" Kai exclaimed silently in his mind.
There was no one there. The river had saved his life once before; if he leaped into its waters, luck might smile upon him again. The currents could carry him away from the enemy forces.
"But first, I need to bandage my wound… I'm starting to hallucinate from blood loss". Gathering his determination, he removed his jacket from one of the corpses.
"Forgive me, it's no longer of use to you". The boy said with sadness.
After bandaging himself, he looked at his brothers one last time, tears rolling down his face. Turning away, he wiped his face and decided that this was the last time he would cry. If you sense injustice, if you feel resentment, if you feel pain, you simply need the strength to confront their source. The strong dictate the law, the weak are merely stepping stones on the path of the strong.
"Death is the eternal companion of all living things in this world". Kai thought to himself. Stumbling, he walked toward the river.
Whether from his body's resilience or from his familiarity with enduring injuries from his thieving days in the city, he managed to stay conscious and not lose heart despite his wounds.
"I didn't go through all that in my short life for nothing. It toughened my body". Kai laughed ironically, dragging himself toward the river.
When he reached the spot where just an hour ago he had dreamed of a larger world and the prosperity of his brothers and sisters… Amidst distant horrifying cries, he approached a cliff.
He pondered:
"I'll end my story in this refuge, where it began… Fate plays wicked tricks. Nevertheless, if the universe allows it, I will live, and then I'll consider everything else. Currently, I'm exhausted and…" Before he could finish his thoughts, losing consciousness, Kai fell into the river.