"If when he's growing up, I teach him to be an animal and never talk to him or let him have other experiences, he'll be an animal, even though he has the most evolved mind we know, isn't it ironic?", the guide he laughed like a little maniac.
"But thank God I'm not heartless, right, Kayden?", the man asked the boy lightly.
"Really," Kayden swallowed the answer he wanted to give deep in his stomach.
"Well, your mission is very simple," the man put the baby in the bed and walked away. "Kill him, and we're done here. If you refuse, I'll kill you here."
Silence.
Kayden's mind went blank for a few seconds. Then he exploded into thoughts. Should he kill the baby?
Could you escape from the man? No, that was utterly impossible. Fight him? Even fewer chances.
What to do? What paths were there? Anything...
Kayden was powerless to do anything.
He didn't have the strength to fight the guide.
The seconds began to pass slowly. The boy had to make a choice.
Once again he was placed in a situation where he could not decide his actions, again a slave to fate. Hatred, anger, and every possible emotion started running through his head.
"Have you decided, Kayden?", the guide hurried the boy's choice. Kayden hadn't thought of anything yet.
All plans boiled down to dying or killing the baby. Every plan to escape or fight the guide would result in Kayden simply being crushed. The guide wouldn't even need to move, he just needed to impose his mana against Kayden and the boy would feel as if the world was pressing him to the ground.
He took the katana out of its sheath.
His eyes went to the edge of the blade. Was he ready to take that step? His eyes strayed to the baby. It was a simple and quick step, it wouldn't take half a second. But it would also be a step that would change his entire life.
This decision would cause Kayden to abandon his last remnants of humanity, his principles would cease to exist. It would be an event that would separate his life into before and after.
Kayden raised the blade above his head. A few minutes had already passed.
He had already given up on escaping, his only options were to kill or be killed. His mind began to weigh the pros and cons.
Was it a bluff?
No. Kayden often came close to dying in his fights and the guide didn't lift a finger to help him. Against a beast tamer, the boy had his arm ripped from his body and even so the guide had no reaction.
Why did he accept this shit? If he had refused this additional test, everything would have been fine.
His mind went silent. All feelings and emotions were left aside. Your decision has been made. Little by little, his sword rose above his head. This, without a doubt, was the most difficult decision he had ever made in his two lives.
When his katana was at its highest point, it began to descend little by little. Seconds passed in this movement, they seemed like milliseconds to the boy. He took a long breath.
The boy savored the air that entered his lungs, an action so simple that he had never appreciated it.
His katana descended and with a clang of metal...
Fell to the floor.
Kayden decided to stay true to his principles. He took time to make this decision, but he was at peace with himself.
"Are you sure about this action, Kayden?" the guide said in his ethereal voice.
"Yes, I thank you for your teachings," Kayden bowed to the man with no resentment. He knew that, in the end, the man was just following the training schedule.
"Very well, goodbye, Kayden," the man took off his mask. Kayden saw an old man with a white beard. But that wasn't the most impressive thing. His eyes were black with several purple dots circling them.
Kayden couldn't stop looking. It seemed like he represented the pinnacle of knowledge. His eyes symbolized a universe of knowledge. The boy didn't know where these emotions came from, but they represented his sensation.
One of the strangest things Kayden has ever experienced in his life started in front of him, similar to those movies where there was teleportation. The boy felt everything start to stretch.
He knew this was the end. What was?
It didn't matter, his death would come anyway.
His two lives began to cross his mind. The moments vegetating in bed, the days, months, and years of loneliness. Just him and his mind. There was nothing to do. His only entertainment was listening to novels through artificial intelligence.
His only friend was Nicolas. It seemed like so long ago, but Kayden knew it was his first true friendship. In the end, everything ended the way this one would end, because he was weak.
Ah, destiny, the unpredictable destiny, the one that already has everything ready and planned. Ridiculous.
Killed by his uncle for what? Anything. Just hate a mediocre man. He did not gain power. Didn't make any money. It was just to satisfy his desires. A slave. Slave to your desires.
His second life finally gave the boy some freedom. Even old families would not be able to monopolize power. This time, he had a chance to get where he wanted.
And again, what happened? His body was level 1 trash. But even so, he didn't lose heart. He discovered how to get around this problem and found his second true friend. David.
He almost died to get the mana heart. But he was successful. He learned to use lightning. He became an excellent fighter for his age. He spent every second of his life chasing power.
Why? Because it made him feel alive. Improving, even if it was 1%, was rewarding. Seeing his technique go up and up was addictive. Learn about different subjects. Eat delicious foods. Experience new sensations. Everything had been wonderful. Every second of his second life was enjoyed. He didn't regret it. Did he die? Yes, but it was something he couldn't avoid.
The path to the top did not accept people without principles. See that principles do not refer to human morals or ethics. They refer to their principles. Kayden fought so hard against fate and would do the same with a baby.
He knew that if he made this decision now, he would never be able to find his way in the future and, consequently, he would end up wasting his life. Why wouldn't he find his way? Because it would be going against everything he lived.
After replaying every second of his two lives, Kayden's mind relaxed. No more thoughts. Anything. He closed his eyes and waited. This whole replay of your life didn't take 2 seconds.
Peace. Kayden was sure he wouldn't have a third life. At least not one with the same memories. Ah, anyway, Kayden had no regrets. He just tuned out everything. Nothing else mattered.
How ironic. The moment in which he felt most free was the one that would end everything. Kayden did what he could one last time. He breathed and felt the air around him. Even circulating mana through his body he began.
He had no sense of time. Nothing else existed besides him and his mana. Never before has your circulation flowed so well and so freely. There was no stress. If a circle was made poorly, just make another one.
He lost himself in this sensation. 1 circle, 2 circulations, 5 circulations, 20 circulations, 100 circulations. He had never gone past that in just one sequence. But it continued anyway.
200 circulations.
His tiredness didn't come. His mind remained crystal clear. His focus was absolute. Kayden didn't even remember his name. Nothing else mattered. What was it like to be alive? Did that exist? Death?
It didn't matter.
300 circulations.
Each circulation made his body feel close to moving forward, but for what? He did not know. Not even his thoughts existed. They were just sensations. Similar to when we review a memory.
There are no thoughts or words in our head. He's just there.