Aram Swager's name echoed through the village, creating an eerie silence that contrasted sharply with the laughter and revelry that had filled the air just moments before. The villagers exchanged worried glances, their hushed voices carrying a mixture of fear and disbelief.
Viktor, the mad leader, stood frozen for a moment, his laughter replaced by a growing sense of unease. The mere mention of Aram Swager's name cast a pall over the gathering. He had known Aram, a man with unmatched abilities who had been a close confidant. His sudden, inexplicable death sent shivers down Viktor's spine.
A thief, still panting from his hurried arrival, approached Viktor with desperation in his eyes. "Boss, I saw it with my own eyes when I was guarding his hall. Aram Swager was standing in the office talking with three men, laughing, and then... Someone said something, and then he paused with a scared face and then fell. There was no blood, no weapons, nothing! It's like he just stopped living."Viktor's face contorted in a mixture of anger and fear. He couldn't accept that someone as powerful as Aram Swager could meet such a bizarre end. It defied all logic and all reason, and it struck at the very heart of his control over the village.
Viktor slumped into his ornate chair, bewildered by the sudden turn of events. He muttered to himself, "How is this possible?" The gangster members shared their confusion, glancing at one another. Among them, a newly recruited gangster found the courage to speak, "Who is this, Aram Swager?"
Viktor took a deep breath, leaning back in his ornate chair, and began to recount the legendary story of Aram Swager, the village's main general and the commander in chief of every aspect of daily life. He explained how Aram Swager's authority extended from food distribution to water management and how every task and event required his approval. The gangsters were under his control; who to kill and who not to kill was in his hands. The gangsters listened intently, absorbing every detail about the enigmatic figure they had never heard of before.
Meanwhile, the thief who had brought the startling news urged Viktor, saying, "Boss, I think we should go and see what's happening."
Overwhelmed by anger, Viktor stood up abruptly, his chair scraping loudly against the floor as he grabbed his gun and pushed the thief aside.The heavy wooden door creaked open as Viktor stepped outside, a chilling gust of wind sweeping through the dimly lit corridor. He pushed his way through the disarray of gang members, making his way towards the centre of the village.
The sight that met him was one of chaos and disbelief. Villagers were streaming towards the main office entrance, a sea of determined faces with hope gleaming in their eyes. Viktor couldn't fathom their sudden resolve and shouted at them in frustration, "What do you think you're doing? Where are you going? What can you possibly achieve?"His words were met with silence, and then a resolute villager spoke up: "We are reclaiming our freedom, Viktor. We've had enough of your tyranny." The crowd seemed undeterred by Viktor's threats
Amid the crowd, an old man with a long, flowing white beard, a staff in hand, and dressed in ancient, worn-out garments with a black turban caught Viktor's attention. He was flanked by two others, younger but equally determined. The elderly man's eyes held the wisdom of a lifetime as he calmly approached Viktor.
The old man spoke in a hushed tone, revealing that an astrologer from the village had foretold these events. According to the astrologer's prediction, a dark force would rise, challenging Viktor's rule and ultimately leading to the downfall of the oppressors.
Viktor's anger surged as he tried to strike the old man, but one of the younger companions stepped in, holding the old man back. The thief who had accompanied Viktor implored him to listen, but Viktor was blinded by rage.
"Your prophecies mean nothing to me!" he bellowed. "I've already killed him years ago! Do you people ever work, or do you just speak of doom? Your continued defiance will cost you dearly. Do you understand?"The old men remained silent, their faces etched with concern and sorrow. Viktor, overcome with a sense of impending doom, knelt on the ground, his once-mighty demeanour now shattered.
After a moment of introspection, he decided to head to Aram Swager's office, desperate for answers. The office was not excessively large, but it wasn't small either. As Viktor and the villagers reached the entrance, he went inside, and then at the fourth room, where the main office was, the automatic office gate swung open, revealing a scene of chaos within.Shards of broken glass covered the floor, casting eerie reflections of the flickering candlelight. An ornate chair lay overturned next to a massive mahogany desk. Papers were scattered haphazardly, their contents indecipherable.
Viktor noticed that there were two more lifeless bodies in the room, positioned like Aram Swager, with open eyes and expressions of sadness, but nothing in their hands. The strange tableau left him both confused and horrified.His breath grew heavy, and his face contorted in fear as he saw the bathroom door open. From the shadows, a figure emerged, dressed in light attire with a concealed face. Viktor, trembling, raised his gun and demanded, "Who are you? How did you kill the general? What happened to the guards?"The figure stepped into the light, revealing his face, which bore the scars of suffering and a determination that unnerved Viktor. He spoke calmly, "Your memory seems to have failed you, Viktor. Do you remember the Nakamura family, who relocated from Japan to this city? You ruthlessly killed them."Viktor stood in stunned silence as the figure identified himself as Kenji Nakamura, a man he believed he had eradicated long ago.
Kenji's smile disappeared, replaced by a stern and unforgiving expression."Why did you murder the villagers and spare only a few?" Kenji's voice was like a blade, cutting through Viktor's defenses. "What led you to commit such atrocities? My father defied you, and in retaliation, you raided our house and killed my parents."Viktor's voice quivered as he faced Kenji, the man he believed he had killed years ago. "Kenji, how is this possible? I saw you die! I watched your life slip away."Kenji's gaze bore into Viktor's soul, his eyes like steel. "Illusions, Viktor. You know they can be powerful. But I'm not here to discuss the past; I'm here to end your reign of terror."Viktor clenched his fists, anger surging through him. "My reign? I brought order to this chaos. I gave these people structure and purpose. You have no right to interfere."Kenji's expression remained stoic. "Order built on oppression is no order at all, Viktor. You've taken everything from these people—their freedom, their loved ones, their hope. It ends here."Viktor's voice dripped with sarcasm. "And what makes you think you can stop me, Kenji? You're just one man."Kenji's lips curled into a sinister smile. "One man with a score to settle. You killed my family, Viktor. I watched them die, just as you did. I like my family. I played and grew up with my own loved family, my dad and my mom. But you showed no mercy; you killed him in front of me. But unlike you, I survived."
Viktor's arrogance wavered, replaced by uncertainty. "How did you survive? How did you escape my grasp?"Kenji's voice held an eerie calmness. "I had help—allies who believed in a better future. They nursed me back to health and trained me; they took proper care of me and stayed with me till I fully recovered. I'm not the man you remember."Viktor raised his gun once more, his hand trembling. "It doesn't matter who you've become. I'll kill you right here, just as I did before."As Kenji moved towards the door, he stated, "I believe this marks the end of your reign, Viktor."Viktor angrily raised his gun and warned, "Where are you going? Raise your hands, or I'll shoot and kill you right here." The air in the room grew thick with tension as Kenji calmly approached the door, which swung open with an eerie creak.In the same position, he moved only his head back and said, "Have you ever killed someone who never truly existed?" He walked out, leaving Viktor in a state of utter bewilderment. He once again turned to Viktor and proclaimed, "Illusions are the mirrors to our deepest fears, and I am the grand illusionist."Before the door closed, with a devilish smile and red eyes, Kenji said, "Farewall, Viktor." As soon as he said this, the door was sealed shut, leaving Viktor alone in the disordered office.Kenji continued his walk, exuding a sense of pride as he left the office behind. In the transparent glass of the door, Viktor, with a scared face, stood still and then fell to the ground. He was killed the same way as Aram Swager. He has seen an illusion by Kenji.
{Illusion Power: Kenji got this power from Kage in which he creates illusions in which the victim sees his loved one and then hugs him, and then that same person who he/she was hugging kills the victim with a gun or knife, dagging him over his stomach, and then the person dies instantly with a scare face, and his soul is absorbed by Kenji.}
As he reached the villagers, he announced, "From this day forward, you are free!" With a sweeping gesture, he offered a bundle of cash, symbolising their newfound liberation. He tossed a key into the crowd and declared, "This key unlocks his lockup. Reclaim your money and possessions."
With a sinister smile, Kenji disappeared into the horizon, leaving Viktor's reign of terror in ruins and the villagers free to rebuild their lives. The villagers, once oppressed and living in fear, now celebrated their newfound freedom with jubilation and tears of joy.
As they collected the money and possessions from Viktor's hidden stash, the realisation that their lives were forever changed began to sink in. The sun began to set, casting a golden hue over the village, and for the first time in a long while, the people felt hope and the promise of a brighter future. In the days that will follow, the villagers will work together to restore their beloved village. They will hold meetings to form a council, led by those who once lived in fear but have now become symbols of courage and resilience.
With Kenji's guidance, the village began to flourish. He shared his knowledge, honed from years of hardship and survival, and the village prospered. People from all walks of life came together to rebuild what had been destroyed, and the legacy of the deaths of the devil and the monsters of the village, Aram Swager and Viktor, was killed.
Kenji left the village with a full attitude. A devilish red smile and a black aura emerged from his body. His mission was complete: to take his old revenge.