[scene : Mark entering the house at night, visibly exhausted, he collapses on the first chair he can reach]
This wasn't his "I'm home" routine before.. and it's become frequent.
Where have I seen this before?
[Quick flash back to earth life, his father, face blurred, enters the hose and collapses the same way]
*On the next day*
[scene : Colt exiting his room to find Mark at the door]
Mark : "I'm off to work."
*Leaves, door closes.*
Colt [without much emotion] : "Again ??"
Clarissa [kneeling down, giving him a hug] : "Sorry dear *puts her hand on his head* I know you wanted to learn magic but your dad has to go."
Mark can't really teach me anything anymore.. so I'm glad he can't..
But, going to work on his day off… how many times does this one make?
Also, for some reason, my dear mother Clarissa stopped making clothes.
I sense a gigantic red flag here… but this time, I'll do something about it.
Colt [with a tired voice] : "Mom, I'm tired, I'm going to bed"
Clarissa [worried ] : "Oh , are you okay sweetie?"
*Colt starts heading to his room.*
Colt [yawning] : "Yeah, I'm fine ,just sleepy"
*Enters his room and closes the door*
Now then ,"invisibility"
*The window opens then closes*
If this was an apartment building I would've been screwed, especially with this body.
Luckily, they don't know what those are.
*Follows behind his father*
[scene : Colt is looking at his father standing at the gate. From the gaps in the gate bars appears a straight path to the mansion door made of white beautiful tiles, no gaps in between, on the sides there were a few patches of grass, well taken care of and at the edge of the field of vision, some white and violet flowers]
Here we are at the domain lord's mansion.
Now we wait and see..
[A slow obese guy, brown hair, pencil moustache, dark eyes, comes towards the gate]
Who the heck is this guy ?
I'm getting some serious jackass vibes from him.
[Mark takes a knee while lowering his head and awaits his arrival ]
What the? The heck are you doing Mark?
Mark [with a meek and submissive tone] : "Good morning , my lord."
The man [with arrogance and vanity] : "That's right, know your place commoner…Tell me, who do you owe your existence to?"
Mark :"To you ,my lord."
the Man [with the same vanity and arrogance while toying with his moustache] "That's right… and who exempt you from taxes?"
Mark :"You , my lord."
The Man :"That's right, you'd better be grateful."
*The man steps on Mark's hand.*
*Mark's face wrinkles with pain.*
The man :"Keep up the good work."
*Leaves*
[Colt, pissed as hell ]
What. The. Hell. Did I just witness?.. even in this world
[The red flame burns ever so brightly in the void, its size increases dramatically]
Unacceptable .Unfathomable
[Back to Colt]
He's dead , he's dead , I'll kill him ,kill him ,kill ,kill
*Starts walking away, still maintaining the invisibility spell*
Never since I came here have I felt such rage.
Even if I didn't feel a thing towards Mark.
I can't stand watching this.
*Breathes heavily and fast.*
Calm down , calm down , contain your rage
You used to do it before, do it again.
You're not helpless anymore.
[Back to the void, the red flame slowly decreases in size yet its glow is as strong as ever]
You had it way worse back then.
[Flash back to earth life]
[scene: The man standing in front of two grave stones in the rain, dark atmosphere]
I'm all alone now. At only 23. I feel so empty, I can't even mourn.
They overworked themselves to death.. or rather, this corrupt system did.
*Turns around, starts to walk away*
We've got work tomorrow.
[Back to Colt gripping his chest, trying to control his breathing]
DAMN IT !! DAMN IT!! AGAIN? AGAIN?!!!
This won't go like last time but..
Even if I tear his head off his shoulders it'll only invite trouble.
Best to calm down and think about it.
For now let's follow that bastard.
*Follows behind the man.*
*They reach a market and kids are playing.*
*A kid bumps into the man.*
The man :"What do you think you're doing peasant ?"
*Kicks him.*
*Kid's father rushes towards them and bows on the ground.*
The father : "Please forgive my son , my lord, he doesn't know any better."
The man [stepping on the father's head] : "Well , that's your fault …make sure to teach him his place and learn yours."
The man : "But since I am so benevolent I'll let this slide ,this time".
*Lifts his foot, walks away.*
[Colt with his blood boiling ]
BENEVOLENT ?? BENEVOLENT !! This trash
No way this poor kid will be normal.
Witnessing his father being humiliated in public.
HE DID IT IN FRONT OF THE KID !!
That settles it… that waste of space does not deserve to live… he'll only bring more misery
He must be eliminated.
I am not helpless… I am not weak… not anymore … as far as I know I am the strongest.
But that means nothing.
I'm not strong enough to take on an army… and even if I was, killing him openly is a bad idea.
Better think carefully.
*Takes a deep breath, turns around*
Let's head home.
[scene : Back at Colt's room ]
*Window opens, invisible Colt climbs inside*
"invisibility" off
*Colt reappears*
Now I know what's up with Mark.
But what about Clarissa?
Let's take the direct approach; I'm not in the mood for games.
*Exits his room*
Clarissa [with a smile] : "Hey sweetie, did you sleep well?"
Colt [barely managing to fake a smile] : "Yes, mom, thank you."
Colt :"Mom, can I ask you something?"
Clarissa :"Yes, anything."
Time to hit hard.
Colt [ innocently] "Why did you stop making clothes?"
Clarissa [flustered] : "Well, nobody wants new clothes that's all."
Yeah right ,fine, don't tell me … I have already sown the seeds .
Colt :"Oh, okay."
[scene : It's night. Colt's bedroom door is ajar. Subtle wind currents carry the words into Colt's "sleeping" ears]
Clarissa: "Colt asked me why I stopped making clothes."
Mark : "What did you tell him?"
Clarissa: "That nobody wanted clothes."
Mark : "Did he believe you?"
Clarissa: "Don't know for sure but he didn't ask again."
Mark : "He has always been considerate… he must've known you didn't want to talk about it."
No, I just don't bother…
Clarissa: "We can't exactly tell him it's because of the new domain lord."
Mark : "Yeah, ever since he came things have been going from bad to worse … . first , he raises the taxes tenfold … .and to make it worse, treats everyone like slaves."
Clarissa: "But he kept the tax exemption we had at least, even if it's only you now."
Mark : "Yeah, but, at this rate, as soon as the other families' savings run out, they'll starve."
And that's reaping what I've sown, they're too easy.
That son of a..
Tenfold? Really?
Even Clarissa is affected..
And little does she know ,the exemption is merely a method to force Mark to endure the humiliation.
Clearly, this is the norm in this world.. we had the exception
[In the void, the small orange flame vanishes]
This time, I'll fend for my parents..
The question is: how?