Chapter 5: The Dark Claw Claims the Midnight Jewel
"Look at him, dear! He's already opened his eyes!" a handsome, middle-aged man with blue hair, sky-blue eyes, and muscular build, boasted with happiness.
"Dear, babies can open their eyes a few minutes after birth."
"Wait, really? Didn't they say that only geniuses do that?" his voice is laced with confusion as his forehead creased with frown. "My uncle told me that. He said I was a genius, that's why I became so strong!"
"Haha, it seems you have been fooled." the wife, a beautiful young woman, perhaps in her late twenty's, with black hair and black eyes, smiled at her husband as he cradled their baby in his arms. "But you mustn't be sad, my love. You are still very much a genius in strategies and the way of the sword. If you weren't, our village and many more would've been destroyed years ago from the monsters and bandits."
Her compliment had an immediate effect as his face brightened, and a large smile blossomed on his lips. Their boy, who was already a few weeks old, cooed at him as if agreeing to what she said. His smile turned into a hearty laughter that blanketed their small house in the warm glow of love and affection. They met eyes and stare at each other with contentment and share a loving kiss.
Their family is now whole, and their hearts filled to the brim with love. After years of fighting and struggle, they finally had the future that they could only dream in the past. In their dozens of attempts to escape from their god, they could only hope that wherever they would find themselves in, they would be at peace.
The scars of battle are still fresh in Kanata's mind. As a level 1, her combat capability is not impressive, unlike her husband who can take on multiple level 1s or even buy time against two level 2s. They were not raised for war, thus, they can only flee after a losing battle, dishonoring their comrades and betraying the god that blessed them.
However, those were on the past. They were at a very remote village up the north of the island that nobody from the main cities would visit. The life that they built, and will nurture, will be safe. She would do her best to make sure of it, alongside her beloved Kisho.
---
It has been four years after the heavens answered their prayers for a beloved child. Kisho adores his genius little man, and Kanata loves them more than herself. Shouri, their baby, is now four years old and was already speaking fluently and even started imitating his father's training at martial arts.
Kisho could see that his son is very talented at using his own body as a weapon. Although his experience in martial arts is limited compared to his strong swordsmanship, Kisho still instilled all knowledge that he had on the subject to his son.
But even though he was a genius, Shouri still prioritizes spending time with his family. They were really blessed with an extremely loving child, an angel in disguise, whose caring and loving nature radiates even though he is very young. With the way he and Kanata raised Shouri, a normal child would have been a spoiled brat. But Shouri was not even close to that. He was very aware of the efforts his parents give to make his life comfortable. That was why, he would show his love to his parents whenever he can. Whether that be verbal or through his actions in the form of hugs and kisses.
"Papa! You're back!" an excited child with dark blue hair and purple eyes slammed into his leg, almost taking him off balance. "Mama said you might be late getting back!"
"Haha, maybe your mama lied to you!" he laughed, as he scooped his son a kissed his messy long hair, though his arms are getting weaker, there would always be strength to spare for his little genius. "Don't tell her I told you, though."
"I HEARD THAT!" a shout coming from the kitchen spooked him and Shouri that they instinctively jumped from fright. "If you can tell your stupid jokes to my lovely baby, then you have energy to spare! Come here in the kitchen!"
"Okay! Let me help you there." Kisho grinned, there was nothing he would rather do than spend with his family, after all. He also loves to cook, so there was also that small win. "Would you like to help, Sho?"
"Hmm!"
"Alright! Let's go!"
The small family of three spent their afternoon making a scrumptious dinner to celebrate their time together. After Kisho and Kanata confirmed that they were expecting a child, they made it a little tradition of celebrating once a month for the greatest blessing they received in their life. It was always something the three of them would look forward to as they feel whole.
It was as if the world becomes a little more colorful whenever they are together.
---
One Year Later
Shouri's purple eyes are filled with distress and tears as he ran towards the village to call for help. His parents were in perfect health a year ago, but after a hunting session with his father, they both started getting weaker and weaker. Their skin is getting paler, and they could no longer get up for more than a few hours.
Life started to become harder as time goes by, even though his father still goes to his post as a guard, he had stopped hunting altogether. His health was noticed by the villagers that many donated food and medicine as well as help with anything they can.
His mother was in an even worse state. Her pale skin started getting red lines that seemed alive, draining the life out of her body slowly but surely. Today, while his parents sat at their porch as he worked at his mother's garden, his mother suddenly fainted and his father shortly followed.
His distress is palpable in the air as he shouted and shouted for help in the small village square. A few people then quickly ran towards their house as soon as he explained the situation, their longer legs carrying them faster than his own. Left alone and gasping for air, he took a few minutes to sit down and rest before he also ran back to his house, not before accepting some herbs and medicine from a few friends of his parents.
As Shouri ran through the forest back to his home, he could feel something at the back of his head. It was a feeling like he was being watched, just like what his father taught him of preys being able to sense if they are being preyed upon by a predator. Shouri trusted his instincts and stopped in the middle of the silent forest, unusually so. There was no chirping of birds or buzzing of insects, just an eerie and uncomfortable silence.
Though his parents always say that he was a brave and smart boy, right now, all he could feel was his legs turning soft with his nerves going on overdrive. His fear of the unknown, the unseen eyes circling around him and hiding in the forest that stalks, darkens the surroundings of the forest to something unnatural.
Shouri could now feel his heart in his throat. He wanted to cry and scream for help, for his father and mother. However, before he could shed his tears, a voice whispers in his ear.
"You must be the poor child whose parents that just died. My condolences, my dear." His ear was assaulted by a sweet voice, sickly so.
He jumped in fright, but quickly turned around and leaped back, with a quite unnatural swiftness that impressed the lady in black.
"A very quick response to a threat, you are a very nice warrior." Her smile looked at him with condescension, like looking at a bug she was about to crush. "Your instinct is very sharp. But what even more impressive is your innate power."
"What happened to my parents?! Who are you?!" He took a stance, his feet wide apart and his fist aiming at the woman clad in black.
"Oh? That is a little familiar." She smirked smugly and immediately took the same stance as Shouri, widening his eyes with surprise. "Don't you think so too, little snake?"
Shouri did not try to understand the situation anymore. All he knows is that he has to swallow his fear and try to escape this woman and go to his home, where his parents wait for his return. His muscle is stiff from his stance as if a spring is compressed, then, in a blink of an eye, he dashed away from his place to his opponent.
His attacks were swift and powerful for a child of his age, but that is only the advantage he has. Against an experienced and developed opponent, the strikes he delivered were all countered and dodged with little effort. Yet, with all the desperation that he has, it still made the woman grin even more pronounced and her eyes gleam with greed.
"A genius with the work ethics to live up to it! Amazing! How much more can you do, cursed snake!" his opponent screamed, although he is confused with the name, she calls him by, he can feel that his body is starting to tire out.
After a few more moments of struggle, the woman in black kicked him in the side of his ribs, which threw him into a tree that shook with the impact. Blood spilled from his mouth and his eyes are losing color as his consciousness begins to leave him, his eyelids becoming uncontrollable and starts to steadily close shut.
"The goddess was correct. A cursed jewel indeed." She comments as her gaze steeled to the boy, a wry smile on her lips. "I hope you live up to your potential, and you might just survive in this cruel and merciless world."
---
Fight back! Fight back! Fight back! Fight back! Fight back!
Shouri only has a single thought in his head as he watched the memories of his childhood replay in his mind over and over again. After every thought, his despair grew.
The agonizing realization that his past was filled with happiness and peace yet ended so suddenly wouldn't leave his heart. For almost eight years, he lost his memory and left with the cold, empty, and lonely feeling throughout more than half of his life.
A creeping devastation started to form in his heart that slowly spreads throughout his entire mind, encasing him in an unbearable, painful sorrow that threatens to consume his whole being. The origin points of despair in his life, leaving his body a lifeless husk.
Fight back! Fight back! Fight back! Fight back! Fight back! Fight back! Fight back!
Flashes of the worst moments of his life replayed in his memory once more; The time he witnessed the mangled bodies of the people of Orario after getting caught in the explosion of a building, his owners selling and displaying him in glass cages for their amusement, his senseless killing of human bandits that wore faces of despair each time he ended the life of their comrades, his brutal trainings with the old man, his fearful and desperate struggle against the woman in black that took him away from his hometown, and
the time his parents became sick and fell unconscious because of the poisonous power in his back.
It was him who cursed them with that sickness. He was the one who ended his family. The accursed blessing of his ruined his chance at a normal and peaceful life. After his first kill with that deer, his falna became strong enough to influence the world around him.
Why should he fight it back? It doesn't matter anymore. Even the gods failed to remove it from back then. How could a mortal life him fight back.
His inner world darkens even more after an even more despairing realization. His was already sealed the moment he was born, with no chance of defiance.
Not having the willpower to fight it anymore, he could only let go until not even his senses and awareness fades away.
The life he lived in that world was meaningless, anyway.
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