Seth used his fingers to pull back his eyelids and stared into the abyss of his sockets.
I am Anointed. No better than my brother.
A sickness washed through him at the decision he had made.
"No," he said aloud, his voice sounding hoarse. "This was the only choice I had if I wished to hunt down Abel."
The sacrifice had clearly granted him some mental fortitude, as he felt it was easier to take control of his emotions.
He wanted to mourn for his parents, to vomit from the sight he had seen, but something else had replaced all other feelings: the wish to hunt down his brother.
Seth changed clothes fast, removing his sleeping attire and replacing it with clothes common to Rosebury City.
He wore black trousers, a white shirt, a long black coat to fend off the cold, and a top hat.
As he performed the simple actions of putting on his clothes, he began to feel the sacrifice taking effect on his body.
He felt that everything was being done with a speed and efficiency that he was unfamiliar with.
After finally putting on his shoes, he stopped for a moment.
Where do I go? No, I'm asking myself the wrong question. Where would my wretched brother Abel go?
Afraid of going through the main door, in case he saw his parents and his undead father who had been risen by a strange power, Seth opened the window and prepared to step out.
The cobbled streets below were eerie as usual, the darkness adding to the grittiness of the town.
Suddenly, he remembered something and turned back, making his way towards the drawers beside his bed.
From there, he removed a hunting knife, given to him by his father in case an intruder ever broke in, and he needed to protect himself.
It came with a sheath, and he tucked the blade into his coat pocket.
Thank you, Mother and Father, for all that you have done for us. I promise that I will avenge you, even if it was your own son that took your lives.
Then, he stepped out of the window and slid down the drainpipe.
As soon as his feet landed on the cobblestones, he knew that he had to be careful.
His eyes were no longer normal, and it was a known crime punishable by death to make sacrifices to Adonus, despite the beliefs of the prophet and king, Jacob, who claimed that the God was a friend to humanity.
Seth was never well-versed in the theology or history of the matter, as it always seemed so far removed from him, plus his parents had forbidden it in their household.
Look what good that has done us.
He pulled the front of his top hat down so that it would create a shadow over his eyes, hiding the darkness from onlookers.
He didn't know where to go, so he made his way through the streets of Rosebury.
The town was perpetually gray, which cast a dull look over every street.
Houses were tightly packed, streets were bustling and overpopulated during the daytime, and horses littered the streets with feces as they pulled chariots.
Seth walked in no direction in particular, his body reacting strangely to his new changes.
There were often times when his vision blurred before suddenly enhancing to an impossible level, allowing him to see much further than he could before.
In fact, all of his senses would randomly and momentarily enhance themselves before returning to a state that was below normal.
It was the same with his balance. As he walked, he sometimes tripped over small chips in the cobblestones beneath his feet, whereas sometimes, he would feel so in control of himself that he felt he could walk on only his hands while upside down.
Is this the consequence of making a sacrifice to you, Adonus? What heights can I now reach?
He spoke to the god, wondering if he could still hear him.
The lack of response told him that the answer was no, or that Adonus simply didn't care to respond.
As he continued to walk, his body began to grow weaker and weaker, to the point where he felt he would collapse.
No... I can't pass out on the street, no matter what. They would see my eyes and throw me in jail before taking my life... no.
Seth stumbled into an alleyway, a dead end used as an area to dump garbage.
He just about made his way over before collapsing in the pile of rubbish and succumbing to the tiredness that had taken him over.
---
"You need to wake up."
Seth felt somebody tugging on his arm.
Huh?
"Come on!" the voice said, though he could hardly make out who the owner was.
"Mum, is that you?" he replied as he opened his eyes. His vision was blurry for a moment before finally clearing.
"No, you fool. But even your mum won't be able to help you if you don't leave this place. The garbage men are coming to collect the bins; the last thing you want them to see is those eyes."
Now that his eyes had adjusted, Seth saw that the sun had begun to rise.
The person who spoke to him was a man that looked homeless.
He wore a brown trench coat and a pair of reading glasses. He was old enough that his hair had gone gray, and his skin was pale.
Seth pushed himself up and realized that rather than feeling aches from the poor sleep, he felt stronger than he ever had before.
The effects of the sacrifice must be kicking in.
"Are you just going to sit there and stare at me, or are we going to run?"
Run? Why do you need to run? I am the criminal here.
Seth obeyed anyway and rose to his feet. His clothes had gotten dirty, but his hat had stayed on. He pulled it down to cover his eyes and followed the man as he led him out of the alleyway.
Suddenly, he realized something.
This man has seen my eyes... he knows who I am.
We haven't left the alleyway yet, and no one is walking by. It's not too late.
The thought of what he was about to do would have sickened the old Seth; however, the sacrifice he had made had changed him.
If he was caught by the town guards because he let this man go, he wouldn't be able to fulfill his goal of killing Abel.
I'm sorry, old man. He thought to himself, as he reached into the pocket of his coat and gripped the handle of the hunting knife.