The rain fell relentlessly, drowning the tiny village in a murky haze. Shadows flickered against the walls of crumbling houses as murmurs rose from the gathered crowd in the square. All eyes were on him, standing motionless under the weight of their accusing stares, his eyes hollow, as if the spark of life had been extinguished.
"He should die!" The voices rang out, sharp and venomous, cutting through the still air of the gathering.
"Ever since he was born, we have known nothing but misfortune!" another cried, their words dripping with hatred.
The words cut through him like a sword. He stood there, ridiculed and cursed, powerless to respond.
Tears threatened to spill as their words stirred memories of his father. "You should've been dead! Then your mother would still be alive."
"Why am I even concerned about you? I'm not even sure you're my son."
He remembered the day his father disowned him after his mother's death—all because of rumors surrounding an ancient curse tied to her. It had always been dismissed as legend, but his birth had made it feel real to them.
As he stood there, helpless and broken, a single tear escaped, betraying the stoic mask he had tried so hard to hold in place. Would it ever end? Would his life ever improve, or would his existence continue to spiral into endless suffering? Deep down, he knew his luck would only make things worse.
"Silence!"
A loud voice reverberated through the square as an old but muscular man entered.
"What do you think you're doing?" the man demanded. "You want to kill him? Have you forgotten what his mother did for this village?"
The crowd quieted, though some glared at the old man with suspicion.
"You all want to blame him? After everything his mother sacrificed for this village? If not for her, this cursed place might not even exist today!" His words shocked some, while others refused to let go of their anger.
"Yes, he is different. But that does not make him less human. His skin might resemble the bark of a tree, but does that make him a monster?"
The old man's gaze hardened. "You say he's the cause of misfortune, but the truth is, you brought this upon yourselves. If not for your actions, he might have been born a normal child."
He sighed deeply, his voice trembling with regret. "If only I had been there that day…"
20 Years Ago…
A torrential rainstorm battered the village, lightning and thunder tearing through the pitch-black sky. Floodwaters rose waist-deep, submerging large parts of the village.
Through the deluge, an injured woman trudged forward, her blood tainting the water around her. Her face was scarred beyond recognition, her tattered clothes barely clinging to her battered body.
Despite her visible agony, she uttered no sound, her clenched jaw a testament to her resolve. The floodwaters reached her waist, yet she pressed on.
At the village center, where higher ground kept the crowd safe, someone noticed her. Gasps of shock rippled through the onlookers as the woman stumbled closer, her figure barely visible through the rain.
Some brave young men volunteered to wade into the treacherous waters. Though the flood was known to harbor mutated beasts, they brought her back.
The sight of her made some villagers retch. Her disfigured face was riddled with gashes and torn skin. From her waist down, open wounds oozed with worms and small, mutated creatures. One leg bent at an unnatural angle, yet somehow, she had managed to walk.
"How was she even moving?" someone whispered, their voice trembling.
Women from the village carried her to a house atop the hill, hoping to save her. She was still breathing.
That night was filled with the relentless boom of thunder. When dawn came, the house's door finally opened. The women emerged, their faces dejected and sad, "she's still living, but we no longer have any health supply left."
Their words caused a round of cursing and wailing from the subjects of the village, "you should've just left her to die!!" some people shouted.
What would we do now, you all know after the flood comes a wave of sickness for the whole village, how would we survive after this?
The village leader who went to the big towns to buy medicine isn't back, and you all wasted our medical supplies on that wretched woman who might even die the next moment.