Pain.
That was the only thing in Kaelith's mind as he turned his body over and stared in horror. The creature took its time defiling his leg, growling in pleasantry as it did. Meanwhile, Kaelith felt all the nerves in his body scream in pain as blood continues to gush out of his open wound.
"If I didn't let myself go..." Kaelith trailed off. "If only I—"
The boy took a deep breath and sighed. "I am an Awakener. Weak as may be, but I am not going to die crying or die without doing anything. I refuse."
'You still care about those humans? Pathetic.'
Kaelith looked up after hearing a voice speak. He looked around, searching for its source, only to find himself alone. He was thinking that maybe it was his imagination, something to cope up while he faces his certain doom.
'You fool! You really think we would reach an agreement with those creatures?'
There it was again. The voice was unfamiliar, and the feeling of hearing it caused all the hair of his body to stand. There was a boiling emotion that he felt inside, but it was unclear what it was.
Growl!
He snapped out of his thoughts after hearing the bear. The man pushed his body to sit up, grabbing a tree branch that they used as a leg of their makeshift tent to spring himself up. A low growl escaped the bear's mouth, amused by how Kaelith reacted.
"So, you're having fun, huh?" The man smirked, gripping the branch and held his ground. He had no weapon, one less leg, an open wound, and his entire body was screaming in agony. But he was still alive. "If only I had this will before."
Kaelith found a new resolve. Images of Scar flashed across his mind, all those times that he thought that Scar was his friend, all of it was a ploy. All those deaths that happened in his groups were caused by Scar too.
"So, he exploited Donna's grief too."
Kaelith grit his teeth in anger, his jaw clenching as he prepared himself in his fight against the beast. He pushed all other thoughts away and focused on his battle. This single moment will determine his survival.
"What do I want right now?" Kaelith asked himself, a smirk trailing on his lips. "I don't want justice. I'm not a judge."
The bear slammed its right hind leg and stood on two feet, arms out and mouth wide open. Its sharp teeth were tainted with Kaelith's blood, with pieces of bones and flesh stuck in each gap.
Kaelith's breaths hitched as the beat towered over him. His pulse pounded on his ears, all feeling of fear, horror, and disgust flowing from every bloodstream. But his grip on his wooden branch remained firm, his determination was trembling but unyielding.
The bear lunges forward, its arms opening as the sharp iron claws shining under the bright moonlight.
"Fuck!"
Kaelith screamed, pushing the branch and used his only leg to roll to the right, barely dodging the attack. Without sparing any second, he glanced as the bear raked the grown where he has been just a heartbeat ago.
Using the wooden branch as a crutch, he forced himself to stand. He didn't worry about the pain as it was being held back by the pump of adrenaline that ran across his body.
Not less than a second after he positioned himself, the bear spun in an unnatural speed. The look on its face as it see Kaelith being determined than trembling in fear, caused a bloodshot of rage. Its tounge glazed around its bloodstained mouth, growling as it launches anothet attack.
Kaelith did not train heavily, unlike other Awakener, but he taught himself hunting before he Awakened. He knew how to hunt creatures, and he definitely know how to deal with predators if he ever encountered one.
With his knees slightly bending, Kaelith stabbed the branch behind him, waiting for the exact moment that the creature approaches. In a split second, the bear reached him. The man yelled as he pushed himself off the ground using both his leg and branch and spun, jabbing the branch like a spear and plunging it straight into the bear's eye.
But it wasn't just a predator as Kaelith thought. He underestimated a beast born with magic and raised to kill. He got too determined and lost his common sense.
Break!
The branch shattered at the impact as the bear shut its eye before the attack could reach. It lost its vision, but one of its paw batted Kaelith aside, sending him flying and crashing into a rock. The pain that he felt from his bones crushing could almost be seen from the sound that it made.
"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." Kaelith repeated as he saw the bear approaching. It was more furious than before. It left the idea of Kaelith being a plaything and now see him as an actual enemy— an actual threat.
The time for game was over, and now it was time to kill.
The bear loomed over him, its gaze red and its breathing jagged. There was blood above one of its eye, caused by the broken branch that tried to pierce it. This made a smirk to form on Kaelith's lips.
"At least I managed to hurt you."
Its silhouette bore into Kaelith's mind as it raised its claw to deliver the final blow. With a sharp breath, its claw came forward.
"No, fuck!"
A pulse.
The world came at a pause. The air vibrated as a surge of energy flowed out of his body. The voice returned, but this time it felt more real. It was as if he was facing the man who spoke the words.
"You innocent old man. It was fun toying with you. If only you just went for a more peaceful route in your life. You could've avoided all misfortunes. All seven of them."
"Gardenodt, you traitor!"
A golden burst of energy exploded from Kaelith's hands, as his body was swallowed with a blinding energy. Arches of light enveloped his hands, traveling down to his lower body, burning his wounds to heal. But as he watched his injuries closed, he didn't feel a single pain in his body, instead he felt clarity.
Memories resurfaced, fragments of his previous life and all the faces of those he met before flashed one by one. Kaelith knew that this has been an experience he felt before— another awakening.
The bear growled, mouth wide open as it lunges forward. As its enemy evolved into a greatet being, the bear felt like it was more motivated to kill. It didn't stand back even after Kaelith's presence matched its own aura.
"Have I— Did I become a god?"
'Welcome back, Caelus.'
The bear jumped above Kaelith, its claws clutching the air as it bore its weight down to crash into the ground. The man only smirked, spinning away from the site and opened his palm in front of him, palm outward, and pointing towards the bear.
"No. I have always been a god."
He felt a power flow from his body and into his hand, as a surge of power rippled in the air, spiraling into a golden orb. The space around him distorted, the winds shifted around him, forming a vortex-like field as he charged his power.
"Thank you for doing this to me, Scar. Now, I remember everything."
Kaelith exhaled, his breath fogging in the air as his fingers slowly reach the orb. With a single tap, he fired his attack, traveling towards the bear at a speed of light.
The bear's roar became silent, flesh burning from its muscle and flesh. The attack left a square hole in the bear's chest, a site that Kaelith watched through as he gazed into the horizon.
"It's morning now." Kaelith chuckled, vision blurring from exhaustion. "I feel fine, but I feel fucked."
He took a few steps forward, but it was already too late for him. His consciousness has dwindled, unable to keep himself awake.
'Gardenodt! Why have you betrayed me? All the other gods think that I killed Saratoga!'
'You have become soft, brother. The Ten Gods of Acalypha cannot possibly have a weak god. I will see you in the Sea of Life where our sins will be cleansed. Goodbye, Kaelith.'