“Would you like to spend the night here? I was just preparing dinner…” He could hear Cain walk away, mumbling angrily and spitting on the ground.
“I-I am partially blind… and probably hideous. I wouldn’t want to frighten little Miria.” He averted his gaze from hers, staring at the ground.
“I beg of you, it’s the least I can do for your effort.” Liliana dropped on her knees, crying and kissing the back of his scarred hand. He lowered himself on his knees as his sword scratched the ground, turning to the side, and he leaned towards her whispering in her ear.
“I wasn’t completely honest with you. Anvalth lives… he lives on in our hearts. If you invite me into your home you will only anger your husband.” He gently kissed her cheek before standing back up. “Farewell Liliana, and you little Miria. I am sure you will grow as beautiful as your mother.” He waved his hand while walking away. His heart was not shriveled and he was not cold. He was at peace with the outcome. As long as they were both alive, he had no reason to frown.
He had no name and no place to call home. He was all alone, in the vast world of Reath. With no objective set in mind, he had everything available for him, from the steep mountains, to the dense forests, or even the vast seas. He arranged the sword on his back properly and raised his fist in the air, taking a deep breath. He was free from all shackles. But it wasn’t long before he felt a familiar presence in his surroundings. There was something abnormal about it, something terrifying.
“Show yourself.” He shouted, standing tense with his hand ready to draw the sword.
“You have keen senses, demon. I knew for sure I would find you if I came here.” The voice speaking to him, it was that of…
“Sebastian, you bastard…” He thought, realizing who the black haired man that visited Liliana was.
“I have come here to cut you down, and I am not leaving without your head!” His resolve was steeled and his voice full of hatred and despise.
Chapter 7 - Blind justice
H is eyes were burning with pure rage. His hands were steadily gripped around the hilt of his long sword. Sebastian saw nothing but the object of his search, the terrific demon he had to slaughter in order to avenge Rilwen and Rousseau. His breath was calm and his mind focused on the task before him. He had trained since that day without pause, only to strike Anvalth down in one fell swoop. He felt nothing for him but raw hatred.
“You were brought in and welcomed with such warmth and this is how you repay us. Rilwen cared about you to what we thought was your very end, but like a monster you raised from the dead and assaulted her. I was suspicious of Liam as well. He always seemed strange and distanced himself from us. When he woke up I was ready to slice his throat but that stupid Erik stopped me.” He paused and grinned tapping his chest with his left fist. “I finally got my chance to slaughter him.”
His heart skipped a beat hearing Sebastian’s words. Liam was finally making progress towards his dream and towards becoming a better person. No matter what he might’ve been guilty of, Liam didn’t deserve such a fate. He grinned in return, drawing his massive execution sword. It was a strange sight to behold, for a puny human to wield with one hand a sword more fit for a giant.
“I see you have acquired a barbaric, brutish weapon to accompany your personality. You won’t even be able to swing that around before I cut off your head.” Sebastian was staring at him with murderous intent.
“You’re all talk. All this boasting and you still haven’t come at me, despite having your weapon drawn for so long.” He could see Sebastian flex his legs, ready to jump at him any moment. “I’ll give you a final warning. The moment you approach me I will slice you in two.” Before he read any sign of movement he raised the sword above his head and swung it down. Sebastian did leap towards him with amazing speed but to his surprise, he feigned the attack and backed away from the hit. His sword struck the ground, leaving a crater in its wake.
“Don’t underestimate me, you lowly fiend!” shouted Sebastian as he lunged at him with the long sword forward in an attempt to pierce his chest. The two swords crossed paths and Sebastian felt the overwhelming power in his strike. It was a match he had to win by attrition and avoid any mistakes, because one misstep could mean his death. After coming so far he couldn’t lose to him.
Sebastian swept the sword through the air in an attempt to intimidate him and he then feigned a low sweep of his blade, only to raise it from behind and swing down. His whole body shook when the two blades met, as his blow was parried again. His opponent was fearsome but he was just showing his fangs. It was time for him to bite the flesh of his opponent. He stared straight into the eyes of his opponent and could see nothing but tranquility and determination. He shook his head in anger, the memory of Rilwen flashing before his eyes. His breathing was getting heavy and his palms were sweating. His grip tightened and he let out a roar like a wild beast, charging at him. Blood was rushing through his veins and his eyes were clear, but the heart was clouded. The demon he fought swung his blade to counter, throwing him onto the ground and sending his long sword flying. His arms and feet were shaking and he was heavily sweating. Humiliated and broken, Sebastian was lying on the ground.
“I hoped your resolve was true. I wish to give meaning to the lives of others, not take it.”
“Can you say the same for the lives you destroyed?” Sebastian shouted in agony, cursing his days.
“If I truly am guilty as you say, a warrior will enact retribution upon me one day, but it is not this day. Now go away and don’t waste your life chasing dead men.” He passed by Sebastian without throwing another glance at him, putting away his sword. He could still feel the same murderous intent, but the cause was different. Sebastian was overwhelmed by feelings of envy and despise. He stood up from the ground and picked up his long sword, shaking the dirt off. His opponent was still in sword’s reach if he lunged at him. “If you continue this same road, it will inevitably end for one of us.”
“That is what I’m hoping for…” Sebastian said shaking his stiff shoulders and neck.
“Are you aware you are no match for my strength and speed? Are you so eager to give up on life without even seeing what it has to offer?” He continued, stopping in his tracks but still looking away.
“Unlike you, I’ll fight with human strength and not demonic witchcraft. I am eager to take your life because you left a bitter mark in mine.” As soon as he finished his sentence, he leapt towards him with the sword above his head. It was finally time for the ace up his sleeve. With the use of his Telaar, he created the illusion of a downward strike but his body was moving differently and he had prepared a side blow to decapitate his foe. Sebastian swung with might but his strike was dodged to the side and he felt an obliterating punch in the ribs. Sebastian coughed blood but he wiped it away with the back of his hand and repositioned himself accordingly, to face his opponent. With a rapid movement, he thrust his blade towards him but the clashes of metal rang loud and clear throughout the forest. With a move faster than the eye could see, he drew the sword and parried just in time. Sebastian responded with flourishing moves of his long sword, trying to strike at his opponent from different angles but each hit ended up being parried or dodged. Their fight was terribly one sided even with the occasional use of his Telaar. Sebastian was gritting his teeth and clenching his fingers around the hilt until his hands went numb but to no avail. He put his back into every single strike yet none could reach him. He poured all his hatred into his attacks for but a pointless outcome. “Strike back at me!” he shouted in anger, seeing how his opponent was only on the defensive. There was no answer other than the calm yet menacing gaze thrown at him from the blind eyes, staring all the way into his soul. His words were repeating in his mind and his feelings turned into those of guilt.
“Don’t waste your life chasing dead men…”
“Shut up!” yelled Sebastian as the same words were repeating over and over, senselessly and loud in his mind, covering his own though
ts. His attacks were getting fiercer but they were still short of his target. He launched a skewing strike and followed it with a swing from above only to clash with the demon’s oversized sword, letting sparks fly. He drew back his blade and thrust but his attack was parried to the side so he followed it with a kick which he managed to land, throwing his opponent off balance. Sebastian spun around in place, following the momentum of the blade and swinging horizontally, spilling blood for the first time. His attack was a shallow cut in the chest but it was enough to give him confidence.
With a strike from bellow, Sebastian caught him off guard and scraped his waist. He let out a fierce roar and charged into him with his shoulder only to hit the blunt of the blade which was used as a shield. Sebastian raised the sword above his head and thrust downwards, slashing his right shoulder and barely missing his ear.
“I can win!” He thought in excitement, backing away and holding his sword tilted in front of him as guard. His face was twisted with the joy of bloodlust. He charged once more blindly, roaring from the bottom of his lungs. His arms seemed stronger than before and his blows were finally reaching their destination. More and more, his blade drank blood and his expression was getting hideous like that of a ravenous monster. Without letting out the slightest grunt of pain, his opponent took blows one after another until he fell on his knees with his sword towering in front of him. By the time he forced him down, Sebastian forgot what he was fighting for. He was simply enjoying the devastating wounds he inflicted on his nemesis and rejoiced seeing his pained grimace. He tapped his chest vigorously with one hand while raising the sword with the other, yelling out with pride. “How does the steel of my sword taste demon? It’s been most thrilling to cut you down, now show me your horrified expression as you bite the dust!”
The earth shook as he stood up in a single movement and he picked up the blade with his left arm. He swung the massive blade with the power of the fiercest storm, the tide crashing against the shore. The blade cut the air with such speed that it created a gust of wind which blew the colorful carpet of leaves behind Sebastian. Silence fell upon the two. Sebastian looked down, unable to fathom what had transpired in that single moment. From waist down, blood was dripping on the ground and he fell apart in two, crumbling to the ground with his eyes wide open in agonizing fear.
“The moment you enjoyed your bloodlust, your revenge was nothing more than blind hatred. That was when you lost your humanity and I could finally bring an end to your madness.” He swiped the blood from his blade and strapped it to his back, continuing down the road.
He pondered for long where he wanted to travel and what he wanted to do. The only answer he had to those questions was simple. He would clean Reath of all demons and hone his swordsmanship as he vanquishes his foes.
“From this day forward, I shall dedicate my life to executing demons all throughout Reath. I will be known as Rylan the Demon Slayer!”
The sword was lying on the ground by his side as he leaned against a tree, hiding from the torrential rain. His fingers moved around his face and body, feeling the numerous scars. Those scars were proof of his victories and the experience that came with them. He learned that his hardest battles were not against terrible beings of stupendous power, but against himself and his weaknesses. He no longer saw the missing arm or his change in sight as limitations, but as challenges he had to overcome during his journey through life. Rylan was in his early thirties and what pressed him most was the longing for another human being. Along with Anvalth’s death, he lost Liliana’s compassion and her visage faded from his memory. Instead, he tried to remember someone else, the person who raised him from the mud in his time of sorrow, Rilwen. Her kindness and devotion to friends really moved him, but she was never to be in his reach, not after his despicable act. He never remembered what happened that day at Death’s Pass, but the words of others didn’t seem so unlikely. Ever since he learned of his Telaar he struggled with his inner demons, trying to overcome them. It was only through his selfless sacrifice that he reached a compromise between the power that previously controlled him and his spirit.
He liked autumn most of all seasons because it gave him a relatable feeling of nostalgia. Nature’s slow yet certain decay seemed the same as his mind’s decay into dark depths he couldn’t understand, which probably arose from all his traumas. Was it war that changed him so drastically, darkening his soul and limiting his view of the world? Could it have been the people which inhabited the same world as him that changed him? Is it something inherent to every living being that makes it so terrifying yet tragic? Some cannot go over their flaws and their sins keep piling up until the entire society turns into a whirlpool of morbidity. This could only mean he was as guilty as all the others, even though the guilt belonged to his nature and not to him as an individual.
A question was born out of all his philosophy. Why are mortal beings so flawed? Would life be meaningless otherwise? There’s plenty to it without the need for flaws and it would be that much more beautiful for everyone. The only downside would be the lack of spiritual growth and stale monotony of character. There would be no real difference between individuals.
His interior dialogue was tiresome and his eye lids were getting heavier. He yawned and wrapped himself in his rugged cloak. His eyes slowly closed and his mind wandered wild. Rylan’s dreams were an amalgam of color and action and he couldn’t discern anything. The predominant tone was red and he felt power and excitement. It was until he felt uneasy that he woke up, only to see the rain pouring just as before. A faint thunder sounded in the distance and he searched around for his knapsack. His heart skipped a beat, seeing as it was nowhere to be found. He stood up and looked around in distress. It was gone. How did he not feel the presence of someone approaching him? If he weren’t so lucky, his life would’ve been over.
“My slumber was too deep. At least I have my sword and my necklace-” His hand searched around his neck and he couldn’t feel the thin chain. His heart was beating out of his chest and he felt around frivolously, only to discover it was slightly underneath his clothing. He sighed with relief, wiping his forehead of sweat. By feeling around with his hands, he could tell there were tracks in the mud leading to where the thief went. Rather than hardly following them, he closed his eyes and focused his mind on the image of the knapsack. He felt a shiver down his spine and a warm sensation in his palm and abdomen. He felt as if something was pulling him towards the location of his belongings. “It’s been a while since I had to rely on this.” He whispered as he walked away from the tree and into the rain, going down the hill, following his senses. As angry as he was, it was an interesting break from his usual routine. Tracking down the thief felt quite thrilling and he journeyed through a forest until he could sense the presence of two people not far from him. His knapsack was undoubtedly in their possession. He continued until he encountered something solid which his eyes couldn’t perceive. It was a wall made of logs, a part of a house. He sneaked around until he discovered the door and smashed it open, trying to draw his massive sword which smashed against the upper door frame and afterwards the ceiling. There was no immediate aggression against him, but it was not because of his intimidating appearance. One of the two was a man on his knees, trembling in fear and the other was a woman, lying in bed. Something felt wrong to Rylan.
“Please, spare us. W-We are poor and my mother is ill… and I can’t t-treat her.” The man was prostrating himself before Rylan, crying loudly. The scene was awful and he felt really guilty for barging in with so much hatred for others. The truth was that not everyone in the world is fortunate, and he knew that better than anyone. With great care to his uncertain surroundings, he put back his sword and approached the two. The man latched onto his feet, believing he was there to hurt them. Rylan took a good look at both of them and was able to discern they were both innocent and kind people, with luminous auras. He picked the man off the ground and gave him a hug and a pat on the back. He shook his head, biting his lip, thinki
ng he was powerless to help them more than that. The woman coughed, spitting some blood. Luckily, she was lying on her side as not to choke. She was terribly skinny and her face was pale.
“Use my money to buy her medicine and enjoy the elven food. It will last you for a while. As a wandering swordsman, there’s not much more I can do for you but these will be of better use here.” Spoke Rylan, pointing towards the knapsack and then shaking the man’s hand before heading outside into the rain.
“Thank you, so very much. May I know your name so that I can pray to Tela for you?” responded the man, walking up to the door frame.
“It’s too late for prayer, for someone like me.” He continued to walk away, disappearing in the dense forest. He played around with the necklace, his fingers moving around its outline. “There’s no god for the likes of me.” He thought, sighing long and letting go of the necklace. “Isn’t that right, demons?” From the shadows of the woods arose three fiends. He could feel their cold, merciless gaze. Their thirst for blood and hunger for flesh disgusted Rylan to no avail. The monsters charged him at once and as he drew his sword, he swung down in the same movement and slashed into two one of them, while the others implanted their claws into his back and side. He shook them off and pushed them with the blunt of the blade, gaining a respectable distance between himself and them. “Why do you even exist? What purpose do you serve?” He shouted in anger, swinging his sword around in order to fend them off. With a large leap, he landed a blow on another demon, carving a deep wound in its body. The monster tried to run away but he dashed forward and intercepted its retreat with a devastating blow which ripped it in two. The final demon charged at him and he smacked it with the blunt of the sword, bludgeoning it to death.
He felt excited as blood rushed through his veins. Without even realizing it, he was enjoying slaughtering them and his face was twisted in a devilish grin. The world around him regained color and he felt a sudden headache, tormenting him.
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