I tried to follow the fight, but everything looked blurred and chaotic. Their movements were too fast, and the smoke kept blocking my view.
Then the old man's words reached me—words he had repeated to me so many times before.
The sound was too faint to hear, but I could easily read his lips.
"Don't be arrogant, boy."
Usually I would have laughed at those words, answered with a joke or simply nodded.
But this time I did none of that.
I was crying.
I kept watching, hoping for something.
A miracle, maybe. Or a sign that all of this was just a nightmare.
But no miracle came.
And the nightmare that was reality did not shatter.
Old Aron's body fell heavily to the ground, lifeless, right in front of my eyes.
For a moment I remained frozen, my gaze locked on him. I refused to believe that was the end.
The old man lay on the ground in a pool of his own blood.His chest…motionless.
I waited.
I waited for him to move.
I waited for him to stand up.
I waited for him to start grumbling like he always did.
I waited for him to say something like,
*"What the hell are you staring at, brat?"*
But my hopes were shattered once again, and with them the last thread of my sanity.
I started screaming despite the gag in my mouth. I thrashed wildly, slamming myself against the walls of the wagon, hoping that physical pain might somehow dull the emotional one.
No.
No, no.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
It wasn't true.
The old man couldn't die.
He was the one who taught me how to hold a knife without cutting my fingers.
He was the one who smacked the back of my head with his stick every time I said something stupid.
He was the one who told stories about his days as an adventurer by the fire when everyone else was asleep.
That same fire I always had to start, because the firewood was too far away.
And he was always there.
Even when he acted annoyed. Even when he tried to send me away.
He was always there.
Almost like…
he was my family.
At that moment something inside me broke, and a massive emptiness opened inside my chest.
Heavy footsteps approached.
Then the hatch opened, and light flooded the inside of the wagon.
My eyes needed a moment to adjust, and when they finally did, my sadness turned into rage the moment I saw the man who had entered.
Daren.
He was covered in dirt and blood, and the fresh scar left by the old man's strike was clearly visible over his left eye. The skin around it was still red and swollen.
He stopped in front of us.
Then he smiled.
A smile that made me want to vomit.
And kill him.
"That old bastard…" he said, touching the scar with two fingers.
"He left me quite the souvenir."
I felt Luke shift beside me, but I couldn't take my eyes off the man speaking.
"Too bad he's already dead," Daren continued.
*I'll kill you.*
"I would've liked to repay the favor."
*I'll kill you.*
His smile widened.
"But I can take it out on you two instead."
Before I could react, a hand grabbed me by the collar.
Luke screamed as another hand lifted him the same way.
Daren raised both of us off the ground as if we weighed nothing.
For a second we hung there in the air.
Then—
**BAM!**
He slammed us into the ground.
The impact knocked the breath out of my lungs. Pain exploded through my back and ribs as the air rushed out of my chest.
I tried to inhale, but only a strangled sound came out.
Daren slowly stepped closer, cracking his knuckles.
"Don't worry. I can't kill you… but this is going to hurt," he said with a pleased tone.
His smile returned.
The first punch hit Luke.
The sound was awful.
Luke screamed as the gag fell from his mouth.
The second blow landed on me.
My head snapped to the side and a white flash exploded across my vision. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.
Daren continued to pour all his anger onto us.
Punches.
Kicks.
"That old dog…" he snarled as another punch slammed into Luke's stomach.
*I'll kill you.*
Luke coughed up blood.
"Did he really think he could kill me with that last strike?"
*I'll kill you.*
A kick slammed into my ribs.
I felt something crack.
"A decrepit old man playing hero…"
*I'll kill you. I'll kill you.*
Another punch smashed into my face.
"Pathetic."
*I'll kill you. I'LL KILL YOU. I'LL KILL YOU.*
My vision was blurred, but I didn't care.
Every word coming out of his mouth made something inside me burn even hotter.
"Tell me, brat…" he continued, looking at me. "Was he your grandfather?"
*I'll wipe that smile off your face.*
A punch to the stomach folded me in half.
"No, wait. You were an orphan, right?"
*I'll cut off your arms and listen to you scream.*
A kick.
"Maybe you even loved him."
*You'll beg for mercy while drowning in your own blood.*
Daren laughed.
"Too bad he died like a dog."
I slowly lifted my head.
Blood dripped from my lip.
I looked straight into his eyes with a hatred so deep I didn't even know I was capable of feeling it.
Then I spat.
**Ptuh.**
The mixture of saliva and blood hit his face.
Right on the eye with the scar.
For a moment everything froze.
Daren's smile disappeared.
Oh, it was beautiful seeing that shocked expression on his face. For the first time, that disgusting smile was gone.
He slowly wiped his face with his hand.
Then he looked at me.
"Little…"
His voice was low.
"…bastard."
The punch came down like a hammer, too fast to follow.
My head slammed against the ground.
Then another.
And another.
And yet... I was smiling.
How could I not?
A two-star awakened… humiliated by the spit of a ten-year-old child. He hadn't even managed to wipe it all away. I could still see some of my blood running down his face.
I started laughing hysterically.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Maybe he didn't like my reaction, because this time he wasn't trying to hold back anymore.
The blows kept falling.
I could hear Luke screaming somewhere to my left… or maybe my right. The sound felt distant, muffled.
The world had become blurry.
Pain.
Blood.
But inside me, beneath all the chaos that my body had become…
the rage was still there.
I stared at the blurred sky above me as another punch struck my face.
And I made a promise to myself.
No matter how long it takes.
No matter what hell I end up in.
No matter how much pain I have to endure.
No matter how strong I must become.
Daren.
One day I will kill you with my own hands.