Cold crept into Karl's body long before the pain truly settled in, seeping through his limbs like something familiar rather than alarming . He didn't move, didn't react , because this feeling this quiet, numbing cold was something he had grown used to overthe years.
" Still breathing?"a distant voice echoed faintly in his memory, followed by a sharp , careless laugh that no longer stirred anything inside him.
Kael didn't bother opening his eyes because there was nothing Worth seeing.
His name was Kael , though very few bothered to use it anymore, as if names only mattered for those who held value.
To the tribe, je was simply " the weak one", a title repeated so often that it became more real to them than his existence itself.
"... Useless thing, are you pretending again?"
Someone had mocked earlier, their voice dripping with comtempt as if even acknowledging him was inconvenience.
Another voice followed, more indifferent than cruel. " Leave him . If he does , he dies . Saves us the trouble."
Kael had heard those words countless times before, and they no longer stirred anger or sadness within him.
Only quiet understanding of how things worked. In a world where strength dictated worth, someone like him at least in appearance had no place unless he chose one carefully.
He had chosen to be the weak.
Not because he was incapable, but because he understood something others didn't: strength attracted attention, and attention brought danger.
The strongest were challenged, envied , and often eliminated, while the weak were overlooked, dismissed, ultimately left alone
"... Better to be ignore than hunted" he had once told himself, and he had lived that rule ever since.
Yet despite everything, there was one thing that made his existence.... complicated.
His appearance.
" Look at his eyes ", someone had whispered once, not even trying to hide their disgust. " That's not normal."
" Blue and gold .... What kind of cursed thing is that?" Another had muttered, stepping back slightly as if proximity alone was dangerous.
" And that hair a third added. " Like a ghost." Kael had heard it all before , but it never truly mattered to him , except for one thing.
It made him stand out.
That alone was enough to make life more difficult, but strangely, it also drew attention from a different direction one he had not expected.
Females.
" I think he's beautiful ", one said quietly, her voice hesitant but sincere as she watched him from distance.
Another had laughed softly . " He looks fragile. I like that."
Kael had noticed the way they looked at him , the curiosity in their eyes, the interest that contrast sharply with the distain of the males .
It was something he welcomed, but neither was it something he could complete ignore .
"Kael", a gentle voice had called one day , pulling him from his thoughts.
He turned slightly, just enough to knowledge her presence without fully engaging. "What is it?".
The female stepped closer, her expression soft but determined. " You should join our family", she said , her tone carrying a quiet insistence." You won't survive on your own forever."
Family,That word held a little meaning for him now.
"I'm fine alone," kael replied calmly, his voice neither harsh nor inviting, simply final .
The female frowned slightly, clearly unsatisfied with his answer. " You don't have to pretend in front of me," she said.
" I know you're struggling. Everyone can see it".
Kael almost smiled at that , though the expression never fully formed.
" That the point, " he thought.
" I'll think about it," he said instead, knowing he wouldn't.
She hesitated, then nodded before leaving, but she wasn't the last. Others came.
"You'd be safe with us," one insisted, her tone more confident than the last.
" I don't mind taking care of you," another added a small smile." You don't look like you can handle much on your own."
Kael listened to all of them, but his answer never changed." .... No"
And the refusal became a problem.
" Who does he think he is?" One male snapped after overhearing yet another rejection.
"Weak trash acting like he has a choice."
"He's playing them," another sneered. "Using that face to get attention."
Kael had expected resentment, but he didn't react to it , because reacting would only make things worse.
Still , he noticed the shift the way their gazes lingered longer , the way their voices lowered when he passed, the way hostility began to simmer beneath the surface.
"... They're planning something," he realized. He could have avoided it , but he didn't.
Because leaving would draw attention and attention was exactly what he had spent time avoiding.
" ...if it happens, it happens" he thought calmly , accepting the inevitable with the same quiet indifference he applied to everything else.
The attack came when he was alone, just as expected.
" Now " someone shouted, and the forest erupted with movement.
Kael reacted but only partially. He moved just enough to avoid a fatal strike, but not enough to reveal his true capability, allowing the rest to land.
Claws tore into his flesh , blows struck his body , and blood spilled onto the ground, but his expression remained almost unchanged.
" They're serious " he noted internally, his thoughts steady despite the chaos.
He could feel it clearly there was no intention to scare him , no desire to simply teach him a lesson.
They wanted him gone.
Kael could have ended it in an instant.he could have fought back, revealed the strength he had hidden for so long, and crushed them without hesitation.
The thought crossed his mind briefly, flickering like a distant possibility before fading just as quickly.
" .... Not worth it" he decided.
Killing them would only create more problems, drawing attention from others, forcing him into , a position he didn't want .
Strength, once revealed, could never be hidden again , so he endured.
A final blow sent him stumbling backward, his footing giving way as he fell down a slope, his body crashing through undergrowth before hitting the ground below with a dull impact.
The world spun for a moment, then settled into a heavy, suffocating stillness.
" That should be enough for them," he thought, faintly his body refusing to move.
Above him,the forest swayed gently, leaves whispering as light filtered through in scattered patterns.
The sounds of the attack had already faded, replaced by the quiet indifference of nature .
No one followed, of course they didn't.
To them , he was already dead.
" Convenient." Kael murmured weakly , his voice barely audible even to himself.