Chapter 47: Chapter 47- The Grief
Chapter 47- The Grief
Zen looked down at the dead corpse as the blood spilled everywhere. His eyes were cold, and his anger was still boiling deep within. There was nothing he hated more than seeing his wife hurt. It was something that instantly flipped his switch and made him a completely different person.
All his collected and calm persona would vanish, and a far more bloodthirsty and violent side would rise up. Zen didn’t even feel a shred of emotion severing these men’s heads and ending their lives. He believed deep down that it was a deserved punishment for what they had committed.
Sighing, he looked up all around him. The fire was still going, but it was dying down slowly. After all, every person who was keeping that fire going had died, and it was losing energy rapidly.
’One thing about the Divine Fire is that, unlike normal fire, it needs more than just fuel to remain alive. It needs the essence of the user to feed it constantly.’ He thought to himself as he finally turned around and looked directly at Cipha.
The Wood Folks were starting to retreat as they dragged the injured and the dead away. Zen sighed, seeing the tears in their eyes as they pulled their loved ones to safety.
He started walking through the wrecked field until he reached one of the people, leaning down next to a dead corpse of a Wood Woman.
"*Sniff* Why... Why..." They muttered as they cried silently. "What did we do to deserve this?"
Zen stared down at him with a dark expression. He could hear the immense pain in the young man’s voice. He recalled being in that exact position not that long ago and the memories that came with it. He understood how painful it truly was to experience that moment.
"Huh?" The young Wood Man looked up, realizing that Zen was there. He instantly flinched and pulled away in fear.
"W-What do you want?!" He yelled.
"..." Zen stared at him and then at the dead woman before he sighed and slowly leaned down. He then picked the woman up over his shoulder. "I will carry her to safety. You’re injured."
"..." The boy didn’t understand what he was trying to say and simply watched as Zen started walking.
All around him, the group silently tried to gather everyone. He saw the pain, the tears, the shock, and every other emotion. This was perhaps the strongest hit they have ever received, and it won’t disappear for a very long time.
’I forgot how truly painful this world is... Not just for me... But for anyone who has an ounce of good in them. It’s almost like it deliberately punishes anyone who stands for what is right. While those who are rotten to the core thrive and succeed.’
Zen never believed the world was equal. It was cruel, horrid, and often deliberately sarcastic with its torture of those who don’t deserve it. He wanted to change that, and he hated seeing it every single time, even though he had witnessed it countless times before.
He had witnessed entire communities getting erased from existence because they simply offended a psychotic Hunter. Nothing could truly describe how evil Hunters could be, and this was... This was but another example of what they do.
Eventually, Zen reached the place where they had put everyone. Some were being tended to while others were simply... dead.
Zen put the woman down and looked up. Amidst the group, he saw Cipha, trying to help as much as she could. She was moving back and forth rapidly.
"Everything will be ok! Just don’t move or the burn will get worse." Cipha said as she tried to calm one of the injured down. Then, she stood up to rush to the others to help carry them. However, as she tried to run, her eyes suddenly lost focus, and she felt her entire world spin as she fell forward.
’Wha-’
Before she could hit the ground, an arm grabbed her and pulled her up. Cipha started dazedly as she recognized who it was.
"Zen..."
"You can’t keep moving... Your body is very exhausted." He said with a calm, soft tone. "The battle is over. We are all fine."
"..." She pursed her lips as she used Zen for support and stood up. For some reason, Cipha, who usually hates skin contact with anyone, didn’t hate touching Zen whatsoever. He didn’t give her the weird feeling she usually gets if that happens. If anything... It was oddly pleasant. "Many had died, Zen..."
"I know." He replied. "It’s... It’s not easy."
"..." Cipha clenched her teeth. Her eyes were filled with hatred and anger. Seeing these innocent people get murdered in cold blood for something like a rune. She realized that she didn’t hate the pillar clans enough. Her desire to eliminate them only grew by the second, and she knew as the journey continued, she would witness things of equal if not worse state.
"I want you to remain strong, Cipha... You have chosen his path, and you need to see it till the end. Losses and pain are bound to be a part of it." Zen explained. "We won’t always do it perfectly, and we won’t always succeed. What matters is that we try and we make sure not to hesitate."
Cipha looked at Zen, a little taken aback by what he said. His words resonated with her deeply, and they kept echoing in her head.
"Yeah... you’re right..." She muttered.
"You two."
At that moment, the two heard someone approach them. They looked back, only to see the chief approaching them. He was gruesomely injured and covered in the healing leaves. His eyes were cold and dark.
However, upon reaching them, he stopped and stared down. The two were naturally tense, not knowing what he was going to do.
Shockingly, he bowed his head slightly. "Thank you... For helping us."
"..."
"We owe you greatly for saving our people."
"No need to thank us, chief. We did it because we could." Zen replied. "The Nar clan should never come to possess more power. They aren’t worthy of it."
"Indeed." He replied. "Did their leader die?"
"I have killed him, yeah."
"... How were you able to do that? He is much stronger than you." The chief said with a confused look on his face.
"Well..." Zen’s eyes averted to the side. "It’s... A bit complicated."
"..."
"Well, ehem, the rune... had apparently chosen me," Zen said.
The chief froze in place like a statue, his eyes wide. Zen didn’t know what to do, so he stood there silently.
"You... took... the rune?" He asked as his aura started leaking as his anger rose.
"Wait, chief, let me explain. I didn’t take it. The Goddess had chosen me." He said. "I have met her."
The last sentence made the chief blink. "You have met the goddess?"
"Yes, she had told me that I’m ’worthy’ of the rune and that the rune had been waiting for its carrier for eons." He said. "I wasn’t intending to steal it."
"..."
"Zen... You took the rune of reality?" Cipha asked in disbelief.
"I’m surprised myself. But it happened, and I used it to kill Kaiser."
"You..." The chief... was completely speechless.
