----
The forest remained quiet, only livened by the sounds of the birds chirping and the winds howling. It almost felt like the forest was mourning with Kai.
He knelt in the middle of the forest clearing, his heart beating loudly as he stared at his bloody palms. Scattered around him, dead bodies. Blood. Disembodied parts.
'I— I killed someone, I killed a human!' he thought to himself solemnly, his eyes growing pale as realization hit him. 'What have I become! Am I a monster?'
"Kai! Never forget who you are!" His mother's voice sounded in his head. He turned slightly and looked at the smashed head in front of him. His stomach churned as he threw up instantly.
He trembled, his breathing ragged as he collapsed to his knees again while trying to stand up hurriedly.
Suddenly a cold voice slithered through his mind like venom.
"Why do you tremble, boy? You were the one who wanted power, weren't you?"
Kai's eyes widened. He clutched his head, the same voice from before echoing inside him—cold, chaotic, ancient.
"N-no… What are you?! Why are you in my head?"
Laughter. Low, mocking.
"You've already forgotten me? Tch. Typical mortals."
Kai grit his teeth. "You're the one from the World Tree... that thing that entered me. What are you? What did you do to me?!"
"What I am is beyond what you can comprehend right now. And what I did…? I gave you what you begged for."
Kai's jaw tightened. "I didn't beg for this…"
"Didn't you? You wanted to make them pay. You wanted strength. I simply answered."
He trembled harder, the weight of the corpses around him pressing down like a mountain.
"This isn't strength… this is—this is a nightmare…"
The voice chuckled again. But this time, something darker laced the amusement.
"Then wake up, little godling. Because the path you chose is drenched in blood—and this is only the beginning."
The voice faded, like smoke in the wind, but the echo of its presence lingered—crawling just beneath Kai's skin.
His fingers dug into the dirt. His heartbeat thundered in his ears.
He didn't even know if he was still human anymore.
---
"This boy! He carries the will of the sealed one!" A figure shrouded in darkness whispered to itself as it monitored Kai from a distance.
It's body hidden by a dark cloak that flowed from top to bottom. It's face covered by a dark mask with little holes in its eyes and nose to perhaps help with breathing.
"He might become a threat to us later on!" The figure said coldly. "I better keep an eye on him for now"
----
Meanwhile, Kai knelt on his knees staring at the graves he had created. He had forced himself to bury the fanatics bodies.
Yes, they tried to desecrate his mother's grave, but he still couldn't forget what his mother had taught him.
His mother had always tried to teach him, that no matter how one hurt you, no matter how one wronged you, Always honor them when they are dead.
He slowly got up from the ground, he looked around the destroyed temple, he clenched his fist. He knew he couldn't stay here any longer.
'I have to leave! I need to find out more about this power, and about this— god inside me!' he clenched his fist in determination.
His gaze turned to the horizon, to the direction his mother had once spoken of so fondly.
'I remember when mother used to sit me down and teach me about all the continents! I just didn't think I would need it this early.'
He remembered her speaking about Caelvarin in the Floravell continent . Floravell was the continent of life, where the worshippers of Eshara lived. They also lived in the Floravell continent, except his people stayed secluded, living in the forest.
Caelvarin was basically the nearest city to the forest he and his people lived in, and that was where he needed to go.
But the path to it was unknown. And the forest that surrounded the temple stretched endlessly—uncharted, dangerous, and crawling with beasts.
Still, he had no other choice.
He walked over to his mother's grave. "Mother! I am leaving now! I promise you, I will avenge you! Even if it cost me my life in the process!" He muttered quietly, gritting his teeth in determination.
A quiet sigh escaped him as he began to walk away, his footsteps heavy , but certain. The forest canopy cast fragmented shadows on his skin. He didn't know what awaited him beyond the trees... or if he would survive the journey.
But he would try.
"Then walk, little child," the voice inside him whispered again, softer this time, almost amused.
"Let's see how far you'll go before you break."
Kai ignored him, squeezing his fist hard. No matter how rough the road was, he was going to accomplish the goal he had set out to do, one way or another.
----
"So you plan on going to Caelvarin!" The figure watching Kai whispered from the shadows. "Fine then! Let's see how long you survive the journey." He ended before following after Kai in the shadows.
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