It is strange.

For quite some time I have been traveling in a group, not by my choice, but by situation. But now. Now that I am alone again, thoughts and doubts return.

Why am I doing it? Is there a point to it?

But I continue walking. Well, not me specifically, but if the horse under me dies there are always my legs attached to me.

I started healing the lung. It is much faster than last time I had to heal it, but still, it will take a while.

At some point terrain changed from rare trees to overgrown forest. I know that this region has these strange weather swings, but you just can't get used to it.

Desert, mountain and this forest are too close.

The 'Frozen Titans' is not just a 'monument' who took part is the war, but also how deep they were able to travel. From that point to the south most shore of continent is the area were the most active battles took place.

Divine war battlefield

And that whole terrain is littered with ancient artifacts and 'legacies' of the war itself, traps, mines, damaged environment and much much more.

Who would have though that a inter-continental war would have direct consequences that would span for millenniums.

...

The path from Mozzarel to South Dungeon is a straight road which was for centuries one of safest there is, and everyone knows that.

Because South dungeon is also a huge port, with tons of goods being exchanged daily, and the fact that Mozzarel is heavily dependent on those good, made this path overused by traders. Both sides are too dependent on this trade and road to allow it to be unsafe.

But what the actual fuck.

The souther I go the more bandits I meet, and the groups increase in size. And most of them are demi-humans.

Actually I should not be surprised, the whole continent is crumbling apart, what does it matter if a single road is filled with bandits.

Right?

There are many tales about battles that lasted for hours or days, opponents dancing around each other in flashes of spells and sword collision.

But tales are just tales.

Real battles end within a minutes, if not a seconds. People never have equal strength or experience. There is always the stronger side. And even a tiny error can change the outcome of battle.

One missing leg and mobility drops nearly to zero, one missing arm and the same happens to attack and defense capabilities.

But even less. Damaged foot or palm, and person can't run or hold a weapon.

Even less. A single tendon or muscle of foot or the big finger on the main hand of Enforcer, and steps become unsteady, grip on sword handle becomes weak.

It takes even less for an unexperienced mage to lose concentration and have his spell backfire on him.

A tiny thing in the global scope of the body, but this is enough to tip the scale of fight outcome into critical position.

And none of real battles have the 'we will fight equally' law.

There are no rules in a fight. The winner says what is right.

...

Two girl in torn clothes, revealing their chest and legs, are running in my direction and screaming for help as a group of people are running after them while laughing.

"Help us!" they scream desperately.

As they get within few meters from me I take action.

Their bodies split in half by single strike. The pursuers halt in total confusion, but I don't stop, within seconds I am near them, my sword sends them to the same fate as the girls.

I stand in silence as I clean the bloody sword against their bodies.

Some would have believed that those girls were in trouble. But stop and think for a second, two girls were pursued by a 'dangerous' group, and it just happens that they didn't catch them, it just happens that you were in the right place at the right time, and it just happens that you can help.

I go to the dead girls and flip their bodies over, which reveals daggers with greenish tint under their bodies.

Poison, how unoriginal.

A trick by bandits that I have seen too many times. There were groups whose specialty was hunting down 'noble' knight, and they had number of dead counting over hundred.

Yes knights, not villagers. Even full plate armor has few gaps, usually at the rear side of armor, to decrease the weight. When you fight, you usually need thicker armor at the front.

Think for a second what would you do. Stand between the 'victims' and 'pursuers'. You won't see what they are doing behind you. A hit by poisoned dagger into the neck, armpit or lower butt area.

Scary isn't it.

Looking down on the failed schemers, I remember how many young brothers I lost to these tricks. Can you blame them? They reenacted the heroes they read about. Trying to be as great and noble as those nights in the fairy tales.

I may have been one of them, if not that girl.

I don't even remember her name. I am not sure if I can call it betrayal. She never promised anything.

I just believed that we were meant for one another. I was young and stupid. As many others I fell in love not with her, but rather the feeling. It happens when there is first person that shows you warmth, you believe them to be special. You believe that to be 'it'.

Back then, I was just another nameless meat shield, not even a full fledged brother. She was a mage, and I saved her life few times, putting my life on the line. Meat shield. Wounds on me healed quite quickly comparably. So in a form I was useful to her. You don't throw away things that are useful to you. And that continued for some time.

One random night I saw her with my superior, going out of an inn, together, hugging each other, kissing and laughing.

I should be thankful to her. Her action changed me. Made me stronger. Someone, or something, that would survive.

And I survived.

I outlived them all.

I am the best.

Right?

I must continue walking.

...

Few dozen bodies lying around and bleeding tell me that I am really close to main camp of local bandits.

No, I didn't hunt them because I just wanted to, but rather they found me.

An arrow came from behind, but I already expected that and moved out of its trajectory the moment it was fired.

You can't hide your presence fully. And the one who will tell you about that is usually the nature itself. If some sounds just randomly stop, you know that something is wrong. Sound of birds or insects, sound of leaves rustling against each other, even the most minor thing.

It was just a single archer at the start, which died quite quickly. But few minutes later it was a new group of four, than another of more than dozen.

But last ones were prepared. Too many arrows and traps for simple bandits.

Even worse, there was a fire mage, and he decided that it would be wise to cast a powerful wide-range fire spell.

As you have guessed correctly, the forest is on fire.

It is not full blown inferno yet, but still. And have neither time nor method to put it down.

Great.

Fire and smoke became the signal for everyone for the exact location where I am.

Anyway, I need to finish this.

I walk in the direction where last group came. My horse was killed by stray arrow from the first group. Their base should have a spare one, I am sure they won't mind, dead men need no horse.

Looking up I see dark rain clouds gathering.

Oh. At least one problem solved.

...

I highly underestimated the possible size of group, there were at least two hundred, all demi-human of different subspecies.

Were.

At the start everyone was brave and cocky, casting spell, laughing while taunting me with the limited vocabulary they had. Two hundred against one, the result should be obvious.

But there is one problem, I have just too much experience fighting in forests.

Dark Churches like to hide in forests near big cities.

After I killed few dozen, they became more careful and organized. But when there was less than half left, and my sword broke, again, I had to start using my hands.

After I ripped apart few of their mages right in front of them, they decided that retreat was a much better decision.

They are like that, as long as they are in group they are one the bravest creatures in existence, but when you separate they, show them the reality, they change to quite and frightened rabbits.

Anyway, most run away in whatever direction they could, only few 'bravest' remaining. They circle around and try to box me.

And the way out of a box is obvious, break through weakest point.

The person in leather armor didn't get a chance to use his daggers as a small pebble I quickly picked up and threw collided with his ankle with audible crack.

No footing, no way to gather inertia force. Easy kill.

But before I am able to do that I catch a glimpse of strange round object flying in my direction.

Hair on my back stood on their end.

Forgetting everything, I leap behind the closest tree. But I don't make it in time.

The object bounced against the ground to about meter height and explodes with sound closer to several thunder strike.

I felt as my left leg went numb, but decided to ignore it. As soon as I land, I don't wait for anything and try to stand up but fail and fall down.

Looking at my left foot I find it filled with needles.

FUCK.

Where the fuck did they get a needle grenade?! Even more if my foot got numb, this means that the needles should have been coated by extremely powerful paralytic.

I rip them out and while leaning on the tree stand up. Peeking from behind I find the other side of tree scorched black and littered with the same sharp, black needles, everything around meeting the same fate.

No one making a sound.

Looking around a bit more I find many lying on ground, unmoving, paralyzed more likely.

I should be happy that everyone is immobilized, but whoever threw the grenade may have more.

Sending mana to my left foot I try to purge the paralytic, but it may take time, as anything is this world. My foot starts to move, I still can't feel it, but at least for now this will suffice.

Picking up the a new sword lying near a dead body, I start slowly limp in the direction where the grenade came from, while ending the life of everyone who may still be alive.

If the positions were reversed, I would not have gotten a fate so easy.

About 30 meters from the place where grenade exploded I find who threw the grenade.

Or should I say grenades. This explains why I heard several thunder strikes.

A strange, scorched metal chest is open with placeholder for three spheres. And several even more scorched bodies lying on still burning ground near it.

Looks like someone didn't know how to use these dangerous toys. Judging by the chest these 'things' were being transported somewhere, but didn't reach their destination.

Bandits take what they can.

Another sound of thunder startles me, which I believed to be another grenade. Looking up I see another thunder strike.

Rain will start soon.

The sound of footsteps return me to my current problem, several of them actually. I quickly hide behind the closest tree.

These one's are a bit different, much better equipped. They stare at the destruction around in horror with their long swords unsheathed.

"Ancestors save us. You said he is alone!" said the tallest one with cat ears, which looked like the leader of the group, turning to the smallest one.

"I swear! He was alone! Only him!" the smaller one replied fearfully.

"Liar. A single human can't do this. There must be a-"

Before he could finish my new sword already cleaved half of the group apart. The rest tried to run and retaliate, but I was to close, and my weapon was already on the trajectory when they realized what happened.

One of them had a bit better sword, with fortification enchantment, so I decided to free him of his heavy burden.

Dead men need no burdens.

I turned in the direction the newest group came and continued walking.

...

I like the new sword. It doesn't break as easily as the other ones. It not sharp at all, but with my way of fighting I don't need it to be sharp. Any weapon in my hand just becomes a club.

I already cleaved apart several dozens of enforcers in plate-mail, but they still don't end. And each new group is constantly accompanied by a mage with the meat shields standing close.

But thankfully, I finally arrived at their base.

Peaking from behind the trees I see a totally desolated camp.

Not good.

Instincts scream and I follow their direction leaping to right as the tree explodes into cloud of splinters. Without missing a second I jump behind another tree and then another, but I can't wait their next attack, I need to act.

Another explosion sends splinters of several trees around few seconds later, really close to the place of the first explosion.

Moving quickly and silently I circle around a bit and end up behind a group of two mages and several enforcers with big shields standing around them. They don't see me yet, but this is a question of time.

If I jump in they will attack instantly. The way the spell was cast, looks like it was already charged, and they are just releasing it.

I need to kill mages first, but enforcers will hold me just enough for the mages to release the spells.

Making the decision I pickup two pebbles I stand out and make the first throw after which the head of mage standing further burst open in explosion of gore. Without waiting a single breath I launch next which connects with the face of second mage which just turned in my direction to release the spell but was too late.

Enforcers stand stunned as both their mages died and they weren't able to protect them.

As their formation is broken, now I can dictate the way fight goes.

Even a spoon is a weapon if you know how to use it.

One of them throws away his sword and shield and leaps at me one all four, with his jaws wide open.

Preparing my metal 'club', I swing the moment he comes close enough. With a yelp he slams against the tree, but I don't give a moment to realize what happened and crush his skull with my left foot. His body goes limp and stops moving with rare twitches.

Looking back at the group, I find them already running away.

Mighty warriors...

They are not a bandit group, that is for sure.

Too many for that.

Too equipped for that.

There must be something at their base to explain this.

Why am I doing it? That is not my problem. I no longer need to to do anything.

[Finish what we started. That is what we have always done.]

Turning in the direction of camp I start walking, thankfully I start feeling my foot again.

Peeking into the camp again I find something different, something what I did not expected.

A lot of children and women are going out of tents and gathering something.

I find the biggest tent and start circling the camp to 'enter' from the rear side.

I jump over the wooden fence and softly walk to the tent to cut it.

Crouching is another bullshit that is told and doesn't represent truth.

To be as quite as possible you need minimal amount limb movements and a smooth transition of center of mass.

Lifting the flap of the tent I crouch under it and enter inside.

[Someone said something about crouching?]

The huge tent is slightly illuminated by the open cut on top of the tent.

Sound of slap is followed by a deep voice.

"Suck better! Or I will break the remaining teeth you have."

Walking to something that looks like a throne I see what I have seen countless times.

A demi-human with bear ears is sitting on the throne with a big glass bottle and child barely in her teens with dirty blond hair on her knees with her head on his lap.

As if finally noticing me he turns to me.

"Who the fu-"

He doesn't get to finish as his head explodes and pieces of gore and brain matter fly in the direction I swung my sword.

Filth.

The child continues to pleasure the dead body as if nothing happened.

Enough.

With my leg I shove the girl away. After which she starts to randomly crawl around and groaning with hoarse voice until she finds the torso and resumes her previous actions.

Some of the demi-humans make human kids into toys. They plug out their eyes and tongue and through pain and torture change them into something less than animals.

My thoughts of releasing her from her fate are stopped short by the appearance of a new group from the main entrance of tent.

"My Lord!"

"What have you done savage!? We-"

I don't let them finish as I rip them apart.

Looking back at the throne I regret my action. I shouldn't have killed him so fast.

Walking away from the bleeding body parts lying around, I return to the girl.

Taking a small dagger lying on ground I hug the girl from behind and lift her from the dead body as she starts to groan and stir again. Sliding the dagger into her chest, her body stops breathing and limbs slowly fall down.

Why?

I place the body softly on the ground as tears start streaming down my face.

Walking outside I end the lives of anyone who attacks, some half-way through fall on their knees and beg for mercy.

Mercy? So you deserve mercy?

Walking around I find many cages filled with 'broken' women and children, abused and malnutritioned, but alive. I don't know where the keys are so I just break the locks and rip out the metal doors of the cages.

As people pour and fill the camp, and because of sheer amount of children and women, and by the fact that nearly everyone who wasn't in cages was a demi-human, I finally realize.

This is a 'rebel' town, or as some would call it, city of invaders.

Paletia clans always wanted to take a foothold on Salazar continent. And what better time, than when war starts.

I am returned by whispers around. And a single word being exchanged.

"Te-Zeron"

Some fall on their knees and start to pray.

A group of women comes from behind rattling something. Most of them with chocolate colored skin, with deep green eyes.

"Do you have any idea how long have we waited? I will tell my uncle to hang you all for-" she stops as if petrified and starts trembling.

After which she makes few steps back and falls on her butt. Still looking at me she starts whimpering and slowly crawling away in horror.

I look down and curse. At some point the rags fell and I stand with bare chest. The symbol on the chest is an issue. A circle and triangle, inside each other and intersecting, is a symbol of blood brotherhood.

Te-Zeron can be translated from Patu as 'Zeron Demon'. Another name we earned in the Paletia continent, when we were 'cleaning' there.

[What did you expect?]

[Nothing ever will change.]

It is time to move.

As I start searching for a horse, I find a small cage covered by a big, dirty cloth.

Did I miss a cage?

I break open the door and continue walking until I find the stables.

Preparing the horse I hear the sound of river. I am covered in caked blood and other internal organ parts of those who died today.

A bath won't be bad. I take a shirt hanging near the horse. I walk towards the streaming river and enter the freezing cold water. As I submerge into water images of todays events flash across my vision overlapping with similar events that happened in the past.

Life repeats itself. As a spiral, it makes a full circle and returns into the same position, slightly different, but essentially the same.

And it looks like this endless cycle won't stop.

I am not sure how long I am under water, it feels as if hours passed.

Enough. I must end it.

Walking out I start walking back to stables.

But the stables are empty. There were at least a dozen horses, but there are none left.

I should have taken the horse with me.

I need one. Someone must have taken them. They must be still here. Going back to the center of the camp I find it totally desolated again.

No one at all.

I have been away no more than 5 minutes. How could they all disappear?

A strange shuffling coming from the cage with cloth on it, and notifies met that there may be still someone left.

Coming closer I notice that it is the cage I opened last, in exactly the same state I left it. Both the cage door and cloth had not been moved. Throwing off the cloth I find a single child inside, which much malnutritioned than any other I have seen in the camp. A child barely over 5 or 6, with black and grey hair, covered in filth.

Looking around I still fail to hear or see anyone else.

Maybe she knows something.

Opening the door I enter, to which the child reacts with startle and starts crawling away.

Flashback of hundreds of similar situations situation come unexpectedly. Different faces, ages and places, but still children, terrified of the everything in this world.

Hundreds I tried, but failed to save.

Those that fill my nightmares every day.

Sound of another thunder striker returns me back.

Looking back at the child, I notice that there is something wrong with her legs.

Her foot tendons were cut.

She can't walk.

She bundles into corner and starts mumbling something without even looking at me.

Standing there for about half a minute waiting for someone else to come. But I still fail to find anyone else.

Why was she left?

They forgot her?

Or just abandoned her?

Why was she even in the cage alone?

I come a bit closer and finally notice that she has cat ears, ripped, but still.

Wait.

Listening the mumble closer I recognize few words from Qing kingdom language.

The puzzle solved itself.

She is not Paletia demi-human. She is Ojari. The cursed natives of Qing kingdom.

They lived there before even humans came to this continent. They should have been extinct. Massacred just because people, and especially the previous Qing Empress, believed them to bring evil and bad luck.

How did she even end up here.

No human will take her, no demi-human will take her.

Finally rain starts falling. Heavy and thick, with rhythmic sound blocking anything else.

No one will come for her.

What do I do?

[Leave her to here, what else?]

[Don't delude yourself. We can't save lives. Only take them.]

[Enough of this bullshit. There is nothing you can do.]

No.

Words spoken by Yorgan still fresh with me even after nearly a decade.

'We do not seek fame or recognition. If you desire that, you came to the wrong place. Our names will never be spoken, our achievement will never be written, our sacrifices will never be known. We do not bleed because we desire something.'

Enough self pity, enough of Nihilism, enough of hate and despair.

Change will never come out of nothing. I must continue walking as I have always done.

I walk to her and slowly pick her up. She stiffens to my touch, and looks at be in utter confusion with her sky blue eyes.

As if...

As if it is the first time someone touched her.

With her in my arms I walk back to river. Entering the cold water she stiffens and starts trembling, but still does not dare to touch me.

Washing her properly, her black and grey hair return the color they should have. Moon white and velvet black. Walking out of river I cover her shivering body with the new shirt I found. The water may have been too cold for her.

Standing near the river shore with a child in my arms, I review the situation I am in.

Naked and alone with a child in the middle of a forest.

What do I do now?

...

I found neither clean clothes nor any food in the camp. Everything disappeared with people. But I found a lot of footstep marks, being washed by rain, going deeper into the forest.

Therefore I just cut pieces of the big tent and started using it as cloak for me and the child. After that I returned to the forest where the battle took place and gathered whatever I found on the dead bodies. As soon as I gathered enough from the dead I returned to my dead horse and butchered its body into meat.

After cooking some I ate it together with the child. At the start she looked in confusion as if she didn't know what to do with it.

"Eat" I said in yungi, main language used in Qing. Her eyes opened wide and she slowly started nibbling the meat.

I resumed the travel by the main road.

...

Usually time flies away. A day is worth nothing.

But with a child somehow it slowed down. Every sound startled her, every action took time, everything was new to her, every tree, every flower, every bird and animal.

She has been quite the whole time. Only looking at my face and new things.

She has been eating better, but still too little for a growing child.

She continues to look at me, in look of confusion and curiosity.

Then she looks down at her hair taking them into her hands and looking at them from all sides.

Then she looks at me again and stretches her hand to my hair and touches them, looking at them with the same curiously.

"Daddy?"

What?

As she starts crying she continues. "I prayed to ancestors, hoping that daddy would come and save me. That daddy would take me with him, that pain would stop. Mommy didn't lie. I prayed every day."

Hugging me she squeezes "And daddy came."

No.

No, you are wrong. I want to say but can't. I hug the child and I tears stream from my eyes.

The words I dreamed to hear, but burried that unfulfillable dream long time ago.

It happened after the catastrophic expedition to the 'Old' continent, Iazaar, when the rupture was opened. More than half of my brothers died, many were cursed, and that was also the time when I got my scar.

Healing the cursed was hard but possible. But the scar was a totally different story.

No one could heal it. Even the archbishops purification didn't work. That was also time when some started saying about killing all the cursed, including me, and all those who went on the expedition.

If archbishop couldn't heal it, maybe some old scriptures could help. Because of my achievements in the expedition and my history, they made an exception. In search I went to the classified library of ancients, also known as the 'library of the damned', and I found a lot, maybe even too much.

It is called 'library of the damned' for a reason, knowledge so crushing that mere reading of few books will make a person incapable of living in any societies.

Damned for life.

Truth is hard.

That is where I learned about spirits, how they work and see. And their desire for perfect vessel, something like me. I was alive this long just because the spirits didn't know of my existence. How can you know about something that you can neither feel nor hear?

It also explained a lot what exactly happened on the expedition.

It must be logical, something anyone should know and understand, common knowledge sort of, that all affinities are passed by blood, from parents to children.

Absence of any affinity is passed too.

I had nightmares for some time as my children and children of my children would be hunted, breaded, for sole purpose of becoming vessels to spirits.

I vowed to never have children, to never doom anyone to that fate. Those nightmares soon stopped, they were replaced by old ones that I was used to, but now there was a new presence.

It was as if he felt the change in fate, he started tempting, posing as friend.

I also learned why.

The scar is a soul-bound curse, it doesn't matter what you do with your body, curse from the soul will leak into the body.

And the soul-bound curse is also passed by soul creating, or blood as some would call.

He ensured that any child I would have, would be a perfect vessel for him.

He wanted to lay low and await while the number of vessels increases, but my decision crumbled all his plans.

So what was left? Focus on the remaining vessel. He started pumping his energy to the curse, slowly and steadily.

The only way to stop it was to disrupt the flow, which can only be done on magnetic poles.

[You got what you wanted, didn't you?]

Looking down at the small child I ask. "What is your name?"

"Forgot.... no name........ called cursed..... called trash." she replied poorly as if sorry for her existence.

Even slaves have names...

Looking at the moons I decide.

"My name is Alan."

"I will call you Luna."

...

After that night I started to walk with her on my shoulders. I am constantly scanning the terrain in search of danger.

When we rescued the children there were always skilled blood sears who could see anything coming from kilometers away. When you are alone it is just you, if anything happens you just run.

But now there is someone who is fully dependent on me. Maybe I became a bit too paranoid.

I made fun of Jorgan for his over-protective tendencies to children, but look at me.

Ironic isn't it, Jorgan?

...

The south dungeon city is several kilometers away. The city has an with active volcano on one side and one of the biggest ports on continent on the other side.

A strange city. It's a city, but at the same time it is a country.

The funny thing is that it is not actually 'south' dungeon. It is located somewhere at about equator. But back then when the demi-human continent Paletia had not even been discovered, it was believed to be the 'south most' dungeon.

And name the somehow stuck. Even millenniums after...

I see dozens of ships going to and away from port, big and small, old and fancy looking ones. Many ships make a stop here before going to Qing. A city of trade, adventurers and movement.

I got into the queue to enter the city, and slowly but steadily it moved. As soon as it was my turn I came before at least three dozen Enforcers and at least same number of archers on the wall.

They asked the usual stuff, where from, what is the purpose of arrival in the city.

They told me that I am lucky to get here from Mozzarel alive, that I should not travel through the forest back, as they have an issue with bandits, which they will solve soon.

Too late. Too late.

He saw Luna and asked if I hand a document that I bought her as slave.

Well, nothing few coins can't solve.

After paying the 'fee' for entering the city, we went through the gates and enter the city.

The thing is that here, there are only three types of demi-humans. Merchants with special seal from king, slaves brought from Paletia to be sold here, and any other demi-human is open for hunt.

On land of Desert Alliance demi-humans were tolerated, only money counted there. In the Sun Empire any non-human is believed to be abomination, by nearly all religions. In Sarshi Caliphate as long as you zealously believe, and I mean very zealously, in their four gods your race doesn't matter as much.

But here, here were there were near millenniums of battles against the demi-humans, thing are much more on aggressive side.

There are none on this side of the continent, who didn't have their friend or family member killed by demi-humans.

As I walk by the main road with Luna in my arms, I try to find and inn. Maybe tomorrow I will try to find and orphanage or some home.

On south region of Paletia continent a member of rare race would be welcomed with open arms, if they have a decent wealth to back it of course. With the amount of gold I have left, sending her there, or organizing a caravan there, would not be a problem.

I am not even sure what else I can do for her.

As I walk deeper into the city one thing is talked a lot.

Summoned heroes from Empire came into the city and closed the volcano, claiming that there is an ancient evil under dungeon and is about to wake up.

What the fuck do you mean by 'closed the volcano'.

You can't close an active volcano.

Unless they just....

No, thats impossible...

They can't be that dumb...