A Lifes Journey

22. A Lifes Journey - Chapter 22

It really was a long night, we've been going at it for 4 hours now. All I could taste at this point was blood mixed with stomach acids.

Everything hurt, it wasn't to a level I couldn't handle and I didn't allow for any of my bones to break. Another weak person, unaware of his place in this world.

The man looked at me with tears in his eyes and asked "Are you comfortable there, freak?" Honestly, I'm surprised at this guy's imagination.

He cut me up all over, drowned me, hanged me, even brought an electric shock artifact... What a deranged person. The empty room smelled like shit, sweat, and blood; it also looked the part.

The old man slowly caught his breath as he straightened his back and in between pants told me I can rest for now before throwing a bunch of nails behind me and kicking me in the chest, making me and the chair fall backwards.

I see what you're going for, old man, been through worse though.

"Still no reaction huh?! Filthy murderer! I'll find a way to break you. Have faith that I will."

"Old man, do you really think I ever killed someone unjustly?" I don't know what came over me, I never cared for those things before but something about hearing him and everyone else calling me a murderer over and over again ticked me off.

"A filthy animal like yourself pretending to have morals... How disgusting! You creatures of Slayer who decided to become assassins, all of you have no remorse or any morals to speak of!

Go ahead and explain to me what my innocent son ever did to you!" He said before kicking me in the face.

"Well he did try to rob me with a knife..." His eyes widened and his tears kept flowing while he screamed "I don't care! He was my son, my son that was destined for great things.

He would one day lead a unit of soldiers and push back the dreaded Winter Congregation of Lingyle, and you, a murderer that has no concept or understanding of remorse in his heart, killed him! and for what?! For threatening you with a knife!? I don't wish to speak with a creature like yourself that can't even comprehend the feeling of losing a loved one." As he was about to leave the room, something in me compelled me to prove him wrong...

"I did, you know... I lost one of 2 people I considered my family." Why am I even telling him that? This man is grieving the death of his son, he's already insane enough to torture a person like that for revenge, what's the point in this conversation?

"Alright boy, I'll bite, did it sadden you? Did you cry?! What do you hope to achieve by telling all this to me?"

"I'm not sure myself, I just hate it when people call me a murderer and the conversation came to this so I brought it up... You know, it occurred to me recently. Losing a person you love is really... painful." I stared at the black hole that was the ceiling of the empty room, my chest felt tight and air felt dry in my throat. Why am I even sharing my thoughts with a person that hates me so much?

"What right does a murderer like yourself have to feel pain at a loss? have you even for a second considered all of the lives that you have taken over the years?

The average citizen may not be aware of the existence of Slayer, but someone like myself, I've read those articles about the proud nobles that dropped like flies all around the capital. Many of them good friends of mine, with families of their own.

After the king bestowed land to my name after the battle of 'Orange Dust' in the fortress of Guardian, I took my family and went to build a city there, just to the northwest of Mil-Ansk." Isn't he being awfully talkative? Shin suddenly fell down to the floor and looked at me with tears in his eyes.

He lowered his head and in between sobs and said "I tried to keep my family safe, 20 years of fighting for this country, countless citizens that I have saved, all of that and I can't even protect my own son!

Why did he have to die! Tell me murderer, please, give me a good reason!"

"I don't have a reason to give you, your son threatened my life and I returned the favor."

The sound of his weeping filled the room as I laid there and contemplated the man's words.

After a few seconds of quiet blubbering, the man opened his mouth again "It's so easy for you to just say that isn't it, I guess it's true what my father used to say 'a hunter does not consider the life of his prey', you really don't understand the consequences of your actions.

You are just a child, yet you chose to become an assassin. Or maybe I'm the naive one, thinking a child has a choice in a matter of such significance." I wonder if he was trying to express pity towards me, kind of ironic considering what he just did to me.

"You probably struggle to understand why I'm even talking to someone like you.

I don't get it either. I guess you are the age of my son that you killed. I think I was trying to see if I could get you to understand the gravity of your actions. Maybe I could find a good reason as to why my son had to die.

I can see now however, you're a coward, you can't even face your own emotions, you can't even let go of your cynical view of this world, people's lives are just a piece of paper with instructions for you.

I'll bet all of your assassinations were done using poison or a long range weapon. Long enough so that you don't see the expressions of your dying victims."

"What the fuck do you know about me! Your son was a delinquent in the school and I exacted rightful punishment on him, you're just an overgrown baby who can't even accept that his son is not the perfect little innocent lamb you thought he was, you're weak!

I killed my best friend and I can live with it! You are the real coward for not accepting your reality!

Fuck you and fuck everyone else who keeps saying I'm a murderer! My mother died when I was born and I grew up as an assassin. I was born and this is who I am!

Why is everything I do wrong and everything you do right?! Fuck you! Those nobles needed to die!" My throat was aching as I was screaming, I couldn't even make out the old man's expression as my vision grew blurry. Everything around me was still and quiet but also deafening at the same time.

"She said Ostel needed to die so I could be broken! Fuck her, I'm never going to break! Who do you think I am! I killed so many people, do you think 1 more will do anything to me?! SCREW ALL OF YOU!!"

"What a pathetic, pitiful, broken young man you are. I see torturing you was utterly pointless, you're doing that plenty yourself.

I wish you all the best, child. This little talk has clarified many things to me. If it is any comfort, I may not have forgiven you, but I am thankful for our meeting."

My eyes were hurting, I think the blood from my mouth got into them.

Before Shin left the room he cut the ropes holding me down and said I'm free to go.

As I was struggling to get up to my feet, I realized how dizzy I was. It was hard to stand up at all.

Nevertheless. I will kill Kiyoko, I will go Home and kill her right now, even if I die in the process!