The Path of Ruin

Chapter 75: Understanding Himself

"Tell me..."

At Kael's words, the woman paused. She didn't make any sound, she just waited for what he was going to say.

And Kael continued.

"Have you ever... felt powerless?"

At first, the woman looked thoughtful. Then, though, she smiled.

She was in a happy mood. So she didn't ignore Kael and actually listened to him.

"Of course. It took me years to get to where I am now. I've been in so many situations that I had to run for my life, barely escaping death."

She wanted to answer honestly. And she did. But instead of remaining silent, waiting for Kael to continue, she asked him a question.

"And do you know... how interesting you are?"

She didn't wait for Kael to react to her question.

"You have so many eon in your body that at first, I thought you were a follower. But you're a bearer. If you think you're weak... don't. If you stay alive, you'll probably be stronger than me when you reach my level."

Kael clenched his fist so hard that it pierced his palms. Blood warmed his fingers.

"The only reason you feel weak is because I won as your enemy. That you couldn't complete your mission because of me."

Kael took a deep, really deep breath.

He involuntarily thought about everything that had happened to him so far. Everything he had experienced up to this moment came flooding back to him. He began to remember how... incompetent he had been all the time.

In Musthar V. Arcanoa's mansion, he had ruined his mother's life just by existing, pregnant by some random guy. His mother might have been happy, but she was doomed because she had poured everything she had into his well-being.

He had ruined his own life, one after another, many times.

In his days as a slave, he had ruined the lives of everyone below him so that he could rise.

The moment he stepped into the palace, he found himself in the ruins, fleeing from the literal hell. He was even the one who killed the king.

He had massacred many creatures and animals in the forest where he had spent months trying to survive.

Then he had destroyed the lives of four innocent people in the name of 'mission' in the town he had found.

The town itself was almost wiped off the face of the planet while he was there, even if he was not the cause of it.

And now... this town. He was on a mission to help, but... this town was in ruins now.

Why... why did everything around him have to be in ruins when he was striving for something?

Why... did he always fail at every goal except surviving?

Why... did everywhere he went, there was destruction, ruins?

"Oh..."

He saw the woman standing next to him looking at him with a concerned voice and expression. But he ignored her.

His life at this point... was all about survival among the ruins.

Getting stronger, accomplishing something, completing his mission... and more.

Everything was just a by-product.

And that... frustrated him even more.

He had no problem surviving. Getting to live another day... was good.

But... couldn't he make peace for once, in a proper way?

"Hey."

Destruction...

He paused. Lost in his thoughts... Then, though... he realized something else.

Before... he had told himself that he would continue to live for his purpose, even if it meant destroying everything around him. Ruining everyone opposing him.

Why was he thinking about such things now?

He raised his head and looked at the ruins of buildings and people around him.

'I am... this.'

He had accepted it before. And... he had decided to go on in spite of it.

But now... what he accepted was something else.

'I... don't care about things around me.'

Actually... it was like that from the beginning.

'I just... lament my powerlessness for losing so badly.'

The dead, the ruins, even the woman next to him.

He didn't really care about any of them.

He only... felt this way because it was his 'mission' to protect them and he couldn't fulfill that mission.

'Everywhere I go turns into rubble, every person I meet is either ruined or dead...'

His life was... a series of ruins, really.

And... it would continue to be so, probably.

There was a warmth in his heart, after all these thoughts, like the first time he used eon. But it didn't strengthen his body, it didn't make him more resilient.

It just... gently spread throughout his body. It spread its warmth everywhere. And when it reached his mind... it began to take shape.

The woman standing right next to him while he was experiencing this could only take a deep breath.

'Ruin, huh...'

Kael's eon had some of the characteristics from the very beginning. But now... it was completely taking shape and transforming. So the people around him could feel it too.

Especially this woman, who was quite powerful, felt it even more.

Kael's eon... it gave her a frightening feeling. As if everything was going to fall apart as long as she stayed by his side. It made her feel like she was... walking helplessly through ruins.

But what she found most frightening was the amount of eon and how heavy its characteristics were.

Not everyone who became a Follower could instantly have an eon with such pronounced characteristics.

'He's really interesting...'

And finally... all this 'scary' eon began to recede. The silvery glow that had been hovering around Kael receded into his body, and after a short time, it disappeared completely.

Kael opened his eyes slowly. A silvery glow flickered briefly in his normally brown eyes, but then it disappeared as quickly as it had come.

"Congratulations."

She congratulated him in a soft tone. But Kael... didn't pay her much attention.

He raised his hands, looked at his palms.

'So to become a follower... you have to fully accept what you are?'

"You must have learned on your own which Path you are following. And also the first ability you gained."

She was right. The images that appeared in his mind a few moments ago gave him a few ideas.

For example, the Path he followed as a follower was... Ruin.

Path of Ruin.

Therefore, his title was Follower of Ruin.

And the first ability he gained because of his Path was... strange.

He lowered his hands, closed his eyes, and sighed deeply.

It was... funny that he became stronger because of the person he had lost by being crushed.

Very funny.

It was also strange to be standing side by side with her like this. Even though she was his enemy.

Although... were they really enemies?

"Anyway... I hope we meet again in the future. I'm really... intrigued by you."

Kael paused, then slowly looked in the direction she was standing.

But... there was no one there now.

'She's a weird one...'

He turned back in front of him. He looked again at the ruins in front of him, at the corpses of people.

And then he repeated it inside himself.

'I am... this.'

Someone who will somehow bring destruction and ruin wherever he goes.

*******

Enjoy exclusive adventures from M V L

The town was almost beyond rebuilding.

About eighty percent of its population was dead.

The plant they considered their Guardian no longer existed. Which... might actually have been a better outcome.

There was not a single thing the group had accomplished in the town.

There wasn't much left of the group, though.

Baroch had died in the forest.

Pecera had been buried under the ruins and her body was still not found. She too was probably dead.

Scher had somehow survived, but he had broken his arm.

It was questionable how Matthew was even still alive in the first place. Even after fighting so long in the cave, he had been standing up for hours. But, somehow, he too was alive.

And last but not least, Kael was alive.

Only three of the group of five remained.

And now... they were getting ready to go back.

"Amar didn't wake up, right?"

Amar... was in a kind of coma. No one knew when he would wake up. But he still wanted to ask.

And Scher gave the answer to his question.

"No."

"I see..."

The three were silent for a short while. Then they looked at each other, sighed, and began to move through the ruins of the town.

Their own carriage was normally kept in the mansion's stable. But when everything collapsed, the stable collapsed too, and their carriage was destroyed as a result.

Since the Baron was, unfortunately, dead, they couldn't ask him for a new carriage.

So they had to walk to the nearest town.

This was not really a problem. Walking was nothing they couldn't do.

The only problem... was the looks they got from the townspeople.

Every person they passed looked at them with different expressions. Some looked at them with hatred. Some looked at them... with disappointment. Some with hope, that maybe they could help. Others just... looked at them. Detached from life, almost.

After a while, Scher suddenly stopped. One by one, he looked at the townspeople around him. Then, he took a deep breath.

"All the townspeople who can hear me!"

He shouted so loudly that his voice echoed through the ruins. Everyone who heard his voice focused on him.

"We failed in our mission, we came to help you with the insane, but because of the superiority of the threat we faced, we suffered a crushing defeat and... we couldn't stop the town from being destroyed... I know you blame us!"

Kael and Matthew quickly realized what he was trying to do. They then stepped back, allowing him to take the lead.

And Scher... at this very moment, bowed as much as he could. Almost ninety degrees.

"We apologize! Even if there was nothing we could have done, even if we failed because we faced someone much stronger than we expected, we apologize for failing in our mission and for causing you to lose your loved ones!"

Kael and Matthew bowed after him.

"I will write a detailed report to the Empire about what happened here, and even if we fell short... at least they will send someone to rebuild the town or do their best to relocate you. Even if our mistake is irreparable... we will try to do everything we can!"

And he remained bent at ninety degrees for a few more seconds. Then, he slowly stood up. His eyes swept over the people listening to him.

He didn't know if his speech had comforted them. But... at least he felt a little more at ease now.

He had worked night after night for this town, after all. It may not have looked like much from the outside, but he had discovered the tiny eon in the brains of the insane. He had found many symptoms of the insane and discovered ways to deal with them more easily.

He only slept like... a few hours at best every night. Just to be of more help.

Not only that, he had managed the situation as well as he could, he had made sure that the people were not harmed by the insane, and he had saved the town from a lot of damage.

But he still couldn't stop it from getting destroyed.

He considered himself... a failure in every sense of the word.

Still, he had made his speech and didn't need any more. So he turned away again, walking on in the deep silence that enveloped the whole town. Kael and Matthew followed him in the same way.

The trio... left the town just like that.