Chapter 23：Desire, Mana, Fate, and Bad Villain (2/2)

And a person with long spiky hair dyed in red and has eyes that look like the eyes of a predator. He was standing beside his father while his hand on the sword handle. On the sword that pierced his father's chest.

”Y-Yman... run...” his father's grieving voice pleaded with him to run. But he was shocked and could not move. He was standing still with blank eyes.

The killer twisted his neck to look behind him. He then saw him.

Yman was staring with a crying face and was gravely afraid.

Blood was splattering around when that person pulled the sword from his father's chest. The killer was walking towards him. But Yman's body froze in fear. He could only stare at that person's menacing gaze as he deliberately walked closer and closer to him.

”Hehehehe...a kid, huh,” the killer said while licking the blood of Yman's father that was staining on the killer's sword.

”This is, great! More soul...more soul...more soul for this greedy sword of mine. Hahahaha!” He was spreading his hands as he said it, and the sword was oozing with black energy.

On the hilt of the sword, the monster's mouth was carved at the tip of it. And fangs were visible at the boundary of blade and hilt.

Yman felt the chill coming from the sword. And a sinister feeling was pressuring him that made him unable to run and rooted his feet to where he was standing.

He wanted to shout for help! But how? They were living on the mountainside. Their nearest neighbor was at a 1-kilometer distance from them. And his teacher already left.

No one could help him.

The killer was walking towards him in a not hurry and at a not slow pace. Any moment his death would be certain. His small hands were trembling as he summoned his strength and successfully lifted the wooden sword in his hand.

But the killer was already in front of him. He was looking down at the kid. While gazing at Yman with his eyes that look like the eyes of a fierce beast. That ready to devour his prey.

Yman gritted his teeth, and tears were forming at the corner of his eyes.

”Haaaaaa! W-Why?! Why did you kill my father and mother?!!!” he shouted while looking up at his face. Like looking at the most disgusting shit in the whole world.

He stabbed the tip of a wooden sword towards the killer.

But the killer caught the sword. The gap in strength between them was too wide. Like comparing heaven and earth.

”Hehehe, hahahahaha — kid, are you that angry to see your parents died? Hahahaha! Poor thing, poor thing! Soul give me your soul! Fuel this sword with that petty soul of yours! Hahahaha!”

The laughter of the killer was like a curse in his ears.

”Shut uuuuuup!!! M-Murderer, I will ki - kill you! I will avenge my parents, I will kill you!!!” He tried to pull the sword. But it won't budge even a little. The killer was laughing at his struggle. Yman tried to kick the killer, but his legs that were at half-length only than his sword could not reach the target.

”Ohohoho-hahahahaha- you want what? Avenge your dead parents? You can't even save your life. Kufahahahahahahaha!!!

The earrings that were lining on his mouth were dancing as he was laughing tremendously.

”Haaaaaah!”

Yman yelled again. Even though tears fell from the corner of his eyes, he did not give up and released the sword then leaped towards the killer's leg. The fear he felt a while ago already vanished.

What he wanted to do now was to avenge his parents. It doesn't matter for him if he died, as long as he could wound this enemy. No matter what, he won't die without a fight.

”Hehehe, hey, kid, what are you doing?”

Without answering him, Yman's mouth opened wide. Then, he bit the killer's leg.

”Bwahahahahaha! That was useless! Useless! Useless! hahahahaha!”

Yman seemed to notice that what he did nothing to the killer.

His strength was not enough to cause a wound to the killer. It looks like this killer was not an ordinary person!

”Hahaha, kid, are you done with your little game? Hehehehe! Now beg! Beg! Beg! Beg for your petty life! Then resign your soul to my sword! Hehehe!”

His laughter sounds sinister which sends a chill to Yman's spine.

He gritted his teeth and balled his palm.

Yman summoned all his strength and punched the killer's crotch.

”Ugh!”

The killer seemed to be affected by it. Since he stopped laughing and groaned.

”You bastard! That's foul!”

Whoosh! The killer flicked his leg where Yman was sticking like a lizard. He tried to hold on to the killer's trousers. But the second time he kicked his leg, Yman lost his hold and was thrown away then bumped at the house wall. His hand hit the flower vase which caused it to drop on the floor and broke.

”Ughhh!” *cough!* *cough!*

Yman was groaning as he balled his tiny body to endure the pain while coughing blood.

”Waaaaaaaahhhh!!!”

Suddenly, he heard a crying noise. His eyes opened wide and, ”n-no way...” Yman muttered in a close eye and endured the pain that he felt.

The cries of a girl kid were heard inside the room.

It was the cry of his sister!

”Y-Yana? Y-Yana p-please don't cry he will hear you...” Yman tried to crawl towards the killer's feet and muttered the words in difficulty.

The killer smiled and glanced at the room where the voice came from.

”Hehehehehe, soul, soul, more soul...” he stepped towards the room while repeatedly chanting the word.

The tip of the sword was pointing below, where blood from his parents was dripping on it.

”W-Wait! Stooooop! No! Not my sister! Please not my sister...” He cried.

Yman weakly crawled. But the killer did not stop and continued stepping inside the room.

”Waaaaaaaaaahhhh! Mother, father, Big broooo! Where are you? I'm afraid, I'm afraid, please, don't leave me...”

Yman although having no strength to stand, crawled hastily towards the killer.

The killer stopped in front of the cabinet, where the crying voice of Yana came from. He lifted his hand that was holding the sword. But before he could slash it, Yman dove on his feet and bit it.

The killer had a mocking face. And kicked him towards the cabinet. Yman bumped on the cabinet and almost lost consciousness.

”You're a tenacious little soul...hehehehehe!”

Yman was groaning. Brought by the impact when Yman bumped on the cabinet's door, the cabinet opened. And there, a girl was trembling while using her tiny hands to cover her head.

”Big bro?”

She saw her brother in a bloody state while curling on the floor in pain. And a man was holding a sword with menacing eyes, looking at her.

”Hewehehehehe, new soul, new soul...”

”Y-Yana...”

”Hehehe, now goodbye brat...Gwahahahaha!”

Yana saw the scary person lifting his sword high. His target was her brother. The killer swung his sword, but before it landed on Yman, Yana dove to protect his brother.

The sword hit her but a blinding glow suddenly erupted from her body. And pushed everything around her. The killer was thrown away and bumped his head on the wall.

Although, it didn't manage to kill him, he almost passed out. The killer blinked his eyes and seemed surprised by what he witnessed.

Blood was running down from his head.

On the other hand, Yana was standing in front of his brother. She was enveloped by a blinding glow. She was glowing — even her eyes.

Yman was dumbfounded staring at his sister.

”F-F-Fate, one of the chosen...one of the chosen by Fate Master...” the killer muttered repeatedly these words.

After that, the killer seemed scared he ran and fled.

That was the first time he heard the word, Fate Master.

Yman doesn't know why he seemed so afraid and escaped.

He was also surprised that his sister turned into a lamp.

But a moment later she lost her consciousness. She became sick after that incident. And losing their parents, the two of them become an orphan.

<><><>

”Uhm, Yman, it might be presumptuous of me to ask, but I will ask anyway. Uh, don't get me wrong, it's just to make it an example, but that if — if it's fine with you...”

Mai glanced at Yman while crossing her hands across her chest, and crossed one of her ample legs on top of the other one. In front of her, Brai was silently sitting, in a posture that was like a mirror of her.

Yman side-glanced at Mai. He thought that she was a fine girl and looked classy. The best thing about her was that she doesn't look down at other people beneath her.

He was curiously thinking about what she would ask him. Why him, and not Bob or Chloe? In any case, he was the only one who had no mana among them. So, he could guess somehow of what she would be going to ask him. It might be about his goal or ambition in life.

Since they are already talking about mana and Fate Master.

”...Uhm, I don't know what you wanted to ask me, but, you said that...it's just to make an example, so I don't mind. I will answer if I have the answer, just spare me from questions that are beyond my imagination, haha,” He tried to joke.

Bob laughed, and Chloe in front of them smiled. While the other trainees besides them — inside the carriage — were having floating question marks on top of their heads.

”Understood.” Mai nodded and blinked her eyes before she opened it again, the corner of her eyes glanced at Yman, then she asked, ”may I or we know what is — you most wanted to do in the future?”

|Looks like I've hit the mark. My guess was right.| He thought.

”Future, ha, hmm...”

Yman made the thinking gesture. He could really not answer her truthfully.

”I think — to become a strong magician, so I can join the Seekers Association. Then, gain lots of money. And after my retirement, live a normal life.”

His answer was simple and direct. Though he also wanted to become the strongest magician, that's because — it's free to dream, after all, ambition is boundless and limitless. But the truth was, he could not tell them his real goal.

”I see, so, that's maybe the reason that you don't have mana,” she said.

|Looks like Mai also knew about it.|

Like what his teacher told him, about desire and mana.

Mai explained to them about it. But Yman chose to not listen anymore since he already knew. He was thinking about his sister.

On the other carriage, Sistela was sitting on Yana's lap. Yana was thinking about what her brother was doing at the moment.