Chapter 545 - 491: The Day They Met (1) (1/2)

”At the beginning… the price to pay seems so very meager.”

Zodiak let out a sigh, got up from that dark corner and searched for a few objects. One of them was a tiny metal objects, seemingly harmless but very dangerous to the frail mortals. He scratched on the wall riddled with holes then looked to the exit of this room, hearing the yelling of his drunk father.

With emotionless eyes, he peeked through the hole and patiently waited till the man fell asleep after rambling for quite a while. With soundless steps, he walked toward his father and slashed down with his dagger, showing not even a tiny bit of hesitation. First, he cut the man's throat, causing him to wake up and clutch his injury, try to stop the gushing blood which resembled a beautiful red fountain dying the whole ground scarlet.

Zodiak's face was splashed by blood yet he didn't care, he struck again with the self-created weapon, this time focusing on the wrists and abdomen.

It was long after that the father died miserably like a dog, his body convulsed for a few brief moments before it ceased breathing, the last bit of life finally extinguished.

The kid, Zodiak, stared at the man's lifeless corpse for a very long time, doing nothing but stand there, blood-soaked and motionless, his inky black pupils never leaving the body laying before them.

”Living such a life… you quickly come to understand that it's not only the nobles who are corrupt and twisted. Red blood flows through all of their veins… they're all humans, same nature and same behavior. If that is what it means to be human then I don't want to be one.”

He threw the sharp metal object next to his father's lifeless body before taking out a small match pack and lighting a few of them. He emptied the alcohol bottle in a tiny haystack, causing it to immediately catch fire. Less then five minutes later, the hut was engulfed by ever-so rising flames, turning the body into ash. As for Zodiak, he left empty-handed, not even taking what he considered precious belongings with him.

This was his way of declaring his permanent decision, letting go of the past and his humanity. He willingly chose to become a monster so that he can survive and live a proper life.

He just murdered his father in cold-blood and even though his body was turned into ash, the mage brigade will easily be able to trace him.

Like a ghost, the short silhouette of the boy left the gates, noticed by no one. His steps were slow as he marched on the cold snow with bare, reddened feet, moreover, his clothes were thin and barely covered a third of his body, nonetheless, he didn't even let out a groan as he clenched his fists and disappeared.

******

”Faster!”

A group of young boys was currently looting corpses of the empire soldiers, from the looks of it, there were at least fifty or so dead men. Zodiak was amongst these looters, he was 'recruited' not long after leaving the city and his job here was to help bandits loot corpses after a long battle. He was given the bare minimum of food, as for shelter, he'd sleep in a cage along the other kids.

The others were either orphans or slaves who had escaped from one hell to another, only Zodiak was an exception.

In fact, one night, one of the boys, the oldest of the group, saw a sharp object hidden in Zodiak's sleeves. He relentlessly threatened to tell the bandits, eager to get a reward but his end was truly gruesome sight.

The rest of the boys watched from the corner of the cage, unwilling and afraid to either help or stop this dispute. They never thought that the mute Zodiak would hide such a dangerous weapon which can cause their end, which is part of the reason they didn't step up to defend him, after all, in this place, to survive you have to be obedient.

There have been cases of revolt but anyone who tried escaping or retaliating was tortured then killed. When the boy, who was one head taller than Zodiak, walked up to him and was about to forcefully take the weapon, all he received was a clean slash on his neck.