Scene: Ronin opens his eyes.345Please respect copyright.PENANAShirWZDIfi
345Please respect copyright.PENANADxjLhOQHbZ
The discomfort is immediate. As my senses return, a sharp pain pierces my chest. I try to figure out what’s going on.345Please respect copyright.PENANA8nluHLLnfp
345Please respect copyright.PENANAERjvkiVRSy
“Oh, he is awake!” a man shouts on my left, riding on a strange horse I have never seen before.345Please respect copyright.PENANAXKygmf8ed0
345Please respect copyright.PENANAkLBXN9nk7t
feeling the subtle bumping sensation, I realise that I am also on one of those horse345Please respect copyright.PENANAauLasgEyZH
345Please respect copyright.PENANAeHpTo7Xhif
In front of me is a man with a broad back but short stature, its Warzheil.345Please respect copyright.PENANAxT7KYEDjRT
345Please respect copyright.PENANAOxdnWX726o
“Where….” I try to speak but a sharp pain shoots up from my chest.345Please respect copyright.PENANAyh8tt3Nwa6
345Please respect copyright.PENANANtGnUxnMYl
“Lad, finally you are awake! I can’t thank the ancients enough. I though I almost lost you back there.” He says345Please respect copyright.PENANAM2bEi9b59Y
345Please respect copyright.PENANAKRJMtnG4H8
“what….?” The pain surges up again, as if needles were stuck in my lungs.345Please respect copyright.PENANAzihBe09Iew
345Please respect copyright.PENANA9fDecD2HGa
What’s he talking about?345Please respect copyright.PENANAsb7n4QrLeZ
345Please respect copyright.PENANAylfwgVspmZ
“Don’t speak, you were hit in the chest. It’s a miracle that you are still alive.” He says345Please respect copyright.PENANAcXQoErM0U9
345Please respect copyright.PENANAxvaPMvrBjO
“Food….” I say as I force to speak, thinking I would heal if I absorb.
345Please respect copyright.PENANA9BsXVowK1W
Warzhiel hands me a fruit, I absorb it, but apart from supressing the hunger, it does nothing.345Please respect copyright.PENANAPjw799I87V
345Please respect copyright.PENANANVZiUwU1Ud
“Wondering what happened ,right? That’s the first thing I tried too.” Warzheil says on which I nod.345Please respect copyright.PENANAhWnhANYf59
345Please respect copyright.PENANAHvvP6ge8zZ
“Jortheus?....” I question with the low wind. So it doesn’t hurt me.345Please respect copyright.PENANAP2oQHNQIAV
345Please respect copyright.PENANARjOj90Bm12
“Dead---a feat for real! Boast about it later though.” Warzheil says345Please respect copyright.PENANAglnIUFfa8D
345Please respect copyright.PENANA3Nu6cDC9Va
“What you both talking about under the breath?” Kade inquires.345Please respect copyright.PENANAQtqATgJJal
345Please respect copyright.PENANACfmkq0GUVV
Warzheil ignores him, and continues “This is Kade and the hunters, They are my town folk. We’re heading back—Sil will take care of you.”345Please respect copyright.PENANATRPGVp3T5w
345Please respect copyright.PENANA8MlnUlsLJu
I nod slowly as a greeting on which Kade nods back in approval.345Please respect copyright.PENANAZo5fop4M2v
345Please respect copyright.PENANALeUslLxu5f
“Nice to meet you Mister, Uh—Ronin. Man you look like someone pulled a Dragon Slayer out of the grave.” He says345Please respect copyright.PENANAbg9Pz2vKSs
345Please respect copyright.PENANAgJQh1SphCA
345Please respect copyright.PENANAmLqYwFNssi
My left arm is now back to normal too.345Please respect copyright.PENANAOgY8Leyci6
345Please respect copyright.PENANALHsST1wK2z
I am disappointed by myself. I should have been able to figured it out from that strange smell during our fight During the fight that was burning my lungs , that it was poison.345Please respect copyright.PENANAbqNF95ehCn
345Please respect copyright.PENANAtfJi5NUFLx
“Town is around horizon, Don’t move around too much or your wound may open up.” Warzheil orders me.345Please respect copyright.PENANARqftk94RWC
345Please respect copyright.PENANAJLdHJAWOaS
I grunt back with a light nod.
I see the town approach after a few minutes while Warzheil continues his talks.345Please respect copyright.PENANApv6ryDOPsu
345Please respect copyright.PENANAVC5SADPeYz
“I am surprised though, Kade. Our hunt crazed princess isn’t hunting these days?” Warzheil asks345Please respect copyright.PENANA5DlMgsi2UG
345Please respect copyright.PENANAiMZIFl8qAm
“Oh---that…. A few days ago, a merchant stopped by with latest new from holy kingdom, he spoke of some paladins hearing about this rumour, “Drax the almighty god of skies and fire had fallen at hands of mortal Zamba.” I swear, Even the gods are a prey to mortals jokes these days. But that upset her, ruining her mood probably.” Kade replies345Please respect copyright.PENANAJOeQK0HoYU
345Please respect copyright.PENANAG70BFLcFse
Warzheil almost freezes up, hesitant. We know the truth, but I fear what might happen if she finds out.345Please respect copyright.PENANAqZklTVX7w8
345Please respect copyright.PENANAHqXpSuHf1M
Before anyone could notice his grim expression I push him lightly, snapping him out of it.345Please respect copyright.PENANAlCHgPGfORp
345Please respect copyright.PENANAWyHJ9Dz4vX
“O-Oh, yeah, people talk when drunk with booze or money.” He said
345Please respect copyright.PENANA7Wehnpa0jy
“You seemed lost just now, did something happen? And what’s his story? We can’t let a half demon into the village and you already knew that right? You were the one who suggested the rule. I would kill him on sight if not for you” Kade says, sounding almost unwelcoming of me.345Please respect copyright.PENANAz29lAJORMX
345Please respect copyright.PENANAnySJxWWjYH
I try to speak but Warzheil saves me the trouble.345Please respect copyright.PENANAVFQZdX5ffj
345Please respect copyright.PENANAirn2CTrZKc
“You are taking this Lad lightly. My forge was taken over by goblins and the lich. Heck even the devil was there.” Warzheil tries to sound all proud. As if I was his son.345Please respect copyright.PENANAS6CHVteH0t
345Please respect copyright.PENANAjOUMBmhzmy
“No shit? Stop with your bad jokes oldman. You just don’t have it in you.” Kade says345Please respect copyright.PENANAtcaVaGbiNM
345Please respect copyright.PENANAjXp06NeoJ8
“You doubt me? It seems like you need a taste of my hammer.” Warzheil says softly while he cherishes his hammer while closing his eyes as he speaks and quickly turns one eye open, aimed at Kade as if transferring the image of him getting beaten right into his mind.
“N-not the hammer please.” Kade pleads345Please respect copyright.PENANAI0OeWcWplM
345Please respect copyright.PENANApxEtn5oOS3
Warzheil explains all events leading up to us reaching the forge, and disguising my ability being an artifact to not give away too much info.345Please respect copyright.PENANAkKxWzZtf84
345Please respect copyright.PENANAbgHp6IWGFZ
“Oh! That explains why Bangru couldn’t feel his mana around him? He can block magic with his artifact, huh? Where did he find such a good artifact, let me use it someday” he requests.345Please respect copyright.PENANABHZFKCuAdk
345Please respect copyright.PENANAwQqd3r8QJF
“He has his story, but that’s his to tell.”345Please respect copyright.PENANAnJdxxoeBbj
345Please respect copyright.PENANAk25fxmmxby
“I really liked the story though, I would love to hear more about it.” Wyran the young hunter says
345Please respect copyright.PENANABYN1vymHLu
Warzheil doesn’t tell about the demon lord, Ethis or my absorption abilities.345Please respect copyright.PENANALw6FTBKQtK
345Please respect copyright.PENANA59AQ0Od9NE
“Ok, enough Stories. Look ahead Ronin.” He says, as we enter a big gate with guards and people welcoming us, few notice my arm and shoot anxious looks. I look ahead with all the strength I could muster. I see two figures who stand out even in the crowd.345Please respect copyright.PENANAISFZwpipie
345Please respect copyright.PENANAOmFBVr2omG
“Our hunters have returned with their hunt!” An elven woman speaks, besides her is a girl with a mask on her face, but just looking at her tells me she must be quite a looker, her hair blonde, like gold shining in flame. Dressed like a princess.345Please respect copyright.PENANAh3BWBx1Xfy
345Please respect copyright.PENANAn9qlX1ZO09
She Stands out, so she must be drax’s daughter.345Please respect copyright.PENANARz6PWenDYQ
345Please respect copyright.PENANAeMWW8OHyaL
I can barely process all this, as I fight to keep awake.345Please respect copyright.PENANAqQoorQ1mzC
345Please respect copyright.PENANANhn6KwERZx
Everyone is Cheering, some welcoming their sons from Kade’s group.345Please respect copyright.PENANAMhEgRk7ViN
345Please respect copyright.PENANAW6M9dqLc7f
“Kade, another weak hunt?” Sil asks looking at the meagre stock of hunt and herbs.345Please respect copyright.PENANA0UhTkDdDA3
345Please respect copyright.PENANADDWsZVsOI0
“The hunt have migrated. Alpha grazier herd has left almost no herb to be found in the plains.” Kade explains with disappointment on his face.345Please respect copyright.PENANAZ5WuSDQemB
345Please respect copyright.PENANAF82Dyb551m
“At this rate we may need to move from here.” Sil whispers enough for Kade and all of us to hear.345Please respect copyright.PENANAwAnRu3l6oo
345Please respect copyright.PENANAvoYigjEXYt
Warzheil gets off the horse, helping me down from it. It still stings to move even an inch, but I brave through it.345Please respect copyright.PENANACjDizTx6h3
345Please respect copyright.PENANArdQrmsotos
I couldn’t care what others though of me before, but now, a thought spirals in my head.
What would Gloria think of her Father’s God? This starts to eat at my mind.345Please respect copyright.PENANAvzRnpdLhVL
345Please respect copyright.PENANAnZJWK7ijVj
“Sil, this is no time for celebration or grief, my friend here is gravely injured.” Warzheil says with urgence.345Please respect copyright.PENANAAPu4DZKf43
345Please respect copyright.PENANABRsQsvzMZF
“A friend? Apart from Drax? Finally you learned something new, huh? Don’t worry, a medium grade healing potion will get him back to top form in no time.” She says without glimpsing at me.345Please respect copyright.PENANAyk4hlbu7xo
345Please respect copyright.PENANAnU7bVq3kpE
“Medusa’s poison, Sil” Warzheil almost hisses.345Please respect copyright.PENANAGDEnyQct6c
345Please respect copyright.PENANAwbugoreql0
Sil stiffens, I notice Gloria flinching upon hearing the words.345Please respect copyright.PENANAbazY7prT4R
345Please respect copyright.PENANAksEvNQYxGg
Sil rushes to check my eyes,345Please respect copyright.PENANA69FqdIOTS6
345Please respect copyright.PENANAfJ9iem3nLU
“What’s with your left eye?” She mumbles “And---By the heavens!”345Please respect copyright.PENANAuv2vxi38Vq
345Please respect copyright.PENANALC5mfp2cGd
She suddenly lifts my shirt I want to step back but if I do…, Sil moves away, stumbling back as she catches a sight of my skin.345Please respect copyright.PENANAEDZpp9EOCj
345Please respect copyright.PENANAHNs5t7FguL
“Who let this man walk?! Get a stretcher immediately!” Sil yells at some of the hunters who rush into action.345Please respect copyright.PENANAm1aGUSxrBe
345Please respect copyright.PENANA3lejZ9xaOY
She steps back near Warzheil “What is this? A demon? A Human? A monster? How- how is he alive?” Sil says but Warzheil interrupts.345Please respect copyright.PENANAcl6r5lTkG7
345Please respect copyright.PENANAhiSJ5gLog5
“HE—Is my friend. Who put his LIFE on line to save my ass thrice already. I owe him big, and if I fail to help him?!. I will cut my beard, break these hammers and live the life of a hermit.” Warzheil yells
345Please respect copyright.PENANAcaiBlfJZHD
There is a pause as everyone look at me, at this point all I can see is a contrast of black and white from my right eye and my left eye feels like the world is going all jelly mode, wobbly.
I want to ask for help, maybe it can fasten the process, but my injury and Gloria’s presence hold me back.345Please respect copyright.PENANATuT9GVnyIw
345Please respect copyright.PENANAWdL4FeUtVg
This Strange Pride of mine will someday be my downfall, but its all I have left.345Please respect copyright.PENANALlsAxKTxur
345Please respect copyright.PENANABXi3fhYATo
“Ok, I will help him. But how is he even alive? First of all, he look like a mutant. He is unlike any I have seen, a mix of bone demon and human--yet Alive.”345Please respect copyright.PENANAqOTDjH1YZG
345Please respect copyright.PENANAhcbiRyP5fi
“Second, the poison that can petrify every cell of blood demons has reached his head and yet he is somehow alive.” She adds345Please respect copyright.PENANALcF6vdYleO
345Please respect copyright.PENANASRvTmI2mU8
“And that?!” She asks pointing at the blade hanging behind Warzheil, The blade that the demon lord used on me.345Please respect copyright.PENANA58BeZWQva9
345Please respect copyright.PENANAM1puIZDZhe
“Is that the Ramoon Blade?! As I remember, the demon Lord should have had it!” Gloria’s voice floats through the air as she answers Sil’s question,345Please respect copyright.PENANAf7vKnsfPAW
345Please respect copyright.PENANAzfrjJaJUbT
Her voice is sweet soothing, a remedy to my mind which feels like it’s about to dive in depths of the abyss.345Please respect copyright.PENANA0ywRJk4hqx
345Please respect copyright.PENANAXfjYSR9wr0
“It’s a long story, but first we need to treat him.”
“I cannot risk it without knowing, I am the chief here and you know it.” Sil says345Please respect copyright.PENANAxCeFUahY33
345Please respect copyright.PENANARlgAZ3jhaT
“Right now?… fine! I was in….” Warzheil speaks but I can no longer hear,345Please respect copyright.PENANAmbXwbegcix
345Please respect copyright.PENANAyH0VF7vrlH
What happened? All I hear is a slow thumping of my own pulse, it is slowing down even more, I am starting to lose my sight.345Please respect copyright.PENANA5SGCJ6tOmE
345Please respect copyright.PENANApOU78OW3SI
I- can’t Lose consciousness Here!345Please respect copyright.PENANAo1bhsvRTTA
345Please respect copyright.PENANAyIUoWHJpd9
I fail to resist the drift of my consciousness, it feels good, floating, no pain in the body, in the empty space again, how long have I been here?345Please respect copyright.PENANAK1E7FW7Had
345Please respect copyright.PENANAI54BAQ8mv6
“Giving up already? That’s what I though.”345Please respect copyright.PENANAoaGDDgV0Ys
“You think you have suffered enough?!”345Please respect copyright.PENANAOS6O8PStJq
“Going to leave your contracts?”345Please respect copyright.PENANAzmQGy3PbqY
“Breaking your code?” My own voices eco, as if around me. It feels strange but I feel a fire ignite in me.
345Please respect copyright.PENANAFl2oJf16AY
Gloria’s sharp eyes flicked over Ronin—his tattered form, the raw exhaustion written across his stance. There was something wrong. A man in his condition should be trembling, should be struggling to keep upright. Yet, there he stood, not relaxed, but poised. Like a blade left in its sheath, edge unseen but present nonetheless.
She crossed her arms, not out of indifference, but to keep her hands from fidgeting. He was an enigma. And Gloria hated enigmas.
But there was something haunting about him, she notices a dullness in Ronin’s eyes as if Staring into the abyss. She slowly and hesitantly walks up to Ronin, waves her hand a little.345Please respect copyright.PENANAnAisbaDQZM
345Please respect copyright.PENANA7uWUhjX8Ih
Her suspicion turns into concern as she swings it harder in front of his eyes, the light in his left eye had disappeared, Warzheil and Sil are still in an argument but Warzheil notices gloria.345Please respect copyright.PENANA5WQmZGtkQf
345Please respect copyright.PENANAWsQ4KLOSKL
Gloria gently pokes Ronin—no response, then she puts her index finger under his nose---no breath.345Please respect copyright.PENANAEWCOoFh87Q
345Please respect copyright.PENANAjZVA247bNI
Her breath heavy“ Oh no…..Oldzheil…He-He passed away?!”345Please respect copyright.PENANATIf2reTFA7
345Please respect copyright.PENANA42dmjGQTay
“What? While Standing?” Sil says in disbelief covering her mouth with a grim expression.345Please respect copyright.PENANAXUhPnVPT9d
Gloria slowly steps back, her sight never leaving ronin’s unfazed face.345Please respect copyright.PENANAXB9uRuM7Mp
345Please respect copyright.PENANA8vVXmgxQSm
Warzheil rushed to check Ronin.345Please respect copyright.PENANAWgQTzTMnp6
345Please respect copyright.PENANAlJEGaslaie
“Good Lad! Tell me This is just a prank you are playing on us.! ” trying to calm himself, maintaining a smile on his face.345Please respect copyright.PENANAwc8qNI0TPx
345Please respect copyright.PENANAlq7zggjLcM
He doesn’t find a pulse, No heart beat even after putting his ears on Ronin’s chest. Nothing. Warzheil’s pulse gets quicker345Please respect copyright.PENANA8WLShNjpMe
345Please respect copyright.PENANA3ng3IleYBk
“Dear….He—is gone.” Sil says with a sympathetic expression.345Please respect copyright.PENANA00ewJzowHT
345Please respect copyright.PENANAe6ZaPeXG8v
“Gone?!” Warzheil snaps with anger. “I TOLD you one God.Damn.Thing!, Give urgent treatment to the man!”345Please respect copyright.PENANAHz3haeebBm
345Please respect copyright.PENANA6rbRP6WMyr
“You were the one who suggested the rule to….”345Please respect copyright.PENANAnkw3Le1ChZ
345Please respect copyright.PENANAytXZUJXOq3
“Following ‘RULES’!?” he condemns345Please respect copyright.PENANADdLCScRE4W
“You would follow RULES when a man is suffering silently Infront of you?! I made Rules to save people not to let them DIE!” he roars345Please respect copyright.PENANAyZXfYjHiJa
345Please respect copyright.PENANAiiigogbb1b
Losing strength in his feet and his moral hurt, he falls on his knees.345Please respect copyright.PENANAGnlLamtqxf
“I came here in hopes of helping the Him. Oh good lad forgive me, I failed you!.”345Please respect copyright.PENANAwS0GrDnidQ
345Please respect copyright.PENANAAFV3LOBNDY
“Dear I, I---” Sil knees down to console Warzheil345Please respect copyright.PENANAkIaE317KFj
345Please respect copyright.PENANAF5o3OzZDdJ
“Never had I met such a broken yet humble man, so reliable, Just wishing for a peaceful life, yet in face of cruel fate, he suffered till his last breath. He never asked for anything of me. Even after I suggested the plan that might get us killed, even after getting him mixed in a mess of my own, he never abandoned me. Even though we were strangers.”345Please respect copyright.PENANAZJmFQuAZZm
345Please respect copyright.PENANA5AX2VsdF31
In the darkness of my mind I see it turning to me, the big figure I saw at the end of the empty space when I was teleported in this world. But the voices around me mocked me, pitied me. Have I been so weak? I feel a jolt of energy in my left eye and slowly my Vision returns.345Please respect copyright.PENANAYZn0chlRpJ
345Please respect copyright.PENANAcAn4EuPyq2
I see that I am still standing. A wet sensation drips onto my unshaved moustache. I slide my hand under my nose and notice that it’s blood but its darker in colour, it turns into grey and into cement like powder.345Please respect copyright.PENANArc1gplnJm0
345Please respect copyright.PENANAirQPh2FQuy
What’s going on with me?345Please respect copyright.PENANAIOhEUek0mB
345Please respect copyright.PENANAZZtF2bHw5p
I look with my almost blurry vision and see Warzheil is on one knee, one hammer near his right and one on his left, crying. Why is the old man crying? Was I sleeping while standing?345Please respect copyright.PENANA12x1E8P29A
345Please respect copyright.PENANAWpNWw1G31p
Sil is trying to console him.345Please respect copyright.PENANA67OdQHIW82
345Please respect copyright.PENANAPKRXVQAMZ1
Gloria feels a chill as she see Ronin—who she thought dead, slowly turns his eyes towards her, she almost yells in fear but puts her hand on her mask, trying to compose herself, the hunters next to her yell and stumble back looking at him345Please respect copyright.PENANAO3HGkBXjYT
345Please respect copyright.PENANAoXv6Ucf9TB
I still feel like my ears are under water. Sil and Warzheil looks at me and have an expression of shock and horror.345Please respect copyright.PENANAm3qnUpCxGo
345Please respect copyright.PENANAKE6mCfI8Op
Sil is in disbelief. It wasn’t the state of him that unsettled her—it was the way he carried it. A broken man should look lost, hollow. But there was something in his gaze, too smooth for someone who had just crawled back from the edge of death.
Her people were watching. Trust was a currency here, and she had little to spare. Taking him in meant betting on a ghost. But leaving him out here? That might be a mistake she couldn’t afford.
“Quick, take him to my mansion, I will treat him.” Her voice was steady, but her fingers twitched at her side before she relaxed them. It was a small hesitation. One she hoped no one noticed.345Please respect copyright.PENANAI9fjeyYpCF
345Please respect copyright.PENANAVJcJhy26Fq
345Please respect copyright.PENANAdkNAENGokH
Suddenly I feel like someone is forcing me, I lack strength to resist.345Please respect copyright.PENANA1Vqfx7sVCO
345Please respect copyright.PENANA2TdbfCKoBR
The next thing I know is lying on the stretcher, then in a room. I feel pain and hear my own growns occasionally before blacking out.345Please respect copyright.PENANArHDRvnR6W8
345Please respect copyright.PENANAPiOCEkqEI1
I see glimpses of things happening, my wound seemed big.345Please respect copyright.PENANACpK9BPjTlY
345Please respect copyright.PENANAXwNqJ1FdNc
I finally wake up. Trying to figure things out I hear Warzheil speaking to someone, I recognise that voice, its gloria.345Please respect copyright.PENANAincCphGNr4
345Please respect copyright.PENANA0SLW4uEJKj
“What is he Oldzheil?” Gloria asks345Please respect copyright.PENANAztQ9u8gfrf
345Please respect copyright.PENANAQVmgsFnV6e
“He is a Hitman. There is much to discuss. So lets all meet him first, then we can discuss more tomorrow when he is rested up. The drug ‘s effect should soon be fading.” Warzheil says345Please respect copyright.PENANAP462YUNhPO
345Please respect copyright.PENANAooZu3FaeJv
“What even is he Oldzheil? Sil had to give her half a bag full of pain dampeners and sleep herbs to make him unconscious while she treated him,” Kade’s voice joins in.345Please respect copyright.PENANA83vEbENqzi
345Please respect copyright.PENANAK7JG5k5sBG
“He isn’t a demon. Don’t ask anything else, I just want to see the lad as soon as Sil gets here.” Warzheil says345Please respect copyright.PENANAb44FnaPJ0y
345Please respect copyright.PENANAaBIQQC0z1I
“When I check his pulse!. He wasn’t breathing and was certainly dead, but then suddenly he came back. Without use of potion or magic. He is not human either, I don’t sense mana, nor do I sense any other kind of energy from him. How can a being like him even exist.” Gloria asks, disbelief in her voice.345Please respect copyright.PENANAhAFwEfM2mP
345Please respect copyright.PENANAcyqSBP7T7N
“What?” I whisper to myself.345Please respect copyright.PENANAxQsKnHbQQc
345Please respect copyright.PENANArdV3CQX3Dl
“I was---dead? then I wasn’t sleeping?” My mind rushed more than my pulse, which had now stabilised. I can now think straight.345Please respect copyright.PENANAiZloMOajVY
345Please respect copyright.PENANA9NFTK4zT5R
“The lad truly has his ancestors blood running in him like he said.” Warzheil says.345Please respect copyright.PENANA2kLOl5DhK6
345Please respect copyright.PENANAGfN6CXTSCF
“Ancestors?” Kade asks345Please respect copyright.PENANAzVCPokCTth
“Finally you are here Sil.” Warzheil says345Please respect copyright.PENANAXhv058F0IA
345Please respect copyright.PENANAFK562RladP
“I had to prepare this meal in a hurry, so don’t complain.” She says345Please respect copyright.PENANAXodu3jdLj5
345Please respect copyright.PENANAS2szoIV015
The door opens, I slide my eyes gently to look at them. Sil enters from behind with some food.345Please respect copyright.PENANA3oHzBhr7cq
345Please respect copyright.PENANAR2Nqc49SwS
“Veg food just like you said he liked.” She says looking briefly at Warzheil with smile before returning to me.345Please respect copyright.PENANAJJSuQ9FSq9
345Please respect copyright.PENANAQoH669TW7l
“Are you feeling well now, Ronin?” She asks me with a caring look.345Please respect copyright.PENANAaa20ifvtr8
345Please respect copyright.PENANACpMdAIFeHD
I nod slowly.345Please respect copyright.PENANAmhO3F02dRD
345Please respect copyright.PENANAmqd4Xer67s
“Even a high dragon would struggle against poison of such rarity, yet you survived it. I have many questions for you Ronin, do you think you have the strength to talk? Lets start with names.” She asks345Please respect copyright.PENANA8mWukd4ae8
345Please respect copyright.PENANAJ8T81CQomH
“I am Sil Thundersmith, wife of this old geezer here. You and kade have already met. And this on my left, well, she is Lord Drax’s only child, Gloria.” She says345Please respect copyright.PENANARuzwrDofAJ
345Please respect copyright.PENANAbkXqYGLp7C
345Please respect copyright.PENANA4g6irO2nRF
I muster the strength before finally speaking, powering through the pain which is much cope able now.345Please respect copyright.PENANA8ynk06QcTj
345Please respect copyright.PENANAo93zfoTKoG
“I am Shar Rohiez, for the longest I was known as ‘Ronin’. I can still feel weak, I can feel tremours in my body just by sitting up straight why is that?” I ask345Please respect copyright.PENANAdiStMlxlCx
345Please respect copyright.PENANAAn0jLyVias
“That’s natural, your body just underwent a surgery, I had to pump your heart to clean the blood by almost draining your blood, then using lot of food to make you heal. It was a close call.” she explains345Please respect copyright.PENANAOYHxGNuJSy
345Please respect copyright.PENANA10otcre5y2
“My husband said you saved his life on various occasions. But he didn’t tell us the details. I would like you to answer questions related to that.” Sil says345Please respect copyright.PENANAsHh67DlL1J
345Please respect copyright.PENANA0WZaAhnv9J
“Sil, don’t force the lad, he just woke up!” Warzheil gives an uneasy suggestion.345Please respect copyright.PENANANykcjBWbcm
345Please respect copyright.PENANAyoRY1uqDcc
“You stay quite old geezer. For all we know he could be demon lord’s spy. I have heard they are so skilled that they would be among you and you wouldn’t know. Although even I highly suspect that.” Sil replies.
345Please respect copyright.PENANA7BB5PLIOwL
345Please respect copyright.PENANA0oADDlio48
“You are impossible!… fine, I will talk instead. But I will be rough. And not here, let the lad rest.” He suggests
345Please respect copyright.PENANAjlPcLhXHga
“Fine! Its not like I was going to stab ‘Your Lad’ if he didn’t want to answer me.” Sil replies345Please respect copyright.PENANAEQV6zQG7mG
345Please respect copyright.PENANAmXp8G69Ccc
“That’s…it? I thought you guys were suspicious of me.” I ask345Please respect copyright.PENANA6gODnCwUE4
345Please respect copyright.PENANAVvq66O3GlY
“Aww, don’t sweat it little one, we all know what you just went through. Anyone in your position would want some time alone. Here, eat some food. I will get what information I want from this dwarf here.” She says smiling at Warzheil in a scary way.
“gah, fine. But lad….” Warzheil says “Eat and Rest up, I will show you around town tomorrow. Take you to my new forge even!”345Please respect copyright.PENANA5xi0PNyD7P
345Please respect copyright.PENANAKG1oklJe9j
“Stop acting like my mom” I say to Warzheil345Please respect copyright.PENANAojxC030Wfz
345Please respect copyright.PENANAD1ersn61uH
Warzheil chuckles as they all start going out of the room except Gloria.345Please respect copyright.PENANA7ToufpUxs3
345Please respect copyright.PENANA3M4SrDk1B5
“Gloria?....” Sil asks345Please respect copyright.PENANA7n9DmQG83e
345Please respect copyright.PENANAVMKbiuqqWp
“Grandma Sil, you go on ahead, I will wash the dishes once he is finished eating the food.” She says345Please respect copyright.PENANAVgvtvmnRaU
345Please respect copyright.PENANALXwia9ophR
After a pause, Sil sighs and agrees.345Please respect copyright.PENANApV0Xjax9eP
345Please respect copyright.PENANALwjA00kKGv
After a few seconds, the bustling room dies in silence.345Please respect copyright.PENANAdiaN3WJmVe
345Please respect copyright.PENANAdeOc5I38aK
I feel all kinds of anxieties. 345Please respect copyright.PENANApNOTXv065j
345Please respect copyright.PENANANKFQv23CSG
“Eat up. The food will become cold.” Gloria says which startles me.345Please respect copyright.PENANAxoNCRzdhc7
345Please respect copyright.PENANAkIQ8GgH1Ti
I do as I say, not thinking too much---yeah that helps a lot, I just need to focus on the food and its aroma. Although a bit bland to my taste just from the looks of it.345Please respect copyright.PENANAQ6whH860ni
345Please respect copyright.PENANAYfkccfixYP
At least this way I can avoid her probing eyes.345Please respect copyright.PENANAZqhUFAiXga
345Please respect copyright.PENANABTja5YYWpN
My fingers twitched. Weak. Shaking.
I lifted my hands, staring at the unfamiliar frailty. The callouses were still there, the old scars from battles past, but they felt like relics—a strength that I no longer had.
I curled my fingers, expecting resistance, the usual tension of muscle coiled and ready. Instead, my grip faltered, my knuckles barely tightening before the tremor returned.
Pathetic.
Memory clawed at the edges of my mind—my hands, steady as steel, cutting through flesh and bone. I had stood against monsters, men, and things that blurred the line between both.345Please respect copyright.PENANAjeu1S1s9M8
345Please respect copyright.PENANATqq1bdXh8v
But Now?
The body remembers what the mind does not want to accept, and it was no longer my ally.345Please respect copyright.PENANAfJPWTu3TQY
345Please respect copyright.PENANAhqvww2cRkV
A frustration boils up as my face distorts, but I try to control my emotions as I tighten my jaw.
345Please respect copyright.PENANADWMoWuRpmG
Questions rose in my head, will I ever be normal again?, I just wake up over my death bed? What have I become?345Please respect copyright.PENANAAAmghfxLTE
345Please respect copyright.PENANAgYoaxCDdGr
At times like these I asked myself…. Are these questions you know answer to? If no then why worry? And it works like a charm, I pick up the loaf of bread on the table of food besides me, eat it slowly.345Please respect copyright.PENANAOk01jJo4Sc
345Please respect copyright.PENANAACiv8eazrw
As I eat, I can’t help but feel uncomfortable.345Please respect copyright.PENANADZItsRE7MG
345Please respect copyright.PENANATzSXpNm70n
She has been staring at me for so long and her aura is so crazy its making me feel dizzy, I wish I had my mask, but Warzheil must have taken it off my face and stored it in his pocket.345Please respect copyright.PENANA6aVA691gvT
345Please respect copyright.PENANACJChxPNz2w
I try to pick up the bowl of soup with my right hand, but my fingers twitch uncontrollably. My grip fails me—again. A tremor runs through my arm, subtle but maddening.
Before I can spill it, two warm, fair hands reach out to steady the bowl—Gloria's. She doesn’t say anything at first, just holds it there, letting me adjust. Her touch is calm, practiced, like she’s done this before.
I exhale a frustrated sigh, forcing a crooked smile.345Please respect copyright.PENANAWni46tEX4K
“Oh—thanks.”
She doesn’t respond right away. Instead, she watches me with those sharp eyes of hers—only now, the edge is dulled by something else. Curiosity? Concern?
Gloria leans in just slightly, her voice barely above a whisper.345Please respect copyright.PENANAhTOtM7XRMp
“You always this quiet?”
345Please respect copyright.PENANAsIAm9PRyIU
She waited, arms crossed, expecting… something. A reply, a reaction. Ronin gave her nothing.345Please respect copyright.PENANAWCoI0dbJD4
After a beat, she huffed a laugh. “Alright, I’ll take that as a yes.”345Please respect copyright.PENANAQEpfUaQ06W
345Please respect copyright.PENANA2UufjuIrRA
“My name is---” she adds345Please respect copyright.PENANACieJO8t7rQ
345Please respect copyright.PENANAiNeAYCgc62
“I know.” I interrupt her345Please respect copyright.PENANAsxIWGIx1TG
“Huh?” she says in a short exhale with slight confusion. I take big sips of soup to finish it faster345Please respect copyright.PENANA1g4Olzab24
345Please respect copyright.PENANA0EXLsDoktI
“Drax’s Daughter—Gloria, right?.” I say345Please respect copyright.PENANAoDs1MtuR46
“That’s Lord Drax for you” she says with a hint of anger in her voice, obviously she would expect respect for her father who was a god.345Please respect copyright.PENANA1q3fSNcuOO
345Please respect copyright.PENANA7CJLHQqzc1
“Apologies, a slip of memory…. I meant Lord Drax. So should I be honoured to be drinking from hands of a goddess?” I ask345Please respect copyright.PENANAKLBPx53cKE
345Please respect copyright.PENANAaebbWT4EVw
“I am a demi-human, not a complete god. And you look around my age too, so no need to be formal.” she giggles345Please respect copyright.PENANAY8vrG6Jtce
345Please respect copyright.PENANAd9xUuhmXJ8
So she really doesn’t know about Ethis being her mom.345Please respect copyright.PENANAequqtS1xhI
345Please respect copyright.PENANApIE4E0rG4W
“Blood of the gods runs through you nonetheless.” I say345Please respect copyright.PENANAvIQDyT8ABY
345Please respect copyright.PENANAYVjb4PmAS5
She laughs softly “Yeah, you can say that.”345Please respect copyright.PENANABiFMhg2YJW
345Please respect copyright.PENANAImLIXknoNJ
“What about you? You look demi-human yourself.” She asks
Poor girl, I would not want to see her sad when she finds out her Father’s fate. And every time I think this, a haunting question arises, from within me. What will she think when she finds out that her father’s god is me.?345Please respect copyright.PENANAeGtbGR1YSt
345Please respect copyright.PENANAwm2xRn6YQW
“I happened to have an accident with a deadly demon. He tried to take over my body--but failed, leaving my body like this.” I said345Please respect copyright.PENANA1mrBu9mKMn
345Please respect copyright.PENANAZiBlZzYFYi
“Oh, that’s harsh,” she says, rising as she picks up the bowl and sets it on the plate near me.
She pauses. Just for a second. Then her gaze flicks to me—sharp, thoughtful. “You should rest. Your body needs healing. You’ll be as good as new in two days.”
I give a short nod. “Oh, sure. Thanks for helping me.”
“No need.” She exhales, as if weighing something. Then, instead of leaving, she tilts her head slightly. “You know… most people don’t just stand after being hit with Medusa’s venom.”
She’s fishing.
I say nothing.
Gloria doesn’t push, but she lingers, arms crossed. “It should’ve locked up your body—petrified your limbs at the very least. But you stood there. Even moved.”
I meet her eyes but offer nothing.
She waits. For a beat. Maybe two. Then she sighs, shaking her head with a small smile. “Right. The silent type.”
She picks up the dishes but doesn’t leave just yet. “I wanted to ask more, but once I get caught in chats, I’ll forget to wash the dishes—and the last thing I want is to make Sil angry.”
This time, she leaves.
“At last… a moment’s peace.” As I let the thought let me drive, I hear a growl. I am still hungry.345Please respect copyright.PENANA3R3EZ7hwkn
345Please respect copyright.PENANASiqLgPjmev
I see a tree outside the window. I walk up to it, and look around, there are lots of trees here but people will notice it. There is a big thick vine too, maybe I can…..345Please respect copyright.PENANAUAwZhRibIH
345Please respect copyright.PENANAPXCfgG1UWm
I feel satisfied after the absorbing the vine, my body has started to feel better already, my muscles coil up. I clench my fist and it stops shaking like it did. There is a mirror in the room to. Its been long since I saw my face.345Please respect copyright.PENANAcJDBZNZOTO
345Please respect copyright.PENANA41MCUtqDEL
my hair is very well maintained, as if someone gave me a hair cut. Maybe it was Sil, I will need to thank her later.345Please respect copyright.PENANA3QrZCFt5Vh
345Please respect copyright.PENANA7cHnb8FZM7
As the old men said, Now I can sleep like a horse seller!345Please respect copyright.PENANASw49PNcqeB
345Please respect copyright.PENANAYPh11PKI7d
I lie down on the bed, its comfy, compared to sleeping on rough ground, enough to fit me.345Please respect copyright.PENANAPzBiATR26x
345Please respect copyright.PENANAHKIpC5pwIk
Before I know it, I am drifting away into sleep.
345Please respect copyright.PENANA9jC5M6SUtv
Warzheil and Sil along with Kade are talking in the kitchen.345Please respect copyright.PENANAYLfmQiPkkJ
345Please respect copyright.PENANAeu1FRD9lXi
“You know how much I hate mutants!” Sil spits345Please respect copyright.PENANAMERg1wOYmQ
345Please respect copyright.PENANAkraiUDTmUp
“I am telling you, He is human!” Warzheil yells back345Please respect copyright.PENANAZa0CuX56qM
345Please respect copyright.PENANAXQOSyCgfaK
“Do not shout in the house geezer. Let me ask this then.” She continues “WHY the hell Does he look like that? And even if we put aside the fact that he is mutant, why is his heart on the left side instead of right? A human’s heart is on right!”345Please respect copyright.PENANAFgCsLB83Bv
345Please respect copyright.PENANAevpzZ2LmWg
“You….!” he sneers in anger
“Had it not been you. I would have personally seen to it, that he died even more painful death!” Sil says in a serious tone.
Gloria is listening quietly from outside the kitchen.345Please respect copyright.PENANAM30jPQ2wll
345Please respect copyright.PENANAO1SwWyqQPa
“Wait, both of you, whether we like it or not that guy is our guest. So tone down a little, will ya? And oldman, you cannot keep us in the dark, spill it already.” Kade insists345Please respect copyright.PENANATRdHSQkl7x
345Please respect copyright.PENANAt1Sjba2cti
“Now you have done it HAG!”345Please respect copyright.PENANAJGVploln6u
345Please respect copyright.PENANA2IXxxzh8Na
Sil gasps “HAG?!”345Please respect copyright.PENANArW1GgRWW5L
345Please respect copyright.PENANAziWVw4EY7J
“I thought it would be too much for you all but now you are begging for it, fine hear me--According to what I know, Geolard tried taking over his body…. “ Warzheil jogs his memory, but everyone one is shocked345Please respect copyright.PENANAvuoo3UNy3J
345Please respect copyright.PENANAhgZZHN7LQo
“Wait, who? Surely you do not mean….” Sil almost shouts but Warzheil interrupts her.345Please respect copyright.PENANAxD4pf7cdQv
345Please respect copyright.PENANABYPeyMnnza
“Yes, I mean it exactly. GEOLARD, the heavenly Demon, who fought for all races when gods were after each other’s blood for heaven’s throne. Drax told me he and Geolard once fought side by side against a big threat to our world.” He says345Please respect copyright.PENANAk3ce9ofo0E
345Please respect copyright.PENANAI9dCL0oTgM
Everyone is shocked to345Please respect copyright.PENANAZmzSMdcVB1
345Please respect copyright.PENANAEjZBcq7juB
”But that isn’t even the crazy part. The more I will tell you the more you will understand the weight of your words earlier.”345Please respect copyright.PENANABcvdl62Rr5
345Please respect copyright.PENANA6swc7pbGxb
“So you are telling us that, ‘that’ man we are housing is Geolard?” kade says as his hand clutches a small knife.345Please respect copyright.PENANAAIqVXPxA48
345Please respect copyright.PENANA7GPnZXomhx
Sil notices Gloria.345Please respect copyright.PENANAVc050X851Q
345Please respect copyright.PENANAELdmGxmuxy
“Gloria stop standing there, you have hear it anyway, come join us as we hear this old geezer tell fairy tales” Sil says.345Please respect copyright.PENANAkzbEZCCSlk
345Please respect copyright.PENANAPaWNtZYitv
345Please respect copyright.PENANA3GPXlUHRWE
“Make yourselves comfortable kids, this is tale of a legend in making. So, Don’t jump to conclusions.” Warzheil replies345Please respect copyright.PENANAZryWiVIw2X
345Please respect copyright.PENANAS4nnpxMdog
“Geolard must have thought he had caught a prey, but it turned into his grave and someone else’s power. He failed due to Ronin’s strange left eye.”345Please respect copyright.PENANAOS75uwmOso
345Please respect copyright.PENANAJvA2sHL4jW
“H-he, killed the demon lord that my father told me fairy tales about?” Gloria hesitates under her mask.345Please respect copyright.PENANASVfXUJHeBV
345Please respect copyright.PENANAGCyfLH448Q
“That’s just the beginning. He saved me from goblins……..” Warzheil explains everything that happened till how they got out of the forge.345Please respect copyright.PENANAewYogc8wTj
345Please respect copyright.PENANAugH0cG4e0A
“Wait, Ava, The Light borne Hero, said to be have a body given by goddess Ethis is his Sister? How?” Gloria asks345Please respect copyright.PENANAk7zLv6MUBp
345Please respect copyright.PENANA0uA0iwjnuA
“He told me its complicated.” Warzheil says345Please respect copyright.PENANABos6zLTQFR
345Please respect copyright.PENANAcnZzyEORD0
“Even if we believe that, it doesn’t explain why you have Ramoon blade and why he was poisoned with….” Sil asks but Warzheil interrupts her again345Please respect copyright.PENANAkjDyB0lDz5
345Please respect copyright.PENANAtFq7XmcOXx
“I.AM. getting to that part. Now, I know how impossible and crazy I am about to sound. But I can swear on my beard that what I am bout to tell you is true and I am a living witness.” Warzheil warns, as he takes a deep breath.345Please respect copyright.PENANAmjOro3Ga9h
345Please respect copyright.PENANAILbczSr2P2
“You surely saw the lights flash down from heavens and whispers of gods yesterday, right?”345Please respect copyright.PENANAgpMdfQmTI5
345Please respect copyright.PENANAeKCp8UKzye
“You mean the light that appears when heroes kill the demon lord?.....” Sil says345Please respect copyright.PENANADWb5N9YFgW
345Please respect copyright.PENANAhTmiFmhWcF
But then there is silence, But at this moment silence is the loudest speaker as Sil grows uneasy as if it clicked to her.345Please respect copyright.PENANALzt3jmc9vz
345Please respect copyright.PENANA4W6uqWmqCr
Kade is so shocked his jaw hangs with disbelief.345Please respect copyright.PENANAhR8HPymN7l
345Please respect copyright.PENANAUK8Tp5iCYo
“Yeah, I saw it too, what of it? Are you suggesting that he…..Wait, He?!” Gloria asks in disbelief, realising a moment later.345Please respect copyright.PENANAVtfR7fJKvK
345Please respect copyright.PENANAelK5fqw1o7
“So, if my memory serves me well, someone here was talking big about killing the man, but now you know, if he was our enemy, he would have slain you even in that state of his.” Warzheil says with a smug. As if praising Ronin was like praising Himself.345Please respect copyright.PENANA4TXHlOJhW3
345Please respect copyright.PENANAdmiq3OTKY9
“By the Ancients” Sil supports her head “A human, turned monster. possesses an artifact that nullifies magic to some extent. A body that heals before another injury can be inflicted. And brother of one of the heroes?” Sil says345Please respect copyright.PENANAyC3LWuvkqY
345Please respect copyright.PENANA5R5wqAMVvj
“Wait, then why did the demon lord’s weakness not apply on him if he killed him?” Kade asks345Please respect copyright.PENANAcohBiIuhkb
345Please respect copyright.PENANA7AScq0zlLu
“I have my theories, but the one that clicks is his left eye. Second maybe that his artifact is not affected by the hero and demon system.” Warzheil says345Please respect copyright.PENANAj1zFjTSv42
345Please respect copyright.PENANAC6j0VyvD99
Ronin is an anomaly in this world, unaffected by its rules. Warzheil know it, but hides it as it may lead to gloria finding out about her mother and potentially even Drax’s death.345Please respect copyright.PENANAq1JP1pOur4
345Please respect copyright.PENANAGcYNuQVoQJ
“Ok, that’s it for today, I need to process all this before morning, and I feel sleepy. I will let you off the hook this time dear.” Sil says345Please respect copyright.PENANA29RTt713GE
345Please respect copyright.PENANAlzG3bu7SYx
Warzheil nods “ and Umm..., Forgive me for raising my voice earlier.” Warzheil says with a sad expression345Please respect copyright.PENANAcwJCRcbAcN
345Please respect copyright.PENANATuy2lL6S3G
“Oh, don’t worry old bones, you did what any man would do for someone they care about, maybe I was just jealous that you never got this angry for me.” She says345Please respect copyright.PENANAscFJM9cy6C
345Please respect copyright.PENANA5ubVTFMcup
345Please respect copyright.PENANAeIsZZdOGP2
“Ahem… kids, you should sleep too.” Warzheil coughs hiding his embarrassment.345Please respect copyright.PENANAKBDbWw5oYM
345Please respect copyright.PENANA6Pa1RDeEJf
And so, everyone goes to sleep.345Please respect copyright.PENANAhjMDkDtVOw
345Please respect copyright.PENANAgHp6NKp9Wz
Gloria closes her room’s door, and falls on her bed flat on her face as she clutches her pillow.345Please respect copyright.PENANAMNKI5A4ARn
345Please respect copyright.PENANAcwwRWkglHl
“A human who is so strong he killed Geolard and Jortheus? I knew he was not ordinary the moment I saw him. ”345Please respect copyright.PENANA03jUpqBsU0
345Please respect copyright.PENANA14h9M5urr4
“Father used to tell me, that demon lords are strong and that Geolard was one of the strongest. I really want to see how strong He who defeated them is.” Gloria as she drifts into sleep.
Dear Reader, be kind enough to leave a comment in the chapter about it, as it inspires me to keep improving and doing better. And like if you enjoyed this chapter.345Please respect copyright.PENANAGkOaApJOJZ
It hardly takes a few seconds to write "Good", but it boosts the confidence of us authors.345Please respect copyright.PENANA5UI3ArMY9m
;)345Please respect copyright.PENANAGuOZ0eq3Me
Join my Discord server If you want sneak peeks or early access to chapters of Cosmeta series. Discord Server link: http://discord.gg/Q27uA8vnfu345Please respect copyright.PENANANZ3E0rcdUR
Dive into hot discussions with the creator, meet fellow story fans. Theory crafting, story creation, all sorts of things.345Please respect copyright.PENANASQfDl4Vh1N