16 Stand Up Before The Odds

Immediately after, the real battle begun. With no tricks or tactics in mind, both Rin and Karma charged at one another. It was clear that in terms of battle power, knowledge, agility and every other attribute, Rin was superior.

Although, the regeneration drug had closed the gap in his chest and Karma himself felt refreshed even though only moments prior, he was in agony, his only option was to attack head on.

Simple tactics were useless. What he needed right now was not power nor speed. He knew he was weak compared to Rin as well as the fact that the chances of him winning were extremely low.

But if anything could help him win, it would be his desire to live.

With the dagger strongly gripped in his hand, Karma relentlessly swung his blade hoping to reach. But every time he attacked, the dagger would never connect.

Rin would dodge the blade in such an elegant manner it seemed as though he was dancing. Each and every move he made was filled with a purpose. Not a single step was wasted.

Whereas, Karma attacked aimlessly like a stray dog fighting for its territory.

As time passed, Karma's breathing felt increasing heavy. Often times, his breath was inconsistent while his vision became more so distorted. As for his body, deep gashes could be seen throughout. His eyes became droopy as he became more and more tired.

In that time where Rin seemed to only dodge Karma's attacks, Rin had actually been inflicting knife wounds little by little until they added up to what they were now.

However, these wounds quickly regenerated. And once again, Karma looked as though nothing had happened. But the reality was, even though the wounds would disappear, the pain would still linger. Not physically but mentally.

From Karma's perspective, as the battle went on, it felt all the more meaningless.

Constantly holding onto this desire to live was...

Simply put, tedious. He would attack, easily be avoided, slashed, regenerate, and then repeat.

Never giving in no matter how many times he was stabbed but enduring all this, he asked himself a simple question.

The question was not something like,

How do I win? How can I survive? How do I overcome this challenge?

But rather…

Why do I struggle so much?

His eyes that were filled with life minutes ago were now hollow, exactly as they were the day he was adopted.

Why is it that I am so bent on living in this twisted world, he thought. In a world that revolves around the hierarchy on only the strong can live. Why is it that I care?

What's my purpose to live?

In this world where all his life Karma's head was always lowered to everyone around him. Where if he ever looked up for an instant, if he ever tried to fight back the force known as reality which always forced him to remain complacent, if he ever did any of this, he would be beaten, hurt, broken, and more.

So once again, he asked himself, Why do I struggle so much to live in such a twisted world?

Upon asking this a second time, the world surrounding him became colorless and time, itself, froze completely.

In front of him stood a younger version of himself.

As Karma's eyes focused onto the being, the world surrounding it transformed into a white space of emptiness. Once everything disappeared, all that remained was Karma and his other self.

The place was identical to where he had been right before this battle had started.

"I'm here again?" Karma asked blankly.

His eyes still looked dead and he seemed to not care. Although, he was confused where he was, he felt far too defeated to give any attention to his current situation.

"Want to hear a story?" Young Karma asked excited.

"I don't care for your stories… who are you and why are you here?"

"Want to hear a story?" Young Karma asked once again, this time even more ecstatic.

Karma let out a light sigh.

"Do I have a choice?"

Young Karma didn't respond. Instead he let out a warm smile beaming with energy.

"Ok… tell me your story…"

Young Karma leaped in the air with joy and soon after, began his story.

"The story is called Stand Up Before The Odds!"

"Stand Up Before The Odds... huh?"

A sense of familiarity overcame Karma. Could he have heard this story before?

"Once upon a time, the head chief of a small village made a contract with a very powerful demon. He asked that the demon secure prosperity for the village, and in return, the demon could take away something he held precious. Do you know what that precious thing ended up being?"

"No… I'm only listening to your story. How could I know?"

"That precious thing was the destruction of the village itself. You see, the head chief truly cared for the village. To him, this small village and the people who lived inside of it were all family. They were all "precious." And so, the demon gave the village the resources for agriculture, the gold for trading, the weather for living, the water for thirst, and the food for hunger. All so he could one day take back everything and destroy this village that the head chief held dear."

"What did that man expect when he made such a contract with a demon?"

Ignoring Karma's words, Young Karma continued.

"When the day finally came, the villagers became devastated. Everything they had worked for was completely obliterated. All that remained were the scraps from the wooden houses and a single lonely house. But, in this hopeless situation where all seemed lost, one person in the village didn't lose hope. The head chief stood tall. Coming terms with his great mistake, he held eyes filled with a fiery flame ready to make things right. Without making a single unpleasant face, he smiled at the demon who stood before the last house. With a soft but determined tone, he asked the demon to stop. The demon laughed at his request and pushed aside the chief. However, the chief did not give up. To save the people and the village that they call home, he simply couldn't let it all disappear because of that one contract. No matter how many times he fell or how much pain he had to endure, he always raised himself from the ground and stood in the demon's path to the last remaining piece of the village. Even in a state where he was broken and bruised. When he was at his lowest, completely powerless, the head chief never gave in to despair. And by the end, bored by the pitiful humans, the demon left never to be seen again."

Young Karma paused at the end of his story. "Well!?" he asked filled with anticipation. "Isn't the protagonist so cool!!"

"Don't you mean pitiful?" Karma remarked.

"No! He's so cool!"

"How can you consider him cool when he was the very cause of all the turmoil the villagers went through."

"You don't get it do you? After making such a great mistake, he came to terms with reality and even when he was so powerless, he still tried to do something. That meaningless act of his brought change. Even when he was so weak, he did it! He changed the outcome! When his back was against the wall, he didn't give in. He persevered through it all. To others, what he did may look pointless but that act of standing before the demon allowed hope to live. It made it so that even if hope was virtually gone, a portion of it still remained. And that hope, saved the village."

Karma's eyes gazed directly at his younger self. "Why," he asked. "Did you tell me this story…?"

"Whaaaaat…. You know why don't you? The Legendary Hero was my… your..., our hero. To us, the protagonist was the perfect self insert. We are crippled. A person with no magical power. Yet, in this book we see someone with no power bring about change. Wasn't it your hope to become someone who could change this world even without being gifted extraordinary powers?"

"I...I…."

These words made Karma hesitate for a moment.

"No!" Karma shouted. "You're wrong! You… You just don't get it. This story is simply make believe. Someone without power can't do anything in this world. That's something both you and I know very well. No matter how much I struggle, it's all pointless in the end. You know, that story, did that "protagonist" really amount to anything? He didn't save the village. He destroyed it!"

Karma's younger self gave no response.

"H...He struggled without purpose hoping that somehow things would work out. All his actions, they were all wishful thinking! In the end, he was a beggar not a fighter. The words he said meant nothing. The demon simply left because he was bored right? Doesn't that show how incompetent of a human being he was? If he was powerful…. If he had any power at all, he could have done so much more…"

Young Karma let out a light chuckle. "Jeez you're so funny future me!"

"Why are you laughing…!?!?"

"You still don't get it Karma… This story was my favorite since childhood. His struggle was a meaningless one. You're right. Arguably, his actions didn't really amount to much. You're right. He was the cause of the village being destroyed except one house. You're right."

"THEN HOW CAN YOU STILL LOVE SUCH A STUPID STORY!!!"

"For us, the term living is surrounded by pain, suffering, torture, agony and so much more. Completely helpless against the consequences of living. Yet we continue to struggle. Each and every being struggles to live. The plants, the animals, and even you and me. We struggle, we struggle some more and we struggle even more than that. But this struggle of ours… Is this not also a charm of living? To struggle, to endure all of this torment so that one this it means something. So that we can wake up the next day and know full well that we are indeed still alive."

Young Karma paused once again.

"Isn't this why you're still alive to this day? So that you can one day be happy? Why don't you stop lying to yourself Karma... The reason we love this story so much so is because we can see how pitiful a person can be when they have no access to power. Yet seeing someone struggle to protect what they value. Isn't it beautiful? Just like how we struggle to reach our happy ending?"

Karma was at a loss for words. His eyes became blurry and soon enough, he realized that the words that his other self had told him had brought him to cry uncontrollably.

"I see now…" Karma said softly wiping away his tears, although more would continue to come. "My purpose to live? The reason I've endured everything to this day. I guess I've finally found my answer. Pain is my life and suffering is my existence. Living through 14 cruel and unforgettable years. I've always been unknown to happiness. Unknown to joy. Yet these hands of mine were created with a purpose. A purpose I've now come to terms with. So long as I live, my sole purpose to continue is quite simple. I live to live. I go day by day to see another Where happiness becomes known. Where joy becomes known. Where I find my real purpose."

His younger self smiled and said, "Karma, you may not believe in yourself. You may think you're weak and powerless. But I guarantee you that one day you'll be at the top. Remember this, there's absolutely nothing wrong with being weak. But staying weak is. So become strong. Stronger than everyone in this world and show how amazing of a person you truly are."