Burn (Part-5)

I walked towards the body. I walked. Every step felt weaker than the one before. I was losing strength in my legs. I walked. I walked until I fell to my knees.

Dropping my sword to the side as my arms went slack, I looked up at the tree in front of me.

I could hear nothing. I could feel nothing. All I could see was the bloodied mutilated corpse of the child in front of me.

I could do nothing but ask...

Why...

Why is there a child torn apart like that?

Why is his body on the tree like that?

Why is his death being mocked like that?

Why did he have to suffer?

Why did he have to die?

Why did they do this?

Why do they hate humans so much?

Why...

Why...

Why...

WHY DON'T THEY ALL JUST DIE?!!!

....

....

....

"Elaina? Why are you just standing there like that? Find them please."

I said the last word with a smile as I stood up and slowly turned to look at Elaina.

***Ren Kaizel***

Elaina was finally slowing down. Liam still had his sword drawn. Light magic, it was certainly a sight to behold. I had never thought there would be beauty in the death of monsters, yet watching them disperse into fragments of light, combined with Liam's natural form with the sword, I couldn't help but admire the beauty of what I saw.

But that wasn't exactly what was really on my mind. Although I was yet to see Elaina in real combat, I was fairly sure I had already assessed what she would be like. Yet her reaction to whatever she had sensed was unexpected even to me. To most, her expression right now would seem ice-cold, but I... I could see in her eyes something more... a sense of painful acceptance of something harsh and cruel. She didn't show it, but she was hurting. As if she had... failed.

Her ice-cold expression was just her suppressing how she really felt.

Elaina silently walked into the clearing as we followed her in.

....

I see...

"What the hell...." Luca said in disbelief.

"Oh no..." Sylvie's voice was shaken.

Indeed. What we saw in front of us... was something hard to see, hard to believe, hard to accept. The cruel reality of this world.

The boy we were tasked to save, Gyuwen was it? Yes... In front of us was Gyuwen. A boy barely 7 years old. A boy who had perhaps just started to realise his most basic emotions. Fear, care, love, anger... happiness. A boy who would never experience those emotions ever again. For he had suffered a fate far worse than any.

It was a terrible sight to behold. His limbs had been taken off his body. His arms were twisted, most likely torn off while he was still alive. His legs had been crushed and broken, before being torn off from his body just like his arms. His mouth agape. He died screaming.

What's worse was that his torso and his torn off limbs had been pinned to a tree, as if being put on show.

I couldn't even begin to imagine what his last moments must have been like. I didn't even want to. That would undoubtedly make even me sad.

Out of us all who were here, one took it worst.

Liam's sword hand dropped to his side, barely holding Lightbreak with his fingers. He slowly walked towards Gyuwen's body, his expression seemingly in a trance with his eyes affixed on what he saw in front of him. He said nothing, did nothing, just walked. He walked until his legs soon gave in as he dropped to his knees.

"Liam..." Elaina started to say but I held out my arm, silently telling her to stay back and let Liam have some space. She turned to look at me, that expression in her eyes was more evident now. The guilt she felt for not finding the boy sooner started showing on her face. Realising what I meant, she started to say something, but her voice betrayed her as no words came out. She turned away and  stood where she was, watching Liam sadly.

I turned my gaze back to Liam as well.

How long had it been? I couldn't remember. It's been so many years, so long. I couldn't remember what it felt like when I witnessed the cruelty of the demonkind for the first time. It's been so long, I can't even feel the same way anymore.

I can't remember, I can't feel. But I can understand. Liam was pure. Always sheltered underneath a bright world of his father's light. He wasn't weak, could never be. He had real strength, but his world was made of pure beautiful ideals. He has always been around good people, true heroes of humanity. He knew he must save humanity, and he wanted to. But he had never seen the darkness. His world of light wasn't an illusion, but his perception of it was made of glass. One that broke at the first touch of darkness.

To him, this was his first contact with the true darkness of this world. Reality.

No one can help him deal with this. He will have to do it himself. What he makes of this realisation of darkness, is upto him.

The heroes and adventurers have indeed made the world a far safer place than it would have been had they not existed. The world of humanity still exists because they protect it. But nothing can change the fact that darkness is eternal. The dark lord of demons is eternal.

Sylvie walked closer to the body as well as she wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her top. She steeled her nerves and inspected the body, looking for some kind of information. Knowing how gentle her heart was, this must not have been easy for her.

"He... He died a couple of hours ago. Looks about 7 years old. It's hard to determine, but the description matches. This is Gyuwen." She said, as she turned back to us, her voice still shaken as she barely held back her tears.

Luca's hands balled up into fists as he gritted his teeth. "Not even the age of Adele... no one deserves to die like this. Especially a kid."

"Don't beat yourself up. There is nothing you could have done Elaina." I said to her.

Elaina didn't respond. She just stood there silently with the same pained expression. I didn't know what I could say that would make her feel better. Neither do I think I should be saying anything to make her feel better. The situation wasn't right for it.

Just then Liam started getting up, looking down at the ground. He picked up his sword and turned to Elaina with a smile, malice and rage evident in his eyes.

"Elaina? Why are you just standing there like that? Find them please."