Trail of Death(4)

Then I heard a familiar voice which I can't forget in my life.

"So there you are. You sure know how to make your mom worry."

Then I raised my head and turned around.

"Mom?"

****

'What the hell is going on? Is this real or is it part of the trial? I really have a bad feeling about this.'

"How can you run off like that? Do you know how worried I'm?" Mom's voice jolted me out of my reverie.

"Stop worrying he is not a little child anymore. Don't pamper him like that." Dad came behind mom.

Now I don't care whether this is reality or not. I'm really grateful for this moment. At least I can be with my parents one last time.

Tears welled up in my eyes. My heart is starting to feel heavy.

I dashed in the direction of my parents.

"Mom, Dad," I began to cry.

This isn't going to go away anytime soon.

I went over to my mother and hugged her. She drew me into her embrace.

"That's all there is to it, Dear. Please accept my apologies for making you worry." She gave me a gentle pat on the head. I was still in tears.

"As you can see, it's all due of you," Mom yelled angrily at dad.

"What exactly did I do? You see, dear boy, you've matured. You should not be crying in that manner." He complained.

"Don't pay attention to those words. There is still plenty of time for you to grow." My mother gave me a big hug.

This moment is more valuable than all the money in the world. I appreciate everything you've done for me. I'm not sure how much time I have left, so I should make the most of it.

One last time with my parents.

I wiped the tears from my eyes as swiftly as I could.

"Let's go out today, Mom and Dad. Today, I'd like to spend all of my time with you." I quickly held my parent's hand.

"If it's my darling boy's wish, we'll go somewhere and have a great time today."

Mom exclaimed gleefully.

"Today is not the day. I've got a lot of work ahead of me. Perhaps we can go at a later date." Dad was adamant.

"What? Tell me when you have time to be with your family." Mom promptly responded with a rebuttal.

"As you can see, there is a lot of work to be done today. We can go at a later date."

They both began to quarrel. It's not gonna end anytime soon.

I still don't know anything about this trial.

With that, I began the universal kid trick, which can be used with their parents at any time.

"Mom" I called my mom with a sad voice.

"Don't force daddy. He must be very busy. In any case, it's my fault." Tears began to well up in my eyes.

While seeing this my mom's anger rose to its peak.

"See, I will explain."My father is frightened.

"Dear, I worry I've become too soft. Don't you think? From when did I start to ask for your opinion?" My mom gave a devilish grin towards my dad.

'Gulp' My father's gulp could be heard.

"I was just kidding, honey. What work? I'll do it at a later time. Family comes first. Hehe..."He agreed right away.

He could be scared to death. My mother's enraged grin even gave me the chills.

After marriage, all men are like that. You may have the title of boss, but they are the ones who make the real decisions. No husband can deny his wife, especially when she is angry.

Dad fixed his gaze on me. I gave him a slight grin.

"You little..." My mother intervened just as he was going to reprimand me.

"Huh, What?"

"Nothing at all, Dear. Go get ready quickly."

I went upstairs with my mom laughing.

****

The day came to an end very quickly.

This is the most amazing day I've ever had. This is a day I will cherish for the rest of my life.

We started by going to a cafe and eating a lot of sweets and pastries.

My father then took us to see a horror film. I'm not sure if it's because I'm in the body of a child, but I was terrified while watching the movie. My dad was smirking while looking at me telling me that this is the revenge for the morning.

You're underestimating your son, Dad. While looking at my father, I began to cry. My mother noticed my father grinning at me as I was crying. She smacked him harder for making fun of me.

It's amusing to see my father get beaten up by my mother.

So he's taken us shopping to cool her off. What better way to calm his enraged wife than to go shopping?

Mom rapidly depleted Dad's wallet while we were out shopping. While looking at his wallet, my father's face was pale. While staring at him, I was chuckling. This is your punishment for scaring me.

We next proceeded to the amusement park, where we had a great time. We had dinner later that night at our normal eatery.

It's already quite dark outside. The day had ended very quickly. We are walking to our home. I still didn't figure out what this trial was about. Nevertheless, I'm very happy that I got a chance to spend my time with my parents.

After all the hardships for all those years, this was the day I enjoyed the most. If there is a chance that I can experience this again I will definitely come back even if it meant death.

Suddenly, one by one, the street lights went out. I peered ahead of me and saw no one, and the path had come to an end.

My heart rate began to increase once more.

My surroundings are now completely dark.

'Tsk, This is not good.'

Then I turned around and looked at my parents. They were in a state of petrification.

"Don't think you can do anything to my parents on my watch?" I shouted.

I realized that my voice has changed. Then I looked at myself. I'm now back as David Foster.

Then I heard footsteps walking towards us from the darkness. I immediately took out the training sword that I brought with me.

"Hello there?" An old cheeky voice can be heard coming from that place.

I immediately recognized that voice. I steadied my stands.

From the darkness, a figure began to materialize. He appeared to be rather old, but he exuded a frightening aura. The pressure coming out of him is enormous.

I knew who he was right away.

"This is the first time we are meeting each other directly isn't it?" He is smiling at me.

The grandmaster has finally arrived.

****

'Why did he come here out of nowhere?' 'What does he intend to do?' A slew of questions began to surface.

"So, how did your time with your parents go?" He began to walk towards me.

I remained silent and fixed my gaze on him.

"What exactly are you looking for? Stay the hell away from my parents." I warned him.

He came to a halt and burst out laughing.

"What am I looking for? Perhaps you've forgotten. So allow me to refresh your memory. You're the one that showed up at my place." His smile vanished, and his gaze was fixed on me.

I kept my gaze fixed on him. Silence prevailed between us.

He was the one who finally spoke up.

"Don't be concerned. I'm not going to hurt your parents in any way."

His remarks gave me a small sense of relief, but his next statements shocked me.

"However, you are the one who is going to hurt your parents."

"What?" I exclaimed, stunned.

"All right, let's get this third trial started." The Grandmaster said while smirking at me.

****

"I'm not sure what you're plotting, but get rid of it. Don't bring my parents into it." I cautioned him.

He continues to smile at me.

"If you think I'll harm my parents, then go ahead and dream. Even in a billion years, it's not going to happen." I locked my gaze on him with murderous intent.

"I like the expression on your face. You're even more amusing than I expected. It appeals to me. Haha..." He made a sly remark.

"What are you trying to accomplish, and why are you dragging my parents into this?" I didn't budge.

"As you can see, this is my domain, and I am free to do whatever I choose. Do you think you'll be able to stop me from going after your parents? Tell me." He hasn't stopped grinning.

I kept my head down. Yes, He is right. I don't have any power to protect my family. Neither in my past nor in the current world. I'm pathetic.

"So you realize you're not strong enough to even match my finger, right?"

I don't wanna look at his face.

"If you want my power I will give it to you if you pass this trial and even have the wealth I have left behind. So, Do you want my power?"

I fixed my gaze on him. He's gazing at me with a serious expression on his face as if he's no longer joking.

"What should I do in order to pass this trial?" This is an opportunity I should not pass up.

"Nothing much. All you need to do in order to earn my legacy is simply kill your parents right here."

"What?" I'm taken aback.

"..."

"..."

"..."

Silence prevailed between us.

My mind is in a state of disarray. He had a serious expression on his face, as if he was serious about this.

I'm having trouble processing what I just heard. My insides are spinning out of control. My heart is bursting at the seams with rage. My expression began to deteriorate.

"What if I don't want to?" My voice is raging with rage.

"Then you die." He responded.

"Haha...Hahaha..." I burst out laughing like a lunatic.

I can't think right now. There is no longer any need to think.

I turned around and walked over to my parents and hugged them.

"Thank you so much for everything you've done for me. I appreciate everything you've done for me." Tears begin to pour once more.

Then I began walking in the direction of the Grandmaster.

"Hey, old man, I'd want to ask you a question." My voice is raging with rage.

"Haha, go ahead."

"Do you have any family?"

"No, I don't have any family. I was left at an orphanage when I was born."

"Did you ever fall in love with anyone?"

"Hmm. Now that you've brought it up, I don't believe so. All I did in my entire life is to train that's it." He responded.

"Haha, I thought so."

I stood in front of him.

"Now I understand. How can someone who has spent his entire life training understand what family and emotions are? Now that I think about it, you appear to be much more wretched than I do. Haha..." While staring at him, I began to laugh.

His expression has become more serious. Perhaps he felt offended. Haha, That's amazing.

"Do you know what is the difficult way to live a life?" I asked.

There was no response.

While looking into his eyes I answered,

"A life with regret is way more painful than death." I couldn't stop smiling while looking at his face.

"But thanks to you I don't have any regrets right now. Haha..."

He kept a silent eye on me.

"Perhaps there is something you can be proud of. You're forcing me to do something that even the god has been unable to accomplish for many years." I smirked at him.

Then immediately I drew my sword and plunged it through my heart.

My mouth began to gurgle with blood. My mind has gone blank.

"Tsk, you are a fool you know that." the Grandmaster remarked.

I'm unable to hear anything. My consciousness is fading away. I'm dying.

I can feel a big smile on my face.

'Yes, I don't have any regrets.'

My consciousness disappeared as I closed my eyes.

****