18 The Path

I spent the next couple of days in a daze. It was a very scary experience, truth be told. I was uncertain about where I was and what was happening to be but I was in a lot of pain.

Occasionally, a soothing hand will cover my eyes and a wave of warmth would enter my body and make the pain go away.

I was delirious from my fever and my throat felt like it was constricted due to how dehydrated I was.

I really want to die. I want to live. I want to die. I want to live.

The same thoughts repeated themselves again and again in my head. I was lost in a quagmire of my own creation.

All of my insecurities and my fears were laid bare right before me and I honestly didn't feel like denying any of them.

I felt a cold but comforting weight on my head. It felt like it was wiping away my sweat. I loosened my tightly closed fists and slowly relaxed as the heat dissipated.

Even in my half-delirious state of manic fear and anxiety, I could still hold on because I knew someone was watching over me. It was a stranger who looked at me with kindness. He felt like my father but he also felt like unni.

I opened my eyes and all I could see was the interior of the dungeon. Perhaps it was too much to even call it seeing as everything felt fragmented and twisted.

Despite my poor vision, I froze upon seeing the man who tended to me all this time. He was seated in a relaxed position as he wiped away my sweat. His hand was on my stomach and he continuously poured out his prana to help me with my pain and recovery.

I didn't know what he was doing but I was grateful for him.

Even with my all of these things happening at the same time, I could still feel a sense of kinship towards the man who looked carefree and effortlessly handsome.

The man was blessed with fair skin and black hair that accentuated his perfectly sculpted face. His gaze was stern, yet caring. His black eyes felt like they were devoid of all life and hope but it still looked at me with kindness. His mouth was pursed shut, as if he valued every single word he uttered like gold.

With his hand gently wiping my head, he smiled at me and whispered to himself. "It seems like she's finally starting to recover."

The man seemed like he just won a difficult battle. His clothes were stained with my sweat and the blood of monsters he's killed over the past few days as he took care of me.

I strained my neck and looked him in his eyes, my voice barely a whisper "If…if only *cough* unni had… had someone like you…"

The man looked at me in confusion and tilted his head. He opened his mouth and,

"But she has…."

I tried to listen to him but like a puppet whose strings snapped, I passed out. Naturally I didn't hear what he had to say.

This continued for countless days but the man always stayed beside me, only occasionally drifting away to hunt for food and to kill monsters.

I eventually woke up and slowly adjusted to my heavily injured body.

Under the man's care, I slowly recuperated and lived a life receiving his guidance on dungeons and on the sword.

Despite his lack of warmth, he was still very kind as he answered all of my questions with patience.

This was the perfect life considering all of the present circumstances but a small doubt blossomed inside of me.

A burning questioned lingered in my heart. Why hasn't unni come to look for me yet? I've been missing for a long time but no one has come to look for me. Not my father, not unni and not her friends.

Am I…unneeded? Am I unnecessary?

Seemingly sensing my gloomy mood, the man flashed a knowing smile and tapped my forehead with his finger.

"Do not worry about unnecessary things."

The man continued to tend to the pot of soup he was grilling for our meal.

"It was I who notified the guild about your circumstances. Outside help was no longer necessary."

The man kindly handed me a bowl of soup and ruffled my hair. He took a sip but his face betrayed no emotions. He kept eating but it seemed to me as if he was simply forcing the food down rather than savoring it for its taste.

I raised the bowl to my face and took a small sip.

"Bland."

I stuck out my tongue and grimaced at the outrageously bland soup. I gave the man a look of protest but I kept eating.

"I have to get stronger so I can get back to unni." I muttered under my breath.

At the mention of unni, the man stopped mid-action. It wasn't until a few seconds passed that he directed his attention to me.

"Kid, who is this unni you keep talking about?"

I took another small sip and pondered for a bit. I replied after a while, "She is my mother."

I remembered the first time we met. "She is my friend."

I remembered our training sessions. "She is my enemy."

I thought back to the kindness and warmth she showed me. I remembered how her very presence gave me hope. "She is my god."

I thought back to when she extended her hand to me, someone who was neither human nor monster. She kindly smiled at me and told me that my name meant the 'Light of God' – that was a very special moment for me.

I put down the bowl of soup and looked at the man, conveying my love and hatred of that beautiful silver-haired woman with my emotions. "And I am her light."

The man was paralyzed by the intensity of my emotions and of my devotion to my master. He shook his head and smiled kindly, "So that means you've chosen your path…"

His raspy voice echoed in the empty confines of the dungeon but it seems he was satisfied with my answer. His clear gaze stared into mine and his countenance was overbearing. It felt as if he was testing my resolve.

I clenched my fist and I drew my sword, stabbing the blade into the ground. I kneeled as a knight would as the man watched me with interest. I mirrored his gaze with my own as I replied, "She is my mother. My sister. My friend. My enemy. My god." I directed prana onto the sword and the blade was lit up light a noble sun.

"I will be her protector. I will be her sword. That is my answer."

The man nodded at me, acknowledging my resolve. His handsome face was lit up by the hint of a grin on his symmetrical face. He simply replied, "Then we must as she wills."

The man stood up and offered his hand to me. I take his hand in mine and he pulled me up to my feet.

"We better get started then kid." He chuckled with his raspy voice; his eyes tinged with interest. "We've got a long way to go."

The Path – End.