52 A dream of a boy...
The man is right. He was always alone.
It's been like that since he was a child. At the young age of 5, his parents died from a dungeon break that appeared in the middle of the town.
As the apocalypse intensified, everyone struggled to feed other people aside from themselves. That is why an orphan like him had no choice but to live alone on the outskirts.
He still recalled how he lived in a small hut he built on the cold winter night. It was hard living back then. Therefore, at a young age, he learned how to survive.
The apocalypse continued to terrorize the world but he, as a small and naive child, have no idea what was happening.
Even if he did, he'll probably just laugh it off and leave it to the adults.
He tried to find a job but who would hire a 5 year old kid?
The town was short of food because of the frequent monster attacks. They were also short in money to be able to pay a worker. The Awakened back then was just small in numbers and wasn't too strong in the early days. Being a C-class was already considered a strong man and would sometimes be dispatched to defend a city.
However, he had no interest in those.
He was a coward.
Although he watched the monsters slaughter his parents, he had no desire for revenge. He just wanted to live and hopefully reach the life of a teenager but it would be tough for a child like him to survive.
His life was full of downs, but as if fate wanted to play games with him, he somewhat managed to make it out alive.
5 years later, Urs reached 10 years old.
This time, the world was in chaos after 70% of the land was invaded by the monsters. Egypt was a fortunate country as it was still standing but even then, it became crowded as people overseas evacuated here.
Having anticipated this, Urs became a pickpocket. It was survival of the fittest. He would steal food from stalls and money from people. With this kind of job, he was able to sustain his life stably.
However, this kind of life would change when a Blue Colored Dungeon spawned in the middle of the capital.
He remembered how the blue sky became shrouded in an endless horde of flying giant insects.
For him, this was a common occurrence. He was always on the run that he even thought he already traveled all around the country.
But this time was different.
"Why are you still standing in dazed? Run!!!"
Someone called him in the middle of the outbreak. The man is wearing the typical gears of those self-proclaimed heroes. No doubt he's an Awakened. Seeing him not moving, the man lifted him to his shoulder and ran towards the safe zone while also saving lives on the way.
Urs hated heroes.
The man's name is Darius Adel, a C-class Awakened. Although his rank was too low, he was famous in the city for saving many lives amidst a dungeon break.
He's risking his life for the people he didn't know.
However, Darius still carried that bright smile. He was like the sun shining in the middle of the storm. His aura emits kindness and hope and his voice sounded deep and mellow.
Before Urs knew it, Darius adopted him.
He didn't know why. It happened in a blink of an eye.
"That was impressive! You're standing there without fear!"
Darius' voice always sounded cheerful and pleasing to the ear but even then Urs' expression did not change.
"Where are your parents, kid?"
"Dead."
"Oh, is that so? Then wanna come under my wing? I'm always out of the house so at least I need someone to clean."
On that day, his lonely moments ended. Darius kept him under his care. Despite all of that kindness, Urs never called him father. It was just too tough for a child who grew up and survived by himself.
"Let me introduce you to my daughter, Layla."
Urs vividly recalled how the girl shyly hid under the table after she slowly peeked her head. As an experienced boy who has seen the nature of the world in his life, he shouldn't be in a daze when seeing a little girl.
However, on that day, his stone-cold heart melted. This was also the first time he remembered that he smiled.
Darius said that his wife left them and he was all alone raising his daughter. But his job as an Awakened limited his time that's why he needed someone trustworthy to help him.
What's trustworthy in a 10 year old child?
Even Urs couldn't understand what Darius was thinking. Time passed by and the only thing that irks him is Layla's shy attitude. He can't even approach her as she would quickly run to her room and then shut it.
Well, she must have missed her mother.
On a bright sunny day, Urs and Darius have a short talk.
"Why do you want to protect strangers?"
He's always risking his life. Why can't he understand that his daughter would be all alone once he died?
"Hmm… because it's my duty. What's the use of this God given strength if you don't use it to protect someone?"
Strength? Darius is only a C-class, far from those people who have true power.
Darius is a fine and cheerful man. He would always put others before him that even he, the self-proclaimed kid who roamed Egypt, couldn't comprehend.
However, because of that, Urs had been able to live a better life. Also, working as a houseboy while adjusting to their family slowly healed his past wounds.
After that, 3 years have passed; 8 years after the advent of the apocalypse. Urs turned thirteen and Layla turned 15.
Unlike the first time they met, Layla was more talkative and cheerful with him. She was able to adjust to his arrival in a short time.
She would always cling to him whenever he was done with the chores. Never in his wildest dreams, he would experience something like this.
"Horus, do you want to be like father too?"
Horus?
Ah, that's right… Urs wasn't his real name at all. Horus Hassan, that was his birth name. His parents named him after a god that symbolizes power and protection.
"I heard you have to awaken your mana first but it requires talent. I probably don't have those."
"Eh? I'm sure you can do it! Father always bragged about his strength so once you became one, you had to beat him!"
It was said that love happens in the most unexpected way. He had no experience with those but for someone like him who longed for love, he knew it was a sign.
The lovely flickering lights of the sun made her even more beautiful.
It was a happy day. He still recalled how he woke up and was greeted by Layla's cheerful smile.
At that moment, Urs felt the desire to protect someone.
Is this what Darius always feels?
It feels light and heavy at the same time but even then he can sense that his strength seems to be stronger whenever he has that desire. For the first time in his life, he prayed to the gods to shield them from harm.
It was summer. The morning sun that should have lightened his day did not show.
On that day, Darius went home full of blood, of course with a smile.
How can he smile in this situation?
"Father what happened!?"
"Darius, what happened!?"
Darius pushed them off to the back door exit and said, "Run, you two!!! Don't come back here!!!"
The moment Urs' heard those words, a bad premonition came upon him. Fear crept into his skin and before he knew it, he already ran towards the back door.
"Ahhhh!!!"
All he heard were screams and cries of agony and pain. Urs never looked back and continued to run away. His bones were trembling, that he may even collapse any second.
"Layla, it's alrig—"
At that time, he realized Layla wasn't on his side all along. Without thinking, Urs immediately ran back towards the house. Adrenaline shot towards him, giving him the strength to run even more.
He barged through the door and saw those self-proclaimed heroes laughing as they happily stabbed Darius and Layla.
They cried out for help but he couldn't do anything.
Why is he shaking?
Didn't he say he'll protect this family? What happened now? He couldn't even speak and just watched how they tortured his family.
Would it make a difference if he was strong enough?
He didn't know… perhaps.
In the end, Darius and Layla died, lying in a pool of blood as they hugged their bodies together.
"Oh, there's another kid there!"
"Tch, bomb the house."
"Yes, boss."
Those self-proclaimed heroes left as if they didn't even care about him. Shortly afterwards, the house exploded. He hoped that he should have died back then.
Unfortunately, he escaped death's grasp once again.
As he approached their lying figures, Urs recalled his memory with his parents. When they were in danger, he ran too.
He was never there whenever the people he loved were in danger.
He made a promise to protect them but he couldn't do even a single thing.
"When I grow up, I want to be with you, Layla."
"Eh? Eh? Ehh?!!"
"Will you be with me too?"
"B-but we're still teens, we shouldn't talk about such things."
"Well, even if it takes hundreds of years… I will wait for your answer."
"Are you really thirteen?"
"I wonder about that…"
In the end, all of those were nothing but mere empty words. It was also at this time that he became an Awakened.
It was recorded by the government how the hero, C-class Awakened, Darius Adel, and his daughter, died from a monster attack.
After they died, their houseboy who goes by the name Horus, slaughtered thousands of Awakened in the capital and became Egypt's most dangerous man.
The records detailed how the thirteen year old boy crushed their skulls, ripped their brains, and castrated their organs. They sent many A-class Awakened but they were recovered as only mangled bodies to the point that they were barely recognizable.
The capital was plunged from hell as every day, someone's limbs or organs would be seen on the streets. Blood tracks filled the highways making people even more horrified.
The scene was absurd that even the government erased its record but the people who experienced playing with death still lived to tell the tale.
Hell's Carnage was the name of that large scale massacre that happened over the span of 4 years.
However, no one knew why Horus would do that.
In truth, he lost his mind after their deaths. Even though there wasn't a single thing to protect anymore, Urs still kept on getting stronger.
He wanted to build and live in a place where he would not lose his loved ones again.
Hence, for over 4 years, he kept murdering those guilty Awakened until his army grow to the point where it rivals the country.
But… but he still felt empty. He longed for happiness even though he knew there was no such thing to him.
He abandoned his name as he felt unworthy bearing the name of a god who represented healing and protection.
After four years, he became one of the best and became known all around the world.
Yet…
Yet at the end of the day, his strength was just the result of his failed and unfulfilled promises.
In the end, he was alone and the kingdom he created…
… was nothing but a dream of a boy who longed for a family.
