Chapter 5 - A Memory
The unforgiving heavens wept incessantly, their tears descending upon the city's cobblestone streets as if mourning the unfolding tragedy. Within this tempest, a solitary man, the color of his eyes, like a void, he navigated the labyrinthine alleys shrouded in shadows. His figure bore the grisly marks of a fierce confrontation - bloodstains, bruised flesh, and deep gashes created a grotesque tapestry on his battered body.
With every step he took, his once unwavering resolve crumbled, giving way to an overwhelming surge of anger that coursed through his veins. Closer and closer he drew to that one pale, slender figure lying prone upon the unforgiving pavement. As his eyes met the lifeless visage of his beloved, his heart disintegrated into countless shards.
"No, no, this... this can't be. Please, wake up, please. Please!" His voice quivered as he cradled the motionless form, crimson tears cascading from his eyes. The burden of guilt for every wretched turn of events weighed heavily upon him, and he trembled with a despair that threatened to consume his very soul as he gazed upon the lifeless body of his lover.
"Please, wake up! Oh God," he implored, drawing her lifeless form closer to his chest, his embrace unyielding. The tumultuous world, the relentless pursuit of vengeful foes closing in from all directions, faded into insignificance as he clung to the woman he held dear.
"This is all my fault, all of this is my fault," he muttered, his voice choked with remorse.
In the midst of his sanctuary, the nefarious alliance of ruthless men descended upon him, their sinister machinations entwining with the fate of his beloved. Regret, anger, self-loathing, and despair swirled within him, a maelstrom of emotions threatening to drown him.
"Get him! Take down that monster!" The order reverberated through the ranks of the merciless crews, their henchmen advancing like an unrelenting tempest.
With painstaking care, he laid his lover on the rain-soaked cobblestones and rose, a tempest of wrath surging through him. It amplified his combat abilities, overwhelming his physical and mental faculties. He became a machine programmed solely for annihilation, fixated on the eradication of the obstacles before him.
"Kill! I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU!" His voice reverberated with unbridled rage, the very air quaking with the intensity of his fury.
Some of his assailants were caught off guard by the sheer velocity of his assault and the unexpected carnage that ensued. He moved like a phantom, leaving a trail of fallen bodies in his wake, each step resulting in broken forms flung aside with brutal precision.
"I'll crush every one of you!" He roared, his heart ablaze with vengeance for the heinous act that had stolen his beloved from him, the only person who had ever truly cared for him, nurturing him into a better man.
Kyokushin, Judo, Aikido, Capoeira, Muay Thai - he harnessed the lethal techniques of each martial art with deadly precision, deploying them upon his foes without mercy. The concept of brutality had lost all meaning, as he became utterly consumed by his singular mission - the obliteration of those who had torn his beloved from his embrace.
"W-We're getting overpowered by one man," were the last words to escape the lips of a vanquished foe before the veil of darkness enveloped him.
---
"I bear a lifetime of regrets, but the one that haunts me most is what transpired years ago. You deserved none of it, and I do not deserve you. Your sole desire was a peaceful life with me, if only I had listened. You should never have had to endure such suffering. I can only hold myself accountable for what has occurred. The only reparation I can offer now is to lead a peaceful life, just as you wished. I love you, with all my heart." The young man tenderly caressed a necklace, within which nestled a picture of the two of them, a poignant testament to the happiness they once shared.
"I love you, Alisa. Au Revoir."