Totem Makers

Casopi jolted away from shock. His eyes bugged out as he shakingly backed away.

"Y-you! How did you find me!?"

With a grin on his face, Hans stepped out of the shadows.

"Is it that hard to find you? Mm… I don't think so."

"This place is supposed to be hidden with my mana. How can you find it!?"

"Hmm, you guess." Hans answered with a playful smirk.

After he activated the [Empyrean Aurae], Hans went on a rampage. He smashed the ground in a 5-mile radius, not bothering to fight those 3 puppets. Occasionally, they would chase but their skills gradually weakened.

This alone proved his doubts. Their attacks weakened because they were nearing the controller's hiding spot.

If they bombed him with destructive spells, Casopi would be exposed sooner.

He took advantage of this and instead of attacking them, he targeted his skills toward the ground. He kept on doing it until he smashed this place, revealing an underground base.

And just like what he expected, Casopi hid in this place.

"You didn't miss on purpose. You were targeting the ground all along!"

"Hmm, you're smart but not smart enough to guess it from the start…" Hans brandished his sword and slashed Casopi on his chest.

Slash—

Casopi reacted quickly. He jumped backward, avoiding the fatal blow. However, Hans followed with a kick to his gut.

Bam—

"Kuaaaah!!"

A blow to his chest, cracking his ribs.

Crack—

"Kuaaaah!!"

Finally, Hans finished with a destructive [Bull Thrust].

Baaaam—!

"KUAAAAHHH!!!"

Shu—

Casopi flew away and his figure slammed on the wall.

Slam—

He held his chest as blood dripped out of his mouth. Bones were shattered and his body was filled with bruises. His core also has a crack on it, which was also a fatal blow that could have killed him immediately if shattered.

Step—, step—

Hans sauntered towards Casopi. The blades on his hands quivered as he tightened his grip. Looking at the bloodied puppeteer, his eyes sharpened.

He lifted his sword and pointed it at Casopi's eyebrow.

"Tell me who you are and what your purpose is."

As he raised his head, Casopi wiped the blood on his mouth and chuckled, "Ha, haha, cough—, kill me."

Hans advanced the sword forward. The tip of his sword touched the puppeteer's eyebrow. Blood trickled out of Casopi's wound.

Hans's voice raised, "Tell me who you are and what is your purpose!"

Casopi grinned, "You won't get anything from me. Hahaha."

"You!"

At that moment, Hans released his swords.

Clang—

He grabbed the enemy by the throat, pulled him out of the wall, and slammed him to the ground.

Slam—

"Kuaaak!"

The ground exploded in the process. Casopi grit his teeth as he tried to resist. However, Hans fend his hands off and punched him in the face.

Bam—, bam—, bam—!

It didn't end with just one. Hans bombarded him with punches until his face was dyed red.

In the end, it was when Casopi was about to faint that Hans stopped his punches. He grabbed Casopi by the hair and asked him coldly.

"Tell me who you are. How many kids still had that bomb inside them."

"Cough—..." Casopi coughed blood and continued, "S-so you k-know. Hehehe, but I won't tell—"

Bam—

Hans punched him in the face.

"Tell me, you son of a—"

"Kuaaahahaha, you look really mad. Don't worry, they'll all die. Hahahaha!"

Hans was about to smash his fists at the puppeteer when Plundy, abruptly interrupted.

[Calm down, Hans! Your emotions are getting out of hand!!]

'What do you know!?'

[He's not your enemy! I can feel it!]

'Who are you trying to fool!?'

[Look at him!]

With Plundy's words, Hans wandering eyes hurriedly shifted to Casopi's face. Aside from the blood oozing out of his face wounds, a liquid substance seemingly fell from his eyes.

However, as it landed on the ground, the clear liquid became red. Hans's eyes narrowed.

No doubt, it was a tear.

"HAHAHAHA, I've failed. As expected, God only favors the people rich in blessings. Hahaha, pathetic."

"What are you—"

Casopi looked at Hans. "If I die…"

At that moment, Casopi locked his legs around Hans's head. Despite the pain in his body, he mustered all his strength to root Hans in one place.

"....I will take you with me!!!"

Hans's eyes widened.

Just like the last time, the surroundings turned silent and the time seemed to stop. A deafening ring reverberated in his ears, signaling an upcoming danger.

'Damn it!'

He reached the sword on the ground and stabbed Casopi in the chest. Seeing he didn't die, Hans stabbed him multiple times until the life energy on his body slowly diminished.

Without hesitation, Hans sprung out of the ground and dashed away at a blinding speed.

Swish—!

Although Casopi was already at death's door, the danger didn't vanish. It seemed like he had planted a bomb inside his body as well.

Hans didn't delay further and hurriedly sprinted straight towards the village.

At that moment, a beam of light pierced through the sky like a divine punishment descending on the land.

....

"I'm sorry, I failed you two." Casopi muttered as he held the last two women sculptures remaining in his possession.

Revenge was always a good thing but sometimes fate would interfere and crush your hopes.

He had failed to avenge them; his family.

Casopi closed his eyes as he reminisced about his past.

...….

"We are totem makers. We protect the weak when they don't have someone to call so don't be ashamed of it and hold your head high, Carlos!"

Carlos?

That's right, it was his real name.

Carlos Greyheart of the Greyheart Family.

It was a noble family famous as totem makers.

As a child, Casopi hated doing it. Totem-making doesn't suit someone like him who was a prodigy in magic. However, as he was the only heir, he had to do it so the tradition wouldn't die out.

It was an arduous journey and a complicated path as he had to abandon being a magician. A path where he excelled the most.

In the end, he accepted his fate. Once, he had a conversation with his father.

"Totem making is an art. You don't just carve shapes from the wood."

"How do I make it perfect?"

"Perfection can be hard to achieve. Moreover, there is no perfect thing in the world. Always remember that."

"You can make totems look perfect. How can I be like you, father?"

His father laughed. His father is the calmest and kindest person he ever met so it was a surprise to see him laugh.

"Carve them with inspiration. Remember the most beautiful things in the world and carve them with all your heart."

His father was a respected person in the Harisan Empire that even the Emperor himself took a liking to his arts and invited them to become the fifth royal house.

Of course, that's only one of the reasons. What truly caught the Emperor's eye was the totem's usefulness.

Totem makers stored the monster's powers they drew into a wooden sculpture.

It was a balance-breaking ability if they had the necessary mana to sculpt a dragon, they could create an army of it.

Thus, for over 30 years, Carlos mastered his craft. He honed his skills to the point where he already surpassed his father.

Also, through totem making, he met his wife and they had a child.

However, a year later, his father died of old age.

His last words were, "So this is it."

Not knowing the meaning behind it, Carlos ignored it.

After that, he succeeded and became the head of the Greyheart Family.

It was the good old days.

The family flourished through his leadership and the totem makers became well known throughout the Empire.

The totems were sold and almost all of them became protective charms for the soldiers and the nobility.

However, the thriving of the family did not last.

Greed and Envy gleamed in the eyes of the Royal Houses.

They wanted to get the technique of totem making. However, he refused despite the abundant rewards they tried to offer.

It was at that moment that the Greyheart Family members began to disappear one by one. Casopi still remembered how desperate he was to find them, only to know that were tortured and killed.

The royal family instigated it and he had no option but to seek help from the Emperor.

"Your majesty, the members of our family have been killed by the royal houses. I want justice! Please, help me!"

He still recalled how he kneeled to the ground and begged for help.

"Your concerns have already reached my ear. Don't worry, Carlos. I'll punish the people who wronged your family."

That day, it was the first time he felt cheated.

The Emperor did nothing and the bastards who killed his family continued their rampage. He went to the castle over and over again.

He pleaded.

He cried.

He even offered himself as a sacrifice so long as the Greyheart Family remained protected.

But his words fell on deaf ears. The Emperor's empty promises led him to retaliate. Armed with the totems he was proud of, the Greyheart Family attacked the royal houses.

It was a choice he considered to be the best possible way as escaping could only mean treason.

On that night, pools of blood flooded the empire. Monsters appeared like the God of deaths harvesting evil souls. The royal houses teamed up to defeat them but the totems were just too much for them.

However, just when he was about to win, he appeared.

"Carlos! Are you treating me as a blind man!?"

The Emperor arrived like a hero in a fairy tale; equipped with shimmering gears as he rode on a white horse. His presence immediately calmed the battlefield.

"You didn't do anything after I begged for your help many times!"

"It's hard being an Emperor. There are choices you couldn't make as they might affect everyone. I didn't punish them because they are the powers keeping the other empires from check."

"But they killed the members of my family!! Why didn't you do anything!!!!?"

"I'm sorry, Carlos. But this is… a necessary sacrifice."

"You!!!"

The Emperor ignored him and signaled the royal knights behind him. Carlos prepared for civil war when suddenly, his eyes caught two figures tied in their limbs.

"Sona! Pia!!!"

It was his daughter and his wife. He still recalled how the emperor took advantage of his emotions and blackmailed him.

The greyheary family members were killed mercilessly while he watched them from the sidelines. Despite retaliating, the totems were not effective in front of absolute power.

They were crushed…

…destroyed…

And shattered.

The masterpieces he was proud of were trampled together with his dreams.

Was becoming a totem maker a mistake?

If he pursued being a magician back then, would all of this happen?

His father would always tell him that totems were like life. As he grows old, he will realize its value. And through experience, it would hone his eyes to see through the beauty in it.

But now, he just saw them as weapons.

Despite having already surpassed his father, Carlos still felt himself lacking.

What was it?

He didn't know.

As for tonight, all he cared about was his wife and child.

He remembered how his family was declared traitors and the three of them were imprisoned. They barely has enough to eat and the royal houses would occasionally torture his family so they could get the inheritance of totem making.

It was agonizing.

Seeing them almost lifeless as they threw his wife and child into his cell, he couldn't help but tremble.

Did he become a terrible father?

It's just an inheritance, right?

For the life of his family, he could exchange it.

But he's not a fool. Despite the sufferings they inflicted, his mind remained sane.

The empire already fooled him and they would surely do it again once he had no use anymore.

They said that once you pray to the gods and devote your life to them, they'll save you from your sufferings. So he prayed every night, wishing to protect his family from harm.

But no help came.

The final day arrived. It was called the final day as his wife and child couldn't bear the pain anymore.

They died while the torturers looked at him with their playful eyes.

Totem makers protect the weak when they don't have someone to call.

Why is he useless now?

As their bodies were thrown into his cell, his world collapsed. Together with their deaths, his dreams are also shattered.

He blamed himself for their deaths.

He's prideful and selfish and karma got back to him.

He hugged them as he cried like there was no tomorrow.

That day he swore for revenge despite knowing it was impossible.

But then, he came.

The Crown Prince.

"If I let you escape here, what would you do?"

Revenge. That's what he would do.

For some reason, the crown prince let him escape and on that day, his carnage began.

He roamed the world, seeking power. Fueled by revenge, he murdered every Empire knight he saw. He jumped from another place after another to avoid suspicions.

Fortunately, the Harisan Empire had already forgotten him. Even though he knows in his heart that it's impossible to kill the Emperor, he kept killing his knights so the empire would weaken at least.

He leaked information to other empires and even sold his totem-making technique to them as long as they could take the empire down.

But… but despite waiting for another 5 years, the Harisan Empire stood still and he grew old.

Totem-making is an art. However, because of his ambitious nature, it became a weapon instead.

Thus, he abandoned totem making as he didn't want to sully the art, the Greyheart Family was proud of.

He became a puppeteer and slaughtered everyone who went on his way.

But he still felt empty. His revenge wasn't completed and he wouldn't have time to see it happen.

The Greyheart Family ends here together with his hatred.

In the end, he didn't even get to know what the most beautiful thing in the world looks like. The one thing his father would always say.

"Papal"

"Dear!"

At that moment, Carlos heard a voice. As he opened his eyes, the face of his wife and daughter smiling at him entered his vision.

On the outside, his body which was full of totem bombs inside shone even more intensely.

However, he had no care for that anymore.

"Sona, Pia… I'm sorry."

"It's alright. We understand." Their smile made his eyes moist. They stretched their hands as if they had been waiting all the time.

"Let's go?"

As Carlos held their hands, a sudden realization struck him.

He finally knows what his father's last words mean.

The most beautiful thing in the world isn't material or a person.

'So this is it…'

It is… death.

Carlos held their hands.

"Let's go."