Chapter 3: Encounter

Chapter 3: Encounter

In the middle of a restless night, within a little courtyard, a handsome, young man stood like magnificent spear buried in the land. With his eyes closed, he faced his face at the starry sky above him. The night was unlike any other, the moon was brimming with red light—it was as if death was on its way. And just by looking at it, can make anyone tremble with great fear.

The boy gradually opened his wistful eyes, and locked it at the starry sky. If anyone could see his eyes at that very moment, they would think that it was just simply beautiful, so beautiful it would take their breath away. His left eye was brimming with red light like the bloody moon above—and the other one was dim green, as though life itself was getting weaker and weaker every second that passes by.

"Why did you leave me behind in this ruthless, unforgiving place," he punched the ground.

--Boom! The earth trembled as he kept on pounding the ground.

"... t-this hell why does it exist, and why do I have to suffer!"

His gaze, livid and wild as his red eye, looked at his trembling hands.

He said, "I-I became a fiend, a monster... a devil! These hands of mine were soaked in the blood of my enemies." A drop of tear fell as he stared at his trembling scarred hands. "I didn't want to kill them, but I have too in the name of revenge and to quell my raging heart. But was it right? Tell me! They also have their families and friends!" He let out a bellow,"Agghhh! Gods, tell me was I wrong in killing them, the killers of my family and the innocent!?" He screamed again and again, rampaged around the place but no one answered his calls.

Hours had passed, but the blood moon was still there.

He fell to the ground, panting, "D-dad, mom..."

The wind whistled as it brushed against his hair. Exhaustion overcame him after letting out a long rampaged, so he slowly closed his eyes and gradually fell asleep.

...

At a certain vast plain, where blood was splattered everywhere and mangled corpses could be seen littering around the battlefield. A young man bathed in blood stood at the center of the battlefield, filled with corpses, and gore.

"How many years has it been?" he asked with anguish.

Having fought into a thousand battles against several groups of bandits and criminals for roughly four years after his parents, and family were massacred. For four years of fighting against the villains and tyranny of the strong, Hei Long didn't care even the slightest bit whether they were the small groups or the big groups of bandits. Determined to end them all, he would ravaged his brain to find a way to fight, and kill those he deemed "beyond-redemption" with everything he had in his arsenal—you name it, he had it: poison, traps, and mainly using the beasts of the wilds to exterminate criminals, were his favorite things—at least, the only thing he'd done in the past few years—to do when he does not rest, that was his life, his relief from grief is what he called it, a routine that was repeated for over, and over again. If you'd asked him questions like what do you normally eat? He would probably answer you with the "Mmm, bandits, criminals I guess"?

Four years, Boy, someone said.

...

A few years later, after avenging his family, Hei Long was already 16 years old. Hei Long had killed the killers of his family, he'd killed all those bandits which had once feasted upon his village. However, unfortunate things happened in the moment of a fight. While he struggled, and fought with his enemies in their camps, he got stabbed in the back by a knife covered with poison. And the one who stabbed him was the leader himself. His name was unknown to him, but his title had been quite notorious in the city. It was he who massacred Hei family; it was also the man who was bound to be killed by Heilong — The Great Pillager.

"You've almost killed us all, but remember this! I will bring you down with us, and we will have a reunion in hell!" The man laughed hysterically, and later on, he died while staring at the blood-soaked Hei Long.

"Then in hell we shall meet, my friend, in hell we shall," said Hei Long while letting out a grin.

the surrounding areas were covered with lush plants and trees

...

After killing the bandits, Hei Long unhurriedly came back to the place where his parents laid rest. He sat on a big mountain rock near the gigantic trees, the lush, green plants and trees covered the surrounding areas making it a mesmerizing place, and right in front of Hei Long stood a Great Tree, which was standing hundreds meters tall. This is the place where his parents and his people were buried.

"Father, mother, I have finally avenged you all — you can now rest in peace..."

When he'd tried to stand up on the rock, he staggered and struggled to maintain his balance, pungent pus also dripped as he stood. He strolled his way towards the Great Tree of the mountain, and althought he was in great pain, he still smiled along the way. When he arrived at front Peachtree; he took a long stare at it, and paid his respect.

"You had once protected me. I'm very grateful for what you've done, yet, I'm also resentful for what you've done. I think I'm about to pay a visit to my family... I want to request something from you O' Great Tree... I want to die and buried here, with my family. Can you do that for me?"

The tree showed no sign of answering his request; it only stood there without moving,

Without waiting for the tree's reply, he bowed his head toward the graves.

"I have lived in this world like a prisoner being tortured by the passing of time. And every time I slept, I'd always remember Dad's lessons— about the sword, and everything else. In the end, I wasn't able to love someone again. I-I was afraid to lose something again; I wasn't strong enough to protect those who are in need of my protection. I wasn't ready to take the family's responsibility at that time, dad. I am sorry. But, can all you forgive me for what I have done, and let me rest in peace here?"

"..."

His face was white as a sheet of paper, the light of his eyes was slowly losing its brimming brilliance , his black hair unhurriedly turned white, his youthful face aged bit by bit — he was dying. Dying at an unhurried pace; his eyes leisurely became lifeless.

"The day that all of you died, was also the day, your son died... Demons consumed my soul for revenge that I desired; the powers I got was in exchanged for my soul —your child's soul." He started to cry his eyes out, his left crimson eye that had always shined the brightest was slowly losing it red tint: changing from crimson-red to golden-white -- it was breathtaking to behold. He said, "I-I'm tired..." He fell to the ground.

Light wind caressed his head as he quietly went to sleep.

But in the nick of time, the leaves that was swaying around stopped moving—time seemed to stop— then, a verdant green light gradually covered Hei Long who was asleep on the ground soundlessly with a slight golden touch on it. After a few moments, the light eventually dispersed as well as the body of Hei Long.

The tree, which Hei Long had always respected, cherish, and loved, swayed its branches back and forth as though it was saying it long, sad, good-bye. The Great Tree's branches and leaves withered non-stop. After a few days, the leaves and branches of the Great Tree withered to the very root itself — it was dead.

Chapter 2: Death
Chapter 4: Purpose