The Path of Ruin

"Now... let's start with a few questions first, Kael. How long have you been a bearer? And how much do you know about being one?"

Kael... wasn't quite sure what to do, to be honest.

He was literally being interrogated right now, that was not hard to understand. And depending on his answers, his future could be shaped. That was also for sure.

So, after a small pause, he took a deep breath. And... decided to be truthful about this.

"I think it's been about four months. And... I don't know anything about bearers."

He saw Hakon's eyebrows raise slightly.

"Nothing?"

"Well... I know that they're powerful people and stuff, and that they have blessings or curses. And that these allow them to use different powers."

"What were you before, Kael? An orphan living in that town?"

Kael waited a brief moment before answering. This... was definitely a trick question. They could have asked the townspeople about him. So they also might know that he had only arrived there a short time ago.

They might not know too, of course...

But Kael was not willing to risk it.

"I was... a slave to a merchant group."

Though he still decided to mix some lies into the truth.

"Oh?"

"We were traveling somewhere, I don't know exactly where, but we were attacked. I was freed from my mark of slavery, then I escaped. Then I got into that town. I became a bearer while trying to survive in the forest."

Hakon looked even more surprised this time.

"So it's not genetic. It's rare to awaken your potential and gain a blessing. Or from the gods... whatever. But I'm surprised you managed to do it... You must have had a really hard time in the forest."

Kael didn't say anything. Hakon removed his hand from his waist and took a single step towards Kael. His hands were now free.

"Now, let's do an experiment. Attack me, Kael."

"Attack you?"

Hakon nodded.

"Yes. But do something for me... and don't hold back. Use everything you've got. Your blessing, your curse... whatever you have."

Kael looked Hakon up and down.

He had no doubt that the man was strong. Maybe not as strong as Tharon or the general, but certainly much stronger than he was. Still... the way he stood so completely at ease...?

He was not going to underestimate him. But... he felt underestimated. No matter who the other man was, no matter how strong he was, it was uncomfortable for him to stand in front of him like that.

'He's strong, don't ever forget.'

"Haaaah..."

He took a deep breath. Then, he reached for the daggers hanging at his waist.

He was going to do what Hakon said. He was really going to use everything. He would hold nothing back.

So he took his stance, created a warmth in his heart, as usual, and spread it throughout his body. But he did not limit himself to a small amount. He built and built... he did not stop. He fed his body with as much warmth, as much power as he could.

He saw Hakon's lips curl slightly upwards. But he did not care.

When he was swept off his feet, he found himself faster than he thought. The last time he had used everything was a month and a half ago, maybe a little more... the night he killed that merchant group.

He had taken a lot of lives since then. And of course, he had been pushing his body to his limits every day. So he had gotten stronger, even if a little bit.

In the long run, it was a tiny bit of strength. Certainly not a huge amount. But he liked it.

"Oho?"

But... it was different for Hakon.

He simply stepped to the side, as if Kael were a snail. If he wanted to, he could have taken Kael's daggers out of his hands in an instant, he could have broken his neck, he had plenty of openings to make him suffer.

Yet he did none of that. He just avoided. And Kael quickly attacked again, without stopping, even if his first attempt had failed.

He swung his daggers at Hakon one after the other while he easily dodged all his attacks.

Meanwhile... he was talking.

"You are fast. Your attacks are a bit random, but at least you have the basics. You're not bad with daggers, but you're not average either, to be honest. Other than that... is this the ability you have? Simply empowering yourself?"

Kael didn't answer. With each passing second, he grew faster and faster. His attacks became more reckless. He had one target in his sights... and that was Hakon.

But he just wouldn't shut up.

"It could also be something passive, though... I'm not sure. But I want to know the answer to something, Kael."

And... for the first time... he did something other than dodge.

He pushed aside the dagger that had moved to gouge out one of his eyes, just by pressing a finger into its side. Then, he gave Kael a fairly straight trip, causing him to fall. Without even letting him get up, he suddenly appeared in front of him, bent down, and fixed his eyes on Kael's.

There was a silvery glint in Kael's brown eyes, pale but definitely distinct.

"Why are you so interested in killing? Don't think I haven't noticed, you've been looking for something to kill literally every day for the entire three-week journey. That's why you even joined the Scouts. As if... it was an obligation for you. Why is that? Is it because of your blessing? Though... something like that can only be a curse, not a blessing. Is it? Or... are you simply a psychopath who enjoys killing?"

Kael took deep breaths, calming himself. The silvery glint in his eyes receded quickly, the power faded just as fast, and his body returned to its original state. Finally... he could only sigh.

"It's the curse."

He couldn't lie. When he looked into Hakon's eyes... he was sure of it. No matter how much he tried to hide it, sooner or later, he would run into a barrier, and that barrier would allow his curse to take his life.

It wasn't every day he found creatures to kill. At least not in the capital.

It simply wasn't possible.

So... even if it could be used against him, he now believed he had no choice.

As long as he wasn't a slave, he was okay to be used. Just like in the case of Laen. That was the decision he made.

"Oh, so it's a curse..."

Hakon looked thoughtful for a moment.

"What kind of curse? If you tell me in detail, we can help you. I'm serious about this."

"I... need to take life. On a regular basis..."

"Or else?"

"I'm dying."

A deep silence fell over the arena. Hakon stood up, not thinking about anything... just making a 'hmm' sound that said he was thinking.

Kael followed him, slowly rising from the floor.

"And did you gain anything? Curses often provide abilities that are more useful than blessings."

"I've gotten stronger. That's... basically it. I just got stronger and faster."

It wasn't a lie. He had indeed gotten stronger... he was just hiding the fact that he was getting stronger 'all the time'.

Just because he had chosen to trust the Empire didn't mean he would really tell everything about himself.

"You're wrong though. You didn't just get stronger and faster."

Kael frowned.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I'll show you."

Hakon simply stood where he was. The next second... Kael suddenly felt an abnormal coldness crawling across his skin. A shiver gradually ran down his spine. It was as if... as if there was a danger lurking behind him, as if someone stronger than him was staring at him.

As if... as if he were a helpless prey in front of a hunter.

He was trying to process what was happening when suddenly his eyes locked on Hakon. Then... he saw a red glow begin to appear in the man's black eyes.

His eyes widened slightly as he froze in his tracks.

"Curses and blessings... these are not for free, Kael. Just as your body needs energy to move, food to eat... so do your abilities."

He raised his hand. The same red glow that appeared in his eyes appeared in his fingers, and then they changed shape. They began to swirl around him like dancing... leaves.

"We call it eon. Essence of Nature, that's how it stands. It's in every human being, every living being... even those who can't be bearers or normal animals. And this is the essence that your abilities as a bearer need.

He suddenly clenched his fingers, balled his hand into a fist, and the transparent things around him, like leaves, dispersed.

He looked up at Kael as his eyes returned to their original color.

"Each living being has a certain eon reserve. It can increase, or decrease accordingly. Simply... it can change. And it not only fuels your abilities, it allows you to do other things. Like make yourself stronger, faster, more resilient. And your eon reserves... from what I've seen, it's a lot more than someone who's only been a bearer for a few months should have. Much, like really much more. So there are two possibilities..."

Suddenly, there was a look in Kael's eyes that showed he was beginning to understand what was happening. His expression changed gradually while Hakon continued.

"Either you're lying about how long you've been a bearer... or your curse has not only made you stronger, it has multiplied your eon reserves. Which can happen... it's not that rare for curses or blessings to do that."

Kael felt himself tense. But the moment Hakon noticed his expression, a smile appeared on his face. And then... he burst into laughter, as if to break the serious mood of the arena.

Kael looked at the man in front of him in confusion, unable to understand what was happening. But Hakon was quicker than him and kept his laughter short.

"Don't get that nervous... I know you're not lying, you won't die yet, don't worry."

The expression on Kael's face didn't change a bit. It only became... even more puzzled. But inside... something very different was happening.

'You won't die yet... What the hell does that mean? Does he say I'm going to die eventually?!'

"Ahh, that was a good laugh. You have such funny reactions. But we're not done yet, so let's continue."

Hakon straightened up again, keeping his smile on his face. This time, he didn't look as serious as before. As if... relieved.

"I'll be honest, you're not going to die. I haven't detected any lies, so you're fine. You can work for the Empire... be its dog, as you call it. You just have to choose which department you're going to work in, get your rank determined, swear your allegiance, and all that... at least after you've been through training. Because... as you are now, you're not much use, even as a bearer."