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(POV: Blank)

"Push them into the sea!"

"Burn their ships!!"

"Round them up! Yeah!!"

I stand, observing the slaughter ongoing in the battlefield.

The Orcan warrior which the general fought was the commander of the army of Orcs that just attacked us.

The entire battlefield was silent as they fought. Every low rank Orcan and Human soldiers alike were on their knees. All we could do was watch the raging battle between the general and the Orcan Commander.

It was– our general, he's.. a monster.

He fought with that monstrous Orc for thirty minutes straight.

That Orc almost killed him too. If it weren't for the General of the Gayara Empire who appeared at the last minute using that type of technique that K always used, and the one I modified to create Wind step. She stabbed the Orc from behind.

They're all monsters.. all of them.

Including K who fought and killed those five Orcs that were as big as their commander. He slaughtered them so effortlessly. He didn't even spend up to ten minutes dealing with them.

I clench my fists, gnashing my teeth under my mask.

My eyes are focused on.. nothing. I just stare ahead, not minding the sight of Orcan heads flying and blood spewing left and right, or the Levarian army going on a kill spree.

"How strong am I compared to any of them?" I whisper.

My chest tightens. My breathing's getting faster.

My heart beat echoes across my insides, thrumming against my ribs aggressively.

"I thought I had strength now. But, I couldn't.. I couldn't even stand up."

An Orc runs toward me, dragging his large axe behind him as he runs.

I unclench my right fist and my palm coats with flames immediately. My eyes are still focused on the sea on the horizon. The fading evening sun casts a golden glow on the blue waters.

"Kruah!!"

As the Orc leaps, swinging his axe vertically, I slightly move my left shoulder. The axe lands on the ground, and I immediately slap my flame coated right palm on his green face.

"Kraaah!!" He screams, but I tighten my grip on his face, burning him more, and he falls to his knees, his head my stomach level.

I raise my left hand high, and my first circle spins with air mana that flows through my mana pathway to my left hand, and immediately, wind gathers around my left hand, from my fingers til my elbow like it's attracted by a magnetic force. The wind turns green as my air mana taints it, and it shapes into a blade. A wind blade.

My right hand still grips and burns the Orc's face. I immediately slash the neck of the Orc with the wind blade on my left hand.

The blade passes through his neck like butter. The blood splashes on my uniform and robe, but it's untraceable as my robe and uniform are both red. Only the splashes on my mask are visible.

I'm still gripping the face of the Orc tightly with my right hand.

It's body falls. And only then do I release the flames that burn its face.

I hold the head tight with my right hand as I stare at the sea.

The strong smell of blood trickles into my nose.

"...why?"

I'm not asking anything. I'm just.. I'm just lost. It's like, amid the chaos of this Orc slaughtering, the wind is the only one that listens to me.

"I said I'm going to go back home, but.. how.. How is it even going to be possible if I can't stand on my feet..?"

I throw the head of the Orc away, and I sit on the stomach of its dead body.

"How would I break the laws of physics? With fire and air magic? Seriously.." I hold my head with my right hand, "it's.. impossible."

Now I ask myself, all the things I've been scared to ask. All the thoughts that remain bottled up inside of me. All the questions that I've forced myself to swallow just to keep on moving. "How am I sure my family hasn't moved on by now? What if.. what if they've already found happiness without me? I.. my first son would already be an adult by now.."

"Deep down I knew.." I raise my head, looking up at the sky, "I already knew that it was impossible. I just.. I just deceived myself with sweet lies.. to keep myself moving, I told myself that I can go back home if I master magic, but.. I.. now, I don't even remember what Marcelle looks like.."

I clutch the red uniform on my chest. It's the area where my locket used to hang in my past life. The locket that I never took off. The one that had the picture of my wife and kids.

It's not here. It's not with me.

They're not with me. And.. I might. No, who am I kidding? I would never see them again.

Strength? Get to the top?

Look how long it took me to get my second circle! How long it took to achieve enlightenment!

I was even boasting.. saying I can fight on equal footing with a fourth core or fourth circle. But I don't even know if I'd be able to achieve that fourth circle, or if I'd be able to achieve the enlightenment needed!

"Haha.."

What about a fifth circle or fifth core? What about the monsters that are in the sixth circle? Monsters like the General that can cast magic without glyphs?

If it took me that long to arrive at the second circle… How long would it take me to get to those stages?

Would I even be able to do it before I die? Is it possible? Many people don't even see the sixth circle before death.. am I gonna be one of them?

I clutch my chest tight.

What am I even doing with my life? Why am I here in the first place? Why am I even on this battlefield, killing Orcs?

Why..

Why am I.. "nng"

"Why.. am I alive again?" My voice's shaky.

Is this a sick joke? A prank by fate? To watch me suffer? To watch me..

"Kid."

A familiar gruff voice rings from beside me.

I turn right, and I see K standing next to me. His hands crossed, and his eyes staring straight ahead at the sea beyond the shores of this beach.

"... Been a while." I barely voice out.

"A beautiful sight isn't it." He asks, his lips are curved, a warm smile.

"It's the sight of Orcs being slaughtered, K. There's nothing beautiful in bloodshed."

"You're so narrow minded, Kid."

I narrow my eyes, "What do you mean?"

"Open your eyes. Look beyond the bloodshed, and the battle." He outstretches his right hand and points his index finger at the bright, blue sea, "there's beauty, even in the darkest of places. You just need to open your eyes and see it, and maybe you also need light."

"... I see." I reply.

I look forward to the sea.

There's beauty even in the darkest places.

I stand up from the Orc's corpse. And I fold my arms as I stand beside K.

"You did good today, kid. You didn't die." He says as his lips widen.

"Of course I didn't die. Who do you think I am?"

"My apprentice."

I turn, gazing at his smiling face, "..." I shake my head slowly, a small smile creeping on my lips as I face forward. "After this battle.."

He cuts me off, "Tomorrow, I'm going on a mission with our General, Gislow, Terran, and some other Levarian Generals to Elyrus. We're targeting the Third Orcan General. A strong one."

"There are more than one Orcan Generals?" I ask.

"There are Ten Orcan Generals, they're each changed every twenty years after a battle in their territory that decides their rank. The first general is the strongest."

"Ho. I see. Then the one that our general beat was the.. second? Or fourth general?"

"He was the ninth general. Marule."

"..."

I let out a low chuckle as I shake my head, "Just a ninth general.. and his killing intent.."

He rests his left hand on my right shoulder.

"Don't think too much about it, kid. Don't fall into that bottomless pit of despair. You have potential that far surpasses the strongest man I know. Follow your path diligently, and you will reach heights that no man has reached."

"But when?! When, K?! When am I going to reach those heights?! When I'm an old man like you?! When I'm.. when I have nothing left?" My voice's shaky as I remove K's hand on my shoulder.

He shakes his head, "Kid, cough.." he touches his beard, "When I come back from my mission. I will give to you.. my legacy."

"Your legacy? What are you even saying?! I don't need your lega–"

He walks away, waving his hand at me from behind as he walks, "see you later. I'll send someone to give you your Chakram before I leave."

"Hey! Come back, K!! Don't walk out on me! What! What is this.." I hold my head with my hand.

"We have won!!!!! Levaria have secured yet another victory!!" The General's voice rings out. It seems they've defeated all the Orcs.

"Yes!!!!" All the soldiers raise their weapons, and the ones without weapons raise their arms as they all celebrate.

I stand. My heart tightens as it boils with something far deadlier than rage.

Something that I can't even decode properly surges from my heart through my mana pathway.

It's the Flame of Eternity.

It's flaring within me.

It seems to respond to extreme emotions.

I see Jeriq walking from the distance toward me. His spear hangs on his shoulder as he walks.

I let out a deep exhale. My heart calms down and the Flame of Eternity that was threatening to explode inside of me dissolves back into my soul.