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New Story: Cultivation
🕑 Added 2022-10-24 00:21:09 +0000 UTCAnother new story, but one that doesn't have as many chapters written. Title is also subject to change.
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The Red War.
A demonic invasion orchestrated by humans that spanned two continents.
The Continent known as Glory was home to the Three Great Sects, the highest sects under the heavens.
They were: The Palace of Light’s Glory, The Prominence of Spear’s Blossom, and The Dragon’s Eye Island.
All of them were home to unfathomably powerful beings, one’s that were on the verge of gracing the realm of true godhood. But the one who stood the highest was undoubtedly Light’s Glory.
As a dual cultivation sect, it was no doubt the topic of much confusion and controversy.
You see, Light’s Glory was a sect that promoted the union of man and woman. These pairs would seek to grow together, pushing both themselves and others as they sought to rise to the top.
Their cultivation techniques, their philosophies, their martial manuals. Everything revolved around a man and woman’s partnership.
But perhaps what they were most known for, even beyond the dual cultivation, was their sense of justice.
Light’s Glory strived to be the most righteous sect. Their charity had created entire cities and their many apprentices were known for forming armies against beast tides to protect even the smallest villages.
Because of their two sect leaders and the way they led their sect for dozens of years, Light’s Glory became both the most powerful sect and the most beloved sect.
Spear’s Blossom and Dragon’s Eye, as a result of being compared to the virtuous Light’s Glory, were scrutinized and forced to meet the same standard. And even though they failed to meet the same level, due to their unique cultivation techniques and special martial manuals, they were able to stay just below Light’s Glory in influence and power.
And so, with Light’s Glory at the helm, the Glory Continent entered a golden era full of prosperity and life the likes of which history before had never seen.
That is, until the Red War.
Not many knew much about the world’s second continent, simply calling it the Red continent due to the legends about the skies and plants there being blood red.
The Elders of the Three Great Sects would know that there were a few massive sects on the Red continent as well, one’s just as powerful as them. They had even traded, but due to the distance and perilous journey to get there, no common entity could hope to establish proper methods of transportation and communication. Not even the Three Great Sects could, but for many years they had been working on it.
Until one day, the Red continent established contact with them first.
It was said they came riding upon legions of ships escorted by seas beasts that could swallow islands. These ships raided the coasts of the continent, and then, sowed hell throughout the lands.
They were demons, but not entities of hell or its devils. These demons were humans who had fallen to the darkest depths of depravity.
It was said that the Red continent had become so heinous and wicked that their populations became demons. After succumbing to the demonic seeds of their hearts and letting it bloom, they began to seek and sow death and destruction.
It was only when their own continent was no longer enough that they took to the seas and made their way to Glory Continent.
And so, the Red War began.
The demons raided and pillaged, destroying villages, then cities, then targeting the Great Sects.
Only, when the demons marched onto the territories of the Great Sects, they came with their own demigods.
The only ones who could face them were the sect leaders, and they did. Their battles were epic in proportion, and similarly cataclysmic in nature. Entire cities were wiped off the map, their millions disappearing to history without so much as a scream.
War was waged with every apprentice and elder giving everything they had to drive back the invaders. It was hell on all fronts.
But the defenders were strong, and the invaders disadvantaged. It was impossible for them to encroach on the homes of these sects that had been rooted on the continent for generations and have survived countless tribulations.
And so, the invaders were pushed back.
But the climax wasn’t the seeming victory that they were destined to achieve.
Instead, everything rested upon the shoulders of the sect leaders.
Light’s Glory most powerful duo, called Alpha and Omega, a husband and wife, along with the Dragon’s Crown from the Dragon’s Eye sect and Spear of Reckoning from the Spear’s Blossom Sect.
These four people faced off against 6 demigods that the demons brought.
Their battles before had been heaven shattering, filled with displays that could rend the world in two.
But their final battle…
Perhaps they ascended to heaven itself, or perhaps they were dragged down into hell by the demons.
But as they battled, streaks filled with the laws of the universe were drawn across the sky. They could be seen for hundreds of thousands of miles, filling all who gazed upon them with wonder and awe. It was said that thousands of elders made breakthroughs in their cultivation that day.
But when every streak had been laid by both the demons and sect leaders, the world was subject to the most blinding light.
And through that light, one figure could be seen. It was said that he descended from the heavens itself, descended upon the demigods and spoke to them with tongues of absolution.
And then, they disappeared.
The demons and sect leaders, the highest powers of the three greatest sects, vanished from the world, not a trace of their existence left behind.
And so, the war ended.
The invaders were eradicated, their heinous artifacts seized, and the demonic sea beasts who dared to work with them were purged from the oceans after an alliance between land and water was formed.
The Red War came to a close, leaving its devastating mark on history.
………
“God, how many times do we have to listen to this story?”
“Kit keeps asking for it.”
“My name isn’t Kit!”
A young boy yelled at the surrounding teenagers that were no doubt about to start making fun of him.
The elder at the front of the group who had been retelling the legend stepped in.
“Alright alright, settle down. The reason I’ve told you all this story so many times is because you should never forget it. The legends of that time need to be remembered, and all you youngins need to look toward your heroic ancestors when the time comes for you to walk in their footsteps.”
The Elder lectured seriously, and while some of the pre-teens took his words to heart, others didn’t.
It wasn’t that they didn’t believe him, but that they had heard it so many times before.
“We know, Elder Jong. I’ve already started training!”
“Me too! My father taught me his ultimate punching technique!”
“There’s no such thing as an ultimate technique!”
As they all started bickering, the young boy who was called Kit looked toward the elder with glistening eyes.
“Elder Jong! How long ago was the Red War?”
“How long? Why, just look at what year it is. The yearly calendar was reset at the end of the war.”
“Oh! So it’s been 94 years!”
“Haha, that’s correct.”
The child Kit knew it was the year 94, so with the Elder’s enlightenment, he discovered that it had been 94 years since the end of the Red War.
But the next moment, he turned confused.
“But Elder!”
“Yes, Kit?”
“I remember the end of the war! There was a nice lady I saw when the big flash happened. But I’m not 94 years old!”
Kit spoke odd words, but despite their peculiarity, the other kids around him just rolled their eyes.
“There he goes again.”
“His dreams are getting out of hand.”
“They aren’t dreams!”
Kit scolded those around him, but they just snickered.
The elder wasn’t sure what to say either. He just smiled. This wasn’t the first time Kit had said such things. By now, their entire town knew that Kit was an odd egg.
It wasn’t just what he said either. The elder looked at Kit’s eyes.
Like his father, Kit’s eyes were magnificent. His eyes flashed with the most royal rose gold, such brilliance which could only have been painted by a god.
If not for his weird words that he always insisted were memories of the distant past, he would be the town’s most treasured child. But due to bad rumors and the ridicule of his fellow peers, Kit was seen as the black sheep.
Even his nickname, Kit, was a moniker of contempt to overshadow his real name.
The Elder heard more words of mockery.
“Hey Kit, why don’t you just tell everyone you’re a reincarnated demigod!”
“Yea, I’m sure you were right there with the Sovereign Sect Leaders. Go ahead and fly away already to your sect!”
“Shut up! And my name isn’t Kit!”
Kit finally stood up, snarling at the other kids.
“My name is Khan!”
………
……
“Stupid! Stupid Chase. Stupid Chang. Stupid Wang. I hate them.”
Khan marched into his home, layering on curses as he sat himself on a chair in the dining room.
He shivered in anger, tears brimming and threatening to fall. But he didn’t lash out. He was often taught that he could be angry all he wants, but he could never go and break things. Anger could dissipate, broken things couldn’t be repaired.
Still, he really felt like hitting something. But the fear of punishment made him hold back.
“Hey now, you’re not trying to curse someone, are you?”
Suddenly, a woman came walking into the room, in her hands a large basket full of vegetables.
Khan didn’t pick up his head, instead venting his anger.
“Those stupid kids won’t listen to me!”
“Well what are you trying to tell them to do?”
“Nothing! I keep telling them that my… My memories aren’t dreams!”
“Oh boy…”
Khan’s mother sighed.
“Khan, I thought I told you to stop talking about those memories. You know nobody is going to believe you.”
“But it's true!”
“They don’t know that. You’re can’t convince them of something that they can’t even see. What, are you going to show them your memories?”
“...”
Khan went silent, unwilling to acknowledge that he was somehow wrong.
Letting out another sigh, his mother walked over and ran her fingers through his hair.
“Your memories are yours, Khan. There’s no need to let other people share what’s special to you. You can keep them all to yourself. And trying to change their minds isn’t going to work. I mean, I listened to your father talk about that stuff for 5 years before believing him!”
His mother exclaimed before walking to the side and cleaning the vegetables.
His mind no longer completely focused on anger, Khan lifted his head with growing curiosity.
“What did he say about his memories?”
“The same stuff you do. The streaks in the sky, the battle, and the nice lady. Ask him about it when he gets back.”
“Ok.”
Khan, no longer as angry, nodded with an eager gaze. He knew that his father knew about the memories just as he did, but he didn't know more than that.
Now, his mother had basically promised him that his father would spill some secrets. He was excited.
Thus, when his father came home that night, Khan was quick to greet him.
“Dad!”
“Oh! What’s got you so excited?”
Khan’s father smiled before picking him up. Despite Khan being 10 this year, to his dad he seemed no heavier than the day he was born as he grabbed him with one arm.
Khan backed away as his father went in for some kisses, primarily dodging his unshaven face that scratched.
“Ack! Stop!”
“Haha. You don’t like scratchy kisses?”
“No!”
Khan pushed away as his neck was tickled by the growing beard. Then, his father stopped and looked toward his wife.
“Fang.”
“Bonen.”
His mother, Fang, and his father, Bonen, both went in for a kiss.
Though it turned out to be a bit deeper than normal. As his father grabbed his mother’s waist and pulled her in while getting as much sugar as he could, Khan pushed away with a disgusted face.
“Ew! Stop it!”
“Mwah!”
Only after several seconds did Bonen back off, leaving his wife’s face red and Khan scrambling to get away.
“Haha! Don’t worry son! You’ll be doing this someday too!”
“No! That’s nasty!”
“Hoho, that’ll change pretty soon.”
“Enough, Husband.”
Fang pat her husband’s cheek before returning to the dining room where she had been working.
As Bonen went to follow her, Khan kept just behind him.
“Dad! Mom said to ask you about the memories!”
“Oh? Did she now?”
Bonen was surprised as he looked to his wife, who nodded without looking back.
“I said you would tell him some stories about it.”
“Hm, very well. Come sit.”
Bonen waved his son to the table, the two taking their seats while Fang prepared some food.
He looked at his son for a moment though, seeing those rose gold eyes that shone so brightly. He had similar eyes that he once thought were abnormally bright, but when his son was born, he was proven wrong.
He tapped his finger before speaking.
“It was my great-grandfather who was there on that day. He was a child, no more than 8 years old, when he saw the final battle up in the sky. Khan, describe your memories to me.”
“OK.”
Khan began recounting everything he remembered.
……
The battle of demigods that drew unfathomable streaks of power in the sky, making it flash all sorts of colors, both menacing and uplifting.
And the summoning of the heavens. When the blinding light flashed, and that lone figure descended upon the demigods, standing above them all with a presence beyond anything that could be imagined.
But that wasn’t what remained most vivid.
It was the nice lady.
During the descent, during that blinding light, there was a woman who appeared before him.
She looked both earthly yet ethereal, with long brown hair and a blissful face, she smiled so sweetly at him.
And when she spoke, her words engraved themselves into his mind.
“Ah, look at you. One of you will go and see Her one day. It will be difficult, but stay strong. Just keep looking toward the light, touch what lies beyond the sky. And when you reach the end of the road, remember the name Alice.”
With those words, the world exploded in blinding color.
And he received a memory that he would never forget.
………
……
“Sounds about right.”
Bonen nodded at Khan’s story. There were no deviancies or differences. They both had the same exact memories.
But that’s what was so strange about the whole thing.
In fact, it was only this odd phenomenon that convinced Fang of everything her husband said about the memories and how special they were.
“Khan.”
Bonen smiled at his son.
“Truth is, our memories have been passed down since my great-grandfather attained them that fateful day. Since then, all of us have strived to reach great heights. My great-grandfather was an ordinary man with absolutely no talent to speak of, but even he was awakened by that event, able to reach the peak of the Terrestrial Realm before he died.”
“Wow…”
Khan’s eyes were glistening, thrilled to finally be hearing about such an amazing event.
But most importantly, his dad was saying that he was right! His memories weren’t dreams!
Bonen nodded at his son’s awe.
“That’s right. He also had a single son, which was my grandfather. He was actually able to enter the Sky Realm, growing even further! And my father was able to rise up through the Sky Realm and into its upper echelons. And then, I was born!”
“Oh! What realm are you at?”
Khan asked, earning a proud grin from his father.
“Me? I’m nearing the peak of the Sky Realm. While my talent can’t compare to the best geniuses of those great Family Clans, I’m not far inferior. I should easily be able to break into the Mind Realm. And you, my boy…”
Bonen reached over and ruffled Khan’s head.
“You are going to be a great martial master someday, even greater than me. I just know it! But you’ll also need to find yourself a wonderful lady to support you!”
“Blegh! I don’t need no little girl to protect me!”
Khan pushed his father’s hand away. The only thing it earned him though is a flick on the head from his mother.
“Ack!”
“Don’t you underestimate us ‘little girls’, child. I’ll have you know that I’m just as strong as your father.”
She spoke while placing a plate in front of him and Bonen.
Right as she did though.
*Rumble*
There was a small shake that rattled the house. It made both parents pause in confusion as they looked at each other.
Bonen stood.
“That might be a landslide from the nearby mountain. I’ll go-”
*RUMBLE*
This time, the entire ground roiled violently, causing Fang to grab Khan.
Then, shockingly, she and Bonen rose into the air. Khan was shocked as he looked down as saw the house thrash with the shakes of the ground.
He looked over as it happened, seeing his father standing in their air. His eyes widened.
Then, the shaking stopped, and explosions could be heard in the distance. After Bonen and Fang descended, they looked at each other with far more urgency.
“Get your gear.”
“You too. Khan, stay right here for just a moment.”
His mother set him down, and then, with incomprehensible speed, both of them flew into the back rooms of the house.
It wasn’t more than 10 seconds later that they came back out. But this time, both of them were dressed in what could only be described as kingly attire.
Bonen had a suit of armor on, one made of a white metal graced with pure gold designs. He looked so royal as he carried an equally majestic sword.
And his mother was no lesser, with a flowing dress of white and blue, she looked like the most wonderful fairy that any man could fall in love with.
Khan couldn’t find the words to speak. He didn’t know where they got this armor, or how they could fly. He didn’t understand what was happening.
And his parents didn’t give him much time to think. Fang bent down to her son and picked him up, bringing him to another room where they descended down a hole.
The hole led to a staircase, which in turn led to an underground basement that Khan had never knew existed. After entering this underground bunker, Fang set him down and looked at him sternly.
“Khan, you need to stay here. Don’t come out, no matter what happens. I’ll leave the hatch unlocked just in case, but don’t come out unless we come back to get you, okay? Promise me.”
“...”
Khan didn’t speak, but he did nod. Fang smiled at him.
“Good boy. We’ll be right back.”
She stood, but then, she bent back down and hugged him, giving him a kiss on the forehead.
“I love you.”
With that, she finally stepped away.
However, Bonen had a dark face. After looking up toward the hatch, he similarly bent down toward Khan.
He looked at him with deep eyes.
“I’ll see you soon, Khan.”
Bonen squeezed his son’s shoulder, and then, he and his wife flew out.
Khan was left in the dark bunker, wondering what was happening, and his stomach churning with a bad feeling.
………
Bonen and Fang took to the skies.
And the sight was horrifying.
Their town was home to a few hundred thousand people. It was more of a small city than a town, but it continued to be called a town.
Nonetheless, this town was now blazing in the night with a wildfire as people scrambled to run and hide.
And the perpetrators of this attack…
The husband and wife quickly found them. There were humans who chased the town’s residents, but as soon as they got their hands on their prey, they tore them apart like savages.
Some had swords and released attacks full of Qi, while others activated various techniques. Regardless, each casual attack could instantly kill hundreds of ordinary people as they swept across and devastated buildings.
Bonen and Fang were unsure of what was happening. They had never heard of such unprovoked massacres.
But they knew what they had to do.
“Split up! Kill these monsters!”
“Got it!”
Bonen growled as Qi surged around his body, and as soon as he took off, his wife followed.
With a greatsword, Bonen swept through the human monsters by the dozen. He moved with lightning speed as he sought to protect the town’s residents.
At the same time, Fang rose high into the sky. She looked down, and an artifact appeared in her hands.
It looked like an ornament, perhaps a statue, with the resemblance of a dragon. This statue floated before her as Qi streamed from her hands and into its body.
Then, light blossomed from its mouth, falling upon the thousands of people below.
That’s when Bonen saw it. All the enemies were highlighted with light, making them stand out in the dark. Not only that, but all of them were weakened considerably, allowing him to kill them even faster and allowing some citizens to run away.
Like that, the attackers were decimated. But even this wasn’t the goal of the husband and wife.
Sure enough, after about a minute, Bonen and Fang could sense a powerful presence.
No, it was three. As soon as Fang saw the enemies, she looked down toward Bonen.
“To me!”
Hearing her yell, Bonen’s reflexes kicked in as he immediately abandon his enemy and retreated to her side.
Just as he arrived, an attack came from the side. Bonen barely reacted in time to let out a slash, halving the attack and protecting his wife.
“Oh, you guys are more competent than I thought.”
Bonen’s face fell as he saw the masterminds behind the attack, their true targets.
Three people emerged from the darkness. Two men and one woman.
Not only that, but all of them released an aura just as powerful as Bonen and Fang.
“...Shit.”
Bonen cursed as he waved his hand. A jade pendant appeared within.
Taking another look at his enemies, he recalled the bad feeling he felt when that earthquake shook the house.
“Hopefully I’m wrong. It’s too early.”
He said that, but in the end, he still resolutely crushed the pendant.
Fang saw this, and her face scrunched in worry. Still, she focused on her opponents.
The man at the front tilted his head.
“Calling for help? I thought I placed a barrier around this place. I suppose that was one powerful pendant if it wasn’t rejected.”
“Hah!”
At that moment, Bonen attacked. He slashed forward with his sword, causing the man at the front to bring up a spear.
*Clang!*
The two collided, releasing a shockwave that destroyed buildings below.
The man snarled.
“Leaving your precious partner behind? How foolish.”
“Silence, demon!”
Bonen roared before attacking once more.
However, just as the demon said, the other two went to attack the defenseless wife.
Only, she wasn’t quite defenseless.
“Guardian’s Call.”
She muttered, and with an explosion of Qi, the dragon statue before her lit up in a blaze of glory.
Then, she seemed to teleport as she reappeared right behind her husband. At the same time, Bonen was wrapped in a golden aura as gold Qi surrounded his body and augmented his armor.
Suddenly, the demon who Bonen was attacking felt insurmountable pressure. He gritted his teeth.
“Dammit! Attack!”
“Raahhh!!”
Bonen released a flurry of slashes and thrusts as his body shifted in blurs of gold. With the support from his wife, his power was multiplied, and he was able to attack all three demons at once.
Not only that, but Fang also released debuffs and purifying curses that weakened the demons, even if only slightly. With those and her impeccable movement, she couldn’t be hit as she continued to maneuver with her husband.
Together, the two stood on equal ground with these three demons who should have been able to kill them with relative certainty. Two people who could synergize so well that their resulting power was more than their sum.
A fierce battle ensued as gold clashed with black and red. Bonen valiantly faced the three demons like an immortal guardian.
But he couldn’t prevent the devastation that their battle inevitably released. With each clash, shockwaves of power were thrown into the wind, some dispersing into the skies, others ravaging the ground below.
The tallest buildings were razed, and thousands more were killed by the battle that was supposed to be protecting them.
Many martial artists fought back against the invaders, thankfully. With that and Bonen’s culling, the city was safe, only partially threatened by the battle above.
But those great battles were what determined the fates of those below them.
Thankfully though, Bonen seemed to be winning.
*Slice!*
With a powerful strike, one of the demons was cut in half. His body fell out of the sky.
Right after though, the lead demon sent a devastating thrust at Bonen’s back. A golden shield appeared just before, but he was still sent flying.
*Bang!*
His body cratered, but even then, there was a golden shield shrouding him and protecting him. Fang appeared a moment later, stretching out her hand and taking Bonen’s who reached out his.
Then, she threw him.
*Clang!*
Bonen sailed and met the demons in the air just above the ground, using the momentum of his wife’s throw to launch another series of attacks.
And although he sustained a few wounds, after several more minutes, he managed to slay another.
*Splat!*
This time, the female demon’s head was destroyed, her corpse falling to the floor.
And this time, Bonen reacted to the sly strike of the last demon.
*Slice!*
But he couldn’t come out unscathed. As they exchanged more attacks, Bonen received just as many wounds as the demon. This only meant one thing.
“Your wife is getting tired! Hahaha!”
The demon cackled as he became more unrestrained. Bonen only grunted.
He was right.
The only reason Bonen could receive a wound was because Fang no longer had the power to protect him from everything. Now, she was using her Qi to its utmost efficiency.
The battle entered its climax.
Bonen’s armor shone with a dimmer gold than before, while Fang struggled to use her artifact.
But although they continued to whittle the demon down, he seemed to have limitless energy. He was even more unbridled than before, and although Bonen could sense the demons’ energy dwindling, the relentless attacks cruelly reminded him of his own drying energy reserves.
Finally though, just as the demon made a mistake, Bonen dealt a proper blow.
*Shing!*
“AGH!”
The demon screamed as his arm was taken off, leaving only his spear wielding arm. But perhaps using his arm as the price, he returned an attack, stabbing Bonen through the leg.
“Ugh! Die already!”
Bonen roared as he continued his attack.
Their battle on the floor was brutal as blood flew. But for a moment, Bonen seemed to have everything set in stone as he slowly pushed the demon towards its doom.
But then…
“Mom?”
Bonen and Fang flinched, their gazes coming off the demon for just a moment.
In the distance stood Khan, fear in his eyes as he gazed upon his bloody parents.
……
“Mother…”
Khan could hear the demon speak, his voice so uncomfortable to hear.
And his subsequent smile sent chills down Khan’s back. Even worse was the fanatical gaze.
Khan wanted to run away, he wanted to go back to the bunker where it was safe.
He had come out only because he wanted to know what was going on. He was scared, but he felt like he needed to know what his parents had run off into.
But now, when he wanted to run back, he couldn’t. The aura that the demon released had him frozen in shock. He couldn’t speak, not even cry, as his mind was overwhelmed by that demon’s presence.
But the shrill scream of his mother made him snap out of it.
“KHAN!”
With that scream, Khan felt a comfortable and protecting light cover his body.
But he also saw the demonic attack that came flying toward him. In the battle between his father and the demon, the demon had launched an attack right at him.
Khan felt like he was going to die.
The blood red attack collided with the golden barrier, and the barrier exploded.
The remaining energy from the attack, though a tiny fraction of the original power, came crashing down on Khan.
That blade of red collided with the entire front of his body, opening up a huge wound and sending him flying.
“KHANN!!”
Bonen roared, but while his focus was turned, he was sent flying by the demon.
*Bang!*
He crashed into a pile of rubble, but even as he did so, his gaze was turning to the demon.
And then, despair overtook him.
*Slice!*
The demon’s spear impaled his wife, raising her high as blood poured from her mouth.
Even Khan, who was sprawled on the floor, could see as his mother was hung on that long blade.
Khan felt his body shake as uncontrollable emotion took over his body. He pulled himself up, pushing through the burning pain of his wound. He was still alive, so it couldn’t be that bad.
But his father was even faster.
“NOO!!”
Khan’s ears rang as his father attacked the demon with wild abandon. He traded wound for wound.
But he was tired. Khan could see how slow his father was compared to the demon. He was going to die.
And soon enough, the demon stabbed Bonen through the abdomen before kicking him and sending him flying. His blood sprayed so maliciously.
But that’s when Khan saw a bright golden light.
He saw his mother, in a pool of her own blood on the floor, throwing out one last remnant of her power. It fell upon Bonen, giving him another surge of strength.
“Damn bitch! Stay dead!”
The demon lashed out in his fury, impaling her in the chest once more, causing her body to fall limp.
But then…
*Slice!*
A silver sword pushed through the demon’s chest.
Khan watched as his father cut the demon in two with one last movement.
He had won.
But the sight of his victorious figure dimmed as he collapsed weakly to the floor.
“Dad…”
Khan whimpered as he forced his legs to move. As he struggled to walk, he could see his father drag his own body across the floor and toward his mother.
“Fang… Fang, I’m sorry.”
Khan felt tears falling from his eyes. He had never heard such desperation from his father.
Khan cried even more as he saw his mother’s corpse. He couldn’t help it as he fell to his knees, yet he still crawled to his father whose body lost strength and fell still.
“Dad… Dad!”
Khan cried, shaking his father.
Bonen barely turned his head, gazing upon his son that was bleeding all over.
“Khan…”
Bonen’s face was conflicted. He wanted to yell, wanted to scold his child for not listening to him.
But, he couldn’t find it in him. As he felt his life fade, Bonen only felt regret.
“Khan… I’m sorry. It… shouldn’t have been so soon.”
Bonen spoke even as blood streamed out of his mouth.
Khan started to cry uncontrollably. Perhaps everything that had unfolded was still registering in his mind, but only now did he begin to realize.
His father was leaving him.
“Dad, please-!”
“Khan…”
Bonen’s voice began to fade.
“Strength, Khan… You will… become an amazing man…”
Bonen reached out his hand, not toward Khan, but toward his wife beside him.
He took his wife’s hand.
“We’re so proud of you… We love you so much… Khan…”
“Dad!”
Khan cried out as his father fell limp.
“Dad! Dad… Tell me about grandpa! I want to hear about the memories! Mom! We need to eat dinner! Mom! I… I didn’t mean to come out!”
He cried, but although he spoke to his parents, he was backing away from them.
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry! Mom, I’ll go back to the room… I’ll do as you say…”
Khan cried until he fell to his knees. His eyes were glued to the image of his parents, now corpses, yet their hands clasped.
At that moment, Khan remembered the voices of the other kids.
“Stupid!”
“You’re an idiot!”
“You’re no Khan!”
“You’re just stupid, like that ugly kitten across the road who thinks its a tiger!”
“Dumb Kit!”
“Stupid Kit!”
Their taunts rang out in his head, and unbearable remorse and regret filled every corner of his mind.
“Bonen!”
At that moment though, there was a roar that shook the city.
“Bonen! Where is Bonen?!”
A woman streaked across the sky, quickly finding what she was looking for.
“Bonen?! Fang!”
She landed beside the pair of corpses, cracking the ground under her feet, her hands trembling.
“No… no no no. This can’t be…”
Anger surged within her as she quickly overcame her shock.
But then, she turned around.
She saw the child behind her, and froze.
“You…”
“I…”
The child barely mumbled, his lips shaking as tears freely flowed down his face.
“I’m… I’m a stupid Kit…”
“Ahh…”
The woman’s voice trembled as she dove down, wrapping him up in a hug.
“No no. It’s alright. Please child…”
“I’m a stupid Kit…”
“No, please don’t say that…”.
She squeezed him, as if trying to keep him from breaking.
And emotion overtook her as she cried for him.
