Chapter 8: Alone against all

Lucius seemed satisfied; he had taken a young man with him, so someone he could train and make strong, indeed very strong.

“Come on boy, strike harder!”

He and Ren stood on a hidden field, fighting with swords. Anger boiled up in the boy, he would have liked to end the matter at once, but it was not the case. The man could tell he was strong, not to mention his guards.

During the confrontation between the two, Ren rushed violently at Lucius, and appeared to hit him.

“Hahahah, good blow, but not effective against me.”

So he counterattacked with unprecedented violence, but unknown how, Ren's body moved on its own. He positioned his sword in the correct way to block the blow, which, when it was there, slowly pushed him back as Lucius seemed to increase his strength all the time.

“How dare you block a blow of mine!”

The boy gritted his teeth, he could resist no longer, his strength was increasing more and more.

And finally he managed to knock him down. “Ahahahah I won this time too, you're still too poor.”

"Come on, go and rest. You don't want to kill my next favorite servant." The man's voice was full of irony and contempt.

So the boy slowly rose from the ground, his fists clenched. His body trembled not only from fatigue but also from the anger burning inside him. Without saying a word, he turned and walked away.

He re-entered the village, but greeting him was not silence. Glances as sharp as blades, whispers as poisonous as thorns.

"W-who let you out? You cast a spell on Lucius?!"

“That's right, monster!”

"He wasn't supposed to release you! You'll kill us all!"

He lowered his gaze. Responding would only make the situation worse. Then, a voice resounded through the crowd. Loud, theatrical, satisfied.

"Ahahahah! People, don't worry!"

It was Lucius.

"I gave him a chance. He's still young, and I've decided to forgive him.... He killed my father, yes, and for that I will hate him forever. But maybe ... I can teach him manners."

The silence turned to applause.

“Lucius!”“

Lucius is the best!”

“He is too good!”

The boy, surrounded by shouts of enthusiasm directed at the one he hated, walked slowly away, like a fading shadow at sunset.

He walked in silence, heading toward Zaro's house. But along the way he saw Mizuki, sitting beside a house. She seemed to be waiting for something-or someone.

They exchanged a single glance. Ren immediately averted his eyes and continued walking.

“You stop!” Was her voice.

He turned away, tired. "What is it now? Do you want to talk to a killer? The village chief's killer?"

"Hmph! It's not like I'm talking to you out of sympathy!" she blurted out, crossing her arms.

“It's just that... I'm sure it wasn't you who killed Zaro...”

"Hmm...are you sure? Even Lucius managed to convince everyone that it was my fault."

“Y-yeah... but I believe you...”

Ren lowered his gaze. "Don't worry. I'm used to it."

Then he turned his back and resumed walking. “Now if you don't mind...I'm going.”

“Alright... bye...”

It was a short conversation. But for him it was like a small ray of light in the darkness.

He entered Zaro's house. The air was still, heavy. He sat down beside the empty bed and lowered his head.

“Hello, Zaro...” he whispered.

"Your son... he is really cruel. He told me that he is the author of all the murders. But the blame... he's blaming it on me. How can I resist?"

His voice trembled. "I want to avenge you. Then... maybe... end it all. I have nothing left. No one."

Tears began to fall without him noticing. "To them I am just a monster. Lucius is the hero. He says he will kill anyone who doesn't believe in him. And do you know who will do the dirty work?"

His hands clenched until they hurt. "Me. Then everyone will hate me even more. And he-he will be hailed as the savior."

The tears kept falling. Her heart was shattered. But at that moment, just outside the door, there was someone listening to him. It was Mizuki. And he had heard everything.

The boy slowly rose from the ground. Tears still streaked his face, but with a dry gesture he wiped his eyes using the sleeve of his shirt, as his chest heaved with difficulty, searching for an even breath.

“Kuroya... ”he whispered, his voice broken and his heart burning. “It's all your fault-all of this is your fault!”

He clenched his trembling fists, his gaze lost in emptiness.

"Wasn't it enough to suffer in my previous life? Am I to be condemned here too? This is all your fault! Yours and yours alone! I never sought her out... She was the one who wanted to talk to me, she was crying, saying you were a monster!"

His tone increased, as if each word dug an even deeper wound into him.

"I just wanted to help her... just to listen to her... But you... you acted like she was your property... that day... on that one day when I finally felt alive... you and your friends came looking for me... and you slaughtered me!"

The fist suddenly went off, dry, violent, sinking against the wall. A blind, angry blow that made fresh blood drip from his hand. But Ren did not seem to mind. He fell back to the ground, his knees bent, his breaths broken by fury.

His eyes went wide. The sclera turned white, and an unreal light began to radiate from them. For a moment, the world around him became muffled. His mind rumbled like a drum, a distant echo of a force he did not understand.

But he did not faint. The light faded slowly, as if it had never existed. Ren, still confused, got up with slow movements. He did not seem to understand what had happened. He approached the door with a heavy but determined step.

Mizuki, who had been spying on everything in silence until that moment, hurriedly ran away, her face pale, her heart in turmoil. He did not want to be discovered.

"I just have to get stronger..." she whispered as she left, her lips pulled into a bitter smile. "Stronger... to eliminate Lucius..."

And so, with that determination etched in his mind and heart, he headed toward the training ground. He did not stop. He continued to fight, to strike, to resist... until his body gave out completely, collapsing under the weight of hatred and exhaustion.