Chapter 10: Manipulator

The first sensation that hit Ren upon awakening was... silence.

There was no pain. There was no blood. There wasn't even that burning bite in his belly that he remembered feeling before he passed out.

Just the quiet beating of his heart... and a breath that flowed smoothly through his lungs, as if nothing had ever happened.

“What...?” His voice was hoarse. It trembled between his lips as he slowly lowered his gaze.

He lifted his shirt slowly, still stained with dust, mud and a now-dried red halo... But underneath that torn fabric there was no wound. Only skin, smooth. Intact. As if Lucius's blow had never existed.

“The wound... is it gone?” He stood up sharply. His head barely turned, but he stopped immediately.

“H-how is it possible...?”

The square was deserted. Only closed houses, barred windows and creaking doors. The wind blew weakly through the narrow streets, lifting shreds of silence. No one was talking. No one was walking.

Yet as Ren began to move, step by step, something moved.

Ciak.

Those few open windows closed. Locks clicked. People recoiled like rats in the burrow as soon as they caught sight of him. Eyes full of fear fled into the shadows.

“Aren't you dead yet?” hissed someone from behind a wall.

“You had that wound, how did you survive?” murmured another trembling voice.

He lowered his gaze. He did not answer. He couldn't.

“In the end I was right...” His fingers closed into a tight fist.

“Lucius really blamed me for everything... He is still killing those who oppose him... and I... I did nothing to stop it.”

Slowly, he began walking toward the tyrant's house. Each step weighed like lead. But his eyes, now, were two blades.

"Lucius... we need to talk."

But just as he was about to pass an intersection, his super-hearing - gift or curse, it was now hard to tell - activated.

“I knew you were a monster!”

"I don't want to die! Help!"

The young man's heart jolted. “Again... someone is in danger!”

“I must hurry!”

And without waiting any longer, he began to run. His breath burned in his throat, the ground flowed fast under his feet. He ran as fast as he could until, as he turned the corner, he saw the scene.

A wounded man, his body covered with deep cuts, stood. But what struck Ren was what was at his feet: a Lucius guard lifeless.

“H-how did you do that!” he asked in amazement.

But the man turned sharply. His eyes were fixed, full of hatred, and without a word he launched a volley of magical blades, sharp as the wind in winter.

The boy's eyes went wide. He could not react. Or so he thought.

His body moved on its own. He discarded to the left. He jumped. He leaned back, dodging each blow with movements too fluid to be conscious. When the blasts ran out, he looked at his hands. They were steady-but trembling.

“M-my body... did it move on its own...?”

What is happening to me...?

“I-I can't do anything against you...” whispered the man, lowering his arms.

"Lucius got the upper hand... there's no point in resisting anymore. If you want to kill me... please do it quickly. But don't make me suffer."

“Wait!” Ren raised his hands, backing away. "I don't want to kill you! In fact... I had come here to help you..."

The other stared at him with eyes full of suspicion and disbelief. "Help me? You...? But you work for that monster! How can you expect me to trust you!"

Ren took a deep breath. "I know you have no reason to believe me. But I-I don't work for him. I mean, yes, technically, yes. But not to kill. We had a pact, a damn pact! Lucius promised that he would not touch the citizens of this village..."

A bitter smile drew on his lips. “Of course, he broke that promise as well.”

The man remained silent. Blood continued to flow from his wounds, but he did not look away from Ren.

“I... I don't know if I can believe you.”

"You're right. I won't insist. But listen to me... I'm only trying to protect this village. And avenge Zaro."

The name hit the man like a punch in the stomach. The look changed. “Zaro... you...”

"Yes. He believed in me. And I don't intend to forget that."

A long silence passed between the two.

Finally, the man nodded weakly. “I-I have no choice... but to trust you.”

The boy reached out and grabbed him by the arm, supporting him.

“Do you have a house where you can rest?”

“Y-yes... just up ahead.”

"Perfect. Hide there until you are healed. Don't do anything rash. If they see you like that, they might finish you off. Trust me, just for a little while."

The man nodded.

After escorting him and making sure he was safe, he resumed the path to Lucius' house. But the mind was a whirlwind of questions.

"How did that man defeat one of his guards?"

"Really... are there such strong people in this village?"

"And those blades... that spell... was it enough to kill the guard?"

The truth was changing before his eyes. And he understood it well.

That power he felt growing inside him... was not normal. And the village, once so quiet, was beginning to simmer beneath the surface. Lucius had lost control. And the spark of revolt... had already been ignited.

He violently slammed the front door of Lucius's house, causing the walls to shake. Every step he took echoed like a drum in the cramped silence of the abode. His heart was pounding, a mixture of anger and determination. “Lucius!” he shouted, his voice echoing through the air with an intensity that reflected all his frustration. “Don't hide!”

A heavy footstep, followed by the sound of creaking tiles, and Lucius emerged from the half-light, the sardonic smile drawn on his face. "Oh, my little Ren, I see you've recovered-you'll have fast regeneration, it seems," he said in a calm tone, as if he were talking not to an opponent but to an old friend.

"But you know, that doesn't scare me." His words crept through the air like poison, cold and unrelenting.

Ren lowered his gaze, the thought sweeping over him like a wave. Quick regeneration? He remembered the blow he had received, the agony that had invaded him, but now... now he felt nothing.

The wound on his belly was already completely healed, and there was no longer any sign of pain. "Is that why I feel no pain?" The question buzzed in his mind, but Lucius would not give him time to ponder.

"That's not why I'm here!" he blurted out, his tone abruptly firm. "We had a deal!"

Lucius raised an eyebrow, as if he was listening to him from another world, without an ounce of concern. "Hm? Yes, yes... but I don't make deals. Just see people. He only loves me. You, little Ren, are a being who must die."

The words were poisonous, but he was not intimidated. He lowered his gaze to his belly, clenching his fists. He knew he wouldn't stand a chance in a direct fight against that monster. “Then why are you attacking those people?” he asked, his voice now rich with challenge.

The man approached slowly, his evil smile growing wider and wider. "Simple. I kill the people my manipulator doesn't work on. If they were to stay alive, do you understand how much trouble they would bring me?"

“Manipulator?” repeated the boy, unable to hold back the curiosity that was beginning to grow within him. “What do you mean?”

The manipulator made an almost indifferent gesture, as if he were talking about a simple game. "Do you want to know what the manipulator is? Well, it is a spell that allows the user to control, to manipulate anyone who is affected by it. It works on all kinds of animals, while on humans with magical power it has no effect."

He felt an icy chill run down his spine. “So that's why that man was about to fall victim to Lucius...” he thought, recalling his encounter with the man who had confronted Lucius' guard. “But thanks to his magic, he was able to thwart the manipulator...”

“I see,” he muttered, as a new layer of hatred mingled with his fury. “So people hate me-all because of you?”

The man burst into sardonic laughter, a cruel sound that filled the entire room. "That's right! I see that you finally understand the situation. Ahahaha!" His laughter sounded like a sharp blade, ready to lacerate every shred of hope that still lingered in Ren's heart.

He clenched his fists, his body trembling, but not out of fear this time. His heart was pounding like a crazed drum, but he would not give in. "I hate you, Lucius. Soon I will have my revenge!" His voice trembled, but it was a tremor of anger, not fear.

He did not flinch, continuing to laugh as if he were listening to a joke. "Yes, yes, have it your way, hahaha... . and know that it's useless to spread the word about the manipulator. I have eyes everywhere. People hate you, Ren. It only takes me a few minutes to kill you, hahahaha!"

The boy remained still, his fury whispering under his skin. He did not want to give in, did not want to let himself be overwhelmed. His fists were clenched as never before, his eyes closed as he tried to contain the storm that swept over him.

The silence that followed was charged with tremendous tension. He could say nothing more, yet his intentions were as clear as the noonday sky. He would not stop, not now, not ever.

"Come on, now get out." Lucius shoved him nonchalantly, pushing him toward the entrance of the house.

The boy turned and walked out of the house, with an incredible awareness within him. "I've found out more about you, Lucius," he thought, the steps leading him away from his enemy's abode. Every piece of information I can gather is one step closer to your end.