Bonds

A few days later…

Now, Terry and Darma’s villages were united. Roman, Terry, Kenue, and Darma trained together and sometimes some fighters in the village joined them. All for the sake of realizing their dream to free humanity from agony.

Although they were busy training, they did many things daily, from harvesting vegetables to taking care of livestock. They also bartered crops or livestock with the surrounding villages. Of course they did that secretly so as not to be caught by monsters.

One morning, they stopped at a village and there they bumped into a mysterious figure wearing a hooded cloak. However, since they did not recognize him, they just walked away.

But for a moment Roman thought he heard a voice whispering in his ear, “Thank goodness you’re okay,” and when he turned to chase after the mysterious figure, he had disappeared.

“What is it, Roman?” Terry asked.

“Oh, nothing. Maybe I heard wrong.”

They went into a tavern to eat.

“Let’s eat. Today, there’s quite a lot of harvest that can be bartered to the surrounding villages,” Roman said.

“Yeah. Hopefully it’ll increase so that we can meet the daily needs of all the villagers,” Terry said.

It was evening when they had finished eating and were about to go home.

“Let’s go home. It’s getting late,” Kenue said.

“Oh, all right. Let’s go home,” Darma said.

However, Roman kept thinking about the voice he heard earlier. He seemed to remember something from that voice.

“Roman, are you okay? It’s not like you to be so quiet,” Terry asked worriedly.

“You’re kidding. I’m still the same. I’m not quiet. Haha,” Roman replied nervously, forcing a laugh.

“That laugh was obviously forced,” Darma said.

“That’s right,” Terry said.

Then, they returned to the village. As usual, they always trained day and night. Roman trained the hardest, as he felt he had to protect his friends and the villagers now. He did not want to be considered weak by anyone.

Kenue also continued to train very hard. Even though sometimes Kenue did not train with Roman and the others, he still trained by himself because he always remembered the one-eyed Sharkin who had killed his parents. So, he had to be strong to be able to kill the Sharkin with his own hands.

They spent a few days together. Day by day, they grew stronger and they continued to improve their training methods. They sparred with each other to cover each other’s weaknesses.

Suddenly, Roman approached Kenue and said, “Kenue, can you do me a favor?”

“Just say it,” Kenue replied coldly.

“Kenue, attack me like you want to kill that Sharkin!”

Hearing Roman’s words, Terry and Darma were appalled.

“What on earth? That’s not how you train!” Terry snapped.

“Yeah, I won’t allow you to ask my brother to hurt humans. I won’t forgive myself if that happens!” Darma said firmly.

“So you have chosen death. Prepare to die!!” Kenue exclaimed, leveling an icy glare at Roman.

Kenue took his spear, getting ready to attack Roman. He had lost control.

Roman realized that lately, Kenue’s eyes were filled with anger and hatred. He realized that if there was no one to help him let go of his anger, Kenue would never be free from his shackles and he would not be able to grow stronger. Instead, he must be able to accept reality in order to become even stronger.

“Ready when you are,” Roman said confidently.

Terry walked over to Roman and stood in front of him. “No… Stop it!” she said, voice trembling and eyes teary.

Darma approached Kenue and stood in front of him. “You two, please stop!”

“Big Bro, step aside!! He has killed our parents. He must die by my hands!!”

Kenue forgot that Roman was his friend. Pain and hatred filled his thoughts. He really thought Roman was the Sharkin.

“Kenue, he’s just riling you up. Get a grip. He is Roman, not a Sharkin!”

“Hey, Kenue, if you can’t win against me, how can you possibly beat the Sharkin?!” Roman taunted.

Kenue rushed toward Roman with his spear. He launched a series of quick stab. However, Roman unexpectedly managed to evade all of his attacks.

They fought on equal ground. Kenue’s speed was incredible, but Roman was able to match his.

Roman managed to dodge his attack and said, “You’re still not fast enough, Kenue!! I told you, if that’s all you’re capable of, you won’t be able to beat the Sharkin. You’ll die!!”

Kenue increased his attack speed. He really looked like a rampaging demon. He landed a hit on Roman and made him seriously injured in the left shoulder.

Damn. His speed is incredible. However, this is the only way to help bring him to his senses.

Kenue continued to attack him relentlessly without giving him a chance to think. Eventually, Roman suffered serious enough injuries to both of his legs that he sank to his knees.

Kenue walked up to Roman. “It’s over. Die in peace!!” There was a merciless cold in both his eyes and his tone.

He aimed his spear at Roman’s neck. He really wanted to kill Roman.

Darma rushed to stop Kenue. “Kenue, don’t... Pull yourself together. He’s our friend!!”

“Kenue, please don’t!! Wake up, Kenue!!” Terry shouted.

Roman closed his eyes and lowered his head. However, the unexpected happened. He unconsciously used his mother’s Inner Power. Then, he quickly grabbed Kenue’s spear and held it with his left hand. Darma and Terry were dumbfounded.

In no time, the severe wound on his left shoulder gradually healed. A thin smoke came out of the open wound.

He opened his eyes while looking right at Kenue’s eyes and said, “If you want to beat the Sharkin, you have to beat yourself first. You can’t beat anyone if you can’t beat yourself!! Control your emotions and anger, otherwise you’re just an empty doll and won’t be able to grow stronger!!”

Kenue was still trying to pull the spear that Roman was holding. However, he could not pull it out, because Roman was holding it firmly. He lowered his head after hearing Roman’s words and let go of his spear, then he went back to his room.

Lyra was Roman’s mother. Her specialty was Inner Power. She could use her ability to speed up her healing or to strengthen the cells in her body, making her body as hard as steel. However, there were some dire consequences. Due to using it too often, she inadvertently shortened her lifespan. She died of organ failure. At that time, Roman was only four years old.

The next morning...

The wounds that Roman received from the fight against Kenue had almost completely healed. However, after the fight, Kenue continued to lock himself up for several days. The three of them continued to train without him. They were worried, but they could do nothing. Every time they went to Kenue’s room, he would be silent.

Three days had passed since that incident. The three of them continued to carry out their daily activities, bartering crops and livestock to the surrounding villages.

In the afternoon, they finished their work and saw Kenue on the training ground, sitting still. At first, Roman wanted to approach Kenue, but Terry stopped him. Darma then approached Kenue.

“Hey, Kenue. Are you hungry?” Darma asked, handing an apple to Kenue.

“Yeah, a little.”

“Eat this. If you want more I’ll get them for you. Seeing as you’ve been in your room for a few days, you must be very hungry.”

“You don’t have to. I’m fine,” Kenue said, lowering his head.

Roman and Terry approached the brothers. They tried to lighten the mood by talking to Kenue.

“Hey, Kenue,” Terry greeted.

“Hey, Terry,” Kenue responded.

“Yo, idiot, has it been enough for you to shut yourself up for three days? Get up and come train with us again then,” Roman said, holding out his fist.

Terry was surprised to hear Roman said that to Kenue. “You like to stir up trouble, huh?”

Kenue bumped their fists together. Darma and Terry’s faces lit up.

“It’s okay, Terry, he’s right. I’m so stupid. I always remember that horrible incident. Many years have passed since, but the tragedy remained fresh in my mind. That’s why I forgot that I have a good older brother who always takes care of me, a caring friend like you, Terry, and a stupid friend like Roman!!”

“Hey, what the hell? You want to fight again, huh?”

Kenue chuckled. “But really, if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to move on. Thanks to you I’m now free from that terrible incident. I can step forward to become even stronger now. Thanks, Roman,” he said, giving Roman a smile.

“Uh, no biggie. We’re friends after all,” Roman said, looking away because he felt awkward.

“Are your wounds healed yet? I’m sorry, Roman.”

“Don’t sweat it. I’ve recovered now. Because I’m strong,” Roman bragged.

“He’s always been like that. Weird. What is his body made of? The wounds healed in just two days,” Terry asked, baffled.

“Yeah. Those wounds were serious,” Darma said.

“Naturally. My body is very strong. I’ve always trained it well,” Roman said, praising himself.

Finally, Kenue returned to train with the others. Occasionally, some villagers came to train with them. Their goal remained the same. They wanted to defeat the monsters. They believed that if they were together, they would be even stronger.

Meanwhile…

In a tavern, the mysterious hooded figure sat at a table, sipping his drink in silence. Suddenly, a well-built woman came up to him, hitting the table he was sitting at.

“You’d better talk now. Don’t waste my time!” she snapped.

“Calm down. I thought you would be happy if I told you the news about him,” the mysterious figure said in a deep voice.

“Okay, tell me then.”

“He is fine. I do not know where he lives, for now. Take it easy. He has good friends.”

“Stop wasting my time. If you just want to tell me that he’s okay, don’t bother. I know for sure he’ll be fine. Because he’s my younger brother!!” she said with conviction.

Suddenly, Roman sneezed. He was being talked about by his older sister and the mysterious figure.

“Achoo… Tch. Damn. I’m getting sick,” Roman said, still sneezing.

“Maybe your body’s getting weaker. Get some rest. Don’t let another illness get into your body,” Darma sneered.

“Damn. There’s no way my body is that weak. Someone must be talking about me.”

“Could it be true? Maybe someone really is talking about you,” Terry said.

“You think anyone cares about him? I bet it’s a grim reaper who wants to reap your soul,” Kenue scoffed.

“Kenue, you bastard. I won’t die that easily!”

Darma, Terry, and, Kenue burst into laughter.