Backstory of Ra ‘’The immortal’’ [ 第七章 ].

I was born in this world without knowing who were my parents. I had no name either. The only thing I had was my brother. My twin brother.

We were raised in a village northeast of the Edril kingdom. The one who raised us was the chief village. We weren’t the only ones who were raised by him. Several children at our age were with us. We later found out that we were all raised for a single purpose. To create the next Ra ‘’The immortal’’.

The story behind this Ra ‘’The immortal’’ is he was a fearsome legend. People say he slayed thousands and hundreds of people. And no matter what, he can’t die. He was covered in scars from his fierce battles and had no skin on his face. Just the flesh. No lips, no eyebrows, no eyelashes. Nothing.

That village was nothing but a village they train kids like us mentally and physically to create one machine of killing. At that time, the Edril kingdom was ruled by another king who was later assassinated by Ra ‘’The immortal’’. The dark side of Edril wanted to create a machine that will do any kind of mission without failure. I don’t know how long this machine-making was for, but surely it started a long time ago.

All of us kids had one thing in common. We were the garbage of war. Before we were born, Edril Kingdom had sporadic wars with Athena over land. But Augustus became a king and everything changed. His presence alone made Edril think more carefully. Thus, the need for a new ‘’Ra’’ was needed more than ever.

That’s where we began the hellish journey to become the new Ra ‘’The immortal’’. We began training when we were 5 years old. It wasn’t optional to not train. You either survive the hellish training or you die. Either by the training or by getting fed to the dogs. I remember an incident at the start of the first days of our training. A kid couldn’t keep up with the daily running, the workouts we had to do, the same small amount and kind of food we had to eat, and the short hours of sleep. He approached the chief of the village and asked him if he could not do the training anymore. The chief approved his request. The next day, we all stood in line as we see the same kid getting eaten alive by the dogs. The adults let them loose and they started biting the kid’s clothes off. Then his flesh. During that time he was tortured, and all I could think of is we are in hell. I would’ve given up if it wasn’t for my brother.

My brother was a gentle soul. He used to share his food with me. He will stand up for me if the other kids try to take my share of the food. He was feared by us as he was capable of beating up even adults. He was very athletic and can pass the training easily. But he stays late to stay with me.

‘’We can survive today as well Brother!’’ He would always say. He was truly my idol. My savior. My hero.

5 years after, the training got more intense. They started mentally torturing us as well as to keep up with the new training which includes physical torture for at least 2 hours a day. The methods vary each day so that our bodies don’t get used to the same pain. With that, more ‘’Garbage’’ was thrown away. All that is left is less than half of the kids we were at the start.

We started to explore our magic as well. Both me and my brother had water magic. Which wasn’t the case with others. Some didn’t have magic. So, the chief disposed of them. He said

‘’They are not the reincarnation of Ra ‘’The immortal’’ ‘’

Some of them were more highly skilled than I was. I was just blessed to have this magic.

The hell continued and the suffering and loss continued. In the end, only three of us stayed alive. Me, My brother and another. As we got older, we started taking missions, to get experience and determine the next ‘’Ra’’. We three, for several more years, continued the missions nonstop. The decision for Ra was still not decided. It was until that night. A night I could not erase from my memories no matter what.

The three of us candidates were taken blindfolded to a place out of nowhere. They stopped the carriage and took us out and our blindfolds as well. We see a big red circled area with fire on the top of the pillars surrounded by it. The chief and all of the adults of our village sitting at a stand not too far from the circled area. There were some other not familiar faces with them. I suppose they were the people who arrange everything from the dark in Edril.

A man clothed in black with a wand spoke loudly.

‘’Welcome Candidates! Tonight is the night we were all waiting for! The night that will bring us the new Ra ‘’The immortal’’ ‘’

We headed to the circled area and waited. The chief then stood up and explained what will happen.

‘’Candidates! You will fight till only one of you remains! With this, Ra ‘’The immortal’’ will once again rise!’’ I got shocked. If only one of us will stay alive, that means either me or my brother dies. Or we died both.

We were all handed one dagger each. The other candidate set his eyes on me since my brother was far stronger, he wanted to eliminate me as fast as he could so he has time to fight him.

‘’The ritual begins NOW!’’ the clothed man said.

The candidate came at me as soon as he finished his sentence. I was caught off guard and didn’t have time to protect myself. Luckily, my brother noticed his plan and blocked his attack.

‘’What are you doing brother? Never let your guard down!’’ He told me.

‘’Yes,’’ I replied.

‘’Stay out of this. I'll handle it.’’ My brother told me as he speeds dashed at the other candidate. I kept looking as my brother kept fighting him. The two were moving so fast and handling their daggers well. My brother throws his dagger at him. The candidate blocks it but was surprised as my brother got from below and kicks him right on his chin. In mid-air, my brother catches his dagger and stabs him right in the heart. As he stabs him, the candidate falls to the ground. He reached for my brother’s face to grab him but his life ended before he could do that. I was speechless. The crowd kept muttering. I went to my brother to discuss how we will do this. Now that the other one is dead, it means one of us must die as well. As I approached him, my brother swings his dagger at me. It almost got me in the neck if I didn’t lay back.

‘’B-Brother?’’ I said confused.

He looked at me with murderous red eyes and no expression at all. He then said.

‘’I am not your brother. I am Ra ‘’The immortal’’ ‘’ I couldn’t believe what my brother said to me.

He rushed me, kicked my dagger away, and punched me in the stomach. My eyes rolled as the strike was too powerful. As I was coughing my guts out, he stood Infront of me with his red glowing eyes.

‘’B-Brother, what happened to you?’’ I asked.

‘’I told you, I am not your brother anymore. I am Ra ‘’The immortal’’

‘’It can’t be. We share the same face.’’

‘’I realized when I killed the other candidate. I became Ra.’’ he said ‘’Now, pick up your dagger and fight me. I do not want to be remembered that I became Ra by killing a helpless candidate who thought I was his brother.’’

I couldn’t stand up and fight my brother. I was confused. Why would my brother say such things? He has always been a gentle kind person to me. Could it be that those pillars and this whole ritual have something to do with his change of behavior? As I was thinking, my brother kicks me right in the face. I didn’t stop rolling over till I came close to my dagger.

‘’Stand up!’’ He shouted at me ‘’I am Ra ‘’The immortal’’. It’s either kill or be killed! Fight me till your last breath!’’

I stood up wobbling. His kicks and punches were real. This is not an illusion. I truly lost my brother. As I was standing, I can see him smirking at me as he raises his arms high.

Since my brother was with me, I always endured the hellish training, the mental and physical torture as well. With him around, I never felt true pain. A pain that didn't make me bleed blood. I couldn’t help but feel a wave of anger inside of me. I hold my dagger and speed dashed at him.

He saw me coming and started rushing me as well. We both swing our daggers at the same time. As they clang, I could see my reflection in his eyes. I was furiously mad. We continued our battle for several hours. We got pretty tired. None of us could surrender.

‘’This... This is what I call a real battle!’’ My brother said ‘’But now, let’s finish it off!’’

He puts his dagger away. He then grabs his hands together.

‘’Water Magic: Mist’’

The fog started to fill the whole terrain. I couldn’t see the crowd or the pillars or my brother.

‘’It was fun until now! But the fun is over.’’ He said somewhere from the mist.

I started to get slashed from every angle. He kept on slashing me nonstop. I couldn’t pinpoint where the attacks were coming from. Then I remembered what my brother have told me about this magic spell.

‘’The mist blocks both the caster and the target’s vision. If you keep on relying on your eyes, you will never find where the attack is coming from. If you are the target, you must rely on your ears. If you are the caster, you already trained yourself for that. So, you will be attacking based on the body movements and their breathing.’’

I closed my eyes and fully dedicated my focus to my ears. I could hear him breathing. As I pinpoint where he was, he attacked me. Because us being close to each other, I was familiar with how my brother swung his dagger. When he tried to slash me, I crouched down. With every last bit of energy I had left, I screamed as I stabbed him in the heart. He coughed a lot of blood.

I looked at him and I saw his face smiling. Why would he smile? I put a dagger on his chest.

‘’Great... Job... Brother...’’ He whispered in my ear ‘’From now on, live for the both of us.’’

From the shock of what I heard, I took my hands off the dagger and he faceplanted on the ground. I didn't know what to feel or what to think.

The mist then cleared and everyone saw the scene. They cheered as if it was a festival. Everyone started hugging each other and congratulating each other. I couldn’t move or speak as I look at them with no expression on my face at all.

For days I couldn’t comprehend what happened. Did my brother fake being someone else just to give me a purpose to kill him? I wanted answers but there was no way for me to get a reply to my questions.

After I became Ra ‘’The immortal’’, the chief and the whole village started to speak to me politely. I was worshipped like a god. Whenever I come back from a mission, I get welcomed with all kinds of food. Not just that, but the chief will bring a different woman every time to my room at night to sleep with me. This became standard. I don’t think, I don’t say a word. I get the mission from the chief and I do it. Whether it is to kill a baby or kill a whole family. I do it.

It has been two years since I became Ra. We never had names when we were kids. Some of us thought having a name is as equal to having a life. Which is the case. Only Ra ‘’The immortal’’ could eat this kind of food. Only Ra ‘’The immortal’’ could have any woman in his bed. Only Ra ‘’The immortal’’ could live. This world I'm living in, thought me one thing. Kill and you live. Do nothing, and you will get killed.

I was ordered on a mission to kill a family who was opposing the new king’s system of ruling. I went that night to Edril’s capital. I sneaked into the house of that family and killed the guards. I found the mother and father. I killed them both before they could make a fuss. What got me surprised, was the two siblings. They were the same age as me and my brother and when we were found by the chief of the village. I saw the terror in their eyes. As I slowly walked toward them, one of them said what woke me up from this illusion.

‘’P-Please don’t kill my brother. I beg of you!’’ He said as he hugs his little brother. I froze in my spot. I started to see their faces change from theirs to mine and my brother's. I immediately escaped from the window. I started to see the images of the nightmare of that horrific night.

I returned back to the village, I got greeted by the same welcome and cheers as always.

‘’Ra ‘’The immortal’’! Ra ‘’The immortal’’ has come back!’’

I go back to my room after that to see a woman already waiting for me as she was covering herself with a revealing piece of cloth.

‘’Welcome back lord Ra. Please, do as you wish,’’ she spoke in a calm tone as she took off that piece of cloth and stood still. Completely naked. I lost myself as I fully took my emotions on her.

I go out of my room, leaving her in my bed. I kept walking and I see the candle on the chief’s house. I heard people talking. So, I eavesdropped on them.

‘’Are we having our next supply of kids coming anytime soon?’’ one of the people there said.

‘’We don’t need to rush. The new Ra is doing fine. If he screws up, we will see then.’’ The chief replied.

It hit me then. Those cheers, that food, those women. They were never real. They are only to create this thought in my head that I am worshipped. That I am a one and only. All the kids who were eager to get this name Ra died for nothing. I can be replaced anytime they want. My brother sacrificed his life over nothing. Absolutely nothing.

I came back to my room, took my daggers, and killed them all. I started with the chief and the people who were with him. I continued killing that night, bursting through every house in the village to slaughter them all. Some resisted, but they didn’t even leave a single scar on my already scared body. In the morning, the whole village was dead. After that, I continued to kill, that because it is the only thing I can do in this filthy world. The only drug that takes away any memories from coming back.

There was only one thing in my head the whole time. One thought in my mind. You either kill or be killed! There is no in-between!