Requiem Of A Failed Hero

"Are you sure you don't need me to go with you? Or even Balam?"

Raith closed his eyes. Mok Jae-Hwa had asked him this question like ten times in just three minutes and his answer had been the same.

"No, there's no need for that. I promised the old lady that I would do it, that is the content of our bargain... it wouldn't be valid if I take someone along"

"But she should understand. Something has happened to you since you made that bargain, I think you should take Balam at the very least."

Raith lifted his gaze to look at Balam who patiently waited, his eyes begging for an acceptance. Closing his eyes, Raith lowered his gaze and shook his head.

"No can do."

"But..."

"A deal is a deal. Besides, she'll be offering me a whooping amount of two hundred and fifty billion dollars, I can't pass up that opportunity because I am worried about my safety."

Raith was very worried, more worried than Mok Jae-Hwa and Balam currently were because he knew that things wouldn't be the same anymore.

He didn't know if he was as strong as used to be with the absence of his ability to be able to resurrect from death. Practically, all of his wins had been from the number of chances given to him by overcoming death. Would it now be finally proven how much of a loser he is?

A ball of fear was stuck somewhere in his chest and it was so scary to pay any attention to it. Raith felt like if he did, he just might run away from everything—in as much as the thought of it was pleasing and didn't feel bad. He definitely would love a new start somewhere else, leaving all these people to fend for themselves while he focuses on himself alone.

But the money was too huge of a sum to pass up. The thought of abandoning the money stabbed his thoughts with a fearsome dagger that had been soaked into a pool of regret. No matter how better he thought of getting out of this situation, he just couldn't get his mind off the money.

'All I care about is the money. I want to start building myself from scratch. I also need the angel wings she had promised me. Those will go a long way and I'm sure some other information would be there. After defeating the two gates, I will go to Felfhiem then afterward I will go in search of Thard-Harl.'

He remembered Fel's laughter when he mentioned that he had killed Thard-Harl. The guy did not believe and said something about defeating the abyss.

This went deep and Raith felt the need to investigate it further which is why he decided that he was going to follow Fel's instruction for now. Of course, even while doing that he would only consider his own best interest... not even the world.

Should it come down to it and the abyss is a tad away from destroying the universe, if saving the universe wasn't going to bring an enjoyable gain to him, then he would just let it get destroyed and find a haven for himself.

His thought pattern was odd to him and sudden but he felt liberated. Not giving too many fucks about anything made him feel lightweight.

A heavy sound came from outside and that was how Raith knew his ride was here. Ruan Zhaohui's helicopter.

Raith stood up, followed by Mok Jae-Hwa and Balam he stepped out to meet the others.

Curtis, Andre, Amber Rose, and the rest of them all stood outside and bowed their heads as Raith stepped out.

Each of them had words that wished to leap out of their mouth but still managed to hold them together, staring at Raith with eyes that seemed to be worshipping a god.

Curtis stepped forward and touched his brother's shoulder.

"Come back to us."

"Of course, who do you think you are talking to? A weakling?"

Raith chuckled, hitting his brother's chest softly with his fist. Their height was almost equal with Curtis a little bit taller, but it was so hard to tell that one was a little bit older than one.

Raith's mom gave birth to him three years after Curtis' mom died. They say she was a maid whom the master fell in love with all the while even before marrying Curtis's mom. But the marriage with Curtis's mom was an arranged marriage which was his first duty as a Duke.

After she died, he ended up with his first love again and they birthed Raith.

By that standard alone, Raith should have been his best child but that man abandoned him because he was talentless.

It was now past to Raith though. The old man was dead anyway... but he still felt there was more to the story that his brother was hesitating to say.

Perhaps this was not the best time to ask but since the thought took a quick stroll across his mind Raith's face became slightly serious as he spoke:

"I want to ask you something?"

Noticing the austere expression on Raith's face, Curtis asked cautiously:

"Is everything alright?"

Raith looked at the rest–his words did not need to come out. His eyes alone were all they needed to know that he needed to have a private moment with his brother.

Slowly, they withdrew, leaving Raith and his brother in the center.

"I want to know something brother."

Raith's tone was underlaid with some seriousness.

"Alright."

Curtis responded with the same energy.

"There is something you are not telling me right? There is something. No matter how much I try to think about it, did Father really abandon me because I was talentless"

Curtis sighed and lowered his head. After a few breaths he started to speak with a somber tone.

"I am not sure of this whole thing. Father rarely talked to anyone after your mother died. But I was a witness to it... while you were younger, he would often stare at you with horror, a fear-stricken face... yes, he would look at you and call you a monster. Sometimes he would be so horrified that he would fall to the ground and piss his pants."

Raith raised a brow.

"That's..."

"Unbelievable right? I too wouldn't have believed it if I was told. But I saw one instance and the maids naturally started spreading all sorts of rumors. Of course, all those rumors died down but Father got distant from you. He asked me to not teach you anything and would oftentimes teach you rubbish so you wouldn't be able to learn the family's sword style. But Raith do you know what you would still do with the rubbish you learned?"

He looked into his brother's eyes with a glinting smile.

Curious, Raith inquired:

"What? What did I do?"

"Well, you would make a genuine and outstanding sword form out of the rubbish you were taught. But father would turn it down and call it rubbish. Nothing you did could please him, and your intelligence and brilliance naturally began to dwindle till you became quite the dullard."

The last part was unnecessary but Raith was grateful that Curtis said everything to him like this.

'When Fel said the abyss needed talented individuals, I was doubting his words... nothing is talented about me. Bur hearing this from him made me confirm... apart from the fact that I might have been a genius at my younger age. My father was scared of me for something. And if I knew that thing, I'd probably be able to understand why my power from the abyss was being able to overcome death.'

This would unlock the beginning of a new journey for him. With the abyss gone from his life, his purpose and passion were redefined. To find out his identity was the least of them though.

Raith lowered his head.

"But you don't need to worry about that. I love you and I know you are not a monster."

Raith chuckled,

"After seeing my strength I'm amazed you think so."

He said with a jovial tone before bidding his brother farewell. He did the same to the others and walked closer to the helicopter where he was received by some special force who helped him into the helicopter and soon it took off.

To the destination.