Requiem Of A Failed Hero

Hours passed and Raith was trapped on his knee, unable to stand up. He tried a few times but it was futile, the tearing feeling that assaulted his shoulder made him give up too early before putting in the persistence effort.

But as seconds ticked, the weight of the manacles began to bear down on his whole body. It's imposing mass pressed down a burden impossible for him to bear.

The once fluid movements in his body were now reduced to painful lumbering gait. His muscles strained and screamed in protest as if pleading for mercy from the unyielding force they were compelled to support.

It was as though gravity itself conspired to beleaguer his soul. But if there was anything that Raith had gotten used to over the last eventful year.

It was pain.

Just as he had been trying. He tried again. The pain grew intense but he did not stop. The tearing feeling of his shoulder worrying his mind but he didn't stop pulling himself. All he had to do was walk inside and sit on the ruined sofa.

With mind tearing effort, Raith was able to bring himself up. Although his hand were stiff, frozen and he had no control over them. Slowly, he turned… but it was an even more arduous task, not that he was gonna back out now that he had managed to stand.

He couldn't stand straight, his back was bent a little and his legs were shaking as he began with a step. He took another… and another… and it did not get any easier. Each tortoise step became a difficult battle with the rupturing pull of tonnage. But he moved.

He looked back and the five steps he had taken felt like a thousand. Joy entered his heart and made it less heavy. He looked forward, a frown creasing on his dry face.

'Yes, I can definitely do it'

His determination was impressive but nothing got any easier because of that. In this place, Raith would begin to discover all shades of himself that had been buried since his childhood days.

This new flames of determination that subtly ignited deep behind the shallowness of his heterochromia eyes was one of them… although flimsy. For now.

As Raith managed to reach the entrance of his hut, a crescendo of pain enveloped him, each step was torturously dragging his body into the depths of physical torment. He ground his teeth so hard and frowned so deeply but he didn't stop.

His ligaments now stretched beyond their limits. Tendons, taut as bowstrings, sending waves of excruciating pain through his limbs

He entered the cozy hut, he could feel the gradual erosion of what was left of his strength, surrendering to the overwhelming weight of the bracelets. His legs were shaking like tremors. Unstoppable.

He used the straw-intertwined wall of the hut as support, slowly taking shaky steps towards the comfortable seat that was not too far anymore.

'Or should I just lay on the bed?'

He looked at the bed that was another four steps farther, if he was to calculate it with the steps from his current place to the chair, that was like six steps altogether.

Raith completed the next step while his mind was busy, there was only one step remaining to the chair. Suddenly all his body began screaming with pain, it felt like all his muscles were negating the thought of going just a little bit further.

He gave up on the thought of going to the bed and taking the last step, he tried his best to turn and slowly settle into the chair. He leaned backward, looking at the patched ceiling of his new abode.

His entire body ached, flood of torture streaked across his muscle forcing him to ground his teeth hardly to endure.

All that high endurance stat was not for nothing after all.

—

A few hours later Thard - Harl appeared in front of the house. Seeing that Raith was not there anymore, his brow rose but an impressed smile soon settled on his lips.

"I suppose you are made of stuff after all"

He said as he entered the hut. But the young lad was fast asleep snoring.

A frown creased on Thard - Harl's face.

"He's sleeping?"

Thard - Harl's face drew so much contradictions on them, he seemed confused, lost.

'Is there something about this boy that I do not know?'

Thard walked closer to him, his hands crossed behind his back as he inspected the sleeping lad.

Walking back to his front, Thard - Harl stopped and chuckled unbelievably. A human was wearing these manacles and sleeping?

His face was so baffled and fought to accept what he saw. Thard - Harl too at a time had been subjected to this kind of training. In fact almost all asura had. But theirs was not up to a ton.

The moment the clocked ten years, a manacle of one thousand pounds was forged as bracelets worn on their wrists and anklets and for the next hundred years they were stuck with it.

For the first few months of wearing the weight manacles, Thard - Harl even till now could not forget how sleepless his nights were, he screamed and cried because of the pain in his body, the muscles strains. Before his body began to get used to it.

He smiled, 'There is something Fel is not telling me'

It killed his pride that a human could comfortably sleep in with four weight manacle of two thousand pounds when he couldn't sleep for months with just one thousand.

"Tsk"

Clicking his tongue, he turned away from the human…

'I should give him a little time to rest'

…and disappeared.

—

The people of Therut stood together, clustered with each other as the helicopter slowly descended to the center of their town.

It had become more refined than before, houses were being completed, even the city Lord's hall as they called it was being renovated into something larger.

Moreso, there were construction workers that Min - Ho personally came with. All of them were working with the men, teaching them and walking together.

But right now, everybody was gathered, awaiting the gallant arrival of their city lord.

As the plan settled, the little-to-no snow that resided on the ground was ushered into the air by the swirling blades. A fine leg came out of the helicopter, body so slender and smart.

She wore a black suit, palazzo pants and suit jacket, a white silky linen that revealed her skin, chest area to collar bone… the rest was covered by her black jacket.

Ruan Zhaohui removed her glasses and bowed in front of the people.

The likes of Balam, Mok Jae-Hwa and Beelzebub made their way to the front of the ground. Behind them were the hunters that were seemingly being changed, face rougher than before, equipped with different makeshift armors and equipment.

Most of all Amber Rose stared with delighting intensity. Just like her, everyone expected Raith to come out of the helicopter.

But a couple of seconds had passed and nothing had happened… just this woman bowing.

Amber Rose frowned.

It wasn't just her… the people in front seem to have the same fear.

"Where is my lord?"

Balam growled, flames could almost be seen sparking in his mouth.

Ruan Zhaohui tightened her fist, she was very aware of the man speaking. Rizo had tried to stop her from going to Antarctica because there might be a being there stronger than her. And he mentioned that he is not human.

Only that none of them knew, there wasn't just one of beings like this, apart from Beelzebub who has refused to leave since. The dragon that dwelt in this place should be what they should be scared of.

How could she have known.

"Hunter Raven managed to defeat the gate…"

Her brows creased below.

"Then what happened?"

Mok Jae-Hwa asked, his voice radiating with subtle tremor.

Min - Ho rummaged his way to the front just at that time.

After a long pause, Ruan Zhaohui spoke, with shuddering voice.

"He didn't make it out…" She raised her head, tears streaming down her face as she beheld the contorted expressions of thousands of people.

"Hunter Raven is dead…"