After that, almost everyone from the village disappeared. They all fled to other villages. I was still not in condition to do anything. I was fed liquid food, I was always laying down. And for the first few days, I really couldn't feel my body, but afterwards, oh goodness, THE PAIIIIN! All over, everywhere, in every position. I was screaming everyday. It took me a few months to bear the pain.
He was in full pain all the time. It took two whole months for his injuries to weaken. Imagine the pain, because I can't... Since I can't really feel pain, I'm an entity.
In the following months, I could finally stand up and walk. Slowly, but it was better than nothing. I went outside and saw a few houses being rebuilt, but nothing close to what the village was before. I'd say maybe fifteen people maximum returned. Everyone was scared to come back after the two incidents, and I understand them. Months after, yeah because it was a very long recovery, my longest actually, that's why I never went to war again, I was finally healed.
By then, I understood a few things about the incident, there was only one man in black who survived the attack, and he was held captive by the Anza Village. Next, the people who fled the village went far far away, not just in the neighboring villages, so no chance to see them ever again. Makemba disappeared. Miki and Mina fled and came back afterwards, which was cool since I needed money. Also, they killed the poor horse, damn. Deserved anyway. So now, all I wanted to do was to become stronger physically and to investigate on the men in black.
*member of the crowd: Didn't you say you never went to war ever again? Why would you want to investigate on them instead of running away?*
You can't understand it, kid. It's all about drama. When being paralyzed for months, then only thing you want is not to stay still and do nothing, alright?
So, as I was saying, I started training with Lingo, who was kinda jacked. We started lifting all we could lift, doing pushups, sit-ups and all. And in the meantime, I'd try to go talk to the man in black. However, the new village chief, since the other one perished, may his soul rest in peace, didn't really want to let me talk to him for some reasons. He said something along the lines of " He is a prisoner and he sure remain locked, without anyone talking to him." But I didn't really care, I really want to investigate. One day, he finally let me through, and what I saw was horrifying. That guy was just sitting on the ground, doing nothing, face looking down. He didn't even react when I talked.
*member of the crowd: Did the village have cells ?*
Yes and no. Not quite. You see, they weren't really fond of metal structures, so no " cells " as you know them. But they'd bury six-feet-deep circular pit with wood bars on top. Since the majority of people there were quite short, it was an unescapable prison from them.
Where was I even?
*member of the crowd: The moment where you wanted to talk to the man in black!*
Ah, yeah, thanks peasant.
I was still trying to talk to him but nothing. I then asked a guard to let him out and be vigilant, maybe he would escape or something. However, when he was let out, he just fell on his knees and murmured " Kill me, I don't have anything anymore. Please let me die. " He was actually a kid. I'd say twelve or thirteen years old. He suffered severe depression. He reminded me of myself a few years ago in my world. I was wishing death on myself like it was the only phrase in my vocabulary. I tried to make him stand up, but nothing. He was dead in the inside. There was no will to live. Nothing.
I told him: " I want to talk with you about your people." But he stayed silent. He was definitely loosing his mind because he then murmured : " If I tell you what you want to know, will you fulfill my wish ?" When I asked which wish , he told me: " To kill me. I can't bear this place anymore. Please, let me follow my people." It made my ask the guard about what they did to him but they said " Nothing. We found him like that, all rolled up on himself on the ground, murmuring the same thing." I told the kid " Alright. Answer me and I'll end your suffering." And his face lit up, he smiled as if I had offered him eternal life.
I asked him " Where do you come from?", he said " I don't know. We were nomads since I was born. Be we had a recent place where we lived right before we attacked you." , my second question was " Who are you ?" and he said Malakai. But I corrected and asked him to respond more broadly, and he revealed that the men in black were peasants, poor people— just like you savages—who left their hometown two generations ago becyif debts. They started plundering innocent villages from the region. They eventually targeted us. My third question was " Where is the place you talked about? " and he said he knew, but he was too tired to show me the location. And that even if he was strong enough, he wouldn't because he knew I'd perpetuate the vengeance on his people. I eventually denied it and he promised me to show me where it was. Afew days after, I asked Lingo to come with me for the exploration mission.
Going to an enemy's headquarters without any reinforcement nor army is pure madness. Typically Void.
When the three of us started walking, we checked if we had everything... But actually, I had lost my Long Sword and my brass knuckles. I was actually sad since I never got to test the Long Sword in combat. Too bad. We switched to stealth mode when we got near the location. However, not a single noise. Not even a fly. Too quiet.
Nothing good happening here.
When we looked from afar, we were all astonished. Mass wiping. Nobody left. Just people on the ground, all lifeless. I even saw a family of three holding hands on the ground. I feel bad for their final moments. I didn't know who did this right away, but it was scary.
You see, in the region where the Anza Village is, everything is about community. Whether it's life or death, suffering or joy, love or hate. What happened here is that the neighbouring villages heard about what happened and started searching every single square meter of land around the Anza Village. They eventually found who did it, and avenged their brothers in the bloodiest way possible.
I covered the kid's eyes and told him we had to get back. There was nothing to see. But I wasn't protecting anything. He already knew their fate. That's why he wanted to die. He didn't scream, he didn't cry. He turned his back to his people and murmured " See you soon."
I don't have enough words to describe how Malakai felt. I don't read minds, and I'm happy I don't.
We headed back to the village and he told me : " We attacked first out of desperation, we lost a battle, then we lost the war because we fought the wrong opponents. In the end, nothing works for us. We were doomed from the start ". He had mature words for his age. When he said that, I said to him " I want to cut your throat. Too bad your people were the scapegoats."
*member of the crowd: But you showed compassion before, why did you say that ?*
Because I was mad. No other reason. In the end, everyone lost. He had friends just like I did. But everyone died. His very existence was unfair, he had no purpose. I too felt bad for existing in front of his eyes. Since it wasn't my land, I had technically nothing to lose, I left everything I had and was in my previous life. He was as lifeless as I was. Life can be harsh on some people. And that's why I was mad.
I then told him: " I won't kill you, nor let anyone else do it. I have a home that isn't mine to offer. You'll accept it, whether you want it or not." I also told him: " I'll erase your name and build you a new one, just like it did to myself. I'll call you... Forsaken from now on."
And he started crying.
This is the problem with justice. Your own die, but retaliation kills the unworthy. In the end, both of you sink. It's stupid, but it's like that. In the end, I was just building another me. But he lived harsher pain than I did. That's why he had more potential to be greater than I'll ever be.
He can be quite humble sometimes. And I know it wasn't Void who talked, but the spirit of his old self. Poetic.
And that's how I made my second battle ally! What a memory!