Chapter 6: Chapter 4 – The eyes of a beast

After some time, since Akin left the Great Stadium.

Akin is on his way back to the orphanage. While walking, he has been thinking about what he will do since he can't enter the knight academy. The orphanage only is responsible for the children until the age of 12. In Erex, at 12, the children become responsible for themselves. They can enter academies, like the knight academy, where they will live there for a while or become an apprentice. Becoming an apprentice means that one will live with someone for a time and learn this person's job. After the apprenticeship, you can do the job you were learning and make money yourself.

Of course, every 12-year-old kid doesn't need to get a place to stay. But since an orphanage needs to always take care of new children, they can not let anyone stay there after becoming 12.

Akin thinks repeatedly, but he can't decide what he will do. It is not like he doesn't have any abilities. It is that still, even though he knows it is impossible, deep in his mind, he wants to become a knight; he still wants to get stronger like his brother.

"I can't decide on anything. But if I don't, I will just get expelled from the orphanage and will have nowhere else to stay. Damm, if I was just born a little luckier, I would get stronger than all of them, even more than Eiden and that Tartus dude."

Akin stops and looks at the ground with an irritated face.

"I guess it can't be helped. It's just impossible."

After saying that, Akin hears a noise from inside one of the nearby houses. A noise of something breaking. Suddenly someone gets out of the house with a bag and starts running.

"Huh? What is that?"

Akin looks around and realizes that the house that guy got out of has a broken window. Some of the other nearby homes also have broken windows.

He is a thief. Realizes Akin.

All the knights are probably on the Great Stadium, so no one will stop him. He can assault as many houses as he wants. I wish I could do something, but I'm not strong enough. I can't do anything. Thinks Akin.

Akin starts walking again. After some steps, he stops and looks at the thief. If he ran now, it was still possible to reach him.

Akin stays still and thinks.

"Whatever. Screw this!"

Akin starts running after the thief.

"Hey, stop!"

Huh? Is there a knight here? Thinks the thief worried.

The thief looks behind to see who is after him.

"What? A kid?"

The thief stops running and waits for Akin to reach him.

"You! You're a thief, right!? Put the bag down!"

"Hahaha! I thought a knight was chasing me for a moment, but it was just a kid. And you want me to put the bag down? What are you gonna do to stop me, hahaha!"

Akin looks at him angrily; he closes his fists and goes for an attack. Akin tries to punch, but the thief easily holds his arm and punches Akin's back.

Akin falls to the ground.

"Did you actually just try to hit me? You got guts, but you're too weak. And it's not only the fact that you're a kid. Even for your age, you're too weak."

The thief puts his hands in his jacket's pocket and gets a knife.

"I'm gonna teach you a lesson, kid. You should respect the older."

"Damm!" Akin tries to get up and punch him again. But the thief quickly kicks Akin's face, making Akin fall again. The thief puts his foot on Akin's stomach and positions his knife, touching his throat.

"Even with me holding a knife, you were not scared. Are you still not scared? Even now that there is a knife so close to your throat? If you beg, I might let you live. So what is gonna be?"

"Put the bag down! The next punch will hit, I swear!" Says Akin angrily.

"Still not afraid? What an idiot. I will just kill you then."

The thief moves his knife as if to cut Akin's throat.

Am I actually gonna die here? I couldn't become anything after all. That's so lame. Thinks Akin.

While expecting his throat to be cut, Akin feels a wind.

"Augh!" Blood drops on the ground.

"Huh? What happened?" But Akin's throat is intact.

Akin gets up and looks at the ground. The thief has fallen and passed away. The blood on the floor also comes from the thief.

"What?"

"Be careful next time, kid. You almost died. It would have been over for you if I came here a little late."

Akin is startled to hear this. He had not noticed the presence of this person.

"Tartus?"

"Yeah, that's me. Anyways be more careful next time."

Tartus starts slowly walking. Leaving the thief passed out on the ground.

Akin looks at the ground with an irritated face.

Before Tartus leaves, Akin starts to talk.

"You think you're so great, don't you?"

"What?"

Akin looks at Tartus.

"You were just born lucky, nothing else! All this power you used comes from the aura you got the day you were born. You were already destined to become strong since the beginning!"

"Do you think so? Does that bother you?"

"Of course it does!! You never had to work hard your entire life because you were born strong. In the Great Stadium, it didn't even look like you were enjoying it! Thousands of people yelling your name, and you don't give a damn about it!? I would do anything to be at your spot, but I can't because I'm not lucky like you!"

Akin stops for a second and breathes.

"Don't ask me to be careful. I don't need your advice."

Akin turns back, preparing to leave.

Tartus makes a small laugh.

"What are you laughing at now?" Asks Akin angrily.

"You sure like to complain, don't you?"

"Huh?"

"That's all you are doing, complaining. You complain about your aura and luck; that's all you do. You are just making excuses and crying around. If you would do anything to be at my spot, then do something."

"It's easy for you to say it. I trained so hard to get to the knight academy; I passed the physical and writing exams, but I couldn't join it. I don't have enough aura and can do nothing about it. No one can become strong without a good amount of aura. That's why no matter what I do, I can't become a knight!"

"I see. Let me ask you something. Is that you who are saying that or someone else?"

"What do you mean?"

"When you failed the entrance to the knight academy, was the first thing you thought, 'No matter what I do, I can't become a knight'? Or did someone else tell you that?"

"Huh?" Akin starts to remember what the teacher said to him after discovering his weak amount of aura.

"Honestly, I don't know why I'm wasting my time with you. But since I'm here, I'm gonna give you some advice by answering some of your statements."

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Tartus continues.

"First, the kind of people that tell you to give up either hate you or are losers."

"Second, no one is born strong enough that they don't need to train."

"Third, there are things much more important than getting applauses."

"And last, you said it was impossible to get stronger without a good amount of aura, right? See that thief? I made him pass out without using a single bit of aura."

"What?"

Akin thinks. That strong punch, that was so fast and strong. Did he defeat that guy in one single hit without using any aura?

Akin was confused, thinking about all the things Tartus said.

"There are other ways of becoming a knight. I don't know how you're gonna do it, but I know one thing. Crying won't help."

Tartus then left without saying anything else.

Even after Tartus left, Akin stood still, thinking.

He could defeat that thief without using aura? He also had to train hard? Was that teacher a loser?

And the sentence that impacted the most Akin was.

"I don't know how you're gonna do it, but I know one thing. Crying won't help."

Akin resumed his way back to the orphanage. The event with the thief took a lot of time. It was already night. During the whole path to the orphanage, Akin was confused and thinking about what Tartus said.

When Akin gets to the orphanage, he realizes that Lillian and the others are already there.

Akin also realized one other thing.

Akin thinks. Is that Eiden? Why is he here, and what is he talking to Lillian about?

Since Eiden became a knight, he has never visited the orphanage, and his talk with Lillian appears to be really important. Unfortunately, Akin couldn't hear any of it.

Akin knocks on the door and enters.

After Akin enters, Lillian and Eiden stop talking.

"Akin, you're finally here. Where were you? Well doesn't matter. I'm gonna be direct. Did you decide what you're going to do now?" Says Lillian.

"I...Can I ask big bro something first? We haven't talked to each other for a long time. It's just one question."

"Sure ask." Says Eiden.

"You've always been my inspiration. I really wish to be like you someday. I did the knight academy exam, but..."

Eiden interrupts Akin.

"I know what happened, Lillian told me."

"I see. So, do you think it is still possible for someone like me to become a knight?"

"Akin that again!?" Says Lillian.

"It's okay, Lillian. Let me answer his question."

Eiden approaches Akin and puts his hands on Akin's shoulders. 

"Akin, someone like you could never become a knight." Says Eiden with a severe expression.

Akin's facial expression changes. If there was someone that Akin thought could believe him was Eiden. Akin admires and loves his brother, and after hearing that from him, Akin is devastated.

"I don't want to ruin your dreams, but I'm just being realistic. I was born strong, and you weren't. So Akin, give up!"

Hearing that from Eiden's mouth was several times harder than from the teacher. Akin froze for a couple of seconds. He was broken.

"I see... If you are saying it, it must be true." Says Akin in a low tone while looking down.

"What I'm going to do is..."

As I thought I could never become a knight. I will just choose something else. Thinks Akin.

While looking at the ground, a tear from Akin falls on the floor.

"Huh."

Akin then suddenly remembers.

"I don't know how you're gonna do it, but I know one thing. Crying won't help." This sentence from Tartus comes to Akin's mind.

All the things that happened earlier. The conversation between Akin and Tartus, all of that, comes to his mind now.

Akin makes a small smile.

"That was close. I was about to give up." Says Akin in a low tone.

"What did you say, Akin? I couldn't hear you." Says Lillian.

"Brother, do you hate me?" Akin looks at Eiden and says that. Akin's face suddenly changed. Before, it was apparent how devastated Akin was, but now he is even smiling.

"I don't hate you. I'm just being realistic."

"I see."

Akin turns back and goes to the door. He is about to leave.

"Ms. Lillian, I decided what I'm going to do. I will become the strongest knight ever!"

"Akin, stop joking! You have to choose something!"

Akin leaves the orphanage, ignoring Lillian.

"Akin!"

"Let him go." Says Eiden.

"What! But..."

"There's nothing we can do now. I wanted to avoid this, but it's too late."

"Why is it too late?"

"Because now, no matter what you tell him, he won't change his mind."

Akin keeps walking while looking at the sky. He walks so far that he gets into the forest that stays close to the south of Erex. The same place where he fought the other kids before.

"Yeah, that's what I'm going to do!"

Akin closes his fists and throws a punch at a tree. He keeps punching the tree over and over. He hits it so much that his fists start bleeding.

I don't know how yet. But no matter what I have to do, no matter how much time it takes. I don't care what others say, and I don't care how hard it is. I will do it or at least die trying. Thinks Akin, with a big smile on his face.

On that day, Akin had acquired his most vital ability in that forest. The most extraordinary ability there is, one that only very few people have. On that day, Akin's eyes changed; his eyes were full of will. Those eyes are the eyes of the ones that would do anything to achieve what they want. The people with those eyes are the most challenging type to beat; that's because...

Those people become beasts.

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