CHAPTER 64: GOLDEN GAZE

"Are you happy now?" He asks with a low voice. His chin rests on his palms lazily as he stares at me with pure amusement, and a subtle hint of..

"mmf chos!" (of course) I exclaim as my teeth sink into the roasted Pirantroph meat— clawing at it as I bite chumps of flesh off.

I’m holding a whole thick lap of Pirantroph meat. It’s like the lap of a cow, but it’s bigger, and has much more weight, and the crisp scent is enticing.

Every lump of meat that I gulp down rushes into my stomach. Immediately filling it up.

A single tear rolls down my left eye as I chew and swallow.

It tastes so good. It tastes really good. I thought I’d never eat again.

"Are you crying?" K asks in a mocking tone.

I quickly wipe of the lone tear with my arms, and continue chewing.

"Mm nnt." (I’m not) I speak as I turn my neck to face him who’s sitting beside me on the ground.

His face lits up with an amused smile. He then turns away from me, and looks up.

I shrug and continue eating.

The evening is passing by, and the sun is setting— Giving way to the arrival of the cleaved moon.

K’s gaze is steady as he calmly stares at the cleaved moon.

I can tell. Even though he tries to hide it, that quiet, seeping rage that he’s directing toward the moon.

It’s something that I’ve done before so I can notice it easily when someone does it. When I first found out that I wasn’t on earth, I stared at the cleaved moon with that same quiet rage.

Now, I’m curious. He must have his own burdens, his own life and his own regrets. Why does he truly want to train me? And who is he really?

He mentioned something about being a grandmaster swordsman. And I haven’t thought much about it before because I was too disoriented, but, someone who’s friends and drinks with Alexander can’t be a normal person, can they?

So I ask with a low voice as I finish eating my food, "who are you?"

He shakes a little, and he takes his hands away from his chin. His eyes never leaves the cleaved moon and the stern expression on his face scatters as he puts on a bitter smile.

"You see the moon, kid?" He asks me.

I nod, "yes, I do see it." I reply.

"The moon is a daily reminder of my shame." he speaks, his head shaking bitterly in a slow rhythm.

I asked who you are, what are you saying?

"I asked wh–"

"I’m not a citizen of this Empire. In fact, I am not a citizen of this continent." He pauses. "Do you know the Kafer Empire, kid?" He asks.

"I’ve heard about it from the mercenaries. One of the three greatest Empires in the Northern continent, ruled by a tyrant called the warmonger. An Empire of knights, and it’s the birth place of two of the ten great lances." I speak curtly.

And his bitter smile widens as he nods, "yes. That place. That’s my homeland. A really beautiful place Kafer was. It still is, but, not as before. The beaches in Kafer were beautiful, when I was a little kid, the time when my father was still alive— he sometimes took me there for fishing. The whole Empire— contrary to how blood-ridden people here think it is— is still beautiful." He speaks with a nostalgic tone. Then he chuckles softly and shakes his head, "I had a farm back there. I inherited it from my uncle, he was a farmer. I wasn’t that good at agriculture and stuff, but I took good care of the place. And the farm grew really large. It became my solace, my resting place, and my training ground when my master died.

That farm watched me grow from a boy with a big dream to a broken man with power feared by all." He pauses again, "the farm was my treasure. It’s the reason I always stay in that abandoned farm in Ludia. It reminds me so much of home." he sighs as his eyes narrow, and he stares deeper at the cleaved moon. "Delarus wasn’t always like that. He wasn’t always a tyrant. I knew him when he was younger. He was a frail, timid, but sharp looking kid. I don’t know what happened, but whatever happened caused him to become whatever he is today."

Delarus? Is he the Emperor?

"As I grew stronger, so did he, and his strength chased after me with a frightening speed. His strength almost matched my own. His talent with the sword grew by the day, and so did his prestige. And at just 30, he became a swordmaster." He continues, "he was the Emperor, still is. And I was a mere Duke. But still, I defied him. Because he.. he always.." he clenches his fist tight, and loosens it. " He always resulted to war! Every solution to every problem was war! He was ruining that beautiful Empire!... And so I challenged him to a duel. And we fought, for ten days straight. And at the course of our battle.." he points toward the moon.

My eyes widen as I trail my gaze toward the cleaved moon.

Goosebumps flood my skin, "what?"

"Yes. He cleaved the moon."

I nod, "I see." I let out softly.

I already don’t like that guy.

"So, you’re a Kaferian. No wonder your accent is weird, and little wonder why your skin is tan. All the mercenaries at the guild always threw wild theories about your origin. Pfft.." I chuckle as I suddenly remember something, "most of those guys are racists I swear."

I ask, "but who won the battle between you and Delarus? And why are you here in the Southern continent, in the Jalozi Empire?"

He rests his palm on my head and pats my head lightly, "of course I won, who do you think I am?" He says with a wide, grotesque grin that almost makes me retch. "And as for why I’m here.. well, that’s for another time. Maybe if you finally succeed in walking with the weight braces."

Shit.

"Are you the one who killed this Delarus twenty something years ago? Because I heard he’s dead." I ask as I gaze into his golden eyes.

His pupils shake a little, and his lips part, and close back. Then he smiles and pats my head again before standing up. "It’s getting late. It’s time for the chains." He says, ignoring my question.