Return of the Fallen Volume 10 Chapter 95
The cold wind blew atop the snowy mountain. Standing there in silence, Kazuki, Alutra, and Lin were without words.
While nothing was said on the outside, inside, Kazuki’s blood was boiling. A mix of emotions churned violently within him. One moment he was sad, devastated, and empty. The very next he was enraged, filled with undeniable hatred and fury.
After a while, Kazuki finally spoke through clenched teeth.
“So, after all this time, the reason I was chased across worlds, hunted down like a dog, had my brother killed before me, my granny master sacrificed herself, all of this was due to one woman’s jealousy and obsession.”
Kazuki had no real feelings about his real father and mother before but now that he knew the truth, his insides twisted up in agony.
“Father, mother, and everyone else. All of them were taken before their time because of Sephra’s crazed lunacy and Orberus’s entertainment. What a fucking joke.”
Kazuki clenched his fist so hard that blood began to spill down from it. The overabundance of energy contained within his blood caused a flower growing in the cracks of the mountain to fully bloom and then wither away and die in an instant.
Kazuki thought about his life and the ones behind all of the misfortune. He had originally wished for Sephra’s demise but knowing once again that his grandfather could have put a stop to everything but chose not to because he was angry with his son. This put Orberus directly on his list and caused him to move up right below Sephra.
“All the games they chose to play, all of the hatred and destruction they rained down upon those who only wished to live in peace, they must suffer.”
Lin grew anxious hearing this and grabbed Kazuki’s shoulders before pleading with him.
“Kazuki please don’t! Father’s power, whatever you imagine, is well beyond what you can think of. Orberus, for as long as I have known him, his powers have only grown and grown. There is none in the family, after all of this time who has been able to keep up. The only one is uncle Daisius and he is father’s most loyal servant. You can’t fight him, you can’t even think of trying. I am his son and he has tortured me for many years. He even allowed your father to die. If he is willing for such an occurrence to take place upon his children, the cruelty he will implement upon you is guaranteed to be far worse. You cannot become his enemy no matter what.”
“Then what would you have me do. Just let it all go? Just forget and move on!?”
Lin squeezed Kazuki’s shoulders even tighter and yelled.
“YES!…yes.”
Tears began to stream down Lin’s face and he trembled as he spoke.
“I can’t…I can’t lose you as well. You are my son Kazuki. How can I let you walk into the lion’s den to face your death? Please my boy, you must give up. Even if you can’t do it for me, do it for those who’ve loved you, those who’ve died. Don’t let their deaths, their sacrifices become meaningless. You live, you can continue to live and with life comes a chance at happiness. I thought I could hold onto my own but what I had with Sephra, what I had with Fera, that was just an illusion. You and Kai though, that was real happiness. If you just throw away your revenge, you can have it. You can have real love and joy with those still around you. Please…I don’t wish to see any more of my family die. Please give it up.”
“How cruel. Telling me to give up this hatred. Telling me to let my rage go and not seek revenge. How can the universe be so unbalanced? How can people like Orberus and Sephra just get away with it? This isn’t fair…This isn’t right. I have to kill them. I have to end them once and for all. Otherwise, you’re right, all those who died for me, all those who sacrificed themselves, their deaths would become meaningless.”
Lin shook his head.
“No, you’re not hearing me son. Sephra is already a God and Father as well. You cannot beat Sephra and father exceeds her in every single aspect. He is not just some random God, he owns and controls a third of the territory of a Star Path. He has hundreds of worlds under his palm and an army of millions of Demigods and thousands of Gods who follow him. It’s not a matter of how confident you are or even if you become a God. With all of his power and resources, you simply cannot win son.”
Kazuki’s eyes glowed with a silver flash and he shoved Lin away in the heat of the moment.
“DON’T TELL ME WHAT I CAN AND CAN NOT DO!”
Kazuki’s voice boomed in all directions and the mountain they stood on, as well as all the mountains in this tiny world, shattered and collapsed. Both Alutra and Lin were shocked and Kazuki realized what he had just done. He could feel that chaotic violent nature within himself overpowering his humanity momentarily and he quickly circulated his ki to calm himself.
It was like he awoke at this moment and he swiftly came over to Lin and tried to apologize.
“Father, I didn’t mean to
“No, I don’t blame you. After finally knowing the truth, everything you’re feeling, every thought you’re experiencing, it all makes sense. It’s been so long since I have last seen you and I know you’re not a child anymore and can make your own decisions but I also know my father in a way that you do not. I don’t know how you convinced him to let Alutra and me go. I don’t know what deal you made with him but it doesn’t really matter. You may think you convinced him of something but that is not how Orberus does things. Even when he loses he still wins. Whatever you saw of him to believe you had the upper hand, I can guarantee you have only seen one side of him. You can’t possibly understand who or what he really is. My father…he is a true monster. If you become his enemy it won’t just end with a fight between you and him. He will do anything and everything to see you crushed beneath him. He will trick you, he will steal and seal you away somehow. He will torment everyone you love and care about all to pick and poke at you to find your weaknesses.”
*Haa*
Lin sighed before slowly turning over his hand. As he did so, the shattered mountains began to repair themselves.
“He will take anything broken inside of you and exploit it. After finding out about father not doing anything to save Genzuko, for the longest time I wondered why. After all, even if he was mad at Genzuko, Genzuko was the golden child. He was talented in nearly every way so why would father just let him go like that. I realized he did it to control not only the family even more but to control outsiders as well. Even if his reputation took a hit at first, in the end, everyone understood something. Orberus would even let his own son die just because. This shook everyone in the family. If we weren’t absolutely perfect, would he not cut us out just as he cut out the golden child. He planted fear in us all.”
Lin flew over to Kazuki but this time he didn’t touch him.
“Not just your father and mother but everyone else died a little that day and we didn’t even know it. Everyone in the Higher Realm that’s in the family. Every single one of them is a prisoner. They are prisoners to father and they are prisoners of the past. You though…you don’t have to be like them. You can live freely down here, we all can. So please, Kazuki, son, I beg of you, don’t be a prisoner of the past, don’t be his prisoner, please.”
…
Lin’s words and Kazuki’s circulating ki allowed him to calm down and regain his calm. His eyes shut for a moment before his fist slowly unclenched and he breathed out heavily. His eyes reopened and they were clear.
“I hate them. I can’t stop hating them.”
Lin nodded.
“I know. I’m not telling you to stop hating them nor am I asking you to forgive them. I simply wish for you to not take revenge. I just want you to escape the fate of those who have his blood running through them. Just don’t try and fight them anymore. Can you do this? Can you live?”
Alutra and Lin both stared at Kazuki, neither one knew what he was going to do but both of them hoped with everything they had.
At this time, Asuna, Nunully, and everyone else had flown over. They had no clue what was going on. One moment they hear Kazuki shout and the mountains shatter, the very next, the mountains were reformed and made aknew.
Asuna stood by Kazuki’s side, worried.
“Kazuki what happened are you ok?”
Nunully as well flew over next to Kazuki at this moment. Seeing the concern in both of their eyes. Something inside of Kazuki seemed to cool and melt away.
“Everything…Everything’s fine.”
Nunully poked Kazuki in the cheek.
“Are you sure, your face is stiff?”
Kazuki’s shoulders relaxed and he couldn’t help but genuinely smile before grabbing both Asuna and Nunully by the waist and tossing them over his shoulder.
The two were a little embarrassed having this done in front of everyone and Asuna was even kicking Kazuki trying to get him to put her down but to no avail. Nunully on the other hand quickly gave in. She still felt embarrassed but it was Kazuki holding her so she was actually feeling butterflies in her stomach wondering what he was going to do.
Kazuki flashed everyone a toothy grin before slapping both Asuna and Nunully’s ass.
“Let me show you both how fine I really am!”
After that, Kazuki took a step forward, and the three of them disappeared into the distance.
Mei thought it was some kind of race and was about to give chase but Tsura promptly held her back.
“Mama I want to race to.”
Tsura simply shook her head.
“That type of race isn’t for you, young lady.”
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