Salvation

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Chapter 3

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Finally reaching to their designation, they were met with a massive throne room surrounded by elegant, intricately carved pillars and beautifully colored frescos on the walls. The high ceiling was made of polished, mirrored glass that allowed the natural sunlight to filter in, bathing the entire room in a warm glow.

The marble flooring was delicately designed with swirls and patterns that seemed to form a labyrinthine path to the center, where a magnificent throne sat. The throne itself was made of solid wood. Surrounding the throne were armed, silver-armored guards. The King himself was seated atop his throne, looking regal and majestic with his flowing blue cape and ornate crown.

"Welcome heroes from another world," his loud, booming voice echoed through the throne room as Ada moved towards his side while the three were left to stand in front of the royal. Seth gulped from his immense pressure of aura and fear of meeting a person of higher authority, "before I begin, introduce yourselves and state the reason for your origin. So that I may be aware of who is to aid the Kingdom of the Empire. This is mandatory to do before we start the initiation."

Billy stepped forward, being the loudest and most confident of the three. "My name is Billy, outlaw and gunslinger in the wild west." The word 'outlaw' greatly displeased the king, who was not keen on such a description but nonetheless accepted it because of how dire they were in.

The next is the green-robbed warrior, holding his treasured Green Dragon Crescent Blade. "I am Guan Yu, a military general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. After my capture by Sun Quan, I was able to freely escape thanks to my son and live in life filled with peace and tranquility until now." His last sentence caused a somber expression on his face, reminiscing in his memories of the past, "who I can never see again along with the rest of my family."

The king nodded with sympathy, understanding the pain of losing a loved one. "I have also lost someone precious, but as King Midas, the ruler of the Empire, it is my duty to ensure the safety and security of my people." His eyes were then directed towards the anxious child.

"How about you? What brings you here?"

Seth nervously sweated bullets like before, firmly holding his crucifix and shifting his eyesight from everyone to the floor. "M-m-m-m-m," his tongue stumbled, trying to get a word out, but the fear inside his mind paralyzed his ability to do so.

Everyone was staring at him, including Guan Yu and Billy, who had never seen Seth this frightened before. He's like a scared animal that will run away from them the moment they move. The sight was rather sad to watch when a child is afraid to even speak.

Tears stream down his face; he can feel their overwhelming stares looking directly at him. The thoughts of trying to hide himself in embarrassment came to mind. The boy wants to run away from it all, running through the city streets without end, to flee from them.

He hates it. Seth doesn't enjoy being the center of attention; even the slightest glimpse is enough for him to cringe or whimper. Being watched like a freak show has him shaking, but his hands remain holding the crucifix tightly as he brings it between his chests before embracing it with both arms.

"Are you al—" King Midas didn't finish his sentence when the sobering, messed-up boy turned and ran back into the hallway, disappearing from view. It caused an awkward silence among those who saw him fleeing, while the king himself could only form a confused look from what just transpired.

"Jeez, that idiot..." Billy mumbled under his breath, shaking his head in an annoyed state that he should have expected this from the beginning: "His really starting to piss me off," angrily muttering an insult directly at the boy who ran away like a coward.

Guan Yu silently stared at the direction in which Seth ran, his expression sympathetic but calm nonetheless. He sighed in sorrow for the child's suffering while wondering if he could help ease his pain in future events. "May I get him, my lord?" Asking politely before the king gave a nod in approval.

"Yes, go and fetch him," King Midas instructed the man with the crescent blade to retrieve the boy, not wanting him to leave for the important discussion in regards to dealing with the dark lord and his armies that are currently plaguing his kingdom.

In a single motion, Guan Yu bowed in gratitude, "understood my lord," he responded curtly while turning around to head out the door, leaving the king and the gunslinger alone in their own devices as the sunlight shone upon the floor that brightened the room, though the uncertain atmosphere still lingered in the air.

Meanwhile, Seth continued fleeing because this is what he is only good at; he can't fight, he can't do magic, and he is scared of other people. But now that he is alone and seemingly far, he can catch his breath by sitting down and relaxing himself for the time being while slowly composing himself from there.

Resting his back on the wall, he placed the cross at his side before hugging himself. Unable to handle this anymore, he started crying to himself, softly whining from it as tears dripped from his eyes. The boy tried his best not to be found, but his sobs proved difficult to compress.

Facing downwards, Seth bit his lips while preventing the urge to scream; even if he did, no one would hear him. His frustration with being treated differently is what made him vulnerable towards others. Why do they stare at him like that? Do they find him pathetic, weird, or a target to bully?

Many ideas rushed through his mind on why they saw him this way: maybe he is a weirdo in some manner, or he is in some way inferior or dumber than they are, not being smart or quick-witted like they are. But none of those mattered when it was a sign of weakness in their eyes.

"I want to go home... I just want to go home."He never asked for this; why, of all people, are the people who summoned him being unreasonable with their request? If they think he is going to play hero for them, they have another thing coming.

He is not interested in fame or riches; he just wants...what does he actually want? He doesn't have anything back home; he lives in trash, and that's about it. Nothing more, nothing less. And somehow, he ended up in this new world instead. What a wonderful and fortunate life he has.

Lifting his head up, he grabbed the cross and positioned it between his two hands, gazing at the beauty and craftsmanship of it as it faced towards him; the intricate detail of the design, the way the texture is smooth, it is simply stunning.

"God, please bring me home. Please just bring me home." He whispered sadly, hoping his prayers would be answered, "I'm scared, God; everything is terrifying, and I don't want to be here anymore." His voice began to crack from emotions: "It's too scary; everyone is judging me. Can you send me back, God?"

Like always, he never got an answer or message; it is like praying to a wall or imaginary friend in the sky. Perhaps this is karma for being alive and for being born. Whatever it is, it's something Seth doesn't know about. "Please say something...anything." Tears began to return as his voice went weak.

All he ever wanted was to live, be left alone, and die alone, but destiny had different plans for him; he was dragged out of the world he lived in to somewhere else that he was foreign to. No matter how much he prayed or wished for something good to happen, it never did.

The pastor said God is always there, watching over the world, but Seth doesn't know anymore; it feels like no one is there, like he is really all alone. How is that good news to him if there is no sign or anything to prove its existence?

"Its not fair...its not fair!" Shouting at the top of his lungs, the boy then threw his crucifix onto the ground, producing a loud thud from its impact on the floor. "WHY CAN'T YOU GIVE ME ANY ANSWERS?! JUST TELL ME IF YOU EXIST AT ALL!"

But no matter how much he screamed, nothing changed; Seth sat there, exhausted from his outburst with his heavy breathing along with the continued tears dripping down from his eyes. His sadness is still there, and he will still cry over it.

Burying his face into his crossed legs, the boy begins to weep in self-pity, unable to let the chance of hope and determination overcome his negative feelings of loneliness and hopelessness. He just doesn't want to be hurt anymore; the constant rejection and belittlement are tearing him apart.

"It's okay. It's okay. It's okay." Trying to convince himself while rubbing the tear streams, his heart continues to throb violently no matter how much he tries to prevent it. "Things will get better soon. Everything will get better." Attempting to remain positive, Seth forces a small smile to reassure himself.

Only to have the negative emotions returned once again, they came crashing down, harder than before, stronger than before, consuming everything that they could find within his soul and spirit. His sense of despair grows stronger as time goes by, a reminder of how he can't simply fight and win over his inner demons that plague him nonstop.

The boy who was utterly miserable can't do anything about it. He's too powerless to stop himself from crying. He's too weak to do anything in the first place. And he starts to believe everything they tell him—everything that they say about him is true.

All this time, he couldn't believe that he trusted the words of that priest. Seth genuinely believed that God was there and everything would get better someday. The poor child can only remember the times when he was happy with him, but everything else is terrific.

Why did he think it would be easy when existence itself is unfair? He had expected God to help him so that he would get through it. However, in nearly all of his life, Seth is in a constant battle between surviving and dying; the world is unkind to him, and he has to keep fighting and be strong in order to survive.

Nobody to trust, nowhere to call home, and no one to comfort him That is what this is—the pain and the cold emptiness of having no one to rely on except for himself. Even with the cross that his adopted father had gifted him, the boy still suffered and was left to fend for himself in the harsh environment.

Lesson after lesson, the reality of the world is harsh to him, and everything he does will result in pain and misery. Seth found out that by staying low-key and never talking to anyone, no one would bother him or hurt him like they did before. It made things a little easier, although the thoughts still linger in his mind.

For the most part, he'll just stay here a little and let his emotions sort it out. Seth will just wait until the problems sort themselves out; it always works whenever he has to hide; it's the only solution he knows and the only way he knows to deal with them.

When the time comes, they can figure things out eventually—maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow. But it is best when he's not there to do it; that's how he believes that things will get better. Seth will just be patient for a little longer; it is only a matter of time before it gets sorted out.

"You shouldn't run away when things get tough."

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by 3 Armored Kittens · Prodromos v.1.1 - World Anvil 0.9.15.043 © 2017-2024 [en] | Anvil Time: 19:02, Dec 22 2024