V1. C6 A Weight Too Much To Bear

-Back to the present-

A heavy feeling weighed down on George and Kent after hearing Neo's account of the tragedy that transpired 2 days ago, and they finally discovered the true reason why Neo was so offended by Kent's insensitive remark about the attack and who Neo really was. *rumble rumble*

The chairs George and Kent were previously seated on shuffled noisily as they dropped onto one knee and bowed their heads in a respectful manner, Kent was was the first one to speak saying, "We are sorry for your loss King Neon Stoneheart, we can't imagine the pain you are going through."

"If there is anything we can do, please do not hesitate to ask, your excellency," George added.

"Please sit down, there is no need to kneel to one who is no longer a king-"

"Wha-" Kent attempted to interrupt Neo's sudden news, but was stopped by the raise of Neo's hand. "I know what you're thinking... and you are correct, I am no longer suited to be a king, the Kingdom of Stoneheart no longer stands in name, and will only be a fragment of history, in fact the Eastern and Southern kingdoms have allied with each other and are already marching towards Stoneheart, most likely be commandeering the kingdom within a few days. To prevent further tragedy from striking my citizens I surrendering it off, now a kingdom with no leader, I can only pray that whoever takes over will be better king than I was…"

"A king turned into a wanderer now, huh?"

"A wanderer seems to be the correct term for me now huh? No kingdom, no family, all I can do now is just continue forward, in hopes of finding closure."

"Will you try and find the ones who initiated the attack and… killed your family?" George couldn't help but ask, but was hesitant on adding the last part due to its sensitivity.

"Yes George, I will search every crevasse, every cave, every pit to see what hellish place those abominations crawled out from… and destroy every last one of them," a thick killing intent filled the bar, slowly turning the heads of those in the bar and leaving everyone dabbing their foreheads with cloth to remove the cold sweat.

Neo looked outside the window across the bar and realized it was now late, and being tired, not only physically, but mentally and emotionally too, he told George and Kent that he will be retiring for the night, thanked them for listening and stood up and leaving a bag of coins at the table. While Neo was heading back to the inn he was staying at, George and Kent shared a few words with each other before packing their things up for the night.

"The weight that man is carrying seems more than any amount one should carry, what d'you think Kent?"

"He's strong, but everyone has a breaking point, all that matters now is how he attempts to put the pieces back together."

"You're right Kent… but once a glass is broken, it'll never be perfectly put back together again…"

"I guess only time will tell George... only time will tell."

Inside a dark and unkempt room with only a desk and a bed to fill the room and cobwebs scattering the walls, a man laid on the bed. This man was Neon Stoneheart, a man who's bathroom would be hundreds of times more luxurious than the room he was now attempting to sleep in.

Tossing and turning in his sleep, one can only assume he was having a nightmare, reliving the moment where he found his family murdered over and over again, and burying them outside of the kingdom at the foot of a fruit tree.

"No..no no no...NO!" Neo jumps up from his sleep in cold sweat, unintentionally reaching out to his right only to grasp empty sheets, and reminding him he was all alone. The tears that were once all spent on the day of their deaths came back in full, drenching his face and leaving the ends of his sleeves soaked as he attempted to wipe them away. The heavens were cruel, tragedy would strike even the noblest of men. Neo knew that he wasn't the most noble man to ever live, but that didn't stop him from questioning the heaven's sanity, wondering what gave them the right to take what was most precious to him in such a brutal manner. It wasn't fair, wasn't just, and sure as hell wasn't understandable. The few questions that will forever be embedded in Neo's mind on the attack is why? Why was his kingdom attacked so viciously and so suddenly? Why did his family have to go against not five, like the average number of those men attacking in squads, but twelve? Unable to sleep, Neo tried to process these questions in his head, trying to find an explanation, to no avail. Giving up for now on trying to find the answers to questions he may never solve and also giving up on sleep, he got off his creaky bed and put his leather boots on, and left the inn in the middle of the night.

Stars glistened in the night sky, and the path Neo took as he left the town seemed to be made just for walking at night, as those exact stars that were shining seemed to follow in the direction of the path. Neo started to think out loud as he continued to walk the starlit path, "I am now a wanderer, with no destination, only a goal, to challenge the heavens for taking my family, and will search high and low for clues as to the reasoning behind the evil that has struck not only my kingdom, but my family as well," and with that Neo walked down the lit path, without turning back.