Heart Path Evolved

The darkness was soon reconstructed into a virtual world, in this world the soldier was married to his sweetheart, an event that had yet to happen to him in real life.

But after just a few months of marriage, his entire world started tumbling, first losing his parents, then his wife while she was in the midst of child-birth, and then his first born son soon after.

As if fate wasn't yet done playing with him, he then lost his job, reduced to a vagrant wandering the streets.

Like this, his life was absolutely miserable, but no matter how much he wanted to die, he just couldn't, always being forced to live through some miraculous event.

An entire lifetime of misery was experienced in this way, but in the outside world, the soldier had only stood still for a fraction of a second.

Before the other soldiers could even get suspicious, the soldier came back to his senses, but it was clear he wasn't the same man.

With eyes similar to Minos's after he lost Tinka, the soldier clenched his sword tightly, raising it towards his own throat under the shocked eyes of his compatriots.

"What are you doing you crazy bastard!?"

"I'm doing what I should have done long ago." The soldier said, immediately slashing the sword against his throat, causing him to drop the blade and reel back as he clenched his heavily bleeding throat tightly.

After only a few seconds, the soldier collapsed, dead on the floor, his bloody corpse causing all the soldiers to look at each other with horror, then back towards the old man, knowing he must have caused this.

"What did you do!?" One braver soldier asked through gritted teeth, but instead he only received more silence.

However, as if to answer his question, Minos soon released this new power towards him and all the other soldiers.

Like that, the soldiers soon came back one from one from this fake world, each of them taking their lives in the very same way.

Like flies, they began dropping one by one, the cave soon having Minos as it's only living occupant.

Looking at the corpses that filled the place, Minos finally stood up from his seated position, slowly walking towards the cave's exit.

Soon enough, Minos appeared outside, the soldiers all raising their swords towards him as they saw him walk out from the dark tunnel.

"Who are you, and where are the others?"

However, still Minos didn't answer, just raising his hand as he clenched towards the emotional aura around the soldier in front of him.

With a twist of his hand, the soldier's aura rapidly changed from a bright-blue tinged with a bit of dark orange, to a deep dark blue, a darkness only one step away from black itself.

As the soldier's aura changed, his emotion changed to match, his calmness turning into an overwhelming depression that caused the entire world to lose color and meaning.

Like the others within the cave, the soldier immediately lost all desire to live, raising his sword and doing the same as the rest.

His actions immediately shocked the others into a deep horror, but Minos didn't care about their feelings, just using the same move over and over again.

"What the hell is he doing!?" The general asked with some fear, completely clueless as to how this old man was making his soldiers all kill themselves without even saying a word.

"I-I don't know, it must be some sort of strange technique!" A soldier immediately replied, those his shuffling feet made it clear he was ready to retreat, not wanting to face off against this demonic old man.

"Whatever the hell it is, we've got to stop it. All soldiers, attack!" The general shouted, his intimidating aura forcing the soldiers into forward charge despite the fear in their hearts.

Seeing the tide of soldiers rushing at him, Minos stood still, his spine curved inwards and head lowered, making his appearance indistinguishable.

However, just as the first soldier was about to make contact, Minos finally raised his head, his milky-white eyes lacking any emotion behind them, just a cruel apathy.

"Since you refuse to leave me alone, then suffer, suffer the same pain I have." Minos said in a low husky voice, too soft for even the nearest soldier to hear him properly.

But as Minos said those words, a massive aura tide exploded out from his body, encompassing the hundreds of soldiers in a fraction of a second.

As the abyssal-blue aura tide washed over the soldiers, their aura's quickly began changing to match Minos's.

One by one, the soldiers froze in place, tears filling their eyes as they dropped their weapons, an excruciating agony filling their hearts, making them long for death.

Just like before, the soldiers began taking their lives one by one, corpses filling the forest valley, the thick stench of blood soon filling the air.

"M-My heavens, wh-what is that!" The general exclaimed in horror, finally being pushed beyond his limits.

"I don't know sir, but I recommend we retreat!" The soldier beside him quickly said.

"Ahum, normally I'd say no, but considering we know nothing about his abilities, it's best we retreat for now." The general said in an attempt to save face.

"Good idea!" The soldier quickly added, just wanting to get away from that old man as fast as possible.

"Retreat!" The general shouted, immediately leading the charge back and away from Minos, who fortunately for him, seemed to lack the interest to go after him.

Watching as the last soldier disappeared into the forest, Minos just stood still, not even having the desire to keep moving forward.

"M-Master…" A weak familiar voice called out, slightly waking Minos from his reverie.

"Rubella?" Minos asked, his voice incredibly rough and gravely, akin to sandpaper.

"Master, you're okay." Rubella said with a relieved smile, using what was left of her strength to crawl towards Minos.

Despite his strange new appearance, Rubella said nothing, just grasping Minos's ankle tightly, as if relieved to see him alive.

"What's wrong, Master? You seem sad…" Rubella asked, noticing Minos didn't seem right.

"..." Not having the will nor desire to answer, Minos just stood in silence.

"Where's your wife?" Rubella kept asking, but this time Minos's hands couldn't help but clench tightly, which Rubella immediately noticed.

"I-I'm sorry Master, I shouldn't have asked such a question…"

"It's not your fault, it's my own, for being so weak and incompetent…" Minos said, finally raising his face towards the sky, the blurry clouds passing by slowly above his head.

"That's impossible, Master is the strongest and most competent person I've ever met." Rubella immediately said.

However, Minos still didn't respond, just staring blankly up at the clouds, which had been reduced to white-blobs due to his deteriorated vision.

"What about Rinka, where is she? Is she okay?" Rubella asked, despite knowing such a question may cross the line.

But this time, Rubella's words seemed to strike a chord, Minos's milky and lifeless eyes suddenly coming alive for a moment.

"You've just reminded me… I'm sorry Tinka, I nearly made another mistake, but I promise you, this time I'll do things right. " Minos declared, his husky voice suddenly having a tinge of vitality behind it.

Despair had overwhelmed him for a moment, but Rubella's words had woken him up, reminding him that his fight was far from over.

As long as Rinka was out there somewhere, then he had to find her, and make things right, only then could he rest in peace.

"Thank you for waking me up Rubella, you've reminded me my life has purpose yet." Minos smiled, though this smile lacked the same joy that Rubella remembered, almost feeling hollow.

"You're welcome, Master." Rubella said, returning the smile, before asking another question.

"So what are your plans now?"

"Since I have to find my daughter, then this place can no longer confine me. It's time to leave this small island behind…"

"Really! Take me with you, I want to go as well!" Rinka said, not wanting to be left behind by her Master again.

But this time, Minos didn't answer, the smile disappearing from his face as he let out a long sigh.

"What's wrong? Did I say something?" Rubella asked anxiously.

"It's not you, it's me. I'm sorry Rubella, but I have a cursed fate, those who get too close to me are destined to be hurt, or even killed. I can't let that happen to you, not my dearest disciple."

"What do you mean?" Rubella asked, her eyes red, tears welling up.

"I mean that our master-disciple relationship is now severed. Forget me Rubella, I am not a person who you should hold close."

"Stop it! I don't care about any cursed fate or anything like that, just please don't leave me, I don't want to be alone again." Rubella cried, clutching Minos's leg tightly.

"Don't you see, you've already got a family, one that you've built with your own two hands. You're no longer the little girl you once were, Rubella, you're now a grown woman, one that I'm proud to say I've helped nurture." Minos smiled, reaching down to help wipe the tears from her face.