The Wall

Chapter 01: The Wall

L O W A N

As the sky cries.

So did I.

For the last stab through my monster father's heart, my knees finally weakened down with him as a lifeless creature infront of me.

Countless of them are around me. Dead in bloods and deep wounds. The pond on the ground turned red as the bodies disappears into thin air. The blood won't go away.

I no longer have the urge to breathe anymore after what happened here. I never even understood how I found the strength to fight back and killed everyone despite of what I witnessed.

With my shaky bloodied hands, I looked at it. Crying out loud with an aching heart. This time. I really don't have strength anymore. This is the end of the line for me. What's the point of moving forward if I don't have anymore reasons to do so?

For crying out loud, can someone just make this pain go away. All I wanted now is to rest. Accepting my fate like this should be the only reasonable thing I can do. There's no point living without reasons.

I looked up. Gazing without blinking at the mourning clouds. Took a deep breathe and after a little bit of silence, I reached out the dagger beside me and with my eyes closed, I decided to take my own life with the same blade I used to kill my family.

But inches close before the blade reach my neck, another long blade rested by my right shoulder that made me stopped as I looked back to whom it belonged.

It's a dark suited man. With a serious look on his face. Perfectly wearing a scouting boots, a coat and a hoodie covering his head from the rain. His sword was too sharp. This is the first time I'm mesmerized by the beauty of a weapon.

"Who are you?" He suddenly asked, with eyebrows creased, "and what happened in this town?"

There's no evidence of the creatures around anymore. They all disappeared. But seeing the damages left in all the houses, it clearly sets the idea that something bad really happened here.

I returned my gaze back upfront as my eyes closed once again, "Are you accusing me now? Fine. Then kill me this instant."

"Are you that eager to die?"

"I am."

"Why?"

"Because there's no point living here anymore."

"You've encountered those monsters here, didn't you?" He asked. Now, sounding a little bit reasonable. "How many did you kill?"

"I didn't count."

"Five?"

"Countless."

He finally pulled away his sword from my shoulder and returned it to his sheathe. So I guess I'm going to kill me myself in the end.

At first, I thought he'll going to leave me alone now. But then, he noticed him standing infront of me with hands reaching out. What is he doing?

"You don't have to face death that way. It's not honorable and kinda regretful I might add." He said. Still wearing those cold stares towards me.

"What do you know about me?" I'm kinda insulted of how easy he can just say that despite not knowing what I've just been through.

"Everything." He answered without hesitation, "I know how you feel. I know how angry you are. How sad you are. Confused. Hopeless. I know it, trust me. I've been there. But despite all of that. You are still as lucky as I am."

My teeth gritted. "Lucky, how?"

"Reached out to my hand and I'll show you."

I don't know why I should trust the words of a stranger, who just gave out a sign of killing me minutes ago.

But here we are.

Travelling with his horse on a bumpy road by the side of a cliff.

The rain stops an hour ago and we travelled more than four kilometers already from the ruined town where he found me.

He told me he is a scout from Flederia. Never heard of a city with that name, but he clarified it was built six years ago. That was also the time where I'm not around this place for my service from far away.

So from those years, a lot really happened here while I'm gone.

"What are those monsters called?" I asked. We are currently passing on a small river by the forest. He told me minutes ago that we are already near our destination.

"They have no names. We just call them what they looked to us. Monsters." He answered plain and simple.

"Why are they here?"

"No one knew. Speculations started when a town far north started eating each other. Transforming into unimaginable creatures and not long after, the monsters started spreading until the whole continent decided to unite by building a wall for themselves." He narrated. "Then a special troops was also created. The Wall Guards, and the Scouts."

"I'm guessing you chose the hard part."

"I did. But I'll never regret it." He looked back at me. "but to tell you honestly. Everything's all the same no matter what troops you choose. It's always about luck."

My mind battled if I should respond to that or not. But eventually, I decided not to say anything.

Because when we arrived at the end of the forest road. An amazing tall and cemented wall greeted my eyes, making my mouth gaped in amazement and shock.

Never in my entire life I saw a wall this humongous and strong. How did they managed to built something like this in the middle of a war between those monsters.

From the forest we just walked out. We still travelled half a kilometer to reach the huge gate of the wall where the wall guards stood alert as we get through the inspections.

"Scout Officer Stalven Glade. Reporting from Point A CliffordStale!" My companion said to the Guard infront of us.

Then he peeked towards me. "Who's that, Stalven?"

"Another survivor from District C, Southern town. He said he'll volunteer as one of the troops officer."

"Name." The guard asked directly towards me so I gulped and stated mine.

"Lowan Shelwell. Sir."

"Lowan Shelwell, are you prepared to die for the wall and it's people?"

"Yes sir."

"Carry on! Close the gate!"