53. What?!

"Hungry? Eat this you freak!!!"

I don't know who shouted among the angry crowd, but it didn't matter, everyone repeated the same thing, over and over again, while throwing either stones or rubbish at me, at least it wasn't excrement. The difference is that now it wasn't just directed at me.

"Please stop it."

I barely bothered anymore with the insults, or the things thrown at me occasionally. Not even with the almost weekly public demonstration where they put me in the middle of the square and do both. But.

"Hey! Someone get that idiot out of there, she's ruining the fun."

"Hunf, if she wants to be with that freak, let her be."

What I can't accept was what they said and threw at her. She never deserved it, neither did I... I think, but I'm sure she didn't deserve it. She was always the calmest and kindest of these rotten villagers, not only being cordial to me but even to those who were cruel to her, and yet they took advantage of her kindness several times, even now they do so.

They knew that if they made a particularly brutal "demonstration of unity", she would interfere, and they could profit from the suffering of two for the price of one, and that is exactly what happened. Nobody in that village cared about me besides her and my late mother, but several villages cared about her and tried to dissuade her from leaving us, while others just wanted more entertainment, didn't care about any of that.

It would be easy for them to just throw things at me, I was even in a position that made it easier for them to hit me, but they deliberately threw rocks and trash at her for the simple fact that it was more fun for them, especially for the girls, the ones who never liked her.

"...Hey, how about we get her out of there and take her somewhere... less public."

Unlike before, I knew very well who had said it. Tavros, one of my main tormentors.

While most of the villagers just went with the flow in the abuse towards me, with the idea of a common enemy to keep the community together or whatever nonsense once the village boss started it. Tavros and his friends seemed to take my torment not only as a kind of "community bonding activity" but also as a sport and way of resolving petty conflicts.

Lack of food and we need to decide who gets the least?, the one who made the freak whine the most gets the biggest share. Who is the best hunter in the village? Whoever manages to hit the freak from far away wins, extra points if he bleeds.

However, even in the midst of all this pain, humiliation and constant torment that was my daily life (if you can call it life), there was still a ray of sunshine, the young woman who received stones, rubbish and as many insults as I did, but still with tears in her eyes she wouldn't let them fall and kept asking people to stop throwing things at me, even telling them to just throw things at me.

A really foolish girl, it's much easier for you to just join them against me and you can live happily here without too many problems, even now I'm sure those who care about you have convinced everyone of that. But still she remained stubbornly in front of me.

If she was willing for so long for me, I couldn't let her suffer any of the humiliation that Tavros and his minions prepared for her. Personally, I suspect that this particular harsh public humiliation was set up by them simply to have an excuse so they could abuse her in secret while the village rat continued to stone me.

Even if that wasn't their goal, I wouldn't accept them laying a finger on her. I don't care about the insults or the pain they cause in me, but I won't tolerate it in her, even if they finally decide to end my life for that, for finally fighting back, I won't just die with my head down accepting the humiliation given to her.

My mother said that in ancient times there were powerful entities known as gods who protected and helped those in need and asked for their help with dedication and sincerity. However, something happened and they stopped responding to anything and since Corruption appeared, things got worse.

I never believed in any of these beings in my life, none of them helped the first time they made this display and threw rocks at me while holding my mother, none of them helped when she finally fell ill from lack of food and died in her bed at our house. But just this once, just once I'm willing to believe in them, after all it's very likely that I'll meet them now.

'So I ask, with all my heart as much as the day my mother died, at least help this girl to save herself, protect her when no one else can do it and forgive me for what I'm about to do.'

I don't know if that was how you said a prayer, as my mother called it, a type of incantation to ask for help from the gods, but it was the best I could do, just as I tried that day she died.

Getting up from the floor of the square and looking at the villagers I could see a small spark of fear in their eyes, something normal they were always scared when I stood up completely, leaving me with 2.05 inherited from my damn father. I preferred not to stand completely, mainly due to the fact that the more taller and menancing I apper to be, more afraid they felt, and stronger their abuse became. My mother said it was a response to their own fear, if they told me they were more afraid of them and I kept down they wouldn't have so much to fear and they could have a level of control that they don't really have.

I never quite understood what she meant, but in a meager remnant of respect for the village that still gave food to my mother and allowed me to live in it, I generally walked around more hunched over, reducing my size and giving them that feeling of power that she spoke about. My contempt for this village was only made greater by the anger I felt towards myself and this body that always demanded food, food that my mother willingly took from his plate to put on mine, which eventually led to his death.

When one of Tavros' minions (a disheveled drunk who didn't even notice me get up if you could believe that) was close enough to try to grab Bianca, I was ready to act and to act and to deal with whatever came next. But before I could do anything.

*Krrraaaa goodmm*

An arrow of light appeared out of nowhere in the sky and, in front of everyone, it obliterated, the man not even leaving ashes behind. We all went atomic with this after all even though it was cloudy there was no sign of lightning or thunder the whole day, but before anyone could understand anything.

*Krrraaaa booom*

Another bolt of lightning struck, this time seeming to have even more strength, in the middle of the crowd, sending some beams of energy across the land that injured more people around them.

*Kkkrrraaa boom*

*Kkkrrraaa booommm*

*Kkkrrrraaa goodmm*

Three more bolts of lightning in quick succession struck and more people were injured while others were directly obliterated.

"WHAT THE SHIT IS GOING ON, HOW ARE YOU DOING THIS!!! YOU- UUUOOOOAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!"

Before Tavros could finish trying to accuse me, he started screaming and convulsing in pain just in front of the square, his face turned red and black veins appeared on his neck and spread down the rectum of his body. His eyes, ears, nose and mouth began to bleed and he continued to howl in pain, leaving the villagers as confused and scared as lightning.

When he subsided the screams, soon another person, one of his minions began to suffer the same thing, and then another, and another and another and another. In succession faster than the lightnings, Tavros' minions were all suffering the same thing.

"Aaaahhhhh"

"Aaaahhhhahhhh"

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhh"

In some places in the crowd more screams could be heard causing everyone to become terrified. What was happening here?!