The Road to Ruin

I turned toward the exit, stepping over the fallen man’s body, my heart beating with purpose now. There was more to be done. More people to deal with. I had made my first kill. I had made my first step toward becoming what the system required. A tyrant.

The tavern door creaked as I pushed it open, stepping out into the cold night air. The chill hit me like a slap, but it didn’t slow my pace. My mind was racing with thoughts of the next move. I was done hiding, done waiting. The clock was ticking, and the world wasn’t going to wait for me to catch up.

Garrick followed me out, his boots dragging slightly as he caught up. “You’ve got fire now,” he remarked, his voice low and almost approving. “But don’t get too cocky. The real challenges are ahead.” He motioned with his hand toward the road that stretched before us, leading out of Ravenmere and into the wild territories beyond.

I nodded but didn’t respond. There was no point in discussing it further. The only thing that mattered now was the path ahead. And it was unclear, shrouded in uncertainty, but I could feel the weight of it pressing on my chest. The Tyrant’s System had given me a taste of power, but I knew it would demand more. Power wasn’t given freely—it was taken.

We walked in silence for hours, the path leading us out of the city and into the wilderness. The sun was beginning to rise, casting a dim light over the landscape. The further we traveled, the more the city’s bustle faded into nothing. The roads became rougher, the air heavier with the scent of pine and earth. It was clear that this part of the kingdom was neglected, forgotten by the crown. The territories beyond Ravenmere were nothing like the cities I had grown up in.

Finally, as the sun reached its peak, we came upon a rundown village. Its buildings were dilapidated, with thatched roofs sagging and walls crumbling under years of neglect. The village was quiet—too quiet. I could see people moving between the wreckage of their homes, their faces hollow, their eyes sunken in desperation.

This was the kind of place where survival didn’t come easily. This was where the oppressed gathered, where the weak were left to rot. The air was thick with despair, but there was something else here. Something I could sense just beneath the surface. I couldn’t explain it, but it felt like a boiling pot ready to spill over.

I stopped in the center of the village, scanning the area. A group of men stood near the center, their faces covered in dirt and weariness, but their eyes were sharp, calculating. They looked at us with suspicion, and I could see a few of them reaching for the weapons at their sides.

Garrick shifted beside me, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. “Stay sharp. These people aren’t going to welcome us with open arms.”

I wasn’t here for a warm welcome. I was here for something else entirely.

A woman stepped out from behind one of the dilapidated houses, her clothes ragged but her posture straight. There was a fire in her eyes, even if it was faint. She eyed me with an intensity that made my skin prickle.

“You’re not from around here,” she said, her voice rough but unwavering. “What do you want?”

I met her gaze, unwavering. “I’m here to make things right. This place... it deserves better.”

She studied me for a long moment, her lips curling into a bitter smile. “Make things right? You think you can fix this?” She gestured to the ruined village around us. “We’ve had enough of false promises and broken dreams. You’re not the first to come here with that same line.”

Her words stung, and I could see the skepticism in her eyes. They had been through this before, over and over. People who had promised change, only to disappear once they realized how hard the task really was.

But I wasn’t like the others. Not anymore.

“I’m not here to promise you anything,” I said, my voice low and steady. “I’m here to give you the means to take back what’s yours.”

She blinked, clearly surprised by the bluntness of my response. The villagers around us shifted, some stepping closer, others holding back, as if unsure whether to believe me or not.

“I’m here to show you the path to power,” I continued, my words hardening. “But you’ll have to take it for yourselves. No one’s going to hand you anything.”

She didn’t speak for a long while, her eyes narrowing as she considered my words. Then, finally, she said, “And why should we trust you?”

I stepped forward, closer to her, not waiting for her to back down. “Because I can give you something no one else can. Control. You want your land back? You want to fight back against those who’ve held you down? I can show you how. But first, you’ll have to trust me.”

She regarded me carefully, her hand twitching slightly at her side, and I saw the doubt warring with a hint of something else in her gaze—curiosity, maybe.

“We’ll see how much control you can offer, then,” she said, her voice hard. "But don’t think we’ll be your pawns."

“I never said anything about pawns,” I responded, feeling the weight of my words settle in. "I'm here to give you the power to stand on your own."

And with that, I knew the path was set. There would be no turning back now.

The air between us thickened with the unspoken weight of my words. The woman—who I now recognized as the leader of the group—didn’t move, but her eyes never left mine. There was a fierce fire there, one that had been stoked by years of suffering. I could see that she had the potential to be something greater, but she was just as trapped in her own beliefs as everyone else here.

“You think you can just waltz in here and change everything?” she asked, her voice cutting through the heavy silence. “It’s not that easy. This village has been trampled on by more than one so-called savior.”

I took a step closer, not allowing her words to faze me. "I’m not a savior. I’m a realist. The world doesn’t give mercy, and neither do I. But I can show you how to fight back. I’m offering you a choice: stay weak, or take control of what’s yours.”

She tilted her head, sizing me up. I could feel the tension in the air like it was about to snap, and I wasn’t sure what would happen next. But one thing was clear—she wasn’t going to just hand me her trust. And I wasn’t asking for it.

“Why should I believe you?” she pressed, narrowing her eyes.

I didn’t hesitate. “Because I’m offering you more than promises. I’m offering you a way to make them bleed for what they’ve done to you. They’ve taken everything from you, and you’re still standing. That’s power in itself.”

The words hung in the air, and I could see the flicker of doubt in her eyes. She wanted to believe me. She wanted something to believe in. But trust wasn’t something I could give her—not yet.

Garrick stepped forward, his usual gruffness returning. "We don’t have time for speeches. Either you want to stand and fight, or you don’t. But don’t waste our time if you’re just going to watch from the sidelines."

The woman’s eyes flicked to Garrick, and for a moment, I thought she might refuse, but then her expression hardened. “Alright. I’ll listen. But don’t think for a second; we’ll just roll over.”

I nodded, feeling the tiniest bit of respect for her. At least she wasn’t one of the fools who believed in easy solutions. This was going to take work. “I don’t expect you to. But I’m telling you now: it’s either fight or perish.”

She took a long breath, her gaze flickering to her people. There was a murmur of voices among the villagers, some with uncertainty, others with hope. I could see their hesitation, their fear of the unknown. But I was offering them a way out. I was giving them a chance.

“I’m not promising you victory today,” I continued. “But I will teach you how to make them fear you. And if you stand with me, I’ll show you how to take this land back.”

The woman didn’t say anything for a moment, but then she nodded slowly. “Alright, Leon. I’ll bite. But we’ll see if your words mean anything when the blood starts flowing.”

I could see the fire in her eyes, the first spark of something more than mere survival. I turned to look at Garrick, who raised an eyebrow. He didn’t speak, but the approval in his gaze was enough.

It was time to move forward. And this time, there would be no turning back.