Poem

Upon seeing the figure of the general, Cain showed an indescribable expression. In his eyes, there was rage, hatred, and sadness. All of these emotions were visible on his face at once, deeply rooted in his soul, as if they were a part of him.

Edward noticed this but said nothing. This time, it wasn't out of fear, but out of compassion. For some strange reason, he felt that way.

The soldiers stopped abruptly and turned in the direction where the duo was hiding.

A mocking voice reached both of their ears:

"Well, well! Didn't expect to find you here, and even less with a companion. That look I felt wasn't very welcoming, I can't believe you treat your visitors like this. I'll have to teach you some manners so this doesn't happen again. Fire!"

War tanks materialized out of nowhere, launching explosive projectiles towards the spot where Cain and Edward were.

"Cover your ears!" The man told the young one.

Edward didn't ignore him and quickly covered his ears with both hands.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The projectiles exploded in the area around them, but neither of them was harmed, at least not visibly.

Cain put his hands to his head, writhing in pain, though he quickly recovered.

Then, he recited what seemed to be a poem in an unknown language at first, but gradually, it became clear what he was saying:

"The king fell for his crown;"

"The people died from hunger;"

"The sun rose from the east;"

"And the people rose from their ashes."

Finishing the poem, he exclaimed:

"It's time for the king to fall and his people to rise! I banish you, tyrant!"

The projectiles that had been launched again and were about to hit, vanished into the air, along with the entire troop of soldiers present.

The general, like his army, was fading away, though at a slower pace. Before the process was complete, with a slight tone of disappointment, he said:

"It's a real shame we couldn't finish you off today, I would have liked to, since I have more important things to do. But I'm not leaving with a bad taste in my mouth, after all, it was a pleasure seeing you lose another piece of your sanity. I hope not to find you in a psychiatric hospital the next time we meet."

"See you soon, my friend." The general's voice grew fainter and fainter until it completely disappeared.

When the general finished fading, Cain fell to the ground with a loud thud: he had passed out.

...

In an unknown place, a human figure was sitting on top of a glass panel while hugging their knees. They wore a black robe with intricate starry patterns engraved on it and a hood that obscured their face. Around them, there were planets, nebulae, stars, and an immense black space that seemed endless. It resembled the cosmos.

Beneath the glass panel, a desolate forest could be seen with a young man in his prime trying to support an older man in the final stages of his youth on his shoulders; they were Cain and Edward.

The figure appeared to be watching them with interest.

...

Cain woke up in a wooden cabin, with a burning fireplace in front of him and Edward sitting in an armchair beside him.

He stared at the young man for a few seconds. Edward noticed his gaze and returned it.

Seeing that Cain had regained consciousness, he decided to start a conversation:

"I see you've finally woken up."

"What happened after the general left? And... where are we?" The man asked, unfazed.

Cain sat up and looked around: a small table beside the armchair with a lit candle and a blue hardcover notebook that said "Monthly Budget" written on it, a shelf in the left corner of the room with a few plates, glasses, and kitchen utensils. A mini-fridge on the edge of a wall, a sink in the right corner, and a stove at the back. Outside the place, a view of a nighttime forest could be seen. Overall, the space was small but still felt empty.

"You passed out, and I had to carry you about 300 meters to bring you here. This is my house."

"Your house? You live in the middle of the forest?"

"Yeah, since it's too expensive to travel from the district to the store, I decided to build this cabin and live here. That way, I'm at least close to my workplace and avoid transportation costs."

"Why don't you work in the district? Wouldn't it be more profitable?"

"Looks like you haven't been there. It's one of the poorest districts, with overpopulation that creates a sky-high unemployment rate; no matter how hard you look, you can't find a decent job. The ones that are available pay you a pittance that doesn't even cover two meals a day, and the conditions are inhumane. I think I'd be better off being the slave of some tycoon."

"They pay me a better salary at that store, though it's not much of a difference. Anyway, can you explain to me what happened? From the shadow to that general guy." Edward asked in a firm and determined tone.

Cain made a strange expression. There was an unreadable emotion in his eyes, something Edward didn't notice.

"It's a pretty long stor-"

"You already told me that when we were heading to the forest, please don't try to make excuses." Edward said, completely serious.

Cain's expression became clearer, something that didn't go unnoticed by Edward and caused him a strange but familiar feeling. However, he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was.

"To explain it better, let me tell you a story; the story of a repentant king."