673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ062zwT4BwZ
673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiKaGPMv6g8
He remembers.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpMhbNNfH0P
How his day started with his mother's kisses. The feast, the songs, the celebrations, the laughter of their people, and the gifts from his friends; he remembers.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTcKqsuQ0C6
And there's the signet ring hanging on his neck.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE6OHuu7ViZ
It was the most beautiful thing he had received on that eventful day. The white gold ring, too large at that time on his small seven years old finger, feels cold and makes this tingly feeling on where his ring and skin touches. It's blue in the middle with the kingdom's gold "stag and guns" emblem, and dangling daintly on a silver Figaro chain. He remembered his mother's proud smile as she tucks the ring on his chest, and whisper words of knowledge behind his ears.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZLuEr4GSsA
"It is fine to rule with passion," She cupped with her hand the ring on his chest then placed a loving kiss on the crown of his head, "But remember that mind is above heart."673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡETuvsH4x9K
He took her words in his heart, not completely understanding the weight the words hold at the time, and though he convinced himself that he do now, he knows that her words we're still a puzzle for him.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi8LJ8v8AOy
Then things went down to hell, the image of his mother's downfall that's as fresh as yesterday in his mind haunting him everytime he closed his eyes.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdCFEN7CSp5
She fought like the warrior she is, protected him like any mother would do for their child, and fell on the cold floor that no queen as great as her deserves. He can still sometimes see how her red blood blooms in her feast clothes, on how she grew pale, lungs heaving with lack of air, and the light in her eyes dying along with her heartbeat.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5bGoxycmI
"Run" Was the last word that left her lips.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3cCk3lgOX6
It was her last order as the kingdom's queen and he disobeyed her. Instead the young naïve him took the dagger he received that day and attacked the heavy clothed men in his room. He stood no chance at all with those men, and he lost consciousness with a hit on the head as they took him away from home.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuon1C56GJ3
Away from his people, away from his friends, and above all, they took his mother's life; He then swears on his mother's memories, promised to pay them back ten folds of what they have done to him.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHf0gbPjDQm
Then there was the man amongst monsters. A bit broken and frayed on the edges, but he owns a soul that shines brightly contrast to his dark defences.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ArXehodEu
He didn't free him, no. But when things went down in hell and disaster came, he cut the rope, gave him the same dagger he tried to save his mother with, and ordered him the same thing his mother told him.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVHfR5I1enr
"Run."673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOYGM6fgWD6
So run he did, but for the second time at that night, he dismissed the plea as he stopped from his tracks and looked back. He saw the man - no, beast - fight for his life, not aware how his comrades and enemies alike fell one by one. That or he just does not care.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqHYjClgtGA
He remembers the picture of that beast, covered in blood, his shadowed face, and black eyes glinting in the dark, as the puddle of blood grows every second as they found their way out of fatal wounds. It made him shiver to the core.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Fo7AOOQtq
And he don't know how long he stood there, a few minute or hours - maybe even the whole night - he don't know, but he felt his knees go weak when that blood soaked beast turned to him, eyes locked unto him, and strode towards him.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhoWJfVWyc8
He took two steps backwards on the man's every step and "too late" he thought, "I should have ran"-673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQno3sO0utj
And with those thoughts, he took off.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRjjvSam228
As fast as his small limbs can, even though his lungs burns with lack of air, his tears blurs his vision, and his mind numb, he ran and ran and ran. He hears nothing but static, the breeze colder than he remembers, and he just feels too lost.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKO7rEx9rRn
A rough, sticky, warm, slippery, bloody large hands caught his arms and he flailed uncoordinated, with fear choking him. He's aware that he screamed, but he didn't know what nor how loud it was, but he screamed.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1R7wv6xDXV
And in between of everything that's happening, the clasps on his arms loosened and everything just stopped.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrch3JLS23u
He took a breath and looked around and saw the beast lying on the ground vulnerably. Same red grows on his stomach that he clutches for dear life - and maybe he really is clutching it dearly so - and red blood flows on the ground from his head, hair matted with his blood.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSTRslmRhgg
He doesn't know why, but he spared the man.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAoxM3mxwI0
He remembers taking his dagger and unsheathing it, holding above the man's heart with trembling hands. He remembered seeing the beast as the same broken man earlier. He remembered seeing the tired soul behind those brown eyes.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxcDP8awdXw
On how the breeze caressed him gently with cold hands, how the sun's rays peeks behind dark clouds as if promising tomorrow, remembers how the owls hoots above them, and how battered and resigned those eyes were.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGpjotUOzZo
But he saw a spark. It was something alive and stubborn, as they search through each other's soul. And that probably is the reason why he spared him, his body giving away and slumping above him; resigned and hopeful.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHnL42pujBh
But he forgets it all whenever he wakes up.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Z8R1E3tjN
Or rather, he makes himself to, and he's completely fine with that. He used to wake up gasping like a fish out of the water, tears streaming down his cheeks, air lacking and too much at the same time as his thoughts run wild.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgsyuxz69u8
He was pathetic.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡirHNPdtvfn
He stopped minding it nowadays. It's easier that way.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgG2pdBZeKr
As easy as how he turns a blind eye with how a friend run as hard as he can as if hell's hounds are on him like dogs with their bones. Which would be a rightful reaction with how his own people - those very same people he pledged to protect and serve - are running after him like the mindless monsters they are. Like the selfish persons they are.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPUkZGIE8fR
And it hurts to see that the man stood no chance.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBRSHG02BJi
With a sigh, he tangled his fingers together and stretched them, getting the familiar satisfying pop and crack, and he started working.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXoM1uRduco
He typed codes and decryption, unlocking traps here and there, thanking heavens above that this man knows how to dodge. This friend of his may think that he's forsaking him, or the elders may think lower of him than they already have with his incompetence, but he have to help this man out of here.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqCcaUELdgM
Satisfied with chasing his friend out towards safety and out of the kingdoms' borders, even succeeding with entrapping some of those poor excuse of knights on some traps, he sagged contently back in his chair.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4DxKUBVhpS
He'll be berated about this later, even to be hold off with his duties, but he realized that he doesn't care. He's fine with that. After all, he can blame them back for neglecting his founding and suggestions for improvement. Their hate for science would always bite them back hard, with revenge.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU9USJuyHyB
He reviewed some of the recordings and deleted anything that would prove that he "helped" with the traps, as well as the videos that would tell where the man would be heading. Maybe leaving some few that would make a greatly handy false assumption on where would the man go.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdzwATlxD2R
A knock rang from his door, followed by a steady voice.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Gr0S1lu77
"Col. Hauger, the commanders ask for your presence in the meeting in an hour, sir."673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyNQJHll2dI
"Thanks Joe." He replied, not even bothering to dismiss the man properly.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4HBu3UsOEB
Anyways, he does have a meeting to prepare. Either a boringly long reprimand regarding his lack of mental capability if he's lucky, or finally getting sacked if not. 673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡarJPfnpse0
Even if they sack him though, he still is the most qualified person when it comes to electronics here in this kingdom and he could easily just crack through the network. Though knowing himself, he'd probably celebrated instead of sulk if he really got sacked.673Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVHzjMQ1CVy
Oh well.
ns 15.158.61.16da2
