The Bitter Farewell and the Gaze of Command
Darel approached me in the silence of the midnight hour, his shadow stretching long across the floorboards. "Levin… it's time. You must leave before the first light."
I nodded, my voice feeling like it was being crushed by a mountain. "Alright," I whispered. A hollow emptiness had taken root in my chest. Is this it? Is this the last time I'll ever see the man who saved me?
Darel handed me a small, weathered bag. "There's food inside. Enough to get you through the mountain pass. Don't waste it."
"Thank you," I replied, my eyes fixed on the floor. I stretched out on the mat in the corner, trying to steal a few minutes of rest before a farewell I wasn't brave enough to face.
Time felt distorted, melting into the shadows until Darel's hand gently touched my shoulder. "Wake up, child. The moon is high. It's time."
I opened my eyes, the world blurring for a second. "What time is it?"
"2:30 AM…"
I took a deep, shuddering breath, steeling my nerves. I walked toward the door, but as I stood before Darel, the wall I had built around my heart crumbled. I hugged him suddenly—a desperate, clinging embrace.
"Be careful out there, Levin," Darel whispered, his voice thick with emotion.
Without thinking, the word I had suppressed for years escaped my lips. "I will… Father."
Darel blinked, his eyes widening in shock before they instantly welled up with tears. He didn't say anything more; he didn't need to. "May your path be clear," he managed to choke out.
I merged into the night, a silver ghost following the underground route Darel had marked on my map. My mind was a whirlwind of questions. When I reach Vellan, should I hide my power? Or should I show them exactly what I am? I decided I would let the city choose for me.
Halfway through the journey, the adrenaline faded, replaced by a bone-deep exhaustion. I sat beneath a twisted oak tree, devouring the rations Darel had packed. As soon as my eyes drifted shut, the Demon's voice vibrated through my skull like a funeral bell:
"Levin… be ready to see the faces you've spent your nights trying to forget. Tonight… I am going to enjoy myself immensely!"
I jolted awake, my heart racing. Dawn had arrived, painting the sky in bruises of purple and gold. What did he mean? I didn't have time to ponder his riddles. I stood up and pushed forward.
At the gates of Vellan, two guards blocked my path. "And who are you, boy?" one asked, his hand on his spear.
"My name is Levin," I replied, keeping my head low. The guard glanced at my silver hair—a trait that should have caused suspicion—but he simply shrugged and let me pass. Something felt wrong. It was too easy.
Then… I froze. My blood turned to ice.
Walking through the crowded street were two men. I would know those faces even if I were blind. They were the men from my village—the ones who had held my mother down, the ones who had dragged my father away into the dark. It was as if destiny had delivered them to me on a silver platter.
The memories hit me like physical blows: "Please… don't! I'm begging you!" my mother's scream echoed. "RUN, RIVEN! YOU MUST SURVIVE!" my father's final command.
My eyes narrowed into lethal slits. Time seemed to grind to a halt. In a blur of motion fueled by years of suppressed agony, I grabbed both men by their collars and dragged them into a filth-ridden back alley before they could even cry out.
"Finally…" I whispered, a manic, jagged laugh bubbling up from my throat. "My revenge on that cursed village begins with you."
The Demon appeared in the periphery of my vision, his grin wider than I had ever seen.
"Look at them, Levin. Your new power… the ability to command. The ability to force their very souls to obey your will. Lucky boy. The authority of the gods flows through that eye of yours…"
I laughed, a raw, terrifying sound that filled the alleyway. My chest burned with a dark, intoxicating exhilaration. "This… this is the power I needed."
The shadows around me began to pulse, feeding off my fury. For the first time, I felt the true, terrible potential of my curse. I looked at the two men, my left eye ignited with a crimson flame. "Kneel," I commanded.
And they had no choice but to obey.