This continued until nightfall. Just as he had anticipated, in the hour of chaos, he managed to steal enough food not only for himself but also to bring some back to the orphanage. He even managed to pinch a few apples, which he decided to share with his brothers and sisters.
The moon was incredibly beautiful that evening. In moments like these, Kai couldn't suppress his curiosity and yearning for freedom. He loved to wander around the outskirts of the town during such times. Lost in such thoughts, he slowly wandered to the river. As he looked at the water, he began to reason aloud:
"I wonder why my parents abandoned me? Then again, why am I surprised in our world?" Kai chuckled melancholically.
"Maybe my parents simply had no food, and feeding another little person would have been problematic... Or perhaps they got into trouble? Damn it, maybe I'm the scion of a noble family destroyed by their enemies, just like in epic bedtime stories? Hahaha, to hell with it all... I'm already lucky to be alive at all. So, luck is my middle name! Hehe." Kai laughed.
"Yeahhh, first I need to grow up a bit and try my luck in the wider world... The world is probably biiiig," he said, smiling. "It's decided. When I grow up, I'll wander the world, earn some money, expand the orphanage... A rather fun plan." Kai laughed.
Kai had always been drawn to strength. With his perceptive mind, he had long noticed the patterns of this world. That's why the injuries from theft or potential death didn't worry him. He had seen more than enough of it around him...
Although he was only 7, his mental stability was astonishing. The boy had been running and training his body since early childhood, though not entirely consciously or systematically. He did it in a way he thought was correct. And the systematic thefts and beatings had well developed his reflexes and endurance. Pain threshold? — Pff, physical pain held no fear for him.
The evening dragged on languidly, but suddenly Kai heard distant screams and saw lights beginning to illuminate the night sky. He quickly jumped up and ran towards the orphanage, his innate instincts screaming of danger. Kai ran as fast as he could for about fifteen minutes, and when the orphanage began to show through the trees, he froze in place... The orphanage was on fire!
"Oh no! I need to get help!" Just as Kai was about to run towards the town, he saw a large man and several others in black armor throw Matron Frieda out of the orphanage.
"Pah! This backwater has no beautiful women, no booze, not even decent grub! Bitch, where are your supplies?!" the man roared.
"But, Sir, we are just a rural orphanage. We don't have enough food to feed ourselves properly. We've eaten almost nothing ourselves for the last two days. We have nothing!" Frieda cried, pleading.
"Hmm, fine, damn you..." Scratching the back of his head, the man took the halberd from his shoulders and calmly drove the blade into Frieda's throat.
From the forest, Kai only saw the tip of the halberd slowly exit through Frieda's skull. He was so shocked he couldn't even cry.
"Right, go kill the little rats, and let's move on. The commander said not to linger long," saying this, he turned and started moving towards the town. And his three lackeys began entering the orphanage.
When Kai heard what the man said, he grabbed a sharp stone near his feet. And with all his might, he ran towards the orphanage. At that moment, there was nothing in his head but the word KILL!
As he ran, he repeated to himself:
"KILL! KILL! KILL! I must kill these scum!"
Bursting through the doors of the orphanage, he saw only a bloody mess and the scattered corpses of his friends. His brothers and sisters! And the laughing warriors.
At that moment, he leaped and tried to plunge the stone into the neck of the nearest man. Due to the element of surprise, he went unnoticed and managed to slash the stone across the man's neck. But alas, all he achieved was barely breaking the skin of this beast.
For a warrior, such wounds were like mere shaving nicks...
Kai only saw something slash sharply across his chest and throw him aside. All the food he had gathered in the town scattered on the ground. All he could see was a lot of blood, the corpses of his friends, and the apples lying in the scarlet liquid and dirt. He thought only about how damn unfair it was... He wanted to kill, but he couldn't... He wanted to save them, but he couldn't... In the end, he couldn't even feed his brothers...
"Hahaha, a feisty brat. He even scratched you. The guys in the camp will die laughing when they hear about this," laughed the brute who had cut open Kai's chest.
"Alright, let's go. This trash is as good as dead. We need to hurry to the commander, or he'll have our hides." Saying this, they started to leave.
The man who had been scratched decided to finish Kai off, but then just clicked his tongue and left with the others.
Lying on the ground, Kai felt only staggering pain, both physical and spiritual.
*"Unfair!"* He wanted to cry, but he couldn't!
*"Does strength really decide so much? They're just freaks who decided to crush ants. For fun... They knew perfectly well there was nothing to take from the orphanage... Why?"* Kai thought, lying on the ground.
At that moment, Kai decided he did not want to die. He wanted to live, to gain strength, to get revenge, to kill those scum. He decided to calm down. His tears and regrets wouldn't help now. This is a cruel world, and he had always been aware of it, even if he wanted to ignore it. In the end, you can't bring back the dead. All he could do now was try to survive. And perhaps, one day, he could kill everyone who destroyed his village!
Something clicked in his brain, and he quickly calmed down. He started thinking about where he could escape.
*"That's right, the river!"* Kai exclaimed in his mind.
There was no one there. It had saved his life once before; if he jumped into the river, maybe luck would smile on him again. The current might carry him somewhere far from the enemy troops.
*"But first, I need to bandage my wound... I'm starting to feel delirious from blood loss."* He gathered all his resolve and took a shirt from one of the corpses.
"Forgive me, you won't be needing it anymore..." the boy said with sadness.
After bandaging himself, he took one last look at his brothers. Tears rolled down his face. Turning away, he wiped his face and decided that this was the last time he would cry. If you feel injustice, if you feel resentment, if you feel pain, you just need to have the strength to deal with their source. The strong are the law; the weak are merely stepping stones on the path of the strong.
"Death is the eternal companion of all living things in this world..." Kai said to himself and, stumbling, trudged towards the river.
Whether it was due to his body's resilience or because he was used to constantly getting injured while stealing in the town, he managed to stay conscious and not lose heart despite such a wound.
"All the beatings I took in my short life weren't for nothing. It tempered my body," Kai laughed ironically, dragging himself towards the river...
When he arrived at the place where, just an hour ago, he had dreamed of the big world and the well-being of his brothers and sisters... To the terrifying screams from the distance, he approached the cliff.
He thought:
*"I will end my story in this orphanage, where it began... Fate has a cruel sense of humor. However, if the universe wills it, I will live, and then I'll think about everything else. But now, I am very, very tired and..."*
Without finishing his words, losing consciousness, Kai fell into the river.