I was horrified to witness by my own friend's actions, but needed to confront him walking across the rugged path two more prisoners tries to ambush me one more time but were quickly subdued due to the emotional rage I ha with Venny.
"Always the one to whip up a storm, Jin". I stayed silent but is in absolute furious anger
"What wrong did a cat caught your tongue, or was it me having our friend by the throat" his tone of voice changed drastically he was not the same Venny I knew back then.
"J-Jin" Dani tried to mutter a word to me but was cut off by Venny then putting the dagger closer to her throat "hey this is me and my friend talking here, so shut it"
from what I saw I couldn't help but be more furious as I was clenching my fist as this is what Venny exactly needed. "Why... why do this after our long friendship... why do this to the people who trusted you, helped you"
"Honestly I didn't see anyone we've met as my friend " Jin launches himself towards Venny trying to tackle him but Venny dodges his attack.
"Jin I understand your furious" I summon a wind blade but was deflected by Venny.
"This is why you left, you've been planning ever since we met Edgar and you were to assassinate him!"
"Well you not that off, but letting this to be my own personal gain is most likely how you put it" Venny then launches Dani's body in the air causing me to react quickly enough to catch Dani soon putting to a safe place.
"Don't worry Dani guards should be coming here" she was bleeding hard I quickly bandage her wounds before letting her lay onto a pillar.
"In the meantime heal your wound and I'll deal with Venny". Readying to confront my best friends pulling out three boomerang levitating beside me.
"Ah so we're going full on out here, well I suppose I should do it too"
Venny pulls out his stainuim blood dagger slicing his left hand activating his blood magic increasing his physical features to the max with both caster pushing themselves to their limits a battle started between the two. Both launches themselves towards each other Jin surrounded his left leg with a cyclone of wind swinging full force onto Venny, but blocks his attacks feeling the full force from my attack, soon landing five meters away from each other Jin tries to go for a range attack throwing two boomerang towards Venny tries to deflect each boomerang but every time Venny made contact with Jin's boomerang it away, it would redirects to a different current by the wind. This causes to find an opportunity to dash forward towards Venny and uses the third boomerang I named the saber tooth boomerang, with a blade on one half on the boomerang to slash at Venny, but Venny catches the attack from the blade with his left hand bleeding and activating Venny's blood magic even further making Venny to slash at me chipping my mask, and giving a slash wound on the lower left of my face soon to give me the scar to remind me of the past. Quickly jumping back from Venny's attack bleeding from the wound Venny had given him, and he starts to brag, something I seen almost too often.
"Have you really gotten soft after killing Handikiz"
"Perhaps your rage only came from vengeance"
"All those sparring matches we had with each other and you beat me in every single match"
"You disappoint me Jin... will your brother ever forgive you".
Those words, those sensitive topic, those hurtful thoughts of my loved ones something I have known too much. It infuriates me even further as if something within me burst larger than the storms I create. I didn't notice at first but my eyes started to glow, the area around us began to become heavier as if my body was used to harsh climates.
"Now we're talking, you've been held back aren't you"
Without hesitation the wind begins to become stronger as hurricane surrounds us. With the air circulating around them it becomes very dense and is hard to see where I might strike at Venny.
"So this is you plan trying to get rid of my line of vision" Venny starts to charge his blood magic to its maximum limits conjugating his dagger to unleash one swing to counter Jin's hurricane and completely diminishes both attacks.
"Jin I already know how your powers work" Venny sees me on the ground unable to move then Venny starts to walk towards my body
"Is that all you have, just to summon one lousy attack" Venny then plunges his dagger into my back. But there was no reaction Venny soon gets confused and turns over my body to see its empty only his cloak and sees an wind vessel pretending to be me, Venny senses me behind him tries to slash Jin, but when lighting struck with a loud explosion, his left arm was dismembered by with Dani's sword. Venny falling to the ground quickly uses his blood magic to stop the bleeding from spreading even further, but knowing he cannot fight back anymore he accepts defeat.
We both gasping for air and both being semi conscious after going above their limits with each other, until I started to walk towards Venny ready to confront him properly.
"Why'd you do it... I know you hold back, making this all an act" I was flustering in tears knowing how his friend fights.
"What do you mean? I was giving it my all"
"No you weren't, you were the only one fast enough to kill me. And during the whole fight you had many possible to kill me" I was still feeling furious wants Venny to answer his question.
"So then why, didn't you killed me" Venny snickers a bit before telling Jin his answer.
"Isn't obvious you and Dani were the only people who actually cares for a nobody like me" "what?".
Venny starts to tell me his story of Venny's childhood and how it treated to him terribly with only his parents and three other siblings, even if he was the second to be born their parents never really cared for him only treating his youngest sibling with all their attention only letting Venny and his other siblings to fend for themself, these were the only true family Venny ever had, however slowly two of Venny's siblings died due to starvation and lack of medication when Venny found their lifeless bodies he was in rage at his own parents for not caring for their other children only caring for the youngest, afterwards Venny killed his own parents and even his younger brother he murdered them brutally using a rusty dagger he stole from a traveling merchant. Furious he stabs each of them ten times and despite their struggle and pleading for mercy Venny continues his massacre. After his bloodlust ended he would soon makes his leave but afterwards now feels something missing within Venny, and soon years have gone by.
Killing was one of the things that gave Venny meaning until he met me, and Dani. I was shocked in awe by Venny's story but realized what he said when they first met, it was about who was their killer and since they got one of their killers Jin realizes something.
"Wait so does that mean your"
"Yes Jin, I am the killer of my own family. And the dagger I showed you before bathed in my family's blood. It was all me" I was almost in disbelief but I wanted to know the truth even further and tried to ask Venny more questions.
However, my wind soon senses guards storming through the theatre "hey Jin you should get going now"
"But I can't leave you like this"
"No, I deserve this. And I don't want you to be dragged down with me. Please just leave now" I tries to give this a second thought nod in approval for Venny's request but before leaving I saw Dani still awake and need to say a word to her.
"Dani, are you there"
"J-Jin? What happened"
"Hey don't speak any further, there is something I need you to do". As soon as guards made their way towards the main theatre room they see Dani pointing down her sword towards Venny with a dismembered arm and both breathing heavily and Venny surrendered. As with the wind sensing all this happening on a roof knowing that their plan succeeded, as I flew off to the distance and leaving Alvera for good.
Gale and Ralian were surprised about of how much Jin went through but Gale was still suspicious of one thing "but you didn't tell us why you were on the bounty board" "oh yeah that part. Well I guess over time the nobles had found out that I was the one who killed Handikiz and that I was associated with Venny" "must be ruff. Being hunted for ten years must be harsh" "well at first it was scary being hunted. But over the years I just gotten used to fighting all sorts of hunters. Well until I met hunters like you two" suddenly the cart stopped as they all look and see that they finally made it to the tavern Geek had told them about "alright we're here my friends". Gale, Ralian and Jin once got off the cart and head into the tavern to see that beds are already checked in by Geek before they can pay "Geek you already payed, the fee for us" "of course my friend. This was the only way I could repay your kindness and gratitude for everything you did back at the bridge" "and we are grateful for your kindness too" Geek soon leave them all from the tavern being very grateful for helping them getting all the way to this location, climbing onto his cart then riding off towards the distance to another town across the land.
(End of chapter 5)