Legacies of light

Φ As all of the humans open their eyes including myself, I sigh and say, “What did I even expect of those humans.”

On the left side is an overwhelming amount of people, so many that it makes me feel quite sick at the sight of it.

Hanging off my tree, I say, “Words aren’t enough to move the human heart it seems.”

Φ In front of me lies about 20 people from the 75000 of us. About 12 of them hold the holy cross, but it is not even a hundredth of the total congregation among all of us, the rest lie on the other side.

But what truly breaks my heart is that of the 20 people, it includes a family with children who followed my words to the right side.

I feel sick like I am about to throw up. All these people across from me choose their own safety even though we all could escape, they choose to spit on all of the sacrifices made today, and at the end of it all not even half of them will be allowed to go with the beastkin.

I want to scream at them, I want to kill them, I want to fall to my knees and cry. Why god, why? Was I wrong? Maybe god wanted me to put my life first since all of these people are utter scum?

Have my past sins caught up to me? Did you not speak of forgiveness in all things? Have I not tried my best to dedicate my life to your word and precepts?

I thought I was good, I thought you said whispered words to me, and told me that I need to keep believing in you. Was it all a lie? Did it ever even happen? Maybe all of the words of god were just something I made up in my head? Looking back would I have been here if god existed, would I have even had to suffer like this?

In front of me, the large group of humans on the left side start to fight amongst themselves.

Φ Only half the humans on the left can go, so I guess they have to shorten their numbers somehow because if it goes up to some sort of random selection, their safety will no longer be an assurance.

If they all just went to the right side it wouldn’t have even been an issue. A bunch of morons, but I guess the biggest idiot here is the holy man who looks like he is one second away from killing himself.

Guess he was just another boring human.

Φ Looking at their fight, I hold back a smile. At the very least before I am turned into a creature that shouldn’t even be called human I get to watch these fools cannibalize themselves, I can find joy in this to get me through the hardship.

Suddenly to the left of me, the family of four parents get on their knees and hug their children crying profusely saying, “Forgive us, mother and father were stupid, and we put you in harm's way please forgive us.2

To the right of me, two lovers hug and the woman says, “I dragged you here due to my own stupid wishes, my delusions have caused you harm, and even now you are crying.”

“I am only crying because I fear for your safety more than anything else in this world.”

Both the parents and the wife say, “We were stupid for believing in this.”

Seeing both of their pleas I smack myself in the face which causes all those wearing crosses to ask, “Are you ok?”

Under my breath, I say, “Please forgive me lord for my lack of faith, you have once again sent a message to me.”

Getting up, I say, “Do you all still truly believe in god.”

They all look shaky, and each and every one of them ends up being unable to reaffirm their faith in me. So I say, “Please don’t give up yet, and just watch me move forward.”

Φ The holy man walks forward and then says to my father, “I have a proposition.”

Ronald is about to say something, but then my father stops him and says, “Go ahead human.”

“I wish for you to inflict all of the pain on me that you would have inflicted on all those who stand on the right. If I am able to bear it all please let them all go.”

Looks of shock appear on the faces of those around him including myself.

“Is he insane, the physical and mental damage that would inflict on a person would kill them countless times over. No way a skinny human could take such a thing. Even with my regeneration, I don’t know I could handle such a thing.”

My father responds, “I refuse, I am still killing all of you who walked onto the right. I fully intended to let every single one of the humans go if you had all gone to the right, and so you must face the consequences of your own peoples' avarice.”

The holy man looks down, but my father says, “Though if one was to survive such a tortuous ordeal, a reward would have to be given simply out of respect of such a feat. If you take 19 men’s worth of torture while still being conscious and I will kill the remaining people of the right without torturing them, it will be a signal quick blow.”

Φ Looking at him, I say, “Father you do realize that is far more cruel than just killing him. How would one even be able to motivate themselves to do such a thing knowing the target would still die.”

But to my surprise with a bright smile on his face, the holy man says, “Yes I will do it. But please also extend my condition to all the people who you will kill on the left side.”

WHAT!? Is he insane to do such a thing for those cowards?

The humans also seem to be just as stunned by his declaration. But he doesn’t, he just comfortably smiles.

How, how can he smile like that in such a situation?

My father also seems slightly perturbed by this, and says, “Ronald do your worst until you feel like it is enough.”

Using his legacy Ronald uses manifest a briar and drags the man onto the stage impaling him as he does that.

But Ronald is careful as he does that the briars only pierce skin deep, and they do so slowly. The area which the briar pierce also starts to turn red causing a skin rash.

The holy man goes from a pained to a distressed expression. He starts to squirm around but Ronald has bound his arms and legs in his briar’s not allowing him to move.

Ronald then says, “Being a hunter is a very hard job. You must know all aspects of your prey to efficiently understand their patterns and predict their movements to your advantage,

But knowledge is an everchanging tool, and what can be used for hunting prey can also be used for torture. There are countless sensations that the human body can experience that would drive a man insane.

Itchiness is one of them. It can be far more intense and distressing than pure pain yet it doesn’t lead to death like bloodless can. And there are many other things like this.”

“Fourth bloom.” From his whip briar wraps completely around one of the holy man's arms and brings it to the front of his body. Then his briars start to enter into the man's arm.

“A poison that makes it so that one loses feeling in a certain section of the body. The level of effect depends on how much I use it so right now the outer parts of your arm are completely numb, but you can feel the workings of the inner parts far more intense now not if I send my brairs into your arm you can feel every single movement.”

The look the holy man makes is one of intense discomfort, one so horrible that it makes him throw up.

Ronald says, “Though discomfort and pain can be inflicted on a person at the same time.”

He then uses his whip to strike his body multiple times. He has the strength to rip this human body in half with one blow, but he holds back his strength and hits him lightly enough just to leave some sore red skin.

The humans on both sides look at him and have ceased any arguments as they watch intently at what is unfolding. The holy man looks like he is about to cry and break any moment now.

But to the surprise of everyone especially Ronald, he says, “Please hurry it up, standing this long won’t be good on everybody's backs.”

Ronald becomes infuriated by this and says, “I will show you the height of punishment which your mind can’t even comprehend.”

Ronald from this point on increases the brutality of his punishment towards the holy man, he inflicts him again and again with attacks that brutalize his body and poison that ravages his senses.

The humans can’t even look at what’s going on, and the beastkin who hates humans with all their hearts turns away from the utter brutality that takes place before their eyes.

It is a horrible sight, but right now I would say the one in the most mental anguish is Ronald because despite all he is doing the holy man doesn’t let out a single cry the only thing that comes out of his mouth is prayers.

Φ I feel like every aspect of myself is crumbling, right now every single principle and piece of will I have within me is all but gone. I pray but not due to faith, it is simply a reflex that is keeping me going through all of this.

If I was to stop for even a second and acknowledge the pain I would die in mere moments.

I know I shouldn’t question it, I know I shouldn’t doubt myself. But does this truly have any meaning? Anything to be gained? Because it is no different than fighting to see how a corpse will be buried, an utterly pointless endeavour.

Still, I truly have faith that god is good to me, so I will simply move on and march forward. I start to pray lower and Ronald gets more enraged, he whips me again and I feel like I am going to die.

But to my surprise, a small group from both sides about 50 people move forward and say, “Please let us join him.”

Lugh says, “What for?”

“His deal let us all take some suffering as well, and split the rest.”

“You will all die a tortuous death.”

Shaky, crying, trembling and scared the humans in front of me say, “That’s fine.”

Lugh single them, and they join me on stage and I hold back a few tears from my eyes, but this doesn’t cause Ronald to stop just intensifies but with a second wind at my back I say, “Keep going and hurry it up, I don’t want anyone to have to see this for too long.”

Φ Until the sun sits Ronald beats all of the humans to death one by one, but as they fall another human moves forward and stands up eventually of the 70 thousand humans 7 thousand choose to throw away their lives in Ronald's rampage.

And for every single moment, they do my eyes are transfixed, I can’t draw them away and eventually, only one human remains the one at the starts whose body is tattered beyond belief, it is hard to even call him alive at this point.

Ronald walks away, and says, “I am done, I don’t have any more to give.

My father stands in front of him and says, “I will keep my side of the deal, and kill the remaining ones mercifully.”

“I am happy.”

“So why are you crying human?”

“I know it was my victory today, but I don’t know if I truly have been able to wave the flames of hatred that will persist between humans and beastkin in your hearts. Because if I haven’t then you will all still die to humans soon.”

“I doubt such a thing would ever happen to us,” Holding a spear in hand my father says, “Any last words?”

From the depths of his lungs, he shouts, “PLEASE DON’T HATE HUMANS ANY MORE, AND PLEASE HUMANS HOLD FORGIVENESS FOR BEASTKIN GOING FORWARD!”

My father pierces him through the chest, and as he does I ingrain his expression in my head.

Then I fall back and swing on the tree and say, “Do I know 7000 beastkin who would have done this in such a situation?”