Deviant’s Past

  ?“If you wish, I shall fill you in on the mission.”

  ?“What more do we need to know?”

  ?Aru asked impatiently. He wished to spend as little time as possible in a place that worshipped any god.

  ?Yuki, though giving him a slight stare, shared his sentiment.

  ?“Though I would rather not, I would say there is no reason to fill us in. The mission was stated in the request, was it not?”

  ?Evelyn smiled, nodding softly before responding.

  ?“Yes, though the request didn't reveal everything. That is why it stated that you should come here first so I could fully fill you in.”

  ?“I see.”

  ?Rio said, before continuing.

  ?“Well then, please fill us in on whatever the true task involves.”

  ?“I'm happy you aren't mad. Let me fill you in while we sit.”

  ?And at that, Evelyn took them to the main hall. The deeper they went, the more visibly uncomfortable Aru got, until he eventually excused himself and walked back outside.

  ?When they reached the main hall, seats and tables were already set out for them, with statues surrounding the main table.

  ?Sitting down, Rio finally asked.

  ?“So what do you want from us?”

  ?At the words, Evelyn gained a grim face as she said.

  ?“Our gods have gone silent. Corruption has crossed into this world, and we wish for you to take care of it.”

  ?“The gods have gone silent?”

  ?Rio repeated as both him and Yuki suddenly understood the severity of what she said.

  ?“Saintess, do please understand that this is hard to believe, and one I doubt should be handled by mere adventurers. Dare I say, is there more you're hiding from us, Saintess?”

  ?Yuki finally chimed in, not fully trusting every word, but being open in case it truly was the truth.

  ?“I can understand your skepticism, but as a Saintess, it is my duty to only reveal the truth to trusted followers of the gods.”

  ?Blade had mostly tuned out the conversation, unable to fully understand. Instead, he observed the different statues around them, noting their names, yet nothing truly stood out to him.

  ?“Well, to keep it short. The main task is still to explore the ruins, but preferably, we would like the eradication of any signs you could equate with the corruption.”

  ?“Isn’t that quite a lot to ask from some adventurers?”

  ?Yuki questioned. The quest had been suspicious, requesting four high-ranked adventurers for an exploration mission was nothing short of comical. Getting to know now that there were more than one objective was not exactly surprising, but definitely made questions arise.

  ?Evelyn answered with a sad smile, before bowing slightly.

  ?“I can understand your sentiments, but I would prefer not having the public worry about the spreading corruption. The case is also so that if you wish to reject the mission, all we wish is that you do not speak of anything you hear.”

  ?“Yet is this truly the wish of your religion or…”

  ?Yuki continued, seemingly hitting the nail as Evelyn rose.

  ?“You are correct, though the mission was commissioned by the church, everything has been from my desires.”

  ?The three looked at her before Rio finally broke the silence.

  ?“There is no need to worry. I don't mind the change, but I will have to hear from them first.”

  ?Yuki says, accepting the change. Blade, who was woken up from his daze, nodded.

  ?“It's fine for me too.”

  ?“I'm glad you're all so accepting of the change. Now let me tell you the location of the ruins then.”

  ?As they continued, a holy knight brought in a giant map with many details about the surrounding area, and another map detailing the kingdom and major cities.

  ?Cross-referencing those with the knowledge they knew, they found a set of ruins that most matched the descriptions. Afterwards, they got a copy of the map, and went on their way.

  ?Walking out of the building, they saw Aru, who had bought basic equipment for them.

  ?“You took long enough. Here.”

  ?He said, tossing bags to each of them.

  ?“They have the necessary food and equipment we will be needing for such an outing.”

  ?“How did you know?"

  ?Yuki asked, catching the bag as she questioned his preparations.

  ?“Well, fox, unlike you and your seemingly needless ears, I can use my mana to hear through the earth.”

  ?“How can you do that?”

  ?The question from Blade came from interest in the usage of mana, wondering how it was to be listening to every breath through the earth. Aru looked at him like looking at a child, which Blade technically was, before responding.

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  ?“Mana exists in all things. No matter how dead or alive they are. As long as that mana exists, I can use mine to hear through the ground.”

  ?“But won't the earth reject your mana?”

  ?“That's just a human flaw you hold. We elves are naturally attuned to the earth, so we can manipulate the mana that naturally flows in it.”

  ?“I see.”

  ?“Quit the lesson already. I would prefer leaving while we have light.”

  ?Yuki says, already prepared to leave. She wanted to leave as quickly as possible and get it done with, and the lesson felt like no reason to prolong the departure.

  ?“Now, now, no need to be like that.”

  ?Rio says, trying to break up the small quarrel, with Blade not minding. Yet he is suddenly caught by Yuki as she whispers to him.

  ?“If you have any questions, you're welcome to ask me. I just don't trust that elf.”

  ?Blade simply nodded at her words. Something did not feel quite right, yet he was unsure if he could truly trust anyone in the party. The most trustworthy one was definitely Yuki, though.

  ?Ryuma had told him to follow himself and try to become his own person. Not knowing what that truly meant, he chose to do what he thought. It was the reason he never cared much about others, so when he thought he could trust someone, he would.

  ?After a moment, she finally let go of him, as everyone packed up to leave.

  ?Leaving the city, they took a carriage to the ruins. It was quite the long ride, taking a few hours. On the road, Blade and Yuki chatted about a lot of things, with Blade simply asking whatever came to his mind, and Yuki humoring him by answering all his questions. Aru simply slept through the road, yet kept himself partially awake, using his magic to survey the area and constantly checking for threats. Keeping his sensory magic at the max kept people like Yuki, who were sensitive to natural nature, at a high too, and caused her ears to constantly twitch. Rio had volunteered to steer, having become the de facto leader of the party, to nobody's dismay. Off his peripheral vision, Blade saw Rio taking notes in a ledger book, but thought nothing more of it.

  ?When they finally arrived hours later, they began by setting up a small camp. There was nothing to truly take note of as they settled in. Checking the perimeters for any signs of danger, and having Yuki create walls around the area to hold off any incoming threats, they finally decided on how to move.

  ?The plan was to sleep before beginning the exploration, being more ideal to be well rested and full of energy before exploring.

  ?When the others fell asleep, Blade stood awake. He was by no means tired and was used to staying awake multiple nights at a time. So he noticed quite easily, from the crunching leaves, when Aru approached him.

  ?“Why are you not sleeping? Aren't human children supposed to sleep a lot?”

  ?“And? Not all humans are the same.”

  ?Blade answered.

  ?“Well, I guess you are right, not everyone is the same.”

  ?Aru said, as he sat down on a large rock beside Blade, simply staring up at the night sky, counting the stars before Blade broke the silence.

  ?“Why do you dislike Yuki?”

  ?“That fox… mind if I tell you my story?”

  ?“Go ahead.”

  ?At his words, Aru thought about it for a moment before finding a nice space to start.

  ?Aru had been a gifted child by birth. Glorified by his race as the greatest genius among his generation, and one of the most talented elves in history. Never had he thought of himself above others, no matter the adoration, he was still just an elf. Just the boy his parents had named. The child that had friends and dreams that weren't solely tied by his talent and future.

  ?As he grew older, so did his aspirations. And because of his personality as a kind boy who wished to help his village that he saw as family, everyone wished nothing more than to help him. Doing their best, they managed to get enough money to send him to a proper magic school, and one which fit his level of genius. Aru had rejected it at first, but at everyone’s insistence, he had eventually caved in. He wished to pay everyone back for everything they had been through to get him where he was, and therefore made sure to come top of his class.

  ?Yet one day, amidst the normal lectures, the news came that demons invaded. Hurrying home, the boy saw nothing but carnage and despair. The village, the ones he had called family, massacred. Running to his old home, he found his father dying.

  ?And there, in front of him, walked a woman. Dark hair and nine tails, five of which were wrapped around the limbs of his mother.

  ?“So you must be the one they so valiantly wished to protect.”

  ?The dark Kitsune said, tilting her head.

  ?“The name is Kuro, and I would very well like a new toy.”

  ?Aru didn't know what it was, but desperation clawed at him. Trying to attack the woman, he made earth pillars rise from the ground trying to impale her, only for her to swat both his hand and the earth away, creating a small crater from the force.

  ?“Now be careful there, you don’t want this woman to die, do you?”

  ?Kuro said, tilting her head upwards, with a predatory glint in her eyes as she slammed his mother into the ground repeatedly, yet continued to heal her right before death.

  ?The screams were haunting, and Aru could do nothing but stare. His eyes glued to the scene, forgetting to breathe with tears stinging in his eyes.

  ?“Stop it… please.”

  ?What use has his talent ever had? What importance did being a genius hold? When faced with power, he could do nothing but quiver in terror.

  ?“You want me to stop? Well, you are quite pretty, and I'm in need of a new toy. So what do you say? Become my toy, and I will stop.”

  ?The implications raced in his mind, and from the lick of her tongue, he fully understood the meaning behind this deal. Yet he took it, taking the chance to save his mother.

  ?“I will do it.”

  ?“Good boy.”

  ?She says before piercing his skull with her finger.

  ?“Do you willingly accept me as your master?”

  ?“... I do.”

  ?And at that, the blood running from his head formed lines that spread across his body before vanishing, as a blood mark appeared on Kuro’s hand.

  ?“Now let my mother go!”

  ?Aru shouted back at Kuro, as she was admiring the seal with a smirk. At his words, though, the smirk vanished, as she put his mother down and healed her.

  ?Running to his mother, Aru embraced her in one last hug as he knew he would have to leave her, yet the thought of leaving was not what broke his soul. It was the next words that came from his mistress's lips.

  ?“Kill her.”

  ?The sadistic smile plastered on her face, the anticipation glowing in her eyes, all went to make Aru want to puke, to rage. Yet his body moved.

  ?The hug was warm, then it became tight. And eventually, she was pierced. His mother had been crying from pain from the beating, then cried of relief of seeing her son safe, and now she was crying from nothing but betrayal and confusion. Aru meanwhile fell to his knees, holding his mother’s mangled body in his arms.

  ?Kuro gleamed at the sight of the terror, visibly getting off at seeing the despair on her toy’s face.

  ?“You only asked for me to stop, so I just had to make you do it.”

  ?She said, tilting his head up with her foot.

  ?“Don’t cry, dear boy. Let us enjoy the thrill of this occasion.”

  ?She said, suddenly draping the clothes off herself. The moments, or years, that followed were a blur of disgusting passion and despair. Of being forced to follow a woman, who openly shuddered with pleasure from seeing him break. He had condemned himself to this hell, and as an elf, his lifespan only meant his suffering lasted longer.

  ?And so did the ways of hell. From being humiliated openly and having to force others into the same type of servitude, to being pleasured openly while he was forced to kill and torture pregnant women.

  ?Eventually, the hero’s party appeared, raiding her place, and in the confusion, from the decades of servitude, he had learned to twist words and promises. So when she ordered him to save her, he killed her, using the excuse that the only saving she could get was being killed before the heroes reached her.

  ?He hated her, hated every part of what she had done, and hated most of all that the death he gave her had to be short and sweet. There was no twisting of words that would let her death be painful. Nothing he could do to prolong her suffering. Unfair was the only word that fit. He had been forced to go through hell, yet she was allowed a painless end to her reign of misery.

  ?In the end, the heroes came, freed the survivors including him, and they were given places to live. Yet all Aru asked for was money, enough to start working as an adventurer and offer him basic living conditions for a while.

  ?His target was simple. to gain the strength to kill. Kill everyone associated with the massacre, kill all those who had helped cause this suffering, and take revenge on the gods who had ignored their pleas for help.