Chapter 18: My Masterpiece.
"I don't feel satisfied."
Attilius was inside a prison cell. A dagger in his hand was dripping with blood. He was seated on the ground, hugging his knees.
Beside him was the corpse of an enemy. It had been rendered unrecognizable by a barrage of slashes and stabs. Now, there was just a blob of meat and a large puddle of blood left.
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5 years ago,
"Attilius, congratulations."
In front of his father, Attilius was proud of his achievements. Despite not being from the royalty, he repaid his father's hard work by achieving a ranked position in the military tournament.
On his chest, a medallion signifying his achievement. His brothers were standing with his father, feeling proud and a little bit envious.
"Brother, was it hard?"
Only the nobles were allowed to spectate the tournament. Common people could only hope to hear about it from the participants themselves.
"Yes."
The elder one out of his two brothers, Cicero, was on his way to enroll in the military school himself. He had enough aptitude to pass, and he was excited to ask about the tournament.
"I'll become just as good as you!"
He picked up his brothers and placed them both on each of his shoulders. He was built like a bull, so this wasn't a problem.
"Now, when you start earning, we can finally pay off our debts."
His father's meager salary as a farmer was not enough to raise a man like him. He had taken a lot of debt from the noble of the territory, as he saw potential in Attilius.
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Attilius placed his hand in the blood. He let some of the blood stick to it.
He first used his finger and pressed it gently over Cicero.
"BROTHER!"
His voice resounded in his ears. It was like his brother was screaming for help right in front of him.
He gently glided his finger towards his youngest brother, Albus. As his fingers reached him, he could see him slowly choke on the ground, as his limbs started to share due to the flames in front of him.
All that heat, he felt it himself. But he continued to fill the portrait with blood.
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"Father, let me talk to him. I might be able to get a job in his palace and slowly pay off the debt."
Attilius had been ousted from the military academy. An injury had taken away everything from him.
He was no longer able to use high-level magic, and his body was in even worse shape.
The pride in his father's eyes was long gone now. The frequent taunts from the people, harassment from the landowners, and the pain of knowing that he couldn't do anything about them. All of it had merged into his consciousness, and now all he felt was hatred towards his son.
"What can a cripple like you hope to do?"
The taunt was harsh, but Attilius didn't react. His father was angry, and he had every right.
"I understand. We will wait for your arrival."
Affiliated by the kingdom of Malen, the noble of this area was powerful. He was also a sadist who liked to break people down and watch them suffer. His name was Commodus, and he was a two-faced tyrant.
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His finger slowly reached the man that was using the fire to burn down the house. His laughter was the next sound that crept into his ears, and it hurt the most. He wanted to tear his ears off, but he persisted.
A tear dropped on the portrait. His eyes were red with rage.
He took his time. The figure was drenched in blood, and his hand started to tremble.
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He opened his eyes.
"Brother, get up! Father has gone mad!"
Albus tried to wake him up.
Attilius got up from his bed. Through the window, he saw his father standing in front of their fields. They were on fire, and he stood there, motionless.
"You both stay inside. Don't come out until I tell you to."
With the help of Cicero, he managed to stand up. He limped outside the house and slammed it shut.
"Father!"
He hobbled up to his father and tried to pull him back.
"Don't call me that!"
His father pushed him back, and he fell to the ground. His father slowly approached him and kicked him on his leg, breaking the bone.
"HNN!"
He didn't scream, but it hurt like hell.
"Because of you, I lost my dignity."
Another kick at the same spot.
"Because of you, I lost my future."
Again.
"Because of you, I lost my life."
He stopped kicking Attilius, who was holding his leg.
"And now, it's time for you to lose something."
<<Ignition>>
His father, who had no talent in magic, created a huge ball of fire.
"Thanks to lord Commodus, I am more powerful than ever."
As he said those words, tears trickled down his eyes.
He released the fireball towards the house.
The house was up in flames, and his brothers were stuck inside. To prevent them from escaping, he created more fire and surrounded the house with it.
"St..op"
He willed himself to get up, but his father placed his foot over his head and pinned him to the ground.
"Watch! This is all your doing! All your fault!"
The screams of his brothers raged around. He gathered enough strength and got up from the ground. Cladius fell, and he rushed as fast as he could to help his brothers get out.
Cladius slowly got up.
"You cannot save them!"
The flames increased. Cladius's skin started to crack. The mana usage was destroying him.
He reached the windows, and his brothers were desperately trying to get out. They had burns all over their body, but they were still alive.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Cladius was laughing like a maniac. He was no longer chained to his responsibilities. He was about to be free.
The flames maximized. Attilius felt his arms burning slowly, but he didn't care.
As the last moment came, Cladius exploded. The flames decreased marginally, and two bodies were visible inside. Charred beyond recognition, these were his younger brothers.
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And finally, his finger reached the last brother.
"It should have been me."
He scribbled the blood over the figure as quickly as he could. He did so until he tore through it.
"My masterpiece."
A piece of paper that was red with blood. It had a hole on it, and it was damp and saggy.
But it was still his masterpiece.
He stood up and exited the cell with the painting in his hand.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone