章 17: Passion of Sorrow
A/N: Warning Disturbing Chapter
At the stroke of midnight, Laros had awakened from his coma within the infirmary, his body cured of any injury, but the pain of his mother's lashes hadn't faded from his mind. He shuddered, beneath the sheets like a lost fawn, trembling as tears swelled in his eyes.
'Is this the fifth time?' He wondered, the burning of his chest deepening as shame crept into his heart. A cry of a wounded beast, grim as it was torn, sounded from his throat. 'Why? Why? Why? Why me? Why is it always me? I hate it here!
Young Master Laros curled into a ball as the sting of his mother's words entered his mind: Useless Bastard. Ungrateful Spawn. Worthless. Insect. Retard. Idiot. Even with the Aros name, you're useless! Your Trash! Insignificant! WORTHLESS! GARBAGE! WASTE OF A FUCKING FETUS! KILL YOURSELF!
He howled, clamping his ears shut as her words pierced his heart. He hammered at his head with his small fist. " Useless. Trash. Why can't you do anything right? I hate you! I Hate you! I HATE YOU!!!!" Blood trailed from his head as the tears swelled. He stilled: "I am useless, haha, aren't I? I lost too… I lost to a commoner. I am unless. Garbage, just like Mother said. "
[Divine Being 'Passion of Sorrow' looks at you with mournful eyes]
Laros yelped at the sudden notification from his Neurolink, stumbling off his bed. The blood pooled from his head, staining his white gown.
[Divine Being 'Passion of Sorrow' wishes to know if you seek power?]
"I…" Confused, Laros didn't immediately answer. But understood what was happening. It wasn't uncommon for a God to pick an acolyte or two. There were many Gods known to grant blessings, High-Rank Armaments, or Elemental Attributes.
He staggered to his feet and thought: 'I've never heard of Passion of Sorrow… But…"
Laros nodded. "I do."
[Divine Being 'Pasion of Sorrow' smiles but remains unsure of your true desire.]
[Divine Being 'Passion of Sorrow' desires you to prove yourself.]
Falling to his knees, sensing his fleeting hope dwindling before his eyes, Laros pressed his head against the ground. "PLEASE! HELP ME! I… I DON'T WANT TO BE TRASH!!' he cried, "I don't want Mother to hate me! I don't…." Tears once again swelled from his eyes. " I don't want to be useless."
There was a long absence of the familiar chime from his system, leaving only the whimpering cries of Laros as he remained, kowtowed: the sensation of hope dwindling with each passing second, each agonizing minute that came and went leaving only sorrow.
There was nothing, and then—
[Divine Being 'Passion of Sorrow' seeks to test your will]
<Ding!>
[Quest Created]
[Objective: To prove yourself to Passion of Sorrow, Laros Aros must take a single life and present it to Passion of Sorrow]
[Completion: 0/1]
[Time Limit: Five Hours]
[Failure: Death]
[Reward: Phoenix Flame Upgrade]
[Do you Accept: Yes or No]
A/N: Hmm, who'd take the deal?
A chill withered his flesh as he stared at the Neurolink message. His mind blanked, and his cheeks pale as the words left his mouth. "I have to kill someone… I have to… kill."
The thought made his gut twist as though someone had stomped on it. Cold icy sweat trailed his back as he looked up. The tremor within his pupils swayed his vision. Laros could all but taste the acid gathering within his throat, tracing the tip of his tongue. He shuddered
"...I…I" The words became harder to pronounce, but… 'was this not an opportunity? Would this not make Mother love me?'
"I…Accept," Laros whispered, rising to his feet. His Auburn hair clouded his expression as he left without a word. He made his way from the infirmary toward the slave quarters. Each step seemingly grew heavier, showering his pores with a downpour of rain. He walked till the foul scent of unwashed slaves mounted his nose: It was a scent of weeks-old food that had spoiled alongside workers that hadn't been cleaned in weeks.
Laros' gaze swept over the slaves living quarters outside the main house, about two miles away. To the simple structures built by generational slaves, Laros saw a small hut one could bearly call a home, running without electricity, much less a candle: The only light source being the moon.
[Divine Being 'Passion of Sorrow' looks on with expectation]
"I have to… I have to make Mother proud of me. I have to make her love me. I can't be useless." He muttered so softly only he could hear it. He stepped forwards toward a random home… surrounded by trees in a secluded sector.
Laros gathered himself. And gathered his courage before he pushed open the door silently, listening to the sounds of snores. He stepped in, the weight of his steps heavier than before. But he didn't slow. Not until he hovered over the small boy nearing his age, carrying a frame of mere skin and bone
The slave's skin was an inhuman ashen color, caring strange runes around his neck, ' the slave seal,' many called it: Written in Futhark, the mark held control of life and death for those bounded beneath its crest.
[Divine Being 'Passion of Sorrow' sits eagerly for what you will do.]
"Forgive me," Laros muttered, reaching out with both arms. His fingers folded around the neck of the young slave, his fingers deepening as he clamped down.
The slave's violet eyes, carrying an emerald color within the pupils, snapped open. Flailing his arms, he scratched at Laros. His chest tightened as the tension around his neck deepened. Fear, panic, dread, horror, hate all twisted through his mind as he tried to squeal, to beg…
'Someone! Someone! Help!' the young slave thought… Begged, his bloodshot eyes nearly bursting from their sockets.
Blood painted Laros's hands as his fingers dung so deep into the unawakened he could feel the hammering of his heart, the flow of blood throbbing in and out.
"NO!" The slave squeezed out, following the dots of darkness piercing his vision with beads of tears, pleading with his Master.
'Please… I don't want to die… I don't want to die! Master! I've been a good slave! Why! WHY!!!!! Please… Please!...P…Pl…pe…'
Laros's grip grew tighter… firmer as he stared deep into the strange eyes of the slave watching him… He could smell his breath, the scent of days-old food, the unwashed tang of his armpits, and the slimy texture of his slave's skin.
Sweat had bathed the slave below, whose body had stilled a minute ago, but Laros held on. Harder and Harder he clenched… until—
[DING!]
[Quest Completed]
[Divine Being 'Passion of Sorrow' painfully moans for the loss of innocent life but presents you with another opportunity.]
[Ding]
[Bonus Quest]
Objective: Within the Slave Quarters, you are to slay ten more slaves
[Completion: 0/10]
[Time Limit: Five Hours]
[Failure: Death]
[Bounus Reward: Destruction Attribute to Phoenix Flame]
[Do you Accept: Yes or No]
At the sight of the notification, Laros could no longer hold back the tangy acid crawling up from the back of his throat from splashing over the still corpse.
Heat blistered his cheeks as he buried his head over the tarnished corpse."I can't… I can't… I can't…." He cried, curling in a ball beside his vomit and the cold body of a nameless corpse. His bloodied fingers stained his face as he clenched his ears shut. He shook his head:' Don't make me do it… please… Please don't…."
[Divine Being 'Passion of Sorrow' is pleased by your humanity and has decided to grant you the bonus reward.]
[Reward: Phoenix Flame Aquired]
[New Attribute Added]
[Ding]
Name: Laros Aros
Age: 10
Mana Cultivation: N/A
Class: Novice Swordsman Lv1 [First Awakening]
Strength: 1
Dexterity:1
Constitution:1
Wisdom: 1
Charisma: 1
Mana: 0→2
Skills: [Phoenix Flame Lv E→D]
Proficiency: 1%
Passive: N/A
Class:
[Novice Swordsman Lv 1]
Attributes: +1 Str, +1 Dex, +1 Con Per Level Up
Description: One Who Seeks The Path Of The Sword.
Skills:
Phoenix Flame [D]
Elemental Attribute: Fire, [Destruction]
Description: The Blood of the One Eye Phoenix Aros runs through your veins. Empowering House Aros with the Flame of the Phoenix.
[Ding]
[Do to Passion of Sorrow Divinity on the bloodline. A new Bloodline has been born.]
[+1000 Achievement Points]
クリエイターの想い 
Lord_Damocles
Lord_Damocles Fun Fact: All he had to do was kill an ant or a butterfly. The mission parameters said single life. It never specified anything else.
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