Chương 82: LINES NOT TO BE CROSSED.

***On Planet Gieă, In the Outskirts of the Continent 'Eclipse of the Oceans', Chingford's Academy's Dormitory..

Walking up another flight of stairs, Navi ponders his current position in this odd situation he now finds himself in.

The death Duel is all but settled and he is sure they are going to have one. He now has a bit more information about his opposition but this doesn't put him at any sort of advantage as he is sure his opposition also knows just as much information about him if not more. His only real advantage right now is that he is most likely severely underestimated.

Finally, Navi moves through the dorms third floor's hall way and then into his room. Shutting the door behind him, Navi is pleased to know that his other room-mates were absent as he finds his way up the short bunk ladder before settling down on his bunk bed.

Pressing his back against the wall he crosses his ankles against each other as if to meditate before he continues to swim through his thoughts. In a week time at most, the Death duel would be officiated so before then he would need to find out as much as possible about his opponent and every other person involved with the intruders he has killed.

Since the news about what happened on that night would soon circulate then it's safe to assume that the identities of the dead would soon be revealed. Navi would have to go through the process of finding out if these people have families or associates that may seek revenge and how he can cut through their schemes.

Just like the Master had indirectly said, its Navi's own fault that he did a sloppy clean-up and left loose ends so its also his own responsibility to tie those loose ends cleanly.

The process of gathering information would definitely be sloppy since he has no source or allies and it's safe to guess that the few people that have these information would not willing tell him anything especially giving the fact that his reputation is bound to hit rock bottom by tomorrow daybreak as the news circulates alongside even worse rumours that are bound to evolve from the truth.

It wouldn't be hard to pinpoint a twelve and half year old kid with cold orange eyes and ink-black hair especially in an Academy filled with taller people that consider themselves 'grown-ups'.

Calmly thinking about different factors he would have to deal with, Navi remains seated for an hour as he slowly sorts out the logical before slowly diving into something he doesn't like dealing with,.. emotions.

How did he feel about today?..

How did he feel about being reminded that the people he had brutally cut down had people that love them?..

How did he feel about being called murderous and how did he feel being the hand that takes loved ones from others just like someone's sword once took his mom away from him?!..

These questions snuck into Navi's heart and he knows better than to ignore them as they weigh him down.

Thinking back at that night, he had zero intentions of showing mercy to those intruders. He never had the strength nor intention of capturing them or scaring them off and so every strike he put out was lethal and every swing of his blade was meant to spill blood.

Thinking of it from a different angle, there was probably a possibility.. however slim that those people would just torture out the information from him, take his wealth and spare his life but also thinking of it from a mind-set like Navi's, 'Why the hell should I bet on that?!', Navi coldly thinks to himself.

Even if there was a hundred percent probability that his life would be spared, why should he bring good-will and mercy to those who knocks on his doors with ill-intent and torture?.

Why should he spare their lives just because they have a family that would mourn their demise?

'Why should I spare the life of anyone whose interests wouldn't spare mine?..', Navi thinks to himself with a cold glint in his cold orange irises.

He wouldn't be an hypocrite and say he is better than them or above stealing, scheming and plunder but he would say he would be the last one standing in such a situation.

He isn't the bad guy or the good guy, he isn't the victim nor the assailant.. he's just the person that's the last one standing. Nothing more, Nothing less.

If put in the same situation, he would have gladly done it again and when put in the same position in the future, he doesn't care if he is the intruder or defender all he cares about is being the last one standing. He makes these decisions based on a strict and wise Warrior's principle his mother had imparted on him.

Whispering to himself, Navi repeats his mother's words, "If the right ones stand þěhiņđ you, přøtēçť them. If the worthy ones stand bĕšiđé you, řêşpėcť them. But if they stand ãğāıηşť you, whether worthy or unworthy.. SHOW ÑØ mēřčy!!.".

The atmosphere in the room seemed to have become a little more chilled after these icy words were uttered and Navi felt a very refreshing calm wash off every tiny bit of unsettled feelings in his heart.

He is not one to feel regret over such matters and empathy from him has to be earned not given.

With settled thoughts, Navi slowly opens his closed orange eyes then rubs on the tear- shaped pendant beneath his robes.

Its time to go to another martial class!.

...

After coming back from his last Martial Class for the day, Navi decides on a cold shower before hitting the bed.

A lot of gazes, discreet whispers and attention has been directed towards him and although he didn't appreciate it much, he didn't feel much bothered by it either though that changed fast as soon as he stepped into the shower for his normal early night cold shower.

The subtle gazes directed towards him within the few minutes he spent in there was beyond uncomfortable and upsetting. 'Don't these people have even the slightest bit of decency..', He couldn't help but think. Can't they stare at him when he is a bit more covered!.

Shaking some remaining water droplets out of his overgrown hair, Navi also shakes off the bits of creeps in his mind before finally crawling into his bed with his eyes shut.

Tomorrow, he would have to get busy in finding ways of gathering information. Thinking about this, Navi summarise a plan..

'Maybe he could..

***Meanwhile..

***In the west section of The Outskirts, the FORBIDDEN forest and also known as the second half of the Outskirts prison walls.

On Planet Gieă, the sun rises from the west to all that inhabits it but to the people of the Outskirts, the sun rises over the terrifying sea of green known as the Forbidden forest and settles over the mountains-like stone walls that spans countless thousand kilometres.

People living in the Outskirts are completely tiny and insignificant compared to the actual size of the marked Outskirts as its inhabitants numbers just over hundred thousand at their peak and less at their worse but despite this low numbers and broad space, they do not dare spread beyond their maintained territory.

A couple thousands of kilometres of barren lands, slopes and Hills stands between the inhabitants of the inner sector of the Outskirts and the massive stone walls of the Outskirt's boundary. A couple kilometres of high shrubs, weeds, small hills and savannah stands between the outer sections of the Outskirts and the beginning of the endless high trees and greens known as the Forbidden forests.

The people of the Outskirts didn't dare live closer to either of these boundaries and for two reasons, they are completely bound to the same spot as they always are. One being the Forbidden forest. Because of its dangers that only becomes more and more terrifying the deeper one moves within its embrace, Space has to be put between its dangerous embrace and people.

The other reason the Living population of the Outskirts still stay on one spot is because of the laws of the other half of their 'prison'.

Although the mountains-like Stone walls served as a strict mark between the Outskirts and its 'citizens', it didn't mark the beginning of the lines which should not be crossed.

A single kilometre away from Navi's Hill is the actual boundary that shouldn't be crossed!. This invisible line marks the death and life of all living creatures in the Outskirts and beyond. Anyone or anything that crosses this line gets vaporised in an instant into chunks of flesh then blood then.. nothing!.

Only a couple ten square kilometres are actually livable for the people of the Outskirts as two lines -(One untouchable for all and the other Cross-able only for the strong and brave)- marks the boundary between death and life.

Yet, within one of these lines something dangerous, unpredictable and unusual roams with its sight sets in the direction of the Outskirts and its people!.