Sorrow

Once he saw a single tear run down the face of his beloved grandson, Arthur felt like he was about to cry as well. He knew that he hurt Ares, and he was two times as hurt because of it.

'There are times when we need to hammer the iron to take off the impurities and mold it. Just hold on for a little more, my boy. I will make you understand everything in a bit, ok?'

"Look, Ares..." Arthur's voice was mellow again now. He had calmed down. "I am sorry that I need to say these things to you like this, but they are only the truth. That's how the world works. I don't have the right to say that you can't become a Beast Hunter, but I can show to you why you shouldn't do it."

"And why!?" The kid yelled, making his father and grandfather nearly jump frightened. It wasn't like him to shout at them with such anger in his voice. Ares could be energetic and stubborn, but he wasn't a short-tempered person. "Why are humans so judged like this? Why are we the villains of the story!?"

"Because we destroy things. We are flaws created by Nature, Ares." He explained again.

"And where is our fault in all of this!? We didn't ask to be born failures. We didn't want to be such horrible beings. If Nature thinks that she can just curse a living being just because it is convenient for her, then it is more selfish and cruel than any other human could be!"

The boy got so mad that he needed to get up from the bed and stand in front of his grandfather while gesturing furiousy. Tears continued to flow down his face. He was completely red and just fury could be seen in his eyes.

Arthur was about to say something, but that countenance on his grandson's eyes made his heart feel like being squeezed tightly. A huge pain was present in his chest.

"We are just impotent beings, you know? And after what you said, it is even more clear. How many people died because of those monsters? How many boys like me lost their mothers and needed to live with it for the rest of their lives? How much did we lose in a war that we didn't choose to fight? That's unfair, the world is unfair, and YOU is unfair for talking about your own comrades like this!"

"Ares, calm down and hear your grandfather. I know that it is harsh to hear everything that he is saying. But, listen, he is not proud of himself for talking like this about humanity. We appreciate what we are, however, we can't change the fact that we are all a bunch of--"

"No!" He looked at his father with pleading eyes, clenching his fists. "I don't want to hear anymore today. Leave me alone!" He ran off Arthur's bedroom, leaving the mansion and going straight to his home.

Arthur and Kavir just looked at each other with sad expressions.

"Do you think that he will listen to us afterward?"

"No. Ares will remember about it till the day he dies. That's what is more dangerous about that boy: he is good at holding grudge."

"A trait inherited from his mother, I suppose." He started to comb his beard with his hand, pensive.

Kavir nodded, his expression was grim.

...

Ares was laying on his bed. He finally had stopped crying. His sorrow ended some time ago and now what was left was only fury.

He didn't want to believe in his grandfather's words for the first time in his life. It shook his entire being to have someone he loved so much saying something that was against all his beliefs. It wasn't something easy to bear for a boy who had only twelve years of life and was immature like him.

Although he would reach adulthood when he turned fifteen, he didn't act like an adult at all. The most courageous thought that he had on his mind was to become a Beast Hunter and fight beside his human comrades against the Ancients.

He was decided to give his life for his race and it was admirable, but pathetic as well since he still was a kid deep inside.

The door of Ares's room opened. From there, his father entered without knocking. His steps were slow and cautious. He stopped beside his bed.

Ares didn't turn to him. Instead, he kept looking to the other side, curling his body. He preferred to be alone.

"Son." He called. His calm voice inherited from his father was back again. Now that they weren't training, his serious countenance was gone. However, his son didn't answer at all.

"I am sorry that I needed to make you hear all those awful things but--"

"Lies! Not awful things, nor the truth, but only lies."

The man got silent.

"Are you still remembering what happened on that day? After so many years, you still think on the same thing?" He didn't answer, his father's voice became bitter. "Ares, you are still just a kid but... but aren't you tired of hating so much? When will you get sick of it and let it go?"

"That day, the man was really hurt. I remember vividly that he had his left arm broken. His leg was torn off. Countless bruises on the body. He was crying nonstop and continued crying even after three days because his comrades all died in front of him. He narrated everything that happened. That earth-type beast, angry, attacking them and hurting them. When we went to see how the battlefield was... we just saw body parts spread around.

"They aren't gods, perfect beings, Nature saviors or heroes, nor anything like this. If Beast Hunters are murderers, then those things are the same. We must do like for like, that's how it works."

The expression on Kavir's face wasn't good. His mind was kind of disturbed to see a kid saying those things.

'How could my own son develop such ideals and I am unaware of it? Man, I am a terrible father...'

He looked down for a while, thinking about what to say.

'If only she could be here... Maybe she would be able to understand him. Maybe she could even have taught him how to control his power. But he will need to do it alone and deal with these ideals alone. That's the fragments of his mother converged with his being. He needs to taste the consequences of his hatred before he learns something.'

"So, do you want to become a Beast Hunter because of that day? He was a stranger, you know?"

"Being a stranger or not, he was a fellow human. Since then, I have been asking my teachers more about the outside world and they told me horrible things about how humans suffer. I didn't understand the purpose of the Ancients back then, but now that I know that they were freed from their dimension just to suppress humanity and conquer our domains, it is even more unforgivable."

"Things don't work like this, Ares."

"They killed mom as well, didn't they?"

At this moment, the man closed his eyes strongly, gritting his teeth. His mind was on its edge.

'Ah, my wife... Why did you do this to us? Why would you do such a thing with your own son? I don't get the point...'

After some minutes of silence, he decided to open his mouth. He couldn't keep hesitating so much, otherwise, his son would notice.

"Your mom died by the claws of a beast."

"See? That's how those things act. They kill and steal everything that is ours by our right, things we conquered with effort and love. The Ancients are like a plague."

'No, Ares. You need to understand who the real plague is here. You need to change your perspective.'

"It's because of all those reasons that I will kill all of them. I will be the hero who will save humanity from the Great Curse. This way, no one will need to lose their domains, their loved ones, nor their own lives for those monsters." He wasn't even hearing his father anymore.

With a dark expression and aloof eyes, Kavir remembered a short tale that Arthur used to tell to him when he was little.

"A certain man dedicated all his life to kill Ancients. He was the hero of the world, the greatest warrior of all time, the most resilient and determined man. His sword judged hundreds of beasts. His magic ended with thousands of enemies. The world and the Ancients seemed to be tiny compared to him.

"A certain day, he was fighting what would be his last battle, the final trial, the judgment of fire. And he fought it with no hesitation..."

He gave a moment of pause, breathing in and out deeply.

"What happened after?" Ares asked with a sleepy voice.

"Surrounded by the blood of the beasts he killed, under the shouts of victory of his comrades, the man stood on top of the pile of the Ancient's corpses..."

"And how he felt?"

"He felt nothing. He only looked at his sword, let it fall to the ground, and never killed again."