Birth and Betrayal

Two figures moved beneath the blue clear sky on green plains where there was only nature as far as the eye could see. A light breeze brushed along the grass, making the plains flow like the waves of the ocean. The breeze swept upon the two figures and stroked them with its comfortable touch. One of the smaller figures, stopped to enjoy the breeze as he asked,

"Master, why do you not ask for payment?" Linji, a boy around the age of 14 with clear innocent blue eyes and blond hair.

A middle-aged man with white overflowing hair turned and met the boy's gaze with his own gentle green eyes. The boy was clothed with thick robes that seemed strange on the boy's thin body, but this thin body was way better than the boy's state when he first found him. Linji was found in a village that was plagued with a fatal disease that spread like wildfire. When he found him, he was holed up in a room as thin as a skeleton, in a house filled with corpses. At that moment he couldn't leave no matter what his mind told him, for the boy's fate was truly tragic. From then on he took him in as his disciple, teaching him the ways of the healing arts in hopes that he could make his disciple earn money for him or perhaps spread his name, as well as to ease the boys suffering along the way.

Catching himself reminiscing, the middle-aged man, Enshin, smiled and shook his head. It's been four years since that day, and from those four years the times the boy asked this question was not few. Enshin paced near the boy and flicked his finger on Linji's forehead as he scolded,

"How many more times are you going to ask me that?" Enshin rolled his eyes and placed both hands on the back of his head. "How am I supposed to garner up a divine reputation if I ask for payment?"

"But if we don't get paid, how are we supposed to pay for what we need?"

"Bagh! Don't they just give it to us for free? Look at that bag you're carrying, isn't it much much heavier than before!" Enshin answered, not bearing the slightest demeanor of a renowned healer as he pointed at the huge bag he made his disciple carry.

".....It is quite heavy," Linji said glancing up at his teacher who was walking leisurely in front of him.

"Shut up and keep up!" The master healer scolded as he stopped to smell herbs along the path. "Look at these Pleasant Lapiz Grass have a sniff, my disciple."

Enshin watched as Linji heaved himself slowly towards him, while he waved a strand of grass as if enticing Linji to come closer. When Linji got in range, Enshin suddenly stabbed the grass into Linji's nose. Linji flinched and fell on his butt as the heavy bag landed on the ground.

"Master! It stinks!" Linji scrunched up his nose as he let out a hateful gaze at his master who was smiling wide from ear to ear.

"I know."

"Master! It's not funny!"

Enshin kept the smile plastered on his face, and just as Linji was about to complain again, he asked,

"How do you feel?"

"I feel like I'm gonna smell poo on my nose forever." Linji hurriedly answered,

Enshin shook his head as he tugged at Linji's robes, causing him to stand.

"Do you still feel as if the bag behind you is heavy, Linji?"

Linji froze, he turned to see that he didn't drop the bag and realized it felt as if it was not there at all. His mouth widened in shock.

"This is actually Hog Dung Grass. Smells like dung, or even worse than that, It tastes like dung as well, but at least it gives the strength of a raging hog." Enshin chuckled as he patted Linji's clothes that were tainted with dirt, "Keep in mind that each herb has a set of countermeasures against the creatures of this world. Some release poison, some bear thorns, some release beast luring pheromones, while this herb releases the smell of dung."

Enshin paused, "You didn't think your amazing master would actually make you hike with that much weight on you, right?"

Linji who was still getting used to the smell of dung, smiled as he nodded his head repeatedly like a hungry bird eating seeds. "Yes, master is truly the best in the world!"

"I know," Enshin grinned, "now you have to eat the grass for it to actually last longer than a minute."

Linji's expression froze in a moment of confusion and whined, "Noooo! Master! It is simply too stinky!"

Enshin smiled and simply walked forward once again, "Your choice." He said, "As I said, it simply tastes like dung, there are herbs that taste way worse than that."

He walked for a few feet before stopping and turning back to look at his turtle-like disciple. Linji let out a pitiful cry as he collapsed on the ground. Looking at his side he saw the Hog Dung Grass, he stifled a sob as he held it tight, and stuffed it into his mouth.

Soon enough after a quick puke, Linji glanced at his laughing master with his blue watery eyes, stood up, and ran towards him, like a charging wild hog.

"I will never forgive you, master!"

Boom!

In a cave shimmering with minerals and ores, a middle-aged man smashed onto a boulder, leaving spider-like cracks around the area of impact. Enshin coughed up blood as he glared at the seven figures standing tall before him.

Six of them were the leaders of the continents, all of whom he had saved multiple times from calamity, but they didn't mean much to Enshin. He had always known the leaders had tendencies for evil, so he was always cautious of them.

However, the one in the center, caused his heart to ache.

"You ungrateful wretch..." Enshin muttered in between his labored breaths, "Is this... how you repay your master.... your master of 10 years..."

"Silence!" A man around twenty years of age roared, "In the name of the Divine Lapiz Clan, I, Linji Lapiz will punish you for all your sins!"

A still silence followed. Enshin glared at his disciple, fury raging deep within his heart accompanied by deep penetrating despair that burned his soul.

"Punish your ancestors!" Enshin bluntly screamed, "You traitorous bastard!"

Enshin quickly took a pellet out of his robes and swallowed. An abrupt power suddenly swelled in his veins as he howled in pain.

The seven figures before him were blasted away as he bolted towards the Divine Planet Lapiz's Life Core.

"Stop him!" Linji commanded as the seven of them rushed towards Enshin who was no more than five meters away from the life core. Just as Enshin was about to touch it he was held back by an immense pulling force from one of his arms.

They had managed to capture his wrist with a chain.

Slowly, each and every limb of his body was tightly bound by chains. He struggled against them and stretched with all his might towards the ever glowing life core in front of him, to no avail.

"NO!" Enshin roared in rage and frustration. It was so close, barely touching it with his fingertips. From behind him, a snickering voice was heard.

"Look at the heavenly saint! Just like a dog in chains!" Ajin, the leader of the profound continent, howled.

"YOU!" Enshin roared to the point wherein his throat bled, his eyes were so bloodshot it almost seemed as if he was about to cry tears of blood. Captured by the chains he seemed as pathetic as can be and the figures that bound him, gawked at him with obvious disdain and contempt. Blood poured all over his heavily injured figure, his once, beautiful robes were now full of holes and bloodstains. His black hair shone from the glowing light of the life core, reflecting a black and scarlet stained color.

In front of him, Linji stood proudly, grinning smugly as he reached out a hand and yanked Enshin's bloody hair. The two stared icily at each other's eyes. One did so in order to look for fear and despair, while the other gazed to search for the once innocent boy he raised. Both of them saw none of what they wanted to see.

In a flash, Linji slapped Enshin, knocking off a few loose teeth onto the ground. Enshin turned and faced Linji as he spat out blood onto his face. Laughing, he screamed, "What are you waiting for?! Kill me! I will never beg for mercy from the likes of you scu-"

Boom!

A shockwave of power assaulted Enshin's body causing him to choke on his words. The pain stung his body, like millions of bones suddenly shattering. His inner organs were all ruptured and bleeding. All the pain he felt was excruciating that even death would be a blessing, but he still stopped himself from releasing even just a whimper. He grit his teeth and looked at Linji. If looks could kill, Linji would have been dead long ago.

"Of course, you wouldn't beg so easily," Linji tilted his head as if pondering something, "What was it you said back then? 'A man should never yield even if the gods themselves come pushing you down.' Let's see if you are true to your own words!"

Linji stretched his hand forward to reveal a black pellet that leaked terrifying devilish aura. If one looked closely, one could even see that the shell of the pellet wasn't actually a shell, but a solidly packed cluster of tiny insects.

Enshin's eyes widened in recognition, but still kept an unyielding expression on his face. It was the Soul Devouring Termite Pellet, once it enters the bloodstream, it would scatter and reproduce inside the body, and the stronger the person's level of power is, the more painful it gets. For Enshin, who was at the peak of level 9 Immortal Soul, it was a torment worse than hell.

Linji paced closer and shoved the pellet down his master's throat. He expected his master to instantly scream and thrash around, but all he saw was his master's cold icy gaze.

In truth, Enshin could barely keep himself conscious. The termites were devouring his very being, and because of how resilient his being is, the termites bit harder and harder. His nerves bulged as sweat started to pour down his body. He grit his teeth so hard that they cracked before the pressure.

Was there truly a reason for him to keep stubbornly persisting? Bound in chains, betrayed by his disciple, and pain enough to break one's sanity. Only more suffering will come, there's only a one in a million chance that things may go his way. But Enshin still persisted, he himself knew that if he truly gave up, then it's truly all over. So he kept conscious and grasped the one in a million chance as he focused all his willpower into guiding the termites out of his mouth. The termites would spread faster this way, but it was the only thing he could do.

"Linji...." Enshin muttered weakly, "Linji....."

Linji perked up and narrowed his eyes, "Finally begging for mercy, 'master'?"

Linji heard his name, but the words after were too weak that he had to come close to hear it. Closer and closer, until he set his ear near Enshin's lips.

"You...Piece....of.....Shit." A cold smile showed itself on Enshin's lips before he opened it wide, unleashing the deadly termites into the air.

"Fuck! Don't let go of the chains or else!"

Linji commanded as he retreated as fast as he could. The six figures holding the chains went pale in fright, but they did not dare to release the chains. Slowly, the Soul Devouring Termites climbed the chains towards them. Linji, hurled countless attacks at the chains hoping he could get them off, but the attacks only served to agitate the termites further as they sped up. The termite reached its victims and consumed. Blood-curdling screams echoed in the cave accompanied by the raucous shaking of chains. The six figures slowly lost their grip and Enshin, even though he was weakened to the extreme, tugged at the chains as he reached for the life core.

If he could reach the core, he may be able to draw life energy from it and heal all of his severe injuries. Even the damage to his body and soul from the termites may be healed.

In a quick motion, Enshin dressed with chains, howled with laughter as he jumped at the life core of the planet.

"ENSHIN!"

Linji's voice was the last thing he heard before he felt himself burn, withering like a dying flame. His lifeline suddenly stopped and his body was burned to ashes. He saw nothing but darkness. The void. It was only after a while that he realized what happened.

He died.

Enshin kept silent as he reached out towards the darkness, his face had an expression of disbelief as he could touch nothing.

"What...How..." Enshin muttered, "How!? How!? How?"

He thrashed around and kicked ferociously but just like earlier, all he hit was empty space.

Wasn't the life core of the planet supposed to be a huge source of life energy? Why did it burn him? Why did it kill him?

A few weeks prior, when he and Linji discovered it, it had the ability to revive dead herbs and heal the worst injuries of all living beings. Why did it suddenly kill him?

Enshin spent a majority of his days crusading the world, leaving the luxury and comfort of his home, just so he could revive the dying planet. Along the way, wherever calamity struck, he would always be there, saving thousands upon thousands of people. Did such a man really deserve this lowly death? To be killed by the very thing he wanted to fix, to be betrayed by those he saved in the process...

Karma? What is karma? All that was repaid to him was betrayal and death.

Backed to the edge by his former allies and killed by a freak accident of the planet.

His hate was a planted seed of revenge. He loved the world, it was the home of everything he deemed valuable, in the end, it killed him. He loved his disciple, and until now he couldn't figure out why he did it, but in his soul hidden beneath the rage is a brokenhearted man. He loved the heavens and he would thank them every day for what he had, and yet it bestowed to him a wretched fate.

All his hate and remorse multiplied within the darkness as he reflected and reflected. He lost track of time as he racked his brains on how he could have deserved his death, and what he did wrong to his disciple. Who knows how long he tried, but soon enough his confusion dissipated and was soon replaced by disgust and disdain.

Why did he want to save the world?

Why did he help all those people?

Long ago, he had a reason. But now, all he had was a thirst for vengeance. With him as the center of nothing, his mental state slowly stabilized through hate. All he knew now, was a simple phrase that he repeated endlessly.

"Kill! Linji!"

"Kill! Linji!"

After who knows how long, Enshin hugged his knees as he crouched in the darkness. Funny enough, the darkness was not freezing cold as he expected. It had a soothing warmth that could be compared to a mother's touch, but that was probably the only thing good about death. For what felt like centuries all he did was feel the warmth of the darkness. Everything else was a dreadful void, a piercing silence, and ghoulish shrieks.

Ghoulish shrieks?

Enshin opened his eyes for the first time in a while as he listened. This was the first noise he had heard in a long time.

"Aaahhhh!"

The ghoulish shriek echoed throughout the void.

Enshin vigilantly scanned around him, looking for the horrifying ghoul of hell that was letting out the shrieks. At first, the shrieks were subtle as if it was from far away, and then it slowly crept closer and closer, but Enshin still couldn't find where it was coming from.

Cold sweat dripped down from his forehead as he turned his head, his eyes suddenly went wide. A dim light could be seen from afar, the only light in the darkness, looking like a star in space. At that moment he couldn't care less about where it led, as long as he left the darkness he wouldn't care.

Enshin thanked the heavens as he bolted towards the light, in hopes of finally escaping the void that had suddenly bred a monster.

The light grew brighter and brighter as the shrieks started to get so loud it seemed as if it was right beside his ear. He spurred forward with all his might and suddenly it all went silent.

He couldn't hear the shrieks anymore, but the light disappeared as well.

It was all darkness once again.

Until he opened his eyes.

"It's a boy!"