Chapter [229] What They Faced.

In a lavish room, filled with the colors of silver and gold, lay a grey-haired boy, sulking in the corner.

A bow lay beside him, as the boy cried.

[You think you are the only one?]

'His' voice was heard.

I stood there silently...looking at Henry.

His figure materialized... A golden-haired man wearing a metal mask, and possessing jade green eyes.

He sat on the bed, whilst looking at the crying boy.

[Our little Henry Fornum, A child who had the trauma of being Talentless.

A child born in the wrong time, in the wrong generation, overshadowed by his siblings...and most importantly his sweet, talented Brother.]

He said...and I stood still, silent.

[To bear the brunt of expectations, Expectations that would be fruitless. His talent overshadowed by the immense talent possessed by his brother, Ezra Fornum.]

[To have your entire efforts, your hard work all amount to nothing, because of someone else.

What would you feel?

To have the skill you spent so long to master...]

He said, picking up the bow beside Henry.

[Be mastered within a second by someone else?]

The bow disappeared into grey light...and He went over to henry.

[How tragic...right?]

[The trauma of being Talentless. The Trauma of Knowing that no matter what...You will never be recognized for your own efforts because of the presence of someone Greater.

Someone who overshadows, dominates your effort with pure talent.

A thousand hours it took one to perform, Mastered by another in a second.]

He lifted Henry's crying face, which was hidden in his knees.

[You know...right?]

...I did.

[544 times...yet no success.]

Yeah...I know.

The scenery changed. turning to dark...the last thing disappearing being Henry Fornum,

I know...Henry never...ever could surpa.s.s Ezra...despite doing everything.

*****

A young girl, bound by chains...and a gag placed on her mouth so she could not scream.

A pink haired girl...witnessing horror.

'Serena...'

I thought.

[Yes.]

He appeared again...and hs d.a.m.ned voice was heard again.

[A young girl, Destined for glory, A Talent...daughter of the Head, the HEAD of the a.s.sociation, the strongest Human Organization of Awakened...kidnapped, alongside her mother.]

...I stared at her figure...her eyes open due to metallic contraptions that made her watch...'everything'.

The Sight of her helpless mother...the screams of her misery.

[To watch her own mother, her 'elegant' mother, her beautiful mother, her strong, prideful mother...be raped by demons right in front of her eyes.]

I turned to see the 'sight.'...but could not look at it.

My face scrunched up in horror and discomfort as I looked down...unable to witness it.

[Don't look at that...look at her.]

His voice tempted me to look at the poor child...forced to watch her mother be raped,defiled and tortured in front of her eyes...and being forced to watch.

...

...

...

[To see such a thing at such a tender age...such a traumatic event that made her mind go broke...after countless days of torture.

An event that broke her mind, an event that her brain shut down from her memory...but it was too late.

The girl...Serena Soubuelle...was gone!]

He held up her face...towards me...

The broken face...the emotionless eyes that still shed tears...and the face devoid of life.

[The trauma of being broken, The trauma of torture.

That broke the young mind of a girl that even the medicine of this age could not fix it.]

[Do you like it?]

His smiling mask...as he held up her face...made my heart hurt...

...

[The Trauma of a Father who couldn't protect his family...and had to watch his daughter go insane...and his wife a 'filthy' mess. And Being unable to fix anything.]

The scenery changed...and showed Harrison Soubuelle sitting in a chair, with soulles eyes.

Outside of a room, and watching His daughter connected to a machine that examined her mental state from a window...and a machine that he himself made for his daughter...for her health.

[The traumatic experience for a man to lose everything...yet he still tried to be the best father he could be!]

Harrison's dead eyes...as he ripped his hair apart...

[I could have been there...earlier...]

[I could have prevented this.]

[...I...I could have saved them.]

Harrison's voice rung out...and James laughed.

[He still tried his best for his daughter even after this, and yet you made excuses to hide yourself.]

*Thump!* The beating of my heart resounded in my ears...unable to watch this sight.

[That is the Trauma of a Man who lost 'everything'.]

****

A young man with bright red hair, a strong physique covered in sweat swung a sword countless times

Elijah Ardor...the Hero.

[Well...look who we have Here!]

James said, laughing as he watched Elijah swing his sword tirelessly.

[The Hero!]

He said as he circled Elijah.

[The protagonist!]

His voice rung throughout the room.

[The Hero! The Protagonist! The Brightest Light! The Holiest Light! Celestia's Hero! The one who tried! Hope! The one who opposed Oblivion!]

He danced around the room as he yelled out some of Elijah's t.i.tles.

[Yet...he couldn't do anything!]

...

...

...

[To try so hard...but still fail to protect what you wanted to protect!]

[You know it...right?]

He asked me...and I looked at him hate and contempt.

[554 Times! But not a single Win!]

He declared as he raised his hands high up in the air... as the flames from Elijah's Swords flared up behind him.

...Elijah never won...

[Correct!]

His smile creeped me out.

[554 times! 554 iterations...and in all of those...not a single win for our poor hero!]

Elijah's tired figure fell on his knees...struggling to catch a breath.

[He doesn't know it yet..but he will soon...]

[But even now...he lives with fear of his effort not being enough. Of being weak at the most important time to protect his loved ones!]

[A fear that was realized to reality.]

[He failed once.]

[He failed twice!]

[He failed thrice!]

[And continued to fail.]

He looked down at Elijah,s figure...gasping for breath.

[yet...he was still the hope! He never gave up. Even after crus.h.i.+ng defeat so many times...all his strength could measure up to was to provide time!]

[And yet he still tried. He still tried his best. He never gave up! He never stopped trying.]

His smile widened...and his voice seemed to be close...whispering in my ears even though he was so far away.

[The trauma of being the Hope...but not fulfilling your purpose despite your best efforts.]

He laughed...and said.

[Have you ever heard of this? That the Villain has to win only once, Whilst the Hero has to win 'everytime'?]

He pointed towards me...the 'villain.'

But I knew...or thought it was at Ara.n.u.s who he was referring to...but was I wrong?

[In his case...the Villain won every time, And he only had to win once. A victory that was far away, A victory that didn't seem possible!

A fight against Impossible odds.]

His Sinister laugh...looking down at Elijah...who still continued to train even though I could see his body failing...wanting the sweet release of Rest.

[That is trauma of being the Hope, But never being able to accomplish what you were meant to accomplish. And the responsibility that came with it.]