Takeshi and the old man Orfin sat by a blazing fire with the bull that Takeshi had hunted hanging above it on a sturdy piece of wood that barely held its enormous weight. The smell of roasting meat wafted appetizingly, its hide shining like a pearl at the bottom of the sea under the bright sun.
Orfin stared at it hungrily, rubbing his hands in anticipation of that delicious meal. Takeshi, however, kept his focus on Orfin, looking at him with serious, heavy eyes while his guard never relaxed for a single second.
This old man… not only is he strong, he's clever too. He hides two faces behind that smiling mask.
Orfin took his gaze off the bull and looked at Takeshi.
"I told you you'd tell me your story. Or are you wasting time?"
Orfin yawned, rubbed his eyes as sleepiness crept in, then said lazily,
"From what I see, you won't believe me unless you hear the past of this old man in front of you."
Takeshi did not reply; he stayed silent.
"All right, keep your ears open to hear every detail. A long time ago, when I was a young man like you, I joined an organization whose purpose was to suppress crime and gangs, and to help citizens in need."
Takeshi interrupted,
"And what does that have to do with your goal?"
"Let me finish, boy. That was the organization's facade — our dream was to pass the acceptance test, join them, carry out missions and help people. Damn! We were fools."
Orfin slammed his hand on the ground and then continued in a serious tone,
"Behind that curtain and illusion lay a shocking truth that struck us who believed in those shallow ideals. When we joined the organization we saw the truth that completely changed our view."
Takeshi swallowed and asked,
"What did you see?"
"I saw hell that day… We were forcibly recruited and trained, but not to strengthen us — rather to shut us up and cover up the atrocities we were assigned."
Orfin clenched his fist, grinding his teeth as he continued,
"The administrators overseeing us sought money and power — nothing more. So we were tasked with inhumane missions: theft, killing, assassinations, even massacres and genocides. We took part in countless forced wars for a pittance…"
Takeshi frowned, stood up and, with empty eyes, asked Orfin,
"Are you saying you killed and stole lives from the innocent?"
Orfin gave a faint smile, an artificial smile hiding great guilt and regret, and said in a hoarse voice,
"Yes…"
Takeshi's eyes widened until they reddened, he clenched his fist and stepped toward Orfin, shouting,
"And what makes you different from them?! Killing and theft under the excuse 'we were forced'—"
"I know that. That's why I want to achieve my goal. Please, boy, let me finish."
Takeshi took a deep breath, calmed himself, then stepped back and sat down.
"We stayed like that until the day we decided to break our silence that had lasted for decades…"
Orfin pulled an old, weathered paper from his pocket and squinted at it as he continued,
"On the day most of us decided to revolt — at first we spread rumors about the organization's credibility, but they disappeared quickly, so we resorted to plan B: overthrowing it by force."
Orfin chuckled briefly and looked at the cloudy sky, recalling the details of that day.
"I remember killing one of the five administrators of that organization, which put a bounty on my head."
Orfin handed the fragile paper to Takeshi and smiled,
"I was also the leader of that campaign, which we called the Downfall Campaign inspired by the Aura story — hahahaha!"
Takeshi held the paper in astonishment, his eyes trembling as he reread it.
"You are wanted with a bounty of 78 million gold pieces!"
Takeshi shouted in amazement; he never expected to see such a huge number again, let alone as someone's bounty.
"Haha! Actually, it's been over a decade, so they withdrew the bounty thinking I was dead."
One gold piece = 100 silver pieces
One silver piece = 100 copper pieces
This is the currency used in all four countries, but the economic differences between each nation affect product prices. Therefore, in the country of Orfial, 3 gold pieces are enough to support a single man for an entire month.
Takeshi rubbed his eyes and handed the paper back to Orfin while shock still gripped him.
'I knew he was dangerous and powerful, but not this much!'
Takeshi calmed himself and asked Orfin to continue.
"All right, continue your story."
Orfin scratched the back of his head and said,
"Okay… where were we? Oh right, we named our campaign the Downfall Campaign after the Downfall in the First Generation of the Aura… but there's a big difference: the true Downfall won that battle… we were utterly defeated."
A pang of old grief passed through Orfin; heavy sorrow gripped him until Takeshi spoke,
"That's unfortunate. But did you ally with any of those who stood with you to achieve your goal?"
Orfin didn't answer at once; he took a breath, slowed his racing heart driven by memories, and said,
"They're all dead. I'm the only survivor."
Takeshi said nothing; some regret for asking such a question welled in him. Orfin added,
"Even if some survived, they likely wouldn't accept anymore. You wasted your time for nothing."
Orfin stood, turned his back to Takeshi and headed toward the shadowy, muddy forest, raising his hand.
"Farewell."
Takeshi did not respond; he fell silent to gather his thoughts and make a decision.
"Wait!"
Orfin stopped without a word, listening to Takeshi.
"Last night something dear to my heart was stolen, and my only shelter was burned by a gang called the King Skull."
"I know them."
Takeshi pointed his finger at Orfin and said,
"Our dreams may differ, but we share the same goal. My next aim is to annihilate that gang and wipe them out. With your help I can do that and reclaim my revenge and possessions. Old man, I agree to ally with you to achieve this smaller goal as a step toward greater aims."
Orfin turned, his broad, reassuring smile spreading across his face, and said happily,
"I'm glad you accept!"
Orfin and Takeshi stepped toward each other and shook hands firmly. Orfin saw a bright future ahead, while Takeshi looked elsewhere — into the darkness of the forest, at something Orfin had never seen.
"This is the first step toward the world, my son."
Takeshi was the only one who heard that voice — a voice that sounded like his father's.
It came from a blue entity trembling like gentle waves on the sea.
Its eyes glowed with a strange light, watching him from within the darkness.
Then its body began to split and fade away, like torn paper carried off by the wind.