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Some of my thoughts while writing this chapter.
It seems that I give more importance to the side stories than to the main story. But that is my goal; for immortal existences, wouldn't our lives be side stories? Would time matter?
Even if we try to put ourselves in their shoes and imagine, we spend our lives running and stressing, just to do everything possible before time runs out. Isn't it ironic that we try to describe immortality?
Yes, life is short, so we should focus on what is most important, which ironically is what we take for granted the most, sometimes even forgetting it.
Am I crazy? Probably. But aren't we all?
Now here's the main question: do you prefer this type, or the one that focuses primarily on the main story? After all, unlike Kael, our life is short.
I have been trying to read more stories focused on action and romance; I believe this is a very weak point for me, which is why action scenes are usually short, due to my inability to describe a satisfying fight.
As for romance, I think I accidentally stumbled into the deep webs of fanfics. Fortunately, I don't think romance will come anytime soon. Thinking about it, isn't Kael a virgin over 2000 years old at this point? He must have certainly set some kind of record.
I read some questions people ask me, and honestly I neither deny nor agree. But honestly, I don't think I need to confirm anything. You come to the answers on your own ('Did I confirm anything?' the author thinks to himself).
I know I'm not as fast as in the first chapters, but I've been sleeping better during the week. (Instead of doing everything in one day after work, I've been spreading it over two) So I think I'll have to lock myself in my room over the weekend to see if I can start stacking chapters for daily release. It will depend on work and family; fortunately, I write on my laptop, so I can take it on my back and write. But maybe the idea itself isn't bad either, it gives me time to think. As I've already said, I know Kael's fate, the ending, but the journey still has yet to be told.
Well, here is another chapter and my heartfelt thanks to those who give me the strength to keep going. Thank you
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A week passed quickly, and with it, Máximus's understanding of my limited skill with the sword. Curiously, he never asked me how I killed those Roman soldiers, perhaps out of gratitude, but some questions don't need answers.
I learned a lot from Maximus during the week, perhaps not enough to become a master of the art of the sword, but with enough skill to hold it correctly and firmly. It's much easier to memorize the movements than I initially thought.
The Roman fighting style seems focused on teamwork, where order and tactics dictate the battlefield, which makes it mostly useless for me, so we stick to the basics. Knowing when to retreat, defend, and attack.
We trained under the trees in the forest near the wheat fields; even covered, it helps me maintain minimal contact with the sunlight.
As soon as we finished training, Maximus sits beside me, already tired.
-"I'd say you're at least three times better since we started." Maximus says with a smile.
-"Yes, I appreciate the time you spent teaching me." Kael says gratefully.
-"I owe you more than this short time; I owe you my life, for you saved the reason it exists!" Maximus says, fear and sadness in his eyes.
-"Can I ask why the Romans came after your family?" Kael asks.
-"Marcus Aurelius wanted me to be his successor, he was my mentor and, more importantly, someone I saw as a father! I had no interest in power, but just the possibility of that happening brought out his son's hatred." Maximus says sadly.
-"Power, fame, money, and lust, the nectar of human nature. But..." thinks Kael. "Someone once told me that kindness is also inherent in human nature, two sides of the same coin!" says Kael with a nostalgic look.
-"Marcus Aurelius believed in the Dream of Rome. Now that I see how far Commodus can go to achieve his desires, I am torn between my family and the final wish of my mentor. Rome must serve its people, not emperors or politicians!" Maximus says with doubt.
-"Your mentor is dead, and Rome will still exist tomorrow, along with his dream. But your family is alive here and now!" Kael says with a strange display of emotion. "That should be enough for now," Kael says as he stands up.
From that day on, we never touched the subject again. But I noticed his eyes, previously clouded with doubt, were now clear and focused on what mattered most, his family.
The training days continued for weeks, and with them, my skill. This place brought something I hadn't felt in a long time, peace, but in the end, every chapter comes to an end. It was becoming increasingly difficult to find food; criminals are not very common around here, and now even less.
I met with Maximus and told him about my decision.
-"It seems the time has come for me to leave!" says Kael with a sad smile.
-"You can come with us if you wish, we will head north before Commodus notices the death of his soldiers." says Maximus.
-"My journey is different, I don't know my destination yet, but there are answers I need to find, and someone...!" says Kael with a fierce look of conviction. "I appreciate the teachings, even if basic, they might help me find them." Kael says softly.
We said our goodbyes and I continued my journey, not forward as planned, but backward toward a part of my past, Rome.
This time the journey wasn't long, with the full extent of my abilities I began the journey. Maybe that's the biggest difference between HIM and ME, I refuse to abandon my human side, does that make me weak? I continue to do almost everything like a human, if there's something good in this eternal life it's the ability to take everything at your own pace, but what about the price? Watching everyone depart like grains of dust in history, or cursing them to my fate.
Is there life beyond death? Some place where we find all those we have lost? Or do their souls disappear into the infinite beyond existence? When you live so long, you start to have more questions than answers.
When I arrived in Rome, I barely recognized the city; already rebuilt, it was even more magnificent. As I walk through the streets, I hear people talking about the Colosseum, where slaves fight against their fate, but rarely challenge it successfully.
Is this what Rome has become? A spectacle where those with power decide life and death, as if they were superior, like gods ?
That same night I went to the coliseum, released all the humans who were seen as mascots for the entertainment of others, slaves.
Maybe my action won't change anything in the short term, but as long as the will to resist exists, I believe there will be those who will stand up for others. It only takes a small spark to start a fire.
So I reached my destination, the room where Commodus sleeps peacefully, as if tomorrow were not a gift, but his right.
The moment I grab him by the neck, he starts screaming for the guards while struggling to break free.
-"You can scream, but there's no one left to help you." Kael leans close to his ear and says softly, "How does it feel to be afraid? To have your fate in the hands of someone who, with a single decision, can take away everything you've fought for, just as you've taken freedom from many, some even from your own people, simply because they weren't on your side." Kael says with an emotionless look.
-"Who are you?" Commodus asks with difficulty.
-"Just a passing traveler," Kael says calmly.
-"What do you want? Gold?" Commodus asks nervously.
-"Your life," Kael says, still without emotion.
-"Why?" Commodus asks with anger and fear.
-"For the Dream of Rome." Kael says as he throws Commodus off the balcony.
Commodus never thought that the last words he would hear in his life would be the words his father had spent his life saying.
As I watch Commodus fall, I think about what I did, the reason why I did it. Maybe HE was right, I am evil, but deep down there is still goodness in me, two sides of the same existence that coexist with each other.