Revenge

I was born on a night when snow filled the sky. Cold flakes drifted onto my face, their chill cutting to the bone. The north wind swept over me, but I didn't feel cold, because someone lay beside me. Black blood stained the earth that should have been blanketed in white. The word “Mother” slipped from my lips. Then, as if a voice were calling from deep within me, I heard: “I am the King of the Dark Kingdom. I will take back what is rightfully mine.”…

As I grew older, this desire only grew stronger. Whenever I saw someone from the Dark Kingdom in a country I was traveling through, his body would inevitably turn up somewhere in a foreign land within three days. Though I was the King of the Dark Kingdom, I hated him more than anything. He was my enemy, and I swore that the Dark Kingdom would fall by my hand.

Strict training in the forest from an early age had given me more than twice the magical power of an ordinary person. Those mediocre people were no match for me. Whenever a black orb rose from my hand, my dark magic engulfed everything around me, and blood spattered everywhere. But I felt no guilt. I wanted only revenge. With unwavering resolve and powerful magic, I ignored the wild wolf who had raised me from childhood and set out for the Dark Kingdom…

I looked up at the characters on the city wall: “Dark Kingdom.” At last, I had reached my hated homeland. If my hatred did not end here, then this would be the end of my life.

The moment I stepped into the city, I realized it was nothing like I had imagined. Instead of cold earth and cold faces, there were bustling streets. People passed by me one after another. Perhaps I was the most numb of them all. I felt no joy, no sorrow, only revenge.

A woman walked past me. She made me think of my mother, but she wasn't my mother, because my mother had never been so young or so beautiful. Her black robe fluttered in the air, and her beautiful smile seemed to ripple through it, reaching into my heart. She walked by with an air of nobility, and my gaze followed her of its own accord. Perhaps, in that moment, I forgot my hatred and felt another emotion, called □.

Later, I met her again at an inn. Then began the sweetest time of our lives. She became my wife, and later Yue was born, our child and our precious gem. My wife and child became the ones I loved most in all the world. Together, they buried my hatred, but only buried it. They did not bring it to an end…

One day, at last, I saw a wild wolf in the forest. Its white body was covered in bright red blood. It was my mother, the she-wolf who had raised me from childhood. She reminded me of my hatred and my enemy: the Dark Kingdom. They had killed my birth mother, and now they had killed my adoptive mother as well.

In an instant, blood spattered everywhere. My peerless magic finally awoke from its slumber. Powerful magic and unshakable resolve returned to my heart. With darkness at my back, I headed straight for the palace.

Corpses littered the ground before the palace. The stench of blood rose into the air. At last, I had reached the source of my hatred. I entered the palace, my heart filled with excitement. The guards rushed at me one after another, but it was futile. I was invincible. From somewhere in the distance came a faint, sobbing cry. Could their king have sensed the disaster approaching and be weeping alone?

I slowly entered the main hall. Someone sat on the throne, a familiar figure accompanied by a familiar sound of crying. I walked toward the throne, and she came down to meet me. I was stunned. It was Yue crying, and the person holding her was my wife.

“Are you still going to kill me? Have you still not let go of your hatred?” she asked, her voice as gentle as ever. But I could not let go of my hatred. It was my life. I picked up a golden sword from the corner of the room and thrust it toward her. Yue kept crying, but my wife stood motionless, waiting for my judgment. As I stabbed at her, countless memories flooded my mind: the days and nights we had shared, Yue's laughter and tears. I made my decision. I would let it go.

The golden sword fell from my hand. Looking at the bloodshed across the city, I wondered: Was that really me? In the end, I chose to leave: to leave my homeland, my hatred, Yue, and my wife. Alone, I would keep watch over a love that belonged to one person alone.