LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 7: The System Awakens l
The following morning, the bright withering sunshine was unconcerned about Arin's sorrows. Golden rays shimmered across the land controlled by the Mightiest Kal-El. Light was suffocating, for it continuously told him everything about the man who had stolen everything from him. He had looked for allies, but fear dominated everywhere in the shape of a god, whose name and image preoccupied the people's thoughts of government.
Arin walked through the narrow streets of a village, scanning every corner for a whisper of resistance. The villagers, shabbily dressed in humble robes, bowed their heads in silent reverence before statues of Kal-El which loomed over the town square. There bore no signs on their faces about any rebellion; only serene devotion was there to make Arin's stomach churn.
How can I fight against this? was what he thought as despair gripped him.
He thought about his mother, Liora. He had disappointed her. She gladly traveled to Kal-El's dominion to save him, but Arin was unable to delete her picture being taken away by the Golden God's army, which consists of many beautiful ladies whose beauty surpasses even that of his mother and his knowledge of beauty in women.
He wanted they were his, and that they would listen to him, but reality is cruel, as they took his mother away before him. He tried to resist, but he couldn't. When a lovely tall silver-haired female glances at him, he frizzes as if death is looking at him.
They transported her away on a large bird-like machine, unaware that it was actually a plane, adding another trophy to the golden god's collection.
His fists clenched. I will find a way. I have to.
…
As the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky with streaks of crimson and gold, Arin collapsed in exhaustion at the edge of a dense forest. His body ached from hours of aimless searching, and his spirit was frayed. The air was heavy with the hum of insects, their chirping a mocking reminder of his solitude.
Arin lay sprawled on the damp earth, his breath came in ragged gasps. His mind swirled with exhaustion and anger, but beneath it all, a simmering resentment began to bubble to the surface. His lips moved faintly, a murmur at first, but then his voice grew louder, filling the solitude with his bitter ramblings.
"Why her?" he muttered, his voice trembling.
"Why my mother? She was kind, she was beautiful—too beautiful, probably. That bastard couldn't resist, could he?" His fists clenched weakly against the dirt. "The Golden God—the so-called perfect being! The mighty Superman! What gives him the right to take her away from me?!"
He turned his face to the sky, now darkened and dotted with faint stars, his eyes blazing with frustration. "And why does he get everything? Everything!" He spat the words as though they burned his tongue. "Beautiful women surround him like he's some divine king. They worship him, serve him, and I—"
His voice cracked, turning into a hollow laugh. "I have nothing. Not even a shred of respect from this cursed world."
A twisted smile tugged at his lips as he glared at the heavens. "Do you hear me up there? Is this funny to you?! Giving him all the glory and me… this?"
He gestured feebly at his worn-out form. "You gave me nothing. No power, no privilege. Not even a crumb of what he has. Hell, I couldn't even keep my own mother!" His voice broke, but he continued to rant, his words laced with venom.
"And why does he get to live like that? Surrounded by goddesses, all loyal to him, draped in silks and jewels, while I'm here rotting in the dirt. Guards so stunning that they could make kingdoms fall with a glance, all at his beck and call. And me? What did I get? Huh?"
He slammed his fist into the ground, the pain barely registering. "I got nothing but misfortune from the moment I was born. No power, no inheritance, no one who even gives a damn!"
His chest heaved as he stared blankly at the sky, his anger slowly morphing into bitter resignation. "I want them all," he whispered, his voice quieter now but no less intense. "All of them. A grand harem that would put his to shame. I want to make him pay for every second he's lived in luxury while I've suffered. I want him to crawl before me like the wretch he truly is."
For a moment, the forest seemed to echo his hatred, the distant rustling of leaves and chirping of insects blending into an eerie silence.
"And to think," he added with a hollow chuckle, "that the heavens allowed this. Are you up there, laughing at me, you petty gods? Are you enjoying the show? Watching me suffer while he rules like a tyrant?
Sadly for him-
Previously, there were gods who regarded exceptional children like him as saints and even elevated them to godhood. However, there are no such gods anymore.
Curse you!" He thrust his arm upward, pointing accusingly at the stars. "Curse your petty games and your twisted sense of humor! I'll tear it all down, do you hear me? The heavens, the gods, and him! I'll make him suffer a thousandfold for what he's done to me!"
His voice faded into hoarse whispers, his strength finally giving out. He sank deeper into the soft ground, his body trembling. The rage in his chest still burned, but exhaustion dulled its edges. As his eyelids grew heavy, his last thoughts lingered on his mother—her warm smile, her loving embrace—and on the dream that had begun to take root in his heart.
"One day…" he murmured, his voice barely audible now. "One day, they'll all see. He'll see. I'll take it all from him. Every ounce of power, every shred of pride. I'll… I'll make it right…"
And with that, sleep claimed him, his body sinking into the cold earth beneath the vast, indifferent sky.
…
And then it happened
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To Be Continued...