Ballad of Heaven: Clash of the Cursed

Chapter 10 - Battle for Land - Part 3 - Redemption's Grasp

Okoto dashed through the forest, driven by a singular purpose: to reach the hidden cavern where the relic lay. Thoughts of Niel's words crowded his mind.

("Is that all your reasoning, you scumbags?! That it's okay to kill innocent lives because it's your duty? You don't have a heart at all if you mercilessly kill for your so-called greater good!")

In a secluded part of the forest, Okoto stumbled upon a stone tablet obscured by grass and dirt. Crouching he brushes it off, and he presses it down, causing the ground beneath to quake and move. The ground breaks apart as he slowly moves down into a cavern-like area. Okoto descended cautiously. He glasses over ancient murals all over the walls, but something darker lurked in the cavern's depths. Skeletal remains of various sizes littered the floor, some too large to be human. Ignoring the unsettling sight, Okoto's thoughts remained fixed elsewhere.

("The sacrifices some have made to ensure others remain in their shadow are the most merciful acts a cold-hearted person could commit. I'd give everything for that person, even if it means I have to take innocent lives...")

His own words resonated in his mind as he descended further. Stepping off the platform, Okoto approached the wall with narrowed eyes, his focus elsewhere.

11 years ago

As the sun dipped low, casting elongated shadows across the dirt path weaving through the dense forest surrounding Kokorin Grove village, young Okota, only five years old, hid in a cupboard. his heart pounding with fear and uncertainty as he listened to the all-too-familiar sounds of his father beating his mother once again, her cries echoing through the rundown shack near his village they called home and a reminder of the nightmare he had lived through.

Hours later, in the middle of the night, Okota lay curled up, asleep still in the cupboard, his cheeks stained with dried tears. Suddenly, the cupboard door creaked open, jolting him awake. He braced himself for the sight of his father, ready to drag him out, but Instead, he was greeted by the gentle smile of his mother.

Her face bore the marks of her suffering—bruises covering her delicate features, a black eye. Wrapped in nothing but threadbare rags, she trembled slightly, clutching a thin blanket around her frail body.

"Mommy!" Okota exclaimed with joy, launching himself into her arms for a tight hug.

She flinched slightly at his sudden jump, her body still tender from the earlier ordeal, but she returned the hug with all the warmth she could muster.

As Okota pulled away, his mother smiled down at him, holding out a small loaf of bread. "I managed to gather enough food for you, to last tonight and tomorrow," she said softly, placing it within his reach in the cupboard and tucking the blanket she had around him.

His eyes sparkled with gratitude as he eagerly bit into the cold, stale bread. Watching him eat brought a genuine smile to his mother's face, the sight warming her heart.

Suddenly, Okota paused in his meal, breaking off a portion of the bread. He looked up at his mother, who looked surprised at the gesture. With a genuine smile, he handed her the other piece.

"You need to eat too, mommy!" he insisted, his heart brimming with warmth and kindness.

Tears welled in Okota's mother's eyes, her lips trembling as she collapsed into her son, hugging him, crying her feelings out. She then whispering into his ear. "Okota, my dear child, remember this: kindness is strength, and compassion is your armor. Let your heart guide you, for its light will never dim. In a world of shadows, it's love and the will to not give up, thats what makes us invincible."

Okota's eyes widened, not from realization and understanding but from something else. Behind his mother loomed the imposing figure of his father, his presence casting a dark shadow them. The only sound besides his mother's sobbing was the ominous creaking of the floorboards beneath his father's weight.