CHAPTER II
“Choose. Should I give you life or should I give you a quick death?” – Markus the Tempter
Three years ago...
I was once a normal young lad, born from an aristocrat family with an insignia of a noble, heir to my father's wealth and in love with nature. I was free, free from restraints and rules from the masked monsters of society—a free spirit, so to speak. I was the eldest among my two siblings and the protector of my family. My name, Vincent Amorrosi, age twenty-two, a name was not an easy to bear and uncared for.
Yes, I was pretty well known from our homeland, respected and admired. I dreamed to be a diplomat like my father, that’s why people around me respected me too much. And there those who hated me, they called me loather of lows, the Knight of Shining Armour of the rich and the fiend to the poor. I only laugh the day they labelled me with those titles. I’m just the son of a wealthy man, how can I be the offender.
One night as I came home late, an intruder broke into our home. They took whatever they can carry and leave our house almost drained. As a youth, I am impulsive. I have too much audacity in me, so I followed them through the woods. But these people, these mad people start to attack me when I confronted them. I did fight equally by blocking the blows while hitting their jaws at the same time. They were three older men, I trounce down two. I never knew the third person behind my back was aiming a weapon at me. When I was caught off guard, he impaled me with the knife, it hit right through my chest, where my heart lies. Any person could scream with fright, I am not, for I am nearly dead, lying to ground, focusing only to my breath.
“Leave him,” I heard them said, as they dragged my horse away from me. “He’s going to die anyway.”
By the gods, kill them now!—that’s the only thing I could think of. What on earth am I thinking, fighting these horrible men only with my bare hands?
I can’t walk, so I crawled. I don’t know where I was going and I don’t know how to get there, but I crawl with heaving breath and prayers. On my mind there’s only one thing...I can’t die like this, this is not fair!
I knew my life was about to take a leave, and I knew there’s should be a winged creature or a beast waiting to hold my hand to pull me away from this dark lonely place. I am panicking, I am in a verge of hallucination, I am begging for either the angel of god or one of the demon’s legions to hold me.
None of them came.
God wants me to die in vain, while the devil wants me to die in pain.
I am doomed.
Help... me...
“Are you in pain?”
“Wh... who said that... what?”
A figure of a person... or a ghost, I don’t know, was standing in front of me. The darkness of the night and the shadows of the trees were covering us yet his face was as clear as blue morning sky. His eyes were brown, no...gold, like the bushes of autumn. His long crimson hair swirled like silk as the wind caressed our cheeks. He is beautiful and young and I haven’t seen so beautiful as him throughout my entirely life. He smiled like an angel and moved like a melodious deity. He slowly kneeled beside me and tilted my head, encouraging me to hold my last breath for me to see him clearly. Then he asked me, “Do you want to live, Vincent?”
“How... how did you...” I gasped, palming my wound at my chest while narrowing my eyes on him. “Wh... of course I want to live! Wha...what kind of a stupid question is that?”
The red head chuckled and shook his head. “You are dying yet you’re still discriminating. What kind of spirit you have there?”
“Leave me if you’re not a help...”
“See? Ego.” He said, and then stood up.
“Wait...” I gasped when I saw he's about to walk away. "Wh...where're you going?"
“Here,” he replied as he sat few feet away from me, closing his eyes. “I’ll wait here if you change your mind... or perhaps—”
“Who are you?”
“Shhh... be quiet.” He opened his eyes. “I want to hear the crickets.”
“God damn you!”
“Oh indeed I am,” he said. “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. I am following you, watching you from a far. This is my chance of meeting you. Why would I leave?”
“Then help me already!”
“Is not that simple, my friend,” he smiled. “I have to give you choices.”
“I’ll pay you.”
“Oh don’t be absurd, most of your money had been dragged away by those bandits out there. You’re nothing but poor boy in rich clothing. There’s nothing in your world could pay me in exchange to my offer.”
“Just name it!”
“Impatient brat, are you? Wouldn’t you just listen to me first?”
I stared at him, contemplating. His smile was still angelic, but I knew behind that grin of his there’s a reason behind for all this.
“Go on,” I nodded.
“We both know there’s nothing we can do about that wound of yours, if I didn’t give you something for the relief awhile ago, you’re dead already.” His smile widened when he saw my eyes blinked. “Surprised? Are you asking yourself when did that happen? Oh believe me I could give you more.”
There’s this pain again heaving my chest. Then I coughed off blood. I am scared.
“In a few minutes,” he continued, “you will become dizzy, then your body becomes numb, and then your eyes will be blind...or your eyelids will close voluntary, I don’t know. All I know is the only thing you could see is black... then your hearing will stop, you will feel cold, and your heart will seized its movement while the air from your lungs will stop accumulating air...and that my friend, is the process of death.”
He knew I was becoming impatient by his preamble. He smiled again as he stood and walk towards me. “I could give you life,” he said, touching my face. “I could also give you a quick death if you want to. Either way I have no worries, I’m only here to ask choices. But if I were you, I choose the first option. However, let me remind you that there is a price to pay.”
“I could pay you, save me.”
“I am no doctor, nor near the position to be one, Vincent. I am not what you think I am.”
“Then what are you?”
He looked into my eyes again and I felt a relief...for a while. He took a blade that had rested in front of me, I don’t know where the hell it came from, but it was already there when I saw it. He stood up and opened his tunic and, to my surprise, he slashed the blade towards his chest. I know it wasn’t a shallow wound, as the blood dripped like a curtain. “What are you doing? Are you insane?” I said to him, but he only smiled at me. Then as I blinked my eyes, and I know I am not lightheaded that time, the wound, his deep gashed wound, and his dark fresh blood covering his torso...was gone. What was left was his unblemished alabaster skin.
“I could give you the power of healing,” he then said. “That wound of yours is nothing compare to mine.” He sat near me again and holds my chin up to him. “So let me ask you again, do you want to live?”
“Yes,” I exclaimed, or was that my last breath. “Save me. I want to live. I want to die as an old man, not like this...”
“Are you certain?” He asked again, making sure if he heard it right. “Once I give you what I have, like I said there’s a price to pay.”
“Tell me.”
“Simple,” he flicked my black hair away from my face. “You will never see the light of day again.”
“What?”
“You will live only to serve me. You will leave this...” he vaguely waved his hand “...all behind. You will forget who you are but only your name. Is that clear enough?”
“I’m going to be a slave of yours?”
He shook his head. “No not a slave, an apprentice. And I am will be your mentor.”
“Wha...”
He pulled me up and carried me in his arms. “Quiet now, we’re running out of time. Answer me now.”
“Look,” I gasped. “I don’t know who you are and I don’t care. Just do whatever you can just...save me. I would be more grateful if do it quickly.”
“I heard enough!” He hissed and dropped me to the ground. He revealed the flesh of my neck to his mouth and I felt a sting of pain. As if like something draining my strength, the pain began to overwhelm me. I can’t move, I can’t breathe. The only thing I heard when my sight had turned black was...
“You belong to me now.”
