???'s POV
"Hey kid, are you just going to let them go?" A mysterious man muttered as he walked past me, barely sparing me a glance. I was still catching my breath, bruised and beaten, but his words only made my anger simmer harder.
"I'm sure the gods will deal with them later," I replied flatly, brushing dirt off my clothes, though it stung with every movement. His head whipped around, surprise flashing in his eyes.
"You seriously think like that? You don't want your revenge?"
"Of course not, it's a sarcasm" I shot back, though a twisted kind of rage burned behind my words. "I want to punch them, to teach them a lesson. I want them to feel what I felt. But I'm not strong enough." I clenched my fists, wishing they didn't tremble as much. "What's so wrong with wanting them to be punished here, in the world they're tearing down? Not in some afterlife that no one can see. If there's no afterlife, what then? They just get away with it?"
The man looked at me with a thoughtful expression, his gaze sharper, assessing me in a way that felt uncomfortable. Then a slow grin spread across his face.
"I like your mindset," he said, his voice a low murmur. "Sounds like you really care about justice."
Justice. It sounded almost noble on his lips, but for me, it was desperation, a need to make things right when everything felt so wrong.
"Then, if you show those kids what justice really is," he said, voice dripping with an unnatural allure, "I'll give you a gift. Something that not even the world can offer."
I felt a flicker of curiosity spark inside my heart. "What kind of gift?" I asked, trying to keep my tone steady, though I couldn't quite hide the interest creeping in.
He leaned in, his smile widening. "That depends," he replied smoothly. "Tell me, what does justice mean to you?"
I frowned, taken aback by his question. "Maybe... I guess. Make them feel what I felt. That's justice, isn't it?"
He shook his head slowly, smirking as if he'd heard it all before. "No, you define what justice is to them. Decide what they deserve, and make it real. Make it something that will haunt them, something they'll never escape, even if they want to."
I couldn't tear my eyes away from him, his words igniting something dark and powerful within me, a sense of control I'd never felt before.
"Are you saying... I can decide what happens to them? That I can make them pay?"
The man's gaze was steady, intense. "Yes," he whispered. "In ways they'll never forget. The world's rules don't apply here, not if you don't want them to." He held out his hand, his fingers extended, like he was inviting me to make a pact.
I hesitated, the urge to strike back overwhelming my instincts. My hand hovered near his, feeling the weight of the choice pressing on me, promising a power I'd only dreamed of.
"Will you give them justice, as you see fit?"
"I will"
-
They came at me again, same mocking smiles, same violent intentions, but today something was different. Today, I didn't just endure, I fought back. I'd been waiting, gathering my strength, to give something they could feel.
The leader of the group, Jaewon, sneered at me as he closed in, flanked by the other three. All beasts, each stronger than me alone, but together? They thought they were unstoppable.
"Looks like the runt's still hanging around. Don't you ever learn?" Jaewon laughed, throwing a punch before I could react. Pain bloomed in my jaw, but I barely staggered back. Not this time. I looked up, my eyes narrowed, and swung right back, catching him off guard. He stumbled, and his smug expression fell away for the first time.
One of them lunged from behind, grabbing my arms in a vice grip. I struggled, feeling the strength of his beastly grip, but somehow, my rage made me stronger. I slammed my head backward, hearing his gasp as I connected with his nose. He stumbled, loosening his grip just enough for me to break free.
I threw myself at another of them, a wiry girl named Mira who liked to use magic to enhance her claws. Just as she extended her talons, crackling with a faint magical energy, I ducked under her slash, feeling the sting of her magic graze my skin. Anger erupted within me. I twisted, sweeping her legs out from under her. She fell hard, a cry escaping her as she hit the ground.
The other two saw my grip slip for a second, and one of them kicked me in the side. My ribs flared in agony, and I rolled off Mira, clutching my side. Laughter echoed as they circled me, but I could see fear creeping into their eyes. I wasn't breaking, I was matching them hit for hit. They didn't expect that.
Mira lunged again, baring her claws, and for a moment, all I could see was her teeth and her fury. I ducked, throwing myself forward, crashing into her with everything I had. The impact sent both of us sprawling. We hit the ground, and I scrambled up, instinct telling me this was my chance.
I grabbed Mira's wrist, twisting until she yelped, then sank my teeth into her arm. The taste of blood hit me, thick and bitter. But I didn't pull back. Instead, I bit harder, sinking my teeth deeper.
Mira flicked her fingers to summon her magic again, but before she could attack, I raised my hand and, almost instinctively, summoned a small spark, mimicking her own spell. Her eyes widened, disbelief etched across her face as I willed that spark to life.
"You... you can't do that!" she stammered, but I could feel the power. I felt it in my bones, this strange, feral magic now mine, raw and untamed.
My voice was low, a growl as I spoke. "Oh, but I can.
-
I dragged Jaewon's limp body through the dense forest, his arms scraping against roots and branches. The forest was silent, kind of cold, but not enough to cool my eagerness. When I reached the clearing, the man was already there, standing in the shadows. His eyes glinted with that unnerving, amused expression, like he knew everything that had happened.
Without a word, I heaved Jaewon's body closer to him, letting him land in a heap at the man's feet. "I have shown them justice," I said, still tasting the power I'd ripped from my enemies.
"With killing them?" he asked, a dark smile hinting at the edge of his words.
"Yes," I replied, cold and sure. "Except for Jaewon, because you told me to bring at least one alive."
The man tilted his head, studying me. "And how do you feel now?"
I considered his question, looking at my hands, still stained with blood. The thrill of their helplessness in the face of my newfound power still hummed in me. "I feel... if only I had greater power, then I could show 'justice' to more people who need it."
The man's smile grew into a sly, twisted grin. "Right," he said, his voice a soft whisper. "Then I will grant you power."
As he spoke, the clearing began to shift around us, twisting and bending like the world itself was warping under his influence. Shadows stretched and grew, forming towering shapes that loomed over me, transforming the forest into a dark, ancient hall. Columns rose from the ground, encircling us, their marble surfaces etched with symbols and scenes of judgment and punishment.
A chill ran down my spine as I realized I was standing in a court, though one unlike any I'd ever imagined. I looked back at the man, now seated on a high, imposing throne, his presence radiating authority and something even darker, a power so immense it made my skin crawl.
He raised a hand, pointing at me. "You, child, are appointed here today not as a judge, but as the judged."
I swallowed, my heart racing, but somewhere deep inside, exhilaration pulsed. I was close, closer to a power beyond imagination.
The man's voice thundered through the court. "So, I ask you, will you accept instant death... or immortality?"
I blinked, my mind reeling. Immortality... the chance to wield justice on my own terms, forever. No more limits, no more helplessness. I felt the grin creep onto my face, a thrill coursing through me. I could barely contain my happiness as I said, "Immortality."
The man's gaze was piercing, but he nodded, his lips curling into that knowing smile as the court began to fade back into darkness. And just before I was plunged into the shadows, he whispered, "Then you shall be bound to your own justice for eternity."
The forest returned around me, but I could feel it, the surge of power, the strength that seemed to hum in my veins.
-
I watched as Jaewon's body began to tremble, his breaths becoming shallow. He looked at me, fear widening his eyes, but he was too weak to speak, to beg, or even to curse me. His body shivered violently, then, slowly, began to disintegrate.
It was... mesmerizing, the way he dissolved before me. My pulse quickened as I watched, as each fleck of him drifted away, carried into nothingness. There was no sound, only the stillness of the forest and the quiet fall of dust where he once lay.
I took a deep breath, savouring the moment. "Justice is finally coming to this world," I murmured. It was a promise, and this was the beginning.
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Quiz time:
Whose POV is this? ðð