Chapter 27: A Difficult Journey
Minutes and hours passed until the day drew its curtain.
Aiden was sitting on the roof of the building, lying on his back with a rock under his head used as a pillow.
Although it was hard, it was to Aiden like the most wonderful pillow in his life. After a night of hard work, his body needed flawless rest, so when he went to rest, he immediately fell into a deep sleep and didn't feel the hardness of the rock beneath his head.
He had his eyes closed until he felt annoyed by the sunlight directed at him, so he decided to get up and continue his journey towards that area.
Initially, he wanted to go there to collect more Fate Points, but he had adjusted this idea slightly now. He also wanted to secure that area and use it as a residence. After all, it wasn't reasonable for him to keep wandering from place to place while carrying many children and elderly.
Therefore, he decided that he would first secure a safe space for people to live there, then he would decide what to do next.
Aiden descended from the roof, and a distinctive smell hit his nose. It was the fragrant smell of food, flowing like a warm breeze laden with spices, awakening hunger before the eye could see it.
Aiden followed the smell until he reached a place where many people were gathered, holding plates filled with delicious, aromatic food.
Upon seeing him, everyone welcomed him warmly, as if welcoming a hero returning from a war.
"Good morning."
"Good morning, Commander."
"Good morning..."
A woman stepped towards him with steady steps, then bowed her head and said:
"Commander Aiden, good morning. Your food is ready, come eat with us."
Her tone was gentle and respectful. Aiden didn't pay it much mind and joined them to eat.
While eating, people shared snippets of conversation, and Aiden heard one of them say:
"Ha! How I miss our old life."
The person opposite him laughed and said:
"Heh, what's gone is gone. Now is now; we cannot change the past."
"He's right."
"Yes, yes."
Many people agreed with him, except for this one person.
"But... life was better back then. We ate and relaxed, and when we got bored, we used phones for entertainment. But now... there's nothing but destruction surrounding us from every direction."
Everyone's expressions changed to pain and longing in an instant, but they knew that time was just a thing of the past and they couldn't change it even if they wanted to. They were, after all, ordinary people, not like heads of state playing with nuclear weapons like candy.
One of them said in a sad voice: "I don't regret anything except not being able to see my wife one more time."
Another asked him: "Why? Did she die in the wreckage?"
He replied: "I don't know. She went to work that day, and since then I've had no news of her. And if she were okay, I don't think she'd even believe I'm still alive in the first place."
Someone else sighed from another side and said: "Well, I also feel a pain weighing on my chest because I sent my children to buy some supplies at that time, but..."
There was no need to finish; everyone knew the outcome. Since the outbreak of the nuclear war, even speech had become a pile of waste. Let's not mention those areas swept by nuclear radiation.
Any place touched by this radiation was left with devastation and despair. Even the earth was not spared; it became unfit for living or farming altogether, as if it had faced a pestilence threatening the ecosystem itself.
Everyone here had lost at least a spouse, a child, or even an entire family. They were all like orphans or outcasts.
Aiden looked at them while holding a spoon, scooping food and putting it greedily into his mouth. He was even affected by this talk, and the taste of the food in his mouth became somewhat unpleasant.
"Hey, enough pessimism!" Aiden said in an annoyed tone.
Everyone looked at him with astonishment, then looked at their food and continued eating.
Aiden smiled a little and then continued eating as well, as his appetite had returned...
"Hah, praise God."
Aiden stood up, brushed the dirt off himself, then took the plates he was eating from and headed to a faucet to wash them.
The woman from before stopped him and said in a nervous voice:
"Si... sir, you don't have to do that. I will—"
"It's fine," Aiden interrupted her, then continued: "I don't want to be just a burden on others."
These words were like the sound of a bell ringing in everyone's ears now...
"Burden... burden."
This phrase echoed in everyone's minds. It wasn't just an ordinary word; it was like a hint from Aiden.
He had pointed out to them that they were like the burden he was carrying on his back. He had saved them without asking for anything in return, and even fed them. Let's not mention the part about protecting them from last night's attack. And they... were nothing but a burden walking on two feet. Instead of helping him and alleviating the tension and sorrow, they only did the opposite.
"He's right," one of them muttered in a barely audible voice, then another person raised his voice:
"Yes, the Commander is right." It was Liam.
He stood up, clenched his fist, and looked at the gathering around him, saying: "Comrades, the Commander is right. It's better for us to be a help rather than a burden. In the end, those things belong to the past, and we can only accept fate with open arms, not complain and spread misery and sorrow to those around us."
Everyone listened to Liam's speech until tears almost fell from their eyes. Even the children who didn't understand anything Liam was talking about felt that this speech stirred their emotions.
Then Liam continued:
"Let's stop thinking about the past and set our sights on the future. The past is gone, but no one knows what surprises the future holds..."
Then he took a deep breath and said: "Therefore, let's stay together and intensify our efforts to rebuild this life and resurrect humanity to become stronger than it was before."
Everyone shouted with overwhelming enthusiasm, for Liam's speech was like fuel poured on the fire, igniting passion and anticipation for a future they were unfamiliar with.
Then Liam shifted his gaze towards Aiden, who was standing far away, pointing his finger.
"And him! Who will be the person to lead us towards this future?"
Aiden's lips curved into a smile, then he said to the enthusiastic group in front of him:
"Well, well, let's save this enthusiasm for the present time."
Then he continued: "We have a long road ahead. Let everyone wash their dishes and prepare to continue the journey."
Everyone answered with passion burning in their eyes:
"At your command, Commander."
And so they began cleaning and preparing with the aim of continuing the journey.
Aiden left their space thinking, "[Damn! They sold out their families so quickly.]"
---
After finishing cleaning and preparing to travel again, Aiden and those with him set off towards that area.
Despite the small size of the "City of Light," Aiden felt that the road to it seemed endless. After a full day of movement, he didn't feel they would reach it if they continued at this slow pace. Therefore, he decided to speed up the pace to gain more time.
He also had the task of returning and dealing with that Gate that would open in four days, not to mention the other Gates. A busy season of hunting monsters and converting them into points awaited him.
"Friends, let's speed up a bit; I don't want us to be any later."
"Yes, sir!" Everyone answered in unison, then began to quicken their steps.
With the increased pace of travel, the group received many new individuals: elderly, young people, and even children. There was no discrimination against any individual or gender; even animals were treated like any living creature.
Aiden no longer distinguished between any creature, whether human or even an ant. In his view, they were all creatures that could provide him with Fate Points. Therefore, he did the impossible whenever he saw an injured person to heal them and obtain points from them.
But this action was seen by others as one of the noblest and greatest things ever offered to them. In their eyes, Aiden was like a savior angel, a deliverer who came to their aid in the darkest of times. Therefore, their admiring looks towards him increased.
Aiden was not aware of these thoughts, nor did he want to know. So he continued his journey at the maximum speed the group could manage.
Time passed from minutes to hours, until three days and three nights had passed.
The group expanded until it comprised hundreds of living creatures: humans, animals, and even insects that had their place. Aiden stored them in boxes, as their numbers were large to an annoying extent. Even women might faint if they saw this quantity of them...
At the rear of the traveling group, there was a man with a thin body and sunken cheeks. His eyes carried deep dark circles, as if he had just left a hospital after consuming tons of drugs. He was one of the individuals Aiden had recently saved.
"Damn what the world has become... I'm treated the same as a dog, as if I'm not even human anymore..."
Then another person, with an obese body and green mucus flowing from his nose in a repulsive appearance, said: "See? I feel worse than insects. Even insects have become important now, hahaha!"
The thin man looked at him and said: "Even that so-called Aiden... He acts as if he's one of those rulers from novels. He commands and acts as if he's in a higher position than everyone here."
The obese man looked at him mockingly: "Hahaha, he acts like anime heroes. I even heard from someone that he has some kind of magic."
He scratched his head a little to remember its name, then said: "Ah! I remembered... it was called 'Healing Magic.' Hahaha, just like anime!"
The thin man shared the same opinion, saying mockingly: "And so what if he has healing magic? Why don't we subdue him and make him work as a slave under us?"
The obese man laughed sarcastically and said: "You might not know... I heard he's very strong, so I warn you against acting recklessly."
The thin man looked at him and said: "A kid in his twenties, how much power can he generate? Besides, his appearance doesn't suggest he's strong. Also, he didn't help during rescues; he watched while the men did the rescuing, and he only put his hand on them and ordered them to retreat. So what strength are you talking about?" He took a deep breath, having said all this in one go, as if he had been suppressing his anger towards Aiden for a long time.
The obese man replied after some thought in a gruff voice: "You're right... He's nothing but a show-off. But let's be cautious first; we can't do anything except at the right moment."
The thin man nodded in agreement and said: "Yes, I'll also try to attract more parties to our side, so we don't end up in a bad situation in the future."
...
At the front, Aiden was walking with steady steps, his lips curved in a devilish smile as he thought, "[More points... very nice.]"
He was very happy. His acute hearing, which developed after reaching Level C, had allowed him to hear the entire conversation of the two men from behind. Now, nothing could be hidden from him, not even an insect.
He was happy with these two men's thinking. They were not only ready to offer themselves as points but would also lure others towards him. How could he not be happy?
Aiden did not want to ruin their plan, so he decided to leave them to their own devices... for the time being.
And so the journey continued, until they finally reached their destination...