The rain hadn't stopped and neither had the pain. Every step he took caused pain to run through him. His breath short, his energy drained. But he kept pushing forward, towards the faint smoke in the distant. The faint smoke rising from the chimneys. He just needed to reach the village. When he did, he safe. But as he thought that he just chuckled. I seemed like never mind where he went trouble always followed him. Even back at Ashenfield. He always got in a lot of it. He remembered back to a time where some kids had ganged up on someone, and when he stepped in to help, the adults thought he was the bully.
He took a deep breath and shook the thoughts away. Right now, he needed to focus on reaching the village. He kept walking through the muddy mountain pass. He could feel the air get thicker as he once again reached the bottom, but this time on the other side. The pain eased a little as he walked but it never truly vanished. He could see the village now. It was bigger than the one he grew up in actually a lot bigger. Different from the one he grew up in it wasn't surrounded by fields. It was made up of houses, inns and stores. Because of its location a lot of merchants came by when they traveled from village to village. As he got closer, he could also see a gate guarded by a couple of guards. They didn't really seem that interested in their job judging from their faces.
He kept walking despite the pain. As he reached the village, he could see the guards reach for their weapons. Probably not wanting to show weakness, Toya thought, though it is a little late for that. With weapons drawn, they blocked his way. Toya didn't really see anything memorable from them. They just seemed like normal common folks. They had blonde hair, and emerald-green eyes. In a way they reminded him of the captain of the soldiers he met back home. Their appearance really resembled each other.
"Hey kid, what is your business here?" The one to the left asked sharp. Toya looked at him, forced a smile despite the pain and fatigue. "I am just passing by." The soldier didn't really seem to care much. But his eyes kept going to the sword on his hip. Toya noticed his glance and said in a casual tone "Oh, this. It's just a safety measure. You never know what might happen." He didn't really know whether he bought it or not. His face certainly didn't give it away.
"Can I go through now?" Toya asked still smiling at them. The soldiers looked at each other and moved out of the way to make way for Toya. They had no obligation to keep him. But the left-side guard couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about the kid. Was it the way he smiled? The way he walked? The way he carried himself? His tone? Or a mixture of all? He thought grimly. Either way he couldn't keep the kid, all he could do was let him pass.
As he passed the guards the smile on his face vanished. He could feel eyes clinging to his back. He passed through the gate without looking back. As he entered the village, he found himself surrounded by people. There were more people than he anticipated. The houses both bigger and taller than he expected. It bore no resemblance to his home village. He could hear the sounds of people chattering. See the children running through the streets. It was so lively, he thought. For a moment he forgot all about what had happened the last few days. He just listened. It was first then he realized how much he missed this. He missed being surrounded by people. Being able to do whatever he wanted. Not being forced to kill. He missed it all. He missed the times he had played with his little sister. The times he went to the market with his mother. He even missed training with his dad in the courtyard. He remembered he used to hate most of those things but now he wasn't so sure. Right now, he longed for those times. He longed for them so much; he would do anything for it. But he knew that never mind what he did that would be impossible. Even the strongest mages in the world can't change what has already occurred. But even if you can't change the past there are things you can. And one of those things is the future. And that was what Toya intended to do. Even if it cost his life, Toya would change it. He would make sure that no one he cared about would ever suffer like him. And most importantly he would find those responsible for his own pain and burn them to ashes. His mind was made up. He would never lose. He would win, win and win. Rise to the top. And change this broken world. A smile crossed his face but this time it wasn't forced. No, he was smiling out of excitement. He knew that the path he was walking was a path of no return, so why did he feel this way? He had no clue what awaited him, so why was he so excited? He didn't know why but he knew he couldn't turn back now even if he dies along the way, he needed to keep pushing forward.