Reverse of the Rain

In the wide, burdened dark land under heavy rain, a young man stands with a dirty shirt and tattered hands and feet.

“Huff, huff… Finally, I’m free. Goodbye damn Prison. I hope to never see it again!” he exclaims, catching his breath after a long run in the rainstorm.

This continent filled with fanaticism, ideology, and the church. Give me a sentence, who that committing any sins, I spent 18 years living in that dark, oppressive jail, but now I am free and no one can take me back.

I should find a place to stay for tonight and then plan my way north. True freedom lies ahead. My self, just hold on a little longer.

My feet are hurting like hell. Should I take the road? No, the jailers would have already noticed my absence. Perhaps they are sending the Church’s judgment after me, he fears. He looks back to see if anyone is following him, but there is nobody there.

“Nah… I’m just being paranoid. It’s been an hour and this heavy rain has washed away all traces,” he reassures himself.

Unfortunately, the world has treated him poorly. Suddenly, when he looks back, he sees a figure standing on the hill. The figure is wearing a cloak, and their eyes shimmer with an eerie glow.

Thunder! light shone on the sky. Two shadows collided on the ground.

His body shudders in fear. What the! Those eyes are terrifying. I feel like I’m facing death. Could this be a jailor? Or perhaps a judge?

“Who are you?” the Cloak-man questions

Raising his eyebrows. He doesn’t recognize me. He’s not a judge either. “I’m nobody, just lost from the road. Do you know the way out?” He quickly responded.

“Lost here? Again! Who are you?” his eyes glow with suspicion.

Rumbled! Sky cries.

There was nothing but the sound of rain falling heavily on the hill. He tried his best to control his trembling body. What is this situation? How can I escape?

Meanwhile, He lost in his thoughts, the Cloak-man said, “No answer? Find! I’ll find it myself.” He then pulled out a book from under his cloak. The book looked majestic, adorned with church symbols and magic crystal.

When he saw the book, his senses returned. I knew that book. It was the holy book, the Church’s emissary. That book could directly evaluate anyone’s karma on this continent. It connected to the holy tower system, where all rules and laws judged without the need of testament. The Cloak-man is a saint that holds God’s whisperer.

His eyes twinkled, filling him with a glimmer of hope. I still have a chance. Out of everyone, I am the luckiest one. This opportunity is mine alone. Karma has no hold over me. When Whisperer uses the book, I will make distraction and run as fast as I can.

The Whisperer sensed a subtle change in the man before him, but it didn’t cause concern. Then, the book activated, emitting a soft glow that illuminated everything around us. In this clarity, He could see clearly. Within the clock, there was a captivating woman, her hair flowing and her piercing eyes adorned with a crusader’s attire.

His eyebrows furrowed together. The Whisperer is a woman. As the book neared the completion of its spell, he raised his arms and pleaded, “Though I may be a prisoner, but I am not a sinner. Please, consider setting me free.”

“A prisoner, huh! Finally, you speak. Do you think I’m blind? I noticed your prison attire from the beginning, but now it’s too late. Prepare yourself for punishment,” she retorted. Pointing the book towards him, a bright light shone. However, her forehead furrowed when the book echoed monotonous words, “Evaluate End, No Sin.”

Thunder! Flash shone in the dark world.

It’s time! I must run while she’s still disoriented and hasn’t chased me. With lightning speed, He moved. But where should I go? The forest lies to the right, while a vast, glassy field stretches to the left. Hah! Into the Wood is always best. I can utilize the dark shadows of the forest to conceal myself and create false trails. He quickly dashed into the forest.

“Stop!” she shouted, but hesitated to pursue. Reflecting on what had just happened, I remembered his words, ‘Though I may be a prisoner, but I am not a sinner.’ He spoke the truth. Her eyebrows knitted, evidenced by the black tattoo on his wrist that confirmed his identity as a prisoner. Her eyes widened. She whispered, “Cursed...”

“You are the cursed child. You were born in The Prison!” she shouted, watching him disappear into the woods. She bended her knees, Swoosh! dashed and sprinting follow suit.

Swoop! Thud! Thud! The sound of people ran in the forest.

“Yes, it’s me. I’ve been called the ‘cursed child’ my whole life, but I want you to know I’m not a monster. I’m just a little different, that’s all!” he exclaimed, his voice echoing through the forest as he sprinted, breaking branches in his path. Trying to lose anyone who might track him, he veered left and quickly turned right. Finally, he found shelter under a fallen tree trunk, squeezing himself as close to the tree as possible, hoping to remain hidden.

The wooden surface was damp, and there were numerous puddles scattered around. The sound of rain enveloped the forest as it poured down.

Just think, myself, think, think, What the laws again! recalling the words when jailer blabbed about God’s whisperer. First, avoid fighting. Do not retaliate. Your sins will judge immediately. Second, they have to follow the Holy Words of the books. What was the last one? I can’t remember. The last...

Splash! Splash! thud! Crack! Whisperer walked closer.

“Reveal yourself. I am aware of your presence,” Whisperer said while surveying the surroundings.

She was unaware of my exact location. I have to create some distractions to lead her away. He grabbed a nearby rock, aimed for a group of trees in the distance, and hurled it. For the good karma of my last life, please get hit. As if sky answering his thoughts.

Thunder! Thunder cried. Crack! Stone hit its mark, a flock of birds cackling and bursting out of the forest. During this spectacle, a lightning flash cast the shadow of the birds, moving as if alive.

She stared intensely in that direction and said, “So, you were there.” Without hesitation, she darted towards that path, disappearing deeper into the forest, unaware of the man hiding under the tree. She was gone.

Gradually, he emerged from his hiding spot and shifted his gaze to the vast, grassy fields. I can’t stay in the forest any longer. She will search every inch of this dense forest.

He crouched down as low as possible and started moving. I hope the grass will hide me as I go. Each passing second felt like an eternity. I think I’m safe now. What a scare! My heart feels like it’s about to break. I need to gather my senses.

Why did she come around here? In such a deserted area. Was she here to complete a quest or to kill monsters? Is she working alone? That’s strange. Maybe her comrade is nearby.

But his train of thought can not last long. His body trembled as he heard a thunderous voice booming from the sky, “I have found you, cursed child!” The Whisperer shouted, lowered her hood. With a stern expression and piercing eyes, she stared at him. Rain poured down on her face, and her wet hair stuck to leaves, partially obscuring her face. She looked like a creature from the depths of the forest.

She also can fly too, that is not fair, curse myself! I’m just a prisoner, just never thinking or even trying to reach the sky. But, you can use a flying skill that easily.

“I have done nothing wrong. Please spare me,” he pleaded. But his message couldn’t reach her. In fact, it provoked even more anger in her.

She grabbed a clean and sturdy sword out from the sheath, Cling! Cling! Raindrops touched the blade and flowed along it, sword shone, eager to slice through her target’s skin.

She tightened her grip on the sword, preparing to strike.

As their eyes met, he clenched his teeth and tightened his fists. Fine! Let’s fight. Not only you have a skill.

Despite being cursed from birth, he had survived by eating spoiled food, constantly battling in a colorless world where he couldn’t smell or feel pain. But he still had the right to live.

“Eyes of seeking truth, The Verity Eye!” he whispered.

Swoosh! The blade moved swiftly, causing the air to cry out. In his gray scale world, a faint blue line appeared, the trace of mana. He could see through it. The blade was about to swing towards his head. He quickly ducked.

Swink! The blade swept past the tip of his hair, cutting half of the grass into a cone shape.

Her eyes widened in surprise. How could he dodge the sword? Despite trying different blades in a vertical line, he managed to evade them, only receiving a minor cut on his shirt.

Her blade continued to slash back and forth, leaving the grassy field in disarray with all the grass mangled. Yet, his body got minor injured.

“You’re breaking the law, Whisperer! You’re harming innocent people!” he shouted.

She took a step back, restraining herself from taking action. “How do you know our law?” she questioned, giving him a cold stare.

Drop! Drop! Patter! Patter! Patter! The sound of rain filled the area.

“Who are you really?” she inquired further, attempting to find something that could shed light on her doubts.

However, before receiving a response from him, he ran away once more.

However, before receiving a response, he ran away once more. “I already told you. I’m just someone who has lost their way. Just let me go!” he shouted back as he swiftly ran.

“Argh! He ran again,” she exclaimed. He was aware of our law. Throughout the entire ordeal, despite having many opportunities, he chose not to fight back. He understood it would be a sin if he strike me. As a result, I can execute him... So, first let’s check the holy book again.

She pointed the book at him. The book emitted a monotonous sound. “Evaluate End, No Sin.” Holy words from the book not show any instruction to do with him at all. He also did not attack me. I should restrain my attack and gather more information.

She chased after him, her mind becoming clearer. As she looked at him, she couldn’t believe the state of his body. Bruises covered him, and his bare feet shattered and bleeding. Red blood mixed with the rain surrounding his frail body. How could he bear the pain? He wouldn’t last much longer...

They both sprinted and pursued each other across the grassy field, twisting and turning aimlessly. In the dark night, the only sounds that could have heard were the rumbling clouds, the patter of rain, and the footsteps of twos.

How far does she want to follow me? Both my lungs and feet are reaching their limits. Just a little longer, my body, hold on... The grass field ends here. Maybe I can find something useful.

But as he reached the endpoint, damn! Again and again, why do these things always happen to me? Ahead of him, there was a cliff with no escape. Perhaps there was a way to climb down. He stepped towards the edge, peered down. He gnashed his teeth. It’s just a dead. Only part to the hell awaits him in that dark eerie pit.

He turned his head back to the grass field. There, I saw Whisperer walking slowly, like death approaching me. Her hand tightly gripped a sword. Ta-thump! Ta-thump! Step after step, she came closer. His heart raced, but body grew colder. Is this where my life ends?

Should I jump or fight until the end? I am so miserable. Either way, death awaits me. Curse me!

“A cliff, Huh?... no more running?” she said, but her tone was different, genuinely concerned. “You shouldn’t run anymore. You’re only making things more difficult for yourself.”

He noticed the change in her tone, and it made him curious about what had happened. He gazed at her intently, as if attempting to capture every detail, realizing that she might be the last person he encountered in this miserable life.

Then, He softly uttered, “Eyes of Verity,” noticing the glowing mana emanating from her. Focus, focus, myself. As she walked towards him, within the monochrome world, traces of mana connected and formed letters, flowing out one by one and weaving together to create a word above her head.

Its words “Vow of Temperance.” suddenly triggered a rush of information in his brain. Memories of The Saint and The Whisperer sparked, the last part came “The Last, they believed in **The vow**, never breaking it, even if their lives were on the line, because they were the spoken of Holy Tower.” Vow, vow, I remember now, my inner insight rang..

He glared at her in his tranquil state, as she approached and stopped five steps away before saying, “Let’s talk—” But suddenly got interrupted.

His eyes glowed, his body stopped trembling. He sat with one knee up and both hands resting on it. “I, Rain, the cursed child, will make a vow!” he shouted loudly.

Instantly, the Rain stops as if responding to its own name, ‘Rain’, like as a master called it back.