All Chapters of Rising of the Running God: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10
36 chapters
Chapter 1: The Boy Who Should Have Ran From Life
"People told me that no matter what I do, I could never run. But now whenever they open their mouths, I am the one that has to look behind," — Vayne Valentine, The Crippled Prince. It happened one fine morning. When the birds were singing their songs and the sun gave them the light they wished. Right when the dew disperses all the evil that might have plagued the night before— but alas, it would seem that not every evil was left behind… "No…" …As a mother mourns and grieves for her son. She gently touched his face, not yet even larger than her palm. She caressed his soft cheeks… and a smile shaped on the baby's lips. The babe was not dead, no. But the baby was pale; his arms felt like they would break with just a single soft wind. And his legs, they already were— not even capable of a kick. The babe was not dead, no. But even still, the mother mourned for her son as her soft palms slowly crawled toward his teeny, tiny nose, covering it and his smile completely. "I… I am so sorry
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And so, He Ran
"Absolutely not!""But mother–""How many times have I told you that you are not to talk to your brother!? Again and again, every day I tell you……these people are different from us. We don't belong here.""..."For the first time in 16 years, Vayne's dim and desolate room was filled with more than just the mountain of books that filled it with color.But to think it would be his mother's screams that would fill the void, Vayne could really only sigh at the thought.Charlotte's auburn hair almost bounced as she waved her hands repeatedly, telling Vayne that going with Vale was a bad idea.As for Vayne, he just hid in the shadows of his books, letting his mother calm her breaths, before he once again permeated himself to speak,"This might be the chance you have always wanted, mother," Vayne said; his voice, clear and tranquil, "You have always told me how good it would be if I was able to prove myself. How our lives would be better.""Do… not put words in my mouth, child," Charlotte's
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Not Knowing What Comes Next
"Kh!""...""...""...You okay? Should we ask them to slow down?""It's… it's fine. I just haven't experienced this kind of quaver cradling my feeble body before.""...Quaver?""Shaking.""Oh… You really do read a lot of books.""Well, it's the only thing I could do."Vayne tried his best to smile; his furrowed eyebrows, however, failed to hide the pain that was crawling through his bones.They have been travelling in a carriage for a few days now. And throughout this linear journey, he and his brother have gotten to know each other.And although he was not able to relate to him, it was good directly hearing stories from others other than his mother."Don't worry, brother. We'll be reaching the border to the Dark Continent soon. After that, we will be……walking." As for Vale, his words could not help but become weak as his eyes slowly landed on Vayne's leg.And as soon as Vayne saw this, he let out a quiet chuckle and patted his twisted leg, "Welcome to my life, Vale. Damned either wa
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And Now, A New Beginning
"...Vale?""What the fuck!?"Shock. It wasn't only Vayne that was stupefied with what just happened. The two Explorers could also not believe what they'd just seen.Their feet, slightly stepping back on their own as they didn't know what to do.Just moments ago, they were watching a touching moment between two brothers. But all of a sudden… Vale raised his spear and stabbed Vayne straight through the chest; without even as much as a falter."...Fuck," one of the Explorers could not help but whisper as he looked at his companion, almost as if they were asking themselves what they should do now.Should… they kill Vale?Before the two of them could even make a solid conclusion, however, Vale opened his mouth."The two of you should leave us for now," Val said as he wiped the tears trailing on his face, "Return… in an hour.""What—""You will be handsomely rewarded— enough riches that would serve you a lifetime…" Val did not let the two speak, "...That, or you face the wrath of my father.
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The Dried Scar
Death.That was perhaps the only thing in the world that remains and will remain completely unexplainable.After all, there was nothing after it, only a void.How would one explain what it feels? How would one tell anyone?A survivor might have words for it, but that is not death, only 'dying'.Was it cold? Extremely so.Was it hot? Extremely so.Exhausting, energizing— all the feelings, everything, at once. But at the same time, there was nothing.No matter how many books one reads, no matter how many words one knows,The feeling of death will forever remain without description.Death, however, did have a sound.A wail— almost an incessant whisper that traveled through the air like a turbulent whistle."...""..."No. Perhaps that sound was not one of death, but resurrection.A sound that was followed by silence as the eyes of one that was once dead opened. Eyes that see nothing but a blur; almost as if smoke was blanketing everything within its view.Silhouettes, recognizable, but b
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The First Steps
Fergo Village.One of the many walled villages in the Dark Continent.According to the history books that Vayne have read, they were settlements built by Explorers thousands of years ago.They initially served as outposts for them to rest temporarily without fear of the beasts that prowl outside.But then, more and more of them started to gather— some explorers injured and unable to progress any further.But instead of going home on a carriage, they chose to stay. And eventually, families started to sprout.The farthest settlement should be near a large body of water called… an ocean. Something that Vayne truly wanted to see— and beyond the ocean, it is said that more creatures and lands await.Only High-Ranking Explorers with enough Fame were allowed to venture out of the ocean. His father, Valerion Valentine, was one of the many.The world is a very large place— they were all just specks of dust compared to it.Fergo is one of the nearest villages from the Safe Lands. But still, a v
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The Blessing
"Mom, look… that man is walking without shoes on!""Shh, it's rude to point. We don't know what he's going through, sweetie."In the somewhat small and busy streets of Fergo, Vayne had been walking around for a couple of hours, 3 hours to be exact.And he did nothing but just that. Limping, as he was still not used to walking normally. And as expected, he had been garnering the stares of all the people there.Some of them, even closing down their stalls as Vayne was obviously a crazy person.Fergo was a very small town— everyone knew each other and if there was a person they didn't, then it could only mean one of two things.The stranger was an Explorer from the outside, or someone being escorted by an Explorer.And seeing how young and thin the boy looked, he was surely the latter. And they would usually welcome them with open arms, as new visitors mean new money.But with the way Vayne looked, well— he looked bad for business.Vayne, however, didn't mind the stares. He didn't even n
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Imbeciles
"Why doesn't it work?"If frustration had an aura, it would probably be the sighs that currently filled a certain alley in one of the streets of Fergo.After much searching, Vayne found an empty space to learn how to harness his Blessing. The alley was bright, it only went one way since the other side was blocked by crates— it was the perfect area to practice.The sun was still very much scorching the already dried lands; and partnering that with the cold breeze, it would have probably been refreshing to the feel if the alley didn't smell like piss and feces— but that was probably the reason why the alley is empty in the first place.Vayne chose to ignore the smell, however, as the caravan will be leaving in an hour or so. He wanted to at least know how to activate his Blessing, 'less he wanted to hurt people.He would also be vulnerable and wouldn't be able to protect himself in the long journey they have ahead.2 weeks, anything can happen thenBut why……Why can't he activate his Bl
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Oh, That's Hot
"I told you, imbeciles, to just let me go.""...""My head hurts, fucking hell… everything… everything looks so slow."A whirring whistle whispered in the air. The clouds of dust and any puddle around Vayne's misty silhouette, rippling away like an endless barrage of raindrops were falling on them."You… you're a Blessing Holder!?""What? What was that? Can you speak faster? Oh… oh wow, this is weird.""..." The voice that was coming out of Vayne sounded weird; almost as if his voice was multiplied but at the same time muffled. It sounded… ethereal.The thugs then watched as Vayne's hand was suddenly raised. And then almost instantly, it looked as if he was looking at them one by one— it was hard to discern what it was he was truly doing."You guys… should run," Vayne then muttered, "I… can't control this well."Everything looked slow. Vayne could see the specks of dust in the air floating ever so slowly as he breathe through them; the ripple beneath his feet, he could see every wave
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Weapon...?
"Just drink, we have enough supply to last us 2 months. Seriously, how did someone like you even reach Fergo?""..."'I died and magically appeared in front of Fergo's gates,' was what Vayne wanted to say to his… cart mate.He didn't have any energy to talk, however, as he felt his lips chafing even with just the tiniest of movements. And that wasn't the only thing that was dried, Vayne's bright auburn hair feels like it would be enough to fry an egg on it due to the scalding rays of the sun.They were in the region of the Dark Continent called Halbarn— which translates to the 'Boiling Field' in one of the local languages. Halbarn, however, was not even the hottest charted region inside the Dark Continent; there is said to be a land where their lakes were magma— just another proof that the Dark Continent was a… magical place.Still, for someone like Vayne who was used to a colder climate, Halbarn might as well be hell.How a region like this existed could only be explained by magic.
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