A Period of Chaos - Chapter 49

Chapter 49. Memory

Tae-joo’s memory went back to the moment of his awakening.

‘My child is not a monster!’

‘Hic… Please, don’t take him away…. My child is only ten years old. He’s too young…’

Tae-joo’s parents were ordinary. They were afraid of the Ethers who couldn’t properly control their abilities and ran wild, and they treated them as monsters. However, it was different for their son.

However, no matter how young Ethers were, they couldn’t avoid military service. The soldiers forcibly took Tae-joo away even if his parents didn’t want it.

At that time, Tae-joo thought it was better to be separated from his parents. They loved him, but they were also scared of him.

He sincerely thought that it was better than living with them who were worried that he would kill them anytime. He had the same worries.

He didn’t want to kill his parents. To the point where he thought it would be better to be treated like livestock.

‘Tae-joo… Are you hurt? Why are there so many scars…. Mom is upset…..’

Foolishly, the parents couldn’t give up on their son right away. They visited the military base repeatedly to confirm with their own eyes the traces of abuse their son had suffered.

‘…..’

Then one day, they stopped coming.

‘Why haven’t his parents come to see this kid lately?’

‘It’s been a few months.’

‘Really?’

Eyes observed Tae-joo, giggling. Tae-joo’s instructor usually called the kid’s parents fools and spat out contempt.

Tae-joo didn’t react at all to his parents coming to see him. They didn’t need to suffer either. As a child, Tae-joo thought that sharing pain didn’t halve it, but rather doubled it.

Tae-joo was already precocious, but the harsh environment made him mature even faster. If he was in an environment where he only killed people before he was developed, it was natural for him to lose his childlike nature.

Tae-joo was always killing something, except for the time he spent sleeping and eating. He could only be recognized for his abilities and survive by killing.

However, Tae-joo’s parents did not give up on him.

‘I’ve come with the amount, so check it.’

‘Are you going to release our child now? You said we could take him back!’

Instead, they came with a bag of money. How foolish.

The early days of the Gate were a time of chaos where laws and morals were distorted. In a world that had become a mess, there was nothing left but violence.

‘What are you talking about after coming here after half a year? Do you think that’s an ordinary monster? My conscience is pricked at the thought of releasing such a monster so carelessly.’

A ten-year-old child was brought here just because he was Ether. Even if his parents offered to sell their souls and give them money, they wouldn’t negotiate. Negotiation is only possible between equals, but those bastards didn’t see Tae-joo’s parents as equals.

‘I’ll take good care of this. If you want to get the kid out, just bring ten times more.’

‘Please don’t do this. How can we get this money… Not ten times more, please…’

The instructor snatched the bag of money away with a sneer. Tae-joo’s eyes, looking at his crying parents, were as empty as a doll that had lost all emotion. He didn’t show any reaction to his parents. He thought that if he did that, they would give up on him.

‘You don’t even seem human…’

Just go. Don’t come back.

Tae-joo whispered while locked in the iron bars. However, his thickly gagged lips couldn’t speak human language.

‘Are you still a human after all that? Huh? Are you a human!’

‘What do you mean. You were the one who gave birth to such a monster!’

A physical fight broke out between the three of them. There were only four of them here, including Tae-joo, because they had to make a dirty deal. Outnumbered, the instructor finally pulled out his gun.

Taang!

Almost at the same time that the black tentacles that had been ejected in an instant turned the direction of the gun barrel. Instead of piercing Tae-joo’s parents, the bullets lodged in the wall.

‘Uwaahhk! You monster bastard!’

The instructor screamed and fired his gun.

The giant tentacles blocked the parents’ path like a shield. The tentacles that had been shot were torn, but the two were unharmed. However, most of the bullets flew towards Tae-joo.

Blood poured out through the gap. His whole body ached so much that he couldn’t tell exactly where and how he had been hit. No matter how strong Ether’s mental power was, Tae-joo was only ten years old at that time.

He was just a child who had not yet had a second manifestation. His breathing became rapid and his eyes dizzy.

‘What’s going on!’

‘Those bastards tried to steal the monster! Kill them! Kill them!’

The soldiers who came after hearing the gunshots stiffened their faces when they saw the tentacles writhing outside the iron bars.

Thang! Thatang! Thang! Thang!

What exploded out like an explosion was not just gunshots. It was fear and disgust.

They were all distorted by negative emotions and fired their guns together. A thick stream of blood poured out from Tae-joo’s body. The tentacles lost their strength and sagged. The wall blocking his parents’ path collapsed.

The eyes, bloodshot with tears streaming down their cheeks, turned toward the tentacles.

Tae-joo’s parents were gripped by fear. They looked at their son, who was alive and breathing even though he was a mess, strangely, and also longingly… Then their heads burst like a soft fruit.

Ah…

Aaah…

Ahhhhhkk!

The scream of the young Ether resonated like a mountain and then suddenly stopped. The pain that had surpassed his limit cut off his mind. He knelt down and fainted.

‘Wow…. Is this thing still alive?’

‘Don’t go near it. I told you it’s a total monster.’

‘Don’t you have to take off the gag to feed it? The colonel said to let it live.’

‘Be careful. If you do, it will bite you.’

When Tae-joo opened his eyes again, all that was left was boiling hatred and anger.

The two most meaningful beings in his world were dead. No, they were brutally and miserably murdered.

The heart that burned hot and turned into ashes instead became as cold as ice.

As a young Ether, he did not act rashly. He just thought about how he could kill a little more of these bastards. He would have been happy to be burned alive if he could just burn them all down.

Tae-joo ignored his emotions and silently did what the military told him to do. The only order he had been given was to kill something.

That day was no different.

The order Tae-joo received was not to rescue, but to ‘eliminate’.

‘Mom…’

Tae-joo realized that there was a child nearby from that sound.

But? What should I do?

It was none of Tae-joo’s business. He just had to eliminate the monsters in this building and leave.

He was only an eleven-year-old kid, consumed by anger and lost in twisted thoughts. He wanted to kill everything that was alive, whether it was humans, Ethers, or monsters.

That was right for him. There was no way he could rescue someone when he had no more lives to protect.

But why? Once he realized it, he kept hearing the sobbing sound. It wasn’t loud at all, and it was so weak that it seemed like it would die down any moment.

Yet it lingered in his ears. It wasn’t particularly meaningful, but all his attention was drawn to it.

He must have used too much of his power, because his vision was dizzy. He feels like he’s going to vomit. It bothers him that the whining sound came at such a time. Yes, this is all annoying.

Thinking about it, it was obvious that no one would care if a child like this died.

I should kill it myself.

Cruelly and miserably.

His gloomy eyes turned to the cabinet where the child was hiding. The black tentacles twitched grotesquely, clearing away the collapsed debris.