Death.
That is what he thought it would end with.
But it did not.
Again. Then again. And over and over and over again. But it never seemed to end.
Death had touched him on multiple occasions now, but it always failed to drape him in his dark cloak.
He had an extremely faint memory of his past as he lay battered down on the floor, coughing out blood. But he was not dead, far from it. He was too weak to stand up. His body loosened and the gun slipped out from his hand.
He could not pinpoint what had stopped him, even till this point. Perhaps he was just a coward who had feared death his entire life. Perhpas he was scared of the brutal possibility that there was nothing but a black void after it all ended. Whatever it was, it had successfully stopped him.
Other's would probably think it as a blessing. He was not like the others. It was not just the mere fact that his body avoided death, but to him his fate opposed seeing him in a cadaver.
He attempted suicide- once, twice, he couldn't remember how many time really. But, besides the once that failed, he just returned back to the moment, when he held the gun to his head. It was maybe just his stupidity as a child at that time. But to him it's just a curse. The curse of resisiting the ultimate fate of humans.
"Theo!", a familiar voice called to him. "Are you alive?"
"Somehow..." He mummered under his breath, looking up at the approaching figure. "Barely."
______________________________
Theo had only recently shifted to the Eastern Province of the Avges Kingdom, part of the Great Triumph Commonwealth of Kingdoms. Most of his origins were not known to him exactly, one reason being an Orphan at the age of seventeen and the other that his parents didn't take the courtesy of telling him while he was still alive.
"And a Curse has threatened us.", he would say after ending his cryptic stories. At the time he was too young to dicipher them; and today he's too old to remember them.
They weren't ideal parents, to say the least, but they were quite nice to him and he had dearly loved them. That wasn't confirmed as he got over their death in less than a week. He still remembered them, if not by name, at least by their faces. And what beautiful faces.
They both died when Theo was eleven of age, leaving him isolated. His father had claimed to be a noble, but those claims were never really proven to him. After their death he managed to live off six years on the wealth that they had gathered and he still had plenty to spare. He found himself to be able to move to the Eastern Province in the city of Virgis, that is after using his money conservatively. He had no one else to help anyway.
The one who had 'rescued' him was a 'friend'. Theo wouldn't dare call anyone his friend. He was close to no one, and no one was close to Theo. He thought connections as weaknesses. He was not the type to strive to be strong, but he couldn't bare the misery of loss. That's all in his view.
"You could've died back here.", his friend, Richard.
"I didn't," he remarked sitting up lightly on the bed on which he lay, "And that is really all that matters."
"You're a fearless man, aren't you, Theo."
Fearless?
Richard had his reputation of being a kind fellow in the city, from what Theo had heard of course. That's why he gave Theo a place to stay in the city, temporarily. Theo was reluctant at this descision, but he didn't want to exaust his money at the very beginning of his life in Virgis.
"A skilled swordsman," started Richard, "A sharp shooter, even a master at hand-to-hand combat."
That was all that Richard knew about him. He said that even tough he knew that his skills weren't as impressive as he said them to be. He was young, his skills were still raw, and he had trained himself his entire life.
Theo was more interest in Art than he had in combat. He never really liked to show this side of his to anyone, not to Richard, not to his long gone parents, and maybe not even to himself.
"Im skilled in no way." returned Theo, "In no single way."
"Why, you're just degrading yourself." he said.
"And that's the best I can do." Theo tries to get up from his bed, and Richard's hand pushed him back down.
"I think resting is a better idea." he said, his tone was quite serious now. "You've dealt with quite the harm. And all of that for..."
He waited for an explanation. Theo thought that he'd know at least the reason of his recklessness before following him to the cave.
"Thieves." Theo said.
"Thieves?" repeated Richard, quite puzzled.
"They had stolen from me." he started with his explanation, "I wouldn't let my only riches go to dust. I haven't even survived a week here. And moreover... I despise thieves."
"That is a handful of hate you've got there. You'd want to be more careful in places like these. Our Province has quite the reputation for it."
______________________________
Theo had found it extremely difficult for himself to adopt to the environment this new city brought. Afterall, he was very much used to the rural surrounding that he formally lived in. Richard was quite a bit helpful, and Theo could feel friendliness towards someone, which he frankly had never felt.
The evening sun had began to descent upon the gravel path, cladding the entirecity market in the bright hue and orange light. It was the time of spring, a pleasnt one at that, and the distant sound of the rythemic clicking of Cicada's.
Theo walked towards Richard's place, which he shared with him for the while he was to stay with him. He had accepted to pay rent for his stay, even when Richard was quite in the opposition of it. But knowing Theo's character, he reluctantly accepted the deal on a fair price.
Theo glanced at the door handle for a while and took a sigh of heavy air.
No response.
"Is Richard..." he said to himself, "Not home?"
His hand reluctantly crept towards the door handle and flicked it open. This was the first time, he thought, Richard has left the door open.
"Richard?"
He was introduced to Richard, his back to the door, his blomd hair having a faint stain of blood on it. The wood of the floor and the table were stained in the darker shade of reddish-brown.
"Richard!" he exclaimed and paused at the doorstep. "Are you okay?"
Richard turned around with a terrifying smirk on his face and gave a hysteric laugh.
"What did he say your name was?" he said trough his evil smirk looking at Theo. He froze at the malevolent tone of his voice.
"Theo." the figure finally said after a while of thinking.
"Who are you?" Theo turned into a defensive stance.
"Who am I?" he laughed harder. He laughed in a deafening tone. "Aren't I Richard?"
Theo stayed quite for a while, analysing the situation. He was long honed with these instincts. His instincts told him that he was, once again, face to face with Death.
With that Richard plunged himself onto Theo knocking him down. His breath was heavy, and his eyes were pure sign of bloodlust. Suddenly he felt the grip on his arm loosen and something change in Richard's body, as he pushed himself black, slamming on the wall.
"Damn it!" the 'man' yelled in pain, "This body... So stubborn."
This body?
Then the man jumped back on him and Theo dodged his attempts. Suddenly , he landed a wound on Theo's face, and lunged back. Theo tried to block the jabs that the man threw on him, failing miserablely. Theo got his nose broken in less than a minute of dodging. But he disclosed no sign of pain.
"Damn it!" the man repeated himself, "And damn you! I don't even think that you're the man... You're useless to us."
Us? Theo was puzzled.
"Who are you?" Theo asked again.
"Don't question me!" the man replied in a fit of fury and stumbled on his feets, barely being able to stand up.
"I will definately get you for this..." he man continued. "You're truly not it."
"I'm truly not who?"
"Don't question me!" he pulled out the gun around his pocket and burst out into laughter.
"Rejoice, Theo!" he said, "And be prepared to meet Death."
Death.
He was once again face to face with it. This was perhaps his final descision of life. Was it all supposed to end here? He didn't believe in destiny afterall. He couldn't feel his inner tremble troubling him no more.
"Accepted death so easily?" asked the man, "What a coward."
He pulled down the safety locks on the gun and his grip on the gun firmed.
Shot.
Before he could pull the trigger and end the story he heard the terrible boom of a gun and blood dripping down his forehead. He didn't have enough time to contemplate what was happening. And the man fell down on his knees. The last thing he heard were Theo's words:
"I hate thieves."