53 Side Story:Vladimir

"Do you know the story of Vladimir, the pirate?" the little boy stared puzzlingly with his big innocent eyes at the figure that addressed the question to him. A hearty laughter sounded before being replaced by a manly voice.

"Once upon a time, there was a small peaceful island, somewhere in the ocean, a forgotten country. The people there were living happily, isolated from the rest of the world. The protagonist of the story was a fisherman. His name was Vladimir, a hard-working man that had to fight with the waves daily to support his family. His benignant character had made him especially loved to his fellow villagers."

"Was he strong?" the chirping voice of the boy caused the appearance of a small smile on the face of the man.

"I'll leave the decision to you after you have heard the whole story."

The boy grimaced with dissatisfaction upon hearing his answer but continued listening obediently.

"Vladimir and his family were living peacefully until the sudden appearance of several foreign navy ships. The locals were afraid but still tried to welcome them to the island. Unfortunately, these people had come with hostile intentions. They didn't appreciate their kindness. They started killing them instead."

"W-why?"

"Greediness. They saw that the locals were weak, and they decided to enslave them as well as steal their wealth."

"These people are bad!"

"Vladimir was taken by them and became a slave. He managed to save neither his precious wife nor his two cute children. They made him fight his friends in the arena for his survival. Vladimir couldn't restrain his rage and hatred towards the invaders that destroyed his life. He escaped and started saving people that were in a similar situation to him. His talent at reading the direction of the wind rendered impossible for the authorities to arrest him whenever he set sail. It didn't take long for Vladimir to become a notorious and unstoppable pirate."

"Vladimir is amazing!"

"However, he had become cruel and merciless. He never spared the life of a single captive. He even tortured them until their very end. Surprisingly, Vladimir managed to succeed in his revenge, as his actions provoked severe repercussions to the country's economy. Like it had happened to his island, a foreign force took advantage of their conflict and invaded. "

"He did it then!" the boy shouted with excitement as he clenched his fist triumphantly.

"You are wrong! What Vladimir had lost was something he couldn't gain again. He created a vicious cycle instead since a victim similar to him that had lost his family because of him, murdered him. Many innocent people suffered the consequences of his rage. Violence causes more violence, never forget that my son." he answered as he looked at him lovingly. He was about to open his mouth again when a voice filled with anger suddenly sounded.

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"Leonheart! What kind of stories are you saying to my baby!" a woman with silver straight hair charged in the room and hugged the little boy. She was unimaginably beautiful to the point she didn't seem real. Even her ethereal voice was bewitching.

"Come on, my angel. You are always the one who is narrating stories, so I thought I could..." her glare forced him to swallow his words. In their Household, his wife was the one who ruled the roost.

"If you want to narrate stories about a pirate, choose someone like Morgan and not a villain like Vladimir! Have you any idea how old is Rohan?"

"Don't you beautify Morgan too much? I have never heard of a kindhearted pirate!"

"Don't dare to insult my childhood hero!"

The scene of two adults arguing for something so ridiculous made the boy to roar with laughter. The two parents also chuckled, creating a harmonious atmosphere that was unfortunately disrupted by the sound of the knock on the door.

Upon receiving permission, a man wearing a dazzling armor entered. He approached the father of the child and whispered something that made his face momentarily change.

"Are you sure?" he asked with a quiet voice, hoping that the information was wrong.

"Yes, sir."

"Wait for me outside."

"Yes, sir."

"What's the matter, dear?" the woman asked with worry upon hearing their conversation. Leonheart shook his head and approached his wife, muttering something. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she tried to calm herself down. She looked at the little boy and hugged him again, but tightly this time.

"M-mom! It hurts!"

"Listen to me, Rohan. Do you know what a hero is?" she asked with a sweet voice that made Rohan to relax.

"The strongest person?"

"No, my baby. It's the person that can leave his past behind and move forward. Never forget these words, and you'll be alright. Me and your father love you so much. Goodbye, my precious child." she answered as she kissed his forehead. The boy felt his eyes becoming heavier before everything turned into darkness. When he opened them again, he found himself riding a horse with a knight.

"Where am I?" Rohan asked with difficulty. His body was still numb from his sleep.

"Please be patient, sir. We have almost escaped."

His green eyes wandered around, scrutinizing the unfamiliar environment. The headache prevented him from thinking clearly. He could only discern a distant light that was following them with blistering speed. It was approaching closer and closer until it passed from above him. The boy didn't have time to understand what happened when he suddenly found himself, together with the knight, falling from the horse. The large body of the man protected him from the plunge. He could feel, though, the sensation of the hot blood that had soaked his face. Rohan instinctively understood that it belonged to his companion, but the realization didn't prevent him from breaking down. Alas, the figure that was approaching him didn't seem to care about his sobbing.

"I finally found you, little boy. My luck is good."

Rohan was too scared to understand what the opposite party meant. He was, after all, only five years old.

"Killing a small kid will leave me a bad taste, but I don't have another choice. Blame your parents for giving birth to you." the figure said and pointed his hand at the boy. A bright light appeared again, forcing Rohan to look at last at him. His appearance wasn't much different from humans except for the two horns that existed on his head. That was the only thing he could think as the light blinded him.

"Are you alright, boy?" the manly voice resembled his father's, making Rohan to open his eyes hurriedly, but the spectacle almost scared him to death. A devil with fiery red hair was standing in front of him, holding an ax made of fire. The demon had mysteriously disappeared, and only a strange black dust was in his position.

"I am sorry. My metamorphosis is a little intimidating. From your silver hair, you must be Leonheart's son. What are you doing so far away from your home?"

"I..."

"Did your parents sent you to me on purpose? I met with them only five days ago. Forget it. I can guess that something is wrong. Although I am hesitant about taking you with me, I can't leave you alone here. Let's go, kid."

*****

The debris around him made him doubt if they had come to the right place. The surroundings were too horrifying for any sane person, much less a child. Countless corpses of humans and demons that had made the ground reddish. The man was holding the boy in his hands to prevent him from seeing anything, but Rohan's eyes managed to detect them momentarily. It might have been the connection of the blood, but he saw their severed heads impaled on pikes.

'Do you know the story of Vladimir, the pirate?'

'I'll leave the decision to you after you have heard the whole story.'

'Listen to me, Rohan. Do you know what a hero is?'

'No, my baby. It's the person that can leave his past behind and move forward. Never forget these words, and you'll be alright. Me and your father love you so much. Goodbye, my precious child.'

"No..."

Vomiting, crying, and again vomiting.

******

"You are awake, boy."

"..."

"From now on, you'll be my son. I owe it to your father."

"..."

"I swear I'll take care of you. It's an oath of a lifetime, the oath of an S-ranked adventurer."

"..."

"Will you tell me at least your name?"

Rohan raised his head and stared at him with his dead eyes.

"Vladimir. My name is Vladimir."