The Achievement Junkie

Those words were hard enough for Daruun to share, but he choked on the next sentence, "And… beside her was… Mea… my pregnant wife… she was… surrounded by his men and his son…"

Daruun remained silent for a moment, still not showing emotions, only letting them loose through his words or the lack thereof.

Seeing the confident, all-knowing god of fate breaking down right before his eyes, Jack was speechless. Nothing he thought of was worth saying and had no way to comfort the immortal god before him. And Jack understood that even if he had something to say, what good would it be compared to the vast knowledge or experience of Daruun?

"That was the day I broke."

Daruun finally continued. "I charged toward the men holding down my wife, intent to slaughter them all regardless of the reputation that my father-in-law taught me to uphold. But I was intercepted by some hired mercenaries. Compared to nearly everyone in the city I could hold my own, but I had never considered the possibility of facing someone bred to fight and kill. I didn't let myself think that the other merchant would go so far and pay such a high price…

"I was chained and beaten while my wife was defiled in front of me… Afterward, they tortured her, killing her slowly along with my unborn child… Next, they killed my mother-in-law and eventually my father-in-law…

"I'm not sure why, but they didn't kill me," added Daruun. "Instead, they continued to beat me and then paraded my naked, beaten self around town like a trophy, an example of what would happen if someone stood against them.

"After some time, they released me and banned me from the city. I was thrown out into the barren desert without a shirt on my back and with dried blood covering my entire person. My only choice was to die or struggle beyond what I was physically able in order to survive.

"I swore that I would get revenge. There wasn't any devil or god that could've convinced me otherwise. I had to kill them. Part of me even wanted to burn the entire city to the ground to erase such terrible memories from existence…"

As Daruun's voice faded and he paused yet again, Jack remembered something. The story that Daruun had shared back at the camp. The story of a merchant who was broken and lost everything, succumbing to the hunger for power and revenge.

"Daruun… That story you told me earlier, was it about you?"

The corners of Daruun's lips slowly and painfully curled upward. "You're right. That story was mine. Since you've realized that, then you should understand how the rest goes. After spending years in search of strength by any means, I finally found it.

"I raced back to Bragdor. I stormed through the city's main gate and forced my way towards my old home, which had been renovated and became that disgusting merchant's new manor. I left nothing standing as I razed the place. After destroying the manor, I killed his guards, the same men I once worked alongside. Next, I dragged the merchant and his son through the streets, beating them and all city guards that dared to stop me.

"They hadn't recognized me, something I didn't notice till the merchant beaten so badly that he wasn't able to lift even a finger. I said my name, but he only shouted for more guards to came and take me away. For some reason, he thought it impossible that I could kill him. But I did.

"And once the merchant was dead, I slaughtered his son and his family… After that, I slaughtered the families of the guards that had betrayed me… and the other smaller merchants that had made similar offers in the past… and everyone who had laughed and mocked me when I was paraded around town in shame…

"I had massacred an entire city," Daruun sighed, leaving Jack stunned.

"Don't you have questions to ask me? Like, 'Why would you go too far?' 'Why the whole city?' Or 'Was it worth it?'"

Jack said nothing but was still unable to keep his thoughts to himself as Daruun listed the questions Jack had at the front of his mind.

"First, I went that far because no matter how many people I killed, it never felt like enough," answered Daruun. "Second, I killed the whole city because I blamed the development of that situation on the environment that created the filth and sleaze that was that grimy merchant.

"And third, no… It wasn't worth it."

Surprised by Daruun's third answer, Jack asked, "What do you mean? Didn't you finally avenge your family and gain closure?"

"No, I gained no sense of closure from the massacre I had caused. No matter how I thought about it or how I tried to justify my actions, I could never remove the scar that was branded on my heart. No amount of spilled blood was able to wash that scar away."

Daruun let Jack ponder that a moment before continuing, "Only after searching for what fate truly was did I start to heal the hole in my heart. I spent countless years searching for some kind of meaning to the fate I had experienced. I wondered what I could've changed or what was unchangeable. I soon started to look beyond my pain and question my very existence.

"After spending many years wandering the deserts of my homeworld, I stumbled upon a discovery. Beneath the sand were ancient ruins. It took time, but I eventually found more and more of those ancient ruins. It was through those ruins that I found a way off of that planet. And after spending lifetimes gaining more and more strength, I stand before you as the Daruun I am now, the all-seeing, all-powerful ruler of the Fate District."

"HUH?!"

Floored by the sudden shift from Daruun's emotional storytelling to the reveal of his true position, Jack had no idea what to say next.

"You… You're the… There's a…"

"Calm down, Jack. Take another sip of the wine, it'll help your nerves," Daruun chuckled.

Doing exactly that, Jack downed the contents of the wine in one gulp, which forcefully calmed his body and mind.

"Good, now I can answer the second part of your question if you'd like."

Confused, Jack scratched his head. "Second part?"

"You want to know my ties to Kartonia, don't you?"

"YES! Yes, I do!" More anxious then ever, Jack leaned in to pay better attention as Daruun willingly offered more information.

"This part of my story isn't as long," stated Daruun. "Simply put, I created this world as an experiment."

"Huh?"

"Jack, remember this." Daruun looked Jack in the eyes. "Beyond this world are people far stronger than anything you can imagine. Something like creating a world is rare, but not impossible. As for why I made it, I wanted to test my abilities and ended up creating Kartonia ages ago.

"Though I created the world, my position as a district ruler keeps me from directly interfering with the happenings of this world," explained Daruun. "That's why I devised the level system and integrated it into how this world and its people react to cosmic energy."

"Cosmic energy?" Jack was only getting more confused as Daruun continued his explanation.

Daruun sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Don't worry about cosmic energy for now. Just understand that throughout the void that our galaxy exists within, cosmic energy flows eternally. Every world reacts to it differently, some only gaining enough to create life, like your homeworld, and others naturally gaining abilities to accumulate that cosmic energy and grow stronger.

"Here, I wrote the level system into the very fabric of the world, making sure that its inhabitants would have a way to grow stronger and possibly become strong enough to leave the planet naturally," Daruun explained further.

"But while I managed to create a means for growth here, I eventually made a couple of mistakes that almost led to the extinction of the world. Remember the godly war you've heard so much about?"

Jack tried to piece together the jumbled up puzzle that was the conversation. "You mean… You created the gods... by accident? And that led to you needing me to fight them in your stead?"

"Exactly!" Happy to see Jack figure it out, Daruun poured Jack another glass. "I'm glad you've come to more properly realize your role."

"I do have one question though," Jack added.

"So long as it pertains to this topic, I might answer it."

"You said people would eventually get strong enough to leave the planet naturally. Has that ever happened?" asked Jack.

Daruun answered him outright, "No."

"Has anyone gotten close?"

"I'd say that Halmut and Skaryn are close, but they've deceived themselves and made it impossible."

"What do you mean?"

Daruun smiled back at his champion, glad that after the many conversations he and Jack had shared, Jack was finally open to genuinely listen and take Daruun's advice to heart.

"Imagine this," stated Daruun. "What if Halmut and Skaryn weren't fighting each other, but fighting alongside each other?"

"That would be a terrifying force to face," Jack replied with a shake of his head. "But how would they get stronger when there's no one else to face for EXP?"

"A good question. Something that they should've asked my ages ago."

With a thought in mind, Jack asked, "How well do Halmut and Skaryn know you?"

Daruun started to laugh, "That's another question that you don't currently have the means to ask."