This chapter. Then, the epilogue.

Succession

Chapter 9

For another year, Karel wandered. But he did not kill – at least not without a second thought.

Yet he still felt the calling of his home – the scarlet plain. Still enshrouded in darkness, he drifted aimlessly towards the calling.

The scarlet plains were in a perpetual sunset. At just the right latitude to the north, the sun stayed near the horizon and only during the midnight hours would the sun recede.

When Karel visited his homeland again, there was no fire or blood. Just the sun. He could make out the house on the hill of which he could remember only death, now with new life. The bodies of his parents and brother were now in their proper graves in the yard behind the house.

Karla was married with Bartre and now had a baby girl.

"Come here Fir…"

The small baby crawled onto her mother's lap, cooing with enthusiasm.

Karel stood at the doorway, not knowing how to respond to the baby. So instead, he said,

"Karla. I have returned."

"Karel."

The baby, who had an amazingly fast development of vocabulary, said,

"KA – REL! KA-REL!"

"Uncle Karel, Fir," Karla added.

"UN-KL KA-REL!"

Baby Fir continued to spout Karel's name phonetically as Karla and Karel started to converse.

"So, Brother, what brings you here?"

"Karla… though I am inspired by your and others' dedication… it is too late for me. A cloud of darkness and an urge to kill continuously follows me. I cannot kill you, but I itch for the blood of all. I am afraid that I am and always will be… the Sword Demon."

"Brother…"

"…"

Karla coughed at this point. Hard.

"Karla! Are you okay? You look pale."

Karla tried to discreetly wipe off a dribble of blood from the corner of her mouth with the back of her left hand.

However, Karel grabbed her left wrist and twisted it so that he could see the scarlet mark that was evident.

"Karla! This is why mother was dying! This is consumption!"

"…"

Just then, heavy, but fast footsteps were heard. Bartre crashed open the door, having come home from his mercenary job.

"Karla! I heard you coughing again! Are you…?"

Bartre trailed off as he saw Karel.

"You!"

"Bartre? You are the father of this child?"

"Uh… Um…"

Karla interrupted weakly,

"Brother… he is. It's okay…"

Bartre was against the wall in fright. Luckily for him…

"Do not worry, Bartre. There is no danger to your health from me."

Bartre looked as though he dodged a bullet – or sword. Hurriedly, he picked up Fir and sat on the couch, listening to what remained of the conversation.

"Karla… Your condition is very advanced…"

"I know, brother. It's okay though, even if I die… Fir will carry on for me. And I'll teach her as much as I can before I pass on…"

"I…"

Karel hesitated, knowing that this would be one of the last times he would see his sister.

"I love you, sister Karla. I want you to know that in case I don't get to see you again."

Karla smiled and closed her eyes.

"I love you too, brother Karel."

Then she slept, conserving her energy to combat the illness.

Bartre, now standing solemnly, kindly asked Karel to leave while she slept.

Shuffling, Karel turned back to say goodbye one last time.

"BYE-BYE, UNCLE KAREL!"

Karel gave a faint smile, and left.

When near Karla's presence, his darkness felt lighter, but now it returned two-fold. His back groaned under the weight of the burdens he carried and lived with.

Karel stumbled forwards, towards the south.

He vividly recalled slicing through the side of Lloyd Reed, his hand gripping it tightly.

Karel stumbled to the side, towards the west.

He vividly recalled stabbing his student Guy through the heart after his apprentice pulled back his attack.

Karel fell over backwards, towards the east.

His sister coughed up obscene amounts of blood.

"No…."

Everyone Karel knew was dead or was soon to be dead.

His adversary, Lloyd.

His student, Guy.

His sister, Karla.

Yet he realized that he had killed them all. Even his sister – albeit indirectly. He killed her by killing their family, forcing her to take up swords to find her brother. He had killed her heart and killed his own. Her heart survived, his didn't.

He couldn't feel. He couldn't remember. He couldn't understand. He couldn't forgive. He couldn't regret. He could only kill.

"Damnit…"

He couldn't live…

"Damnit…"

With a cry, he unsheathed his sword and stabbed it in the earth of the scarlet plains.

"Damnit…"

The Wo Dao pulsed its energy outwards and drew Karel in, and he didn't resist. He flung himself into the world of the Wo Dao and screamed out to the dark.

"I want a rematch!"