The Search for Freedom

Lil As I expected, the bamboo woman attempted to prick me with her pointed bamboo hands. It was so dangerous if she could prick me. I was sure that her hands could inflict some wounds on me, though they didn't look that sharp in my eyes. I was doing everything I could to avoid her angry attacks. She was determined to prick me somewhere around my body, and she was so fast, but no one was faster than me; even her fastest moves were just a warm up for me, but she tried to prick me many times.

Minutes elapsed, and she was panting right then. Her wet hair and body had turned sweaty. Unlike me, I wasn't panting. I knew I could not be tired easily as a normal human. I had the capability to not become tired, no matter what kind of fight I would be going through.

I was glad and lucky that she hadn't pricked me; I had avoided all of her attacks. Then she stopped for a while and looked down at the ground filled with dead leaves of huge trees. Perhaps she was confused and wondering why she was wasting her time fighting with a boy that she didn't even know. I also wondered why she didn't just be friends with me instead of fighting, despite the fact that she could not win our game.

Yet, the fight wasn't over. The bamboo woman looked straight at me and seemed to want to glue me down. She suddenly attacked me without leaving the spot where she was. I didn't expect this! She could have attacked me, though she was some meters away. It was cool that her hands were adjustable.

It was cool for her, but this time I found it difficult to avoid her attacks because they were quick and adjustable. The bamboo woman pricked me several times. I eventually saw her smiling because she had wounded me on my face, left foot, and left arm after so many attempts. The blood which spurted out from my face, foot, and arm was streaming down. I never expected her bamboo hands to be that sharp.

This bamboo woman was one of those people who rejoiced in seeing someone suffering as a result of their own pain. But I could not blame her because I was also hurting other people, and not just hurting-I was killing them. There was a little difference between me and them; I wasn't rejoicing if I hurt someone, and would never be glad since my conscience was persecuting me for the sins I had committed.

When I thought it was my end, I remembered another way to fight her in an unfair way, like how she fought me. The world would never be fair, so I teleported towards her back and made my favourite martial arts movement. I jumped higher and kicked her on the neck, causing her to bounce off the massive tree and roll down there.

I knew she was still alive. Just like a thick, old bamboo, she needed many attempts before it could be broken. Maybe she was more than just a bamboo, because bamboos swing and bend when waves come, but this woman did not bend. She could be broken but would never bend.

I was walking towards the woman when she suddenly pricked me again, but I was still lucky that I had avoided it. I was more than just lucky when her bamboo hands got stuck on the huge tree behind me. She tried to remove it, but she could not. Those bamboo hands of hers were so sharp, sharper than any sword, that she stuck them on the tree.

It was an opportunity to kill her, so I didn't waste this chance. I got the big stone beside her and stroked it over her head. A loud blast deafened me. What did I do? Everything but her head had exploded. But instead of feeling guilty because of the crime I committed, I felt relieved. There were some wounds I received from her sharp and pointed bamboo hands.

I tore some parts from the woman's shirt and covered the wounds on my left arm and foot with them. I couldn't cover the wound on my face because it was near my eyes and I couldn't see if I'd cover it. So I just wiped the blood and let it stop bleeding. I knew those wounds were far from my intestines and I was far from death, but they could still make me suffer.

The woman was undoubtedly dead. Even her bamboo hand had come back to normal. Her beautiful face was gone, and even her head, because it had been exploded with one stroke of the big and heavy stone.

Perhaps Cain had already seen the third person who was destined to fight me. He told me he was offering the spirits of those people I killed to a powerful spirit who could help him go back to where he came from. But I didn't know why he left this woman for me.

Her spirit might have gone away if Cain was not here. Anyway, I didn't need to worry about it right there, for I was surprised when Cain suddenly appeared in front of me. He was absolutely always at the perfect moment.

"You're really good, Lil-it's nice to see you finished your mission to this woman," Cain said. "But why do you have so many bruises and what kind of absurdity did you do to this woman?"

Who would not be appalled when seeing the woman's face had been squashed by the big and heavy stone? And so did Cain.

"Isn't it obvious that we had a fight? She pricked me many times with her sharp bamboo hands before she died, and that's how I got these bruises. Because of my anger, that's what I did to her. You were right, and, also selfish that you did not help me in killing her. Now look at what happened to my face," I panted.

"Have you forgotten about what you told me? Do I need to remind you about what you said, that you didn't need my help in killing this woman? You should not blame me for what happened to you, because that's your choice, and as you told me before, you're the one who's creating your own destiny. Now look at the destiny you made!"

"There's no use in blaming each other. If you're done with that woman, then can you tell me who's next?"