"Traitor! Traitor! Traitor!"
The angry chants echoed through the cold morning air, jolting Kael awake. His eyes blinked open, and for a moment, he struggled to remember where he was. But the stench of rotting food and the weight of hatred in the air brought the memory crashing back.
A half-eaten apple struck him on the shoulder, followed by a cascade of spoiled vegetables and garbage. The villagers hurled insults as viciously as they threw waste.
"Murderer!"
"You killed our only healer."
Kael's jaw clenched, his body tense with frustration. The weight of their words crushed him more than the filth they hurled. His hands, still bound tightly, ached as he struggled against the restraints.
"SHUT UP!"
Kael's voice thundered across the square, silencing the mob for a brief moment. His chest heaved as he glared at the crowd, his eyes burning with barely contained rage. But as the silence stretched, the weight of his situation settled in.
He finally took in his surroundings—standing atop a raised wooden platform in the heart of the village square. All eyes were on him, filled with hatred, fear, and disgust.
The moment of quiet was fleeting.
"You dare tell us to shut up after taking the life of our only healer?!"a woman's voice pierced through the crowd, her words laced with venom. "Have you no shame?"
The crowd erupted again, louder, angrier.
The guards flanking Kael shifted uneasily, their hands gripping their weapons tightly. One of them raised a hand to signal for calm.
"Settle down!" one barked, though his voice barely carried over the roar of the crowd.
But the chaos finally subsided when a commanding presence stepped forward. The village chief, an aging man with a weathered face and piercing eyes, cleared his throat.
"Ahem."
The crowd's shouting tapered off, replaced by murmurs of anticipation.
Kael's heart pounded as the chief approached, his expression unreadable. But Kael knew—whatever came next would seal his fate.
"People of Renvale," he began, his tone commanding the attention of every soul in the square. "We stand here today not out of desire, but out of necessity." "Our village has been struck by a terrible loss..."
"Mira, the woman who saved many lives with her talent for healing, is no longer with us."
Greif washed over the crowd, murmurs of sorrow along with lingering anger. The chief's expression hardened as his gaze returned to Kael. "The man who took that light from us stands before you now." His voice was cold, and unforgiving.
"Kael, once one of our own, now a traitor. You betrayed the trust of this village, of your friends, and of the people who welcomed you as family."
Kael's jaw clenched, but he said nothing.
I have heard the pleas for mercy, but mercy is a gift given to the repentant. What I see before me is a man who shows no remorse.
The crowd murmured, some nodding in agreement, others whispering uncertainly.
"Our laws are clear, murder cannot go unanswered, and betrayal will not go unpunished.
He took a step closer to Kael, his expression unreadable.
"For the crime of murder... and for the betrayal of this village."
Kael's heart began beating faster with each heartbeat heavier than the one before.
"I sentence Kael to death."
The crowd erupted, some cheering, others murmuring in grim acceptance.
Kael felt numb... the village he once loved and cared for... the village he protected had betrayed him.
"One week from now." The chief added, his tone final, "Justice will be served."
The guards held onto Kael escorting him towards the waiting carriage. They arrived at their destination at dawn, and they threw Kael into a wooden prison while his hands were still tied up behind him.
Kael was in a deep slumber until a guard came and knock on his cell signaling him to wake up. When Kael woke up, he saw a plate of food Infront of him which consisted of a piece of bread and a cup of water.
"tch"
Kael hissed his teeth, asking the guard to untie the ropes that bounds his hands. The guard was reluctant to untie his shackles but let out a deep sigh as he untied the ropes. After being untied Kael began rubbing his wrists as he hasn't been able to do so in a long while.
While Kael was eating his food, he began thinking of a way to escape the prison as he could not die without finding out the truth about what happened to his best friend. Kael starts to think about his parents which he lost the previous year and says to himself.
"I always seem to lose the people of which I care for dearly."
Kael went back sleep, each day Kael thought about ways he could escape the prison. His hate for the people of this village grew day by day. On the fourth day of being in the wooden prison a sudden prompt appeared Infront of his face.
-|KARMA SYSTEM IS ONLINE|-
-|SYSTEM HAS STARTED TO ACTIVATE|-
-|AWAITING MANUAL OVERRIDE|-
-|DO YOU WISH TO BE THE SYSTEM'S USER?|-
-| YES | NO |-
Kael was confused as he stared at the floating screen Infront of him. "Karma system?" Kael said confusingly. Kael thought about it and said that "I'm about to be executed anyways so I might as well just test it out."
"Yes." Kael said mentally.
-|MANUAL OVERRIDE SUCCESSFUL|-
-|SYSTEM IS UPDATING, PLEASE BE PATIENT|-
-|SYSTEM UPDATE COMPLETE|-
Kael watched the system window in awe as the different prompts appeared. His heart fluttered as he heard the footstep of a guard approaching his cell. Kael was afraid that the guard would see the system window, but it was already too late as the guard stood Infront of the cell.
While the guard was putting the food through the cell, he noticed how kale looked at him intensely and asked him if something was wrong. "No, no, it's nothing." Kael said responding to the guard. After the guard left Keal realized that he was the only person who could see the system window.
Kael reverted his gaze towards the system window where he saw new information.
-|USER: KAEL|-
-|RACE: HUMAN|-
-|GENDER: MALE|-
-|LEVEL: 1|-
-|EXP: 0/100|-
-|HEALTH 78/100|-