Walking through his little village, Malek found the children playing around. He knew each child individually pretty well, not because he wanted to, but because they always played around him. He was the village's big uncle who could help with anything.
His physical strength was great while his knowledge was extensive. As a retired mage, he was capable of plenty without his powers. So he was the go-to man for any question the people had.
Even Jacob, who was an actual mage, had plenty of respect for the man, and that wasn't just for any reason. His wisdom far outpaced his own, and Jacob recognized that strength was not important when it came to a person's personality.
Jacob was a monster compared to the magicless villagers, yet they cared more for Malek than him, showing him that at the end of the road it wasn't power that gathered people, but charisma.
Malek was able to create a new life here, away from all the fighting, isolated from the world.
Every morning Malek woke up at the same hour, before anyone else was awake besides the baker. Moving outside he took a bow and a few arrows with him. Walking towards the nearby hill, he meditated for a few moments before seeing the sun come up.
The sky colored orange with a cold morning breeze is what truly woke him up.
"Are you training again, Malek?", Jessica, one of the single ladies in the village had followed him to the place quite often. Waking up so early wasn't normal, but she had the motivation to do so for a simple reason. With her long black hair combed so smooth, and her simple clothing, she looked fantastic. She was the beauty of the village, but no man dared to take interest in her.
"Of course.", Malek gave her his gentle smile, filled with kindness, Jessica couldn't get enough of it. "Then I'll watch.", placing down a large sheet, she sat down while taking the basket she brought with her in her hands.
Malek stood up and grabbed his bow. Tightening the string a bit he pulled it back without shooting any arrows, just to see if it was still well-adjusted. Taking a single arrow, his concentration shot in the air as his muscles tensed up.
Pulling the arrow back, he slightly aimed upwards, feeling the wind on his face while he kept the arrow back. The longer he held that stance the harder it became, yet he showed absolutely no sign of struggle.
Releasing it at the perfect time, the arrow shot forward with immaculate precision. Curving slightly due to the wind, it landed in the middle of a tree stump at the bottom of the hill.
"Another perfect shot.", Jessica applauded his efforts, but Malek had just started. Taking another arrow, he aimed at the exact same place. The wind had died down a bit, closing his eyes, he focussed on his stance. Releasing his hand, the arrow shot forward once more, hitting the previous arrow, splitting it in two.
Applause occurred again as Malek took his next arrow, each one fired of slightly different but hit the exact same place. His control was unmatched. With each shot, Jessica applauded.
Once all his arrows were gone, he put his bow down and turned to face Jessica. She had prepared him breakfast. "Sit, let's eat something."
Malek smiled as he spent his morning with her. This had become quite a habit for them. Malek woke up, came to the hill, trained his archery and ate his breakfast with Jessica. They spent so much time together, but neither had taken a step forward.
Eating in silence, Jessica simply enjoyed being with him, the food was but a way to pass the time.
"Thank you, Jessica. It was delicious.", she simply nodded lightly before packing everything up.
"Are you going to teach the children again?", Malek only shook his head slightly in response. "I don't know yet, each day I just do what I fancy."
Jessica covered her mouth, chuckling slightly, "That's a pretty carefree way of life."
"Hah, I just go with the flow, whatever happens, happens. We can only move along."
She tilted her head slightly. "What if I ask you to take a walk with me then?", her question was genuine, but she was clearly showing her intent.
Malek froze in place as he stared at the woods below. Seeing him stand there, Jessica already knew the answer.
"I...", Malek stammered, he couldn't get the words over his lips. Being a former Rank 3 mage who fought in plenty of gruesome battles and even earning the moniker Demon Archer during his heyday, he couldn't get the words over his lips.
"It's okay, Malek, you can say it.", despite having heard the answer plenty of times, she never stopped her pursuit. She just appreciated the strong image of Malek against the rising sun.
"I am not ready...", his speech slow, paces between each word, Jessica waited patiently as he urged him on.
"Why?"
"I still haven't forgotten my previous spouse. I'm sorry.", Malek felt disappointed in himself for not being able to speak so openly about it, but Jessica didn't mind it. She knew that Malek was still being haunted by his previous relationships that all turned out wrong.
Malek loved plenty of people, almost everyone in the village, but attaching a romantic aspect to it was difficult. Being betrayed, stabbed in the back and losing someone precious because of his status, Malek had experienced it all. All it ever brought was pain, so he decided to stop looking for love.
Jessica nodded to his response, "I know. I can only hope you'll find a place to put those emotions. You can't stay stuck in the past Malek.", standing up, she left the man behind.
"You're a fool.", Malek couldn't help but speak his thoughts out loud as he stared at the lush forest at the bottom of the hill.
"You're a fool.", almost exasperated, Malek almost lost his energy to start the day.
Walking down the hill he collected his, now broken, arrows. His shots had left quite the impact on the tree, chipping away at its bark. Rubbing his fingers over the impact spot, he was extremely critical of himself.
"Missed my second and fourth shot. I'm starting to lose touch with my skills.", he was off an almost undiscernable amount, but as he did this kind of training for years, it was as obvious as the difference between day and night.
Standing there, looking at his broken arrows, he couldn't help but think back to his past. When he was in his prime, he was an incredible archer the world of magic rarely saw. His achievements were the source of jealousy of many. Yet here he was, pulling out a splinter from his finger after rubbing the tree for a bit.
His strength had waned, his magic dried up, his powers became lost. At the end of his path he was a man who had lost everything he had. Just by taking revenge, all his powers were torn from his being.
'If I didn't kill those men, would I still...?'
The times people bowed in fear for him, when he was able to fly where he wanted without anyone being able to stop him. The golden age for him was gone, just because he killed the people who killed his family.
"Was that so wrong?!", he almost yelled out at the tree, as if it personified the world. "All I did was bring peace to my dead family, and the cost was all I had built up? All my work, effort, tears, and blood, washed away because of a few lives?!"
He punched the tree, hurting his hand, chafing it. Feeling the pain in his fingers, seeing them stained red, his anger only grew. His inability to move on from his previous life hung to him like an anchor, dragging him down. His fear of making the same mistakes with Jessica, only worsened his fury at himself.
An hour or so passed as he calmed down. Sitting there underneath the tree, some people saw him from a distance as they took a walk. The children waved their hands with exaggerated movements. Malek displayed a kind smile as he waved back, the bloody knuckles hidden from their sight.
"How long will this last?"