Virat: Abandoned by Destiny

Lak

Okay.

Today, I'm going to do something extremely important.

Something nobody asked me to do.

Something nobody needs.

Something that may get me killed.

I'm going to give an honest report about Restart Village.

My report.

My observations.

My personal suffering.

My extremely professional analysis.

And before anyone complains...

Yes.

I'm qualified.

How?

I live here.

That's enough.

So...

let's begin.

V

My brother.

V.

That guy is terrifying.

Not because he's always angry.

He's actually pretty calm.

That's the problem.

I've watched him train.

Then train again.

Then train after training.

Then somehow find another reason to train.

One day I asked him,

"Brother, do you have any hobbies?"

He said,

"I train."

I waited.

"Anything else?"

"I train."

I waited again.

"Food?"

"I train."

...

Okay.

I gave up.

This guy's entire personality is basically:

Sword.

Training.

Food.

Repeat.

And somehow...

he's still a good person.

Sometimes his brain is definitely still that of a child.

Especially when T does something ridiculous.

He'll just stand there watching her like this is completely normal.

Brother...

It's not normal.

But when something serious happens...

he changes.

The joking disappears.

The hesitation disappears.

And suddenly you understand why people trust him.

V may still have a lot to learn.

But when something comes to hurt the people he cares about...

he'll stand in front of it.

That's the kind of person he is.

So yeah.

V gets my approval.

Don't tell him.

His ego is already big enough.

Kai

Now...

Kai.

My greatest rival.

My greatest source of entertainment.

And the only person I've seen lose a fight and immediately ask for another one.

This guy gets beaten.

Falls down.

Gets embarrassed.

Stands up.

"One more."

Brother...

WHY?

If someone beat me that badly...

I'd already be three villages away.

I'd be hiding behind a tree.

I'd probably change my name.

But Kai?

No.

He comes back.

Again.

And again.

And again.

At this point I don't know whether he's brave...

or simply doesn't understand the concept of self-preservation.

Actually...

I think it's both.

And his luck with Nefi?

Don't even get me started.

That guy somehow managed to make one of the sweetest girls in the village completely crazy about him.

And does he understand it?

Of course not.

Kai could probably stand in front of Nefi while she says,

"I like you."

And he'd answer,

"Thanks."

...

Brother.

Please.

Use your brain.

It's the thing between your ears.

Try it.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on NovelPhoenix. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Nefi

Speaking of Nefi...

That girl is something else.

She's kind.

She's sweet.

She's adorable.

And completely insane...

when Kai is involved.

I'm serious.

If Nefi wasn't already completely crazy about that idiot...

I would absolutely try my luck.

I mean...

Look at her.

Anyone with functioning eyes would understand.

But no.

Her heart already belongs to Kai.

And apparently I'm not allowed to compete with a man whose greatest talent is getting punched and asking for another punch.

Unbelievable.

Kai's luck is criminal.

His fighting ability?

Questionable.

His intelligence?

Under investigation.

His luck with women?

Absolutely illegal.

I demand justice.

T

Now...

T.

The village's smallest interrogation officer.

This child asks questions.

All the time.

"Why?"

"How?"

"Where?"

"Who?"

"Why?"

"How?"

"Why again?"

T...

Please.

Let me breathe.

One day she asked me,

"Lak, why are you sleeping?"

"Because I'm tired."

"Why are you tired?"

"Because I worked."

"Why did you work?"

"Because I had to."

"Why?"

...

I stared at her.

She stared at me.

I realized something.

There was no winning this conversation.

So I walked away.

She followed me.

"Lak, where are you going?"

"Somewhere without questions."

"Why?"

...

I almost walked into the river.

She's cute.

Very cute.

But if curiosity were a weapon...

T would be a legendary warrior.

And the worst part?

She doesn't even realize she's interrogating people.

She's just curious.

That's what makes her dangerous.

Tiami

Tiami.

The Dragon Queen.

V's sister.

And honestly...

one of the most impressive people I've ever seen.

People don't respect her only because she's powerful.

They respect her because she protects them.

That's different.

Strength can make people afraid.

Protection makes people feel safe.

And when people talk about Tiami...

I can see that safety in their eyes.

She's powerful.

She's confident.

She's frightening when she needs to be.

But there's warmth there too.

Especially toward the people she cares about.

So yeah.

No jokes about Tiami.

She gets my respect.

...

Although if she ever asks me to fight her...

I'm going to suddenly develop a severe fear of death.

Lily

Lily.

This is where I stop joking.

Mostly.

She's probably the person I respect most in this village.

She doesn't need to shout.

She doesn't need to prove anything.

She simply looks at you...

and suddenly you start remembering every mistake you've made in your life.

That's terrifying.

But she's kind.

Not weak-kind.

Strong-kind.

The kind of kindness that comes from someone who knows how cruel the world can be...

and chooses not to become cruel.

That's rare.

And maybe that's why people feel safe around her.

Even me.

I arrived here with no real place to belong.

And somehow...

Lily made staying feel normal.

That's worth more than I can explain.

So...

thank you, Lily.

Also...

if you ever ask me to carry something heavy...

I will immediately become the strongest worker in this village.

I have incredible motivation.

It's called survival.

Niki

And then there's Niki.

Kai's mother.

Now this woman...

I have nothing bad to say about her.

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

She's warm.

She's kind.

And she has that strange ability mothers have...

where they can look at you once and somehow know you've done something stupid.

I respect her.

Honestly...

Kai doesn't deserve how good his mother is.

Sorry, brother.

But facts are facts.

If Niki ever asks me for help...

I'll help.

No jokes.

No complaints.

Because some people deserve respect simply because of the way they treat others.

Niki is one of those people.

And honestly...

I sometimes wonder how someone like her ended up raising Kai.

Then I remember...

maybe Kai wasn't raised badly.

Maybe he just came out like that.

Brald

Now...

Brald.

Village Chief.

My brother.

And I'm going to say something controversial.

I'm not going to praise him.

Why?

Because I'm currently eating the results of his hard work.

That's right.

He's working.

I'm sitting.

He's managing the village.

I'm eating.

He's solving problems.

I'm sleeping.

He's carrying responsibility.

I'm enjoying free accommodation.

Honestly...

his hard work is benefiting me tremendously.

So why would I insult him?

...

Okay, maybe I still will.

Brald is too serious sometimes.

He thinks too much.

He watches everything.

He notices everything.

And that's annoying when you're trying to do something stupid.

You can tell when he's looking at you.

You don't even need to turn around.

You just feel it.

That disappointed silence.

Terrifying.

Still...

he's a good man.

But I refuse to call him Chief every five seconds.

Brother is easier.

And if he ever kicks me out...

I'll remind him that I am an important part of the village economy.

I eat.

Therefore...

I contribute.

Somehow.

Alistair

Now...

Alistair.

This guy.

I have questions.

Many questions.

First...

where does he even go?

I swear I see him once...

then he's gone.

I look somewhere else...

he's there.

I blink...

gone.

Brother...

are you walking?

Or are you teleporting?

I have a theory.

He's a ghost.

No.

A shadow.

Actually...

a shadow sounds better.

A shadow that always appears behind someone when they're least expecting it.

And apparently...

that's basically his title.

I don't know that.

So I'm not insulting him.

I'm simply describing him.

If he gets angry...

that's his problem.

Not mine.

Edran

And then...

there's Edran.

...

I have no explanation for this man.

None.

He is either extremely intelligent...

or completely insane.

Possibly both.

I once saw him near the waterfall.

He was holding an old piece of paper.

The paper looked ancient.

He stared at it for a long time.

Then he started talking about promises.

Time.

People forgetting.

Things that should have lasted...

but didn't.

I understood absolutely nothing.

My brain looked at the situation and said,

"Lak..."

"Yes?"

"Walk away."

For once...

my brain saved my life.

So I stayed hidden.

Whatever that paper meant...

it wasn't my business.

But for a moment...

Edran didn't look crazy.

He looked tired.

Like he'd been carrying something for years.

That's the strange thing about people.

Sometimes the person everyone calls crazy...

is simply someone carrying a story nobody understands.

...

Okay.

That was deep.

I hate when I accidentally become philosophical.

The Village Boys

Now...

the children.

Some of the boys here keep bothering me.

They call me crazy.

"Crazy Lak."

"He's weird."

"Don't listen to him."

Excuse me?

I'm not crazy.

I'm just operating at a level your brains haven't reached.

That's all.

One of them once threw a small stone near me and ran away laughing.

I chased him.

He screamed.

His friends screamed.

I stopped.

Because apparently...

chasing children through a peaceful village makes me look like the crazy one.

Unfair.

But I don't hate them.

They're children.

Maybe one day they'll grow up.

Maybe they'll still call me crazy.

Honestly...

I'd rather they remember me.

Sometimes...

I sit outside my room at night.

My magnificent room.

My luxurious residence.

My glorious storage-room kingdom.

Yes.

The great Lak...

lives beside the firewood.

What a life.

But...

I don't really complain anymore.

Because it's mine.

And that's strange.

When I first came here...

I thought I'd leave.

A few days.

Maybe a few weeks.

Then I'd find somewhere else.

But somehow...

I stopped thinking about leaving.

I learned the village.

The roads.

The river.

The mountains.

The houses.

The people.

V's training place.

Kai's usual stupidity zone.

T's favorite places.

Lily's routine.

Brald's work.

Nefi following Kai around like her life depends on it.

Alistair appearing out of nowhere.

Edran being...

Edran.

And Tiami's presence making everyone feel safer.

I learned all of it without realizing I was learning it.

That's what home does.

It doesn't announce itself.

It just becomes familiar.

One day...

you look around...

and realize you would miss it if it disappeared.

And then...

there's my luck.

My beautiful luck.

My wonderful, magnificent, cursed luck.

What did I do to deserve this?

Seriously.

Why me?

I arrive in a strange world.

I end up in a village.

I get arrested.

I get called crazy.

I live beside firewood.

I get questioned by a child.

I have to deal with Kai.

I watch Nefi love Kai while I stand there questioning the fairness of the universe.

And somehow...

I'm still alive.

Maybe the gods forgot about me.

Or maybe they remembered me...

and decided this was funnier.

If that's the case...

I have one message for them.

Very funny.

Please stop.

And then...

there's you.

Yes.

You.

The Author.

Don't think I forgot about you.

You created me.

You threw me into this world.

You gave me a personality.

You gave me a terrible life.

You made me deal with V.

You made me deal with Kai.

You made me deal with T.

You made me deal with Nefi's Kai obsession.

You made me live in a storage room.

You made children call me crazy.

And after all that...

you probably expect me to be grateful.

Absolutely not.

Author...

I have questions.

Why am I always the one suffering?

Why is everyone around me stronger than me?

Why does Kai have better luck than me?

Why does Nefi have eyes only for that idiot?

Why does T ask approximately seventeen thousand questions per minute?

And most importantly...

WHY IS MY ROOM NEXT TO THE FIREWOOD?

I know you can hear me.

Don't pretend you can't.

You created the problem.

Fix it.

Give me a proper room.

A bed.

A chair.

Maybe a table.

And preferably...

a door that doesn't look like it was made during the Stone Age.

If you don't...

I'll expose you to the readers.

I'll tell them everything.

Your secrets.

Your mistakes.

Your questionable decisions.

Your terrible jokes.

...

Actually...

they already know.

Never mind.

Still.

I'm watching you.

But...

I'll admit something.

You didn't completely ruin my life.

Because somehow...

this place became important to me.

V.

Kai.

T.

Tiami.

Nefi.

Lily.

Niki.

Brald.

Even Alistair.

Even Edran.

Even the annoying children who call me crazy.

They're all part of my life now.

And that's dangerous.

Because once you start caring...

you have something to lose.

I don't like that.

Feelings are troublesome.

Jokes are safer.

But...

maybe that's what living actually means.

You meet people.

You laugh.

You argue.

You get annoyed.

You get embarrassed.

You get hurt.

And somewhere along the way...

those people become important.

Maybe that's what happened to me.

I came here thinking this place was temporary.

Now...

I can't imagine leaving it.

So maybe...

Restart Village really is home.

...

Damn.

I said something meaningful again.

Disgusting.

I'm going to blame the Author.

Obviously.

Everything is his fault.

Tomorrow...

I'll bother Kai.

V will probably train.

T will ask me another hundred questions.

Nefi will probably be staring at Kai again.

Lily will probably save someone from doing something stupid.

Brald will probably work while I benefit from his hard work.

Niki will probably worry about her idiot son.

Tiami will probably continue being terrifyingly impressive.

Alistair will probably appear behind someone like a ghost.

Edran will probably do something that makes absolutely no sense.

And some kid will probably call me crazy.

Normal day.

Normal village.

Normal Lak.

...

Well.

As normal as my life can possibly be.

And Author...

one last thing.

If you make me sleep beside the firewood again tomorrow...

I'm replacing your entire chapter with a blank page.

Good luck explaining that to your readers.

Lak.