The mercenaries fell silent, paralyzed by what had just happened, until one of them ventured a guess: "So that they cannot counterattack with lightning speed?"
The King of Thieves cut off his head and said with cold features: "Do not dare to answer if you do not know."
Everyone fell silent in their fear. The King of Thieves said: "Let me tell you a story the likes of which you will never hear again."
In fear, one of the mercenaries asked: "What do you mean? We won't hear another, Boss?"
He replied as the neck of the one who asked went flying: "Just like that… this story will be buried with you. 17 remain. Whoever wants to hear it, let him be silent; and whoever wants to die quickly, let him speak."
One of the mercenaries shouted: "What are you doing, Boss?!" Another head flew, and the King of Thieves said: "16 people."
One of the mercenaries began counting those present, finding that the number in the room—other than the King of Thieves—was 19. He said: "He excluded three. Who are they? Is it possible he excluded the cursed strangers?"
He shouted, and the last thing he heard was the King of Thieves saying: "15."
The King of Thieves began to speak: "Let us return to the past. Do you want to know what made me this way? Fine… I was born in the middle of the mountains. My father was fleeing from a blood feud with a certain king. When I was born, my mother was happy with me, despite being exhausted. My father was indifferent, then he said: 'His name is Thorn.' Eventually, he found an isolated house for us to live in. At five years old, he was training me day and night so I would become stronger, even planting his ideas in my mind while saying: 'This is for your own good.'
Until that day, my father came home tired. He sat before me in the darkness, the fire behind him casting dancing shadows on his weary face. He reached out and placed his hand on my shoulder, looking into my eyes with a frozen gaze… with no warmth in it:
'Listen to me well, my son… no one cares about you. No one will protect you. The world is not fair, nor is it beautiful. The world is where the weak are crushed and the kind are forgotten. If you do not crush, you will be crushed.'
Then he smiled and said: 'The greatest pleasure for a man… is to extinguish the screams of his enemies, to see them collapse before him, without the ability to resist. No, cruelty is not a mistake; the mistake is to hesitate. Mercy? Weakness. Pity? All of it is a lie. Power alone dictates who lives and who is buried.'
Then he leaned closer: 'Whoever stands in your path, destroy them. Whoever doubts you, silence them. Whoever loves you? They will leave. Whoever fears you? They will stay. Weakness negotiates, but power… it commands.'
Then he leaned in and whispered in a voice that seemed to come from a grave: 'Peace is not made by dreamers, but by those whose hands are stained with blood. And history? It does not remember the pure; rather, it worships the victors… even if they were monsters.'
He paused for a moment, then said slowly: 'Learn this, before you become one of the walking corpses… in the name of kindness.'"
"My mother heard all of this and seemed dissatisfied with what my father was doing, so she waited for him to leave and then came to me. She sat beside me, clasped my hand in hers, looked into my eyes with a look full of love, and said in a warm voice:
'My little one… do not believe those who say the world knows no mercy. People may hurt you, yes, but that does not mean you must become like them.'
She was silent for a moment, smiled with a soft sadness, and then continued: 'True strength? It is not in crushing those who oppose you… but in remaining pure despite the cruelty. To face the darkness without allowing it to dwell within you.'
She placed her hand on my heart and said: 'This heart… is not a sign of weakness. It is your guide. And the feelings you fear now are what will make you an unforgettable man—a man who builds, not destroys. Who forgives, not revenges. Who saves, not kills.'
Then she looked away and said quietly: 'Yes, history remembers the victors… but souls remember those who loved them.'
Then she whispered, stroking my head: 'Stay as you are.'"
"I didn't fully comprehend their words, but I realized that the best of what I heard was from my mother. The next day, I found my mother murdered in the kitchen at the hands of my father, and he was saying to her: 'This way, you won't be able to poison the boy's mind.'
In a state of shock, I saw my father dragging her body outside to bury it. I remained still in my place until I collapsed; my body could not bear it. At that time, my father's words ignited within me, and I swore in anger to kill him. He trained me every day, making me meditate to clear my mind, read, and understand the science of the stars.
Until that day, he said: 'We are going to war against the kingdom I fled from.'
While on the way, he told me his story with the king. My features were faint, but he didn't care, and said: I was once one of the finest soldiers in that kingdom. But after I got married, I wanted to live a life far from wars, so I worked as a land tax scribe. One day, one of the kingdom's ministers summoned me; he wanted me to manipulate things outside the kingdom. When I refused, they framed me. When I tried to tell the king the truth, he refused to hear me and threw me in prison. He passed by me every day, looking at me with disdain, as if he despised me while I was innocent. I kept telling him I was innocent, for days and years, until I got out after four years, after he discovered I was guiltless. And what did he do? Nothing. I continued my life, and after three months, one of the princes sent for me, asking me to return to work. When I refused, I was thrown into prison with torture for three months, until I escaped by chance; there were intruders, so I fled the kingdom, only to return and kill him and the rest of his lineage.'
I ignored him and continued the way, muttering: 'I fear war.' But in the middle of the war, I found that I was created to be in battles. I moved with him from war to war until I no longer feared war.
What I fear now… is peace. Because in peace, I lose my edge. I discovered I was not created for rest; rather, I was born to stand when others fall, and to rise where people drown in comfort.
After I reached thirteen years of age, I killed him in a confrontation, and I felt nothing. He was saying: 'Well done,' as if he were proud of me. But I loathed him, and my hatred for him did not die with the years."
The King of Thieves went silent for a moment, staring at the palm of his hand where spots of the mercenaries' blood were stuck, then he slowly closed his hand and said in a weak tone: "I thought I would feel relief after I killed him… but I was wrong. I didn't need to kill him… he was a corpse wandering the earth. I wished to punish him, but something inside me prevented me from that."
"After killing him, I wandered aimlessly, like a corpse that finds no grave for itself. I was on the brink of death, until a girl found me. It was as if the earth humbled itself and came down to ask me; she said: 'Are you alright?' She held my chest and said: 'He's alive!' People who were hiding came out and helped me; they closed my wounds, until I woke up to find the girl taking care of me. She didn't ask me my name or anything; she would smile and reassure me, saying: 'Don't worry, you will be fine. My name is Lisa.'
I lived the most beautiful stages of my life, from the injustice of my father to a village filled with calmness. I loved Lisa, after all she did for me out of kindness. But I loved her out of attachment, yet she didn't pay attention to me no matter how I tried. She would even tell me of her love for any knight she found in the village, and how much she loved men who go to war. Do you know how much pain it is to love someone and have them tell you of their love for people you are better than in everything?
No one answered. Everyone remained silent while the King of Thieves wiped the blood from his sword. Anyone who tried to escape or move from their place met their death. The King of Thieves continued:
One day, a knight came to the village. People gathered around him, and he began telling them his stories of the wars, and her eyes never left him. I watched her, pain seizing me as if my world were being snatched away from me. When the knight left after a day and moved away from the village, he turned to find me behind him with my sword. He was saying: 'Do you want to die, boy? Go back to your village.' He couldn't finish his words before I cut off his legs.
I saw him suffering like an insect before me; he was screaming in pain until someone saw me while heading to the village. I addressed the knight: 'Do you think you are better than me? Look at yourself now, standing before someone you don't know, whom you looked down upon… and now your life is in his hands.' The knight screamed in pain: 'Who are you, you cursed one?' Thorn: 'I am Thorn, nicknamed the War Butcher.' The knight was shocked: 'Impossible! Thorn the War Butcher isn't real!' Thorn's sword ignited, and he replied coldly: 'Match his description with what you see now and what happened to you… and you will know.' In terror, the knight said: 'You… Master Butcher! Please, forgive me! I haven't done anything!' Thorn replied: 'You haven't? But she has.' Then I cut off his head."
"The man fled to the village frantically." Erold said: "She didn't do anything… she was a prize for you. She saved you from death, yes… but you didn't see the truth."
Thorn, the King of Thieves, replied in a low voice: "You just don't understand, You think she is a prize. And that if you become the desired man, she will love me forever. That lie they sold you since birth. As for the truth? It is that she doesn't care for my essence… she cares for power. And power does not beg, does not chase, and does not explain itself.
I wanted to be loved like poems, but this world does not appreciate poets. It respects men who move in silence, who do not announce their value. I realized that love is a currency, and when its value collapses… they leave. It is better to be feared than to be loved, if you cannot be both. And in this world? You won't always be both. Sometimes, you have to lose one to protect the other."
He stopped, looked into his eyes, and asked: "So choose… Rest? Or fighting? Love? Or legacy?"
Erold remained silent, then the King of Thieves spoke in a sad voice: "I gave my heart to the one who saved my life, but she killed my soul. When I returned to the village, I found them pointing their weapons at me and shouting: 'Get out of here, Thorn the War Butcher! We have learned who you are!' I looked at Lisa, and I was expecting her joy in knowing who I am, and how she would love me… I looked through the crowds of people only to see Lisa afraid of me, saying: 'I can't believe I saved someone like you!'
In that moment, everything inside me shattered. She sees me as strong; she hears of my legend, 'Thorn,' but she fears me… It turns out this world is not fair. I realized I had to kill my heart. My father's words began to return to me, then I said in a moment of sadness: 'My heart has died… but whoever inhabited it must leave with it.'
Thorn left the village as it burned, after killing everyone in it, even Lisa. He was carrying her head, his eyes tearing, saying: 'I didn't want this… I wanted us to be happy together.' He placed his head on hers and said, 'Now I bid my heart farewell,' then he placed her head on a wooden board while the entire village burned.
I kept walking in the desert without stopping, until I found a caravan. I asked them: 'Where are you heading?' They said: 'We are heading to the Kingdom of Egypt.' So I went with them. We arrived after 5 months; I entered the Kingdom, a place I had never seen before. I was 15 years old, and no one would give me a job, so I started stealing and looting. After 5 years, I formed a gang of thieves and mercenaries in the land. At that time, I didn't even care what was happening.
Until I met Erold… he was something different… a man possessing power I had never witnessed before. We fought, but we fell after depleting our strength. We had been fighting for 4 hours. I fell exhausted on the ground, but he was able to walk to me, to chain me and say: 'It was a fun fight, man.' He called the guards while he was exhausted, then I felt nothing, only to find myself chained in a high-security cell.
He would come every day to interrogate me. I didn't want to talk; I just wanted to die in peace. But I heard him say: 'Why did you do this? Did you not set boundaries for yourself after what you did in that village? Or did you not find a way for that? What are you truly seeking, Thorn?' Then Erold said in shock: 'Or worse…do you want revenge for your past, Thorn?'
I was shocked by his knowledge of that incident, and how he knew my goal… while I myself didn't know it. He found my goal before I did.
In a moment of rage, I said: 'Either I find a way… or I make it with my own hand. Don't tell me what cannot be done; only cowards talk about boundaries. There is always a way for those who are cruel enough. That is what characterized me throughout my life.'
Erold sighed and said in a calm voice: 'We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. Excellence does not come by chance; rather, it is always the result of a high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution. It is the fruit of a wise choice from among many alternatives. What you were in was not excellence but ignorance of yourself. For destiny is not determined by chance, but by choice.'
Something shone in my eyes that day, and Erold said: 'I will come to you every day.' As he left the cell door, Erold said: 'I know you are better than your current self. What you were going through was not your truth, but rather the circumstances of a past in which you bear no guilt. Believe me, you are better than this… your soul is still within you, a kind soul.'
Thorn remembered his mother's words to him in his youth, so he raised his head upward, his eyes shedding tears. Erold left him and exited the cell.
After three years in prison, Erold entered to see Thorn. Thorn raised his head and said: 'How are you now, my friend? I was truly reclaiming my life, and I have known who I am.' Erold said: 'Did you know that outside they nickname you the King of Thieves?' In that moment, I couldn't stop laughing, and said: 'Hahaha, and what is my problem with those nicknames? Hahaha!'"
"Erold laughed: 'I want you to promise me, Thorn. You are now my friend.' Thorn replied: 'Rather, my rival.' Erold said: 'Fine, my rival as you wish… promise me that you won't do what you used to do. I don't care about the mercenaries; just don't make me fight you personally.'
In wonder, Thorn: 'Why?' Erold: 'Just promise me and I will tell you.' Thorn smiled: 'I promise you this… so, tell me.' Erold began to unbind his chains and said: 'You have been released. King Amon made me swear that if you personally were the one causing trouble, I would kill you… and I don't want to do this to you.'
Thorn was shocked, saying: 'What? Am I going out into that world again? I don't want to!' Erold said: 'You must; you are now free, Thorn.' Erold smiled: 'Why don't you work with me instead of this?' Thorn said strictly: 'I refuse; with all respect to you, I don't listen to anyone's orders.' Erold sighed: 'So that's it then…'
Erold took Thorn out of the prison, and the prisoners were chanting: 'The King of Thieves has come out!' and Thorn was smiling slightly. Erold brought him to the prison gate, then said: 'You are free, my rival.' Thorn replied: 'What should I do now?' Erold said: 'Live your life… as I taught you.'
Thorn smiled and went to a tavern, finding the thieves fighting. He kicked the door open and entered; everyone went silent. Thorn said: 'Where is your leader?' A massive person came out and said: ' I am the one. And who the hell are you, you lowly worm?.' So he cut off his head and sat on the chair, placing his feet on the table, saying: 'From now on, you will work for the King of Thieves.'
They shouted: 'The King of Thieves has come out!' And while the thieves were celebrating, and he was smiling, he said in his heart: 'I promised you I wouldn't do anything myself… but what about management? Hahaha!'"
After the King of Thieves finished his story, he had killed everyone except Erold, Jasmin, and Radis. Then the King of Thieves said to Erold: "I killed them so that you could obtain the Eye of Mystery faster."
In wonder, Erold asked: "Why are you doing this, King of Thieves?"
He replied in a faint tone: "I have been a puppet all my life in the hands of the Devil, moving me wherever he wants. Even after Erold's death, I didn't want to return to that path, but he forced me, spoke to me, and convinced me. I was walking the path of darkness, and even the light that was behind me disappeared."
The King of Thieves said: "Time for seriousness. Radis, take the little girl and go to the village; I will be here with Erold. Do not fear for her." Then he said, in a voice as if he were choking Radis: "Don't you dare touch a hair on her; if I find a scratch on her, I will make you wish for death."
Radis said, bowing: "At your command, my Lord." Erold looked at Jasmin: "Go with him; I trust the King of Thieves."
Jasmin with concern: "Fine, be safe, Erold."
Radis and Jasmin went to the village. Erold asked the King of Thieves: "What do you mean by 'Devil'?"
Thorn: "The source of evil in this world. Look for anything bad in this world and you will find him behind it. You may be ignorant of how I found you, boy; a Jinn appeared to me then and handed you to me. When I took you, the Devil himself appeared to… right, he placed a seal on me; if I think of that, I will die. So make my death worth it."