The SSS Beast King: Rebirth of the Legendary Predator
Chapter 36: Being Forgotten

Chapter 36: Being Forgotten

It’s been some time since everything happened. I never saw who that figure was, who its shadow belonged to, or if it was even human. I tried to rush to it, but it had already left when I arrived. Leaving only the inferno of fire, the burned bones that were once human with family and friends, and the dead bodies of the giants. The skin and muscle had not burned off entirely, but with how tough they were, it was expected.

It was ironic that it had started to rain. Maybe it was The Core mocking us or the gods crying, not for the dead, but because the genocide was over. The gods never felt such remorse for us humans, that is something everyone knows in this unfair world.

After everything that happened, we decided to go our separate ways, but before that, we had to bury those that had died. We created graves for each that had fallen.

I learned many things about the deceased. All of their stories were told to me by those closest to them, like a child’s bedtime story, they were made to have a cheerful ending, like how they fought with glory, or how at least they tried and how they will be remembered.

"Be remembered, huh?" It was disgusting, lying to themselves to this degree. I could accept the happy ending, even though I’ve never been fond of them, but how can you say that they will be remembered when you have already forgotten most stuff about them?

Their stories had many holes, and many struggled to remember some parts... meaning they were already being forgotten. At this rate, it is clear that no one is going to remember them. So, isn’t it better to let go? It is pointless to bury a man’s death in flowers when even his body has withered away.

Among these stories, there was one that managed to pique my attention. It belonged to a father of three. His children were all born on the same day but in different years. It was a nice coincidence. But this pattern continued.

He was sent here on the same date, and thinking his leave wouldn’t take long, he accepted. But as you know, that wasn’t the case. He was trapped here, with all the others, unable to leave.

To leave The Core, you have to go into one of the many gates, it’s a pretty easy thing to do, as at the majority of them, humanity has built towns, so most of the locations were known to every newborn, hell, even some contractors, as I know all of them.

It is a sad story, but it falls to many. I wasn’t really interested in it at first. Only when I checked today’s date did I realize the hypocrisy. It was the same. Of all the cruelties fate had dealt, this was the most wicked.

I walked through the many graves, trying to find a specific one. His grave, the one that belonged to the first of the fallen, the one that had risked his life for mine... what was his name again?

He had blue eyes... right? I remember staring at them... it was like staring at the glass of an aquarium. Or were they red, and I was staring at a volcano of fires? But I’m confident he was blonde... or was his hair... black?

"Who was I talking about again?"

...

My alarm went off. "Another boring Monday," I said while trying to turn off my alarm, hitting many things along the way. I jolted up from my bed, looking at the time, I only had some minutes before I left. "Oh..." I said, looking at the family photo I had thrown down. I grabbed it and put it back, not paying much attention.

I went to the bathroom, styled my hair, and did my morning routine. I grabbed a black elastic to stick out of my white hair.

After I got done in the bathroom, I dressed and went to the kitchen to have breakfast. There, my mother was waiting for me, with some classic breakfast of waffle eggs and bacon, you can’t go wrong with that.

"Oh, hello, sweetie, I hope you did your homework for today." She was always so strict on my academics, she said it’s the only hope of getting into a good school and having a career. But sincerely, I wasn’t into the whole study thing, and neither was I attracted to anything related to memories and The Core.

My father was, though I never understood why. He always bragged about how complex it really is outside the generic idea. I’ve never paid attention to these stories, my friend did, though... and was there someone else who did?

He wanted me to take after him, but my mother was against it. It wasn’t like I would have if she wasn’t against it. I’m still even discussing if I want to take the first trial.

Sure, I could take the easiest and get it done. But at the same time, giving away a whole week of my life wasn’t really to my liking.

I wish it was like before when having a contract wasn’t something everyone had to have to be part of society.

"Don’t worry, if I didn’t, my teacher would kill me." I said while grabbing my bag and leaving. The walk to school was boring, as always. I had walked on these streets hundreds of times. I had seen the same view over and over again. It felt like I was in a loop.

People always told me that for a fourteen-year-old, I was questioning life too much and how I should be living it to the fullest. Making my heaven on earth. My theories were always shut down by others, and I never got to express myself. That’s why I never wanted to be part of society.

...

I sat down in my seat. Around me, my classmates laughed and made jokes with each other. Meanwhile, I just waited for the teacher to arrive. You could say I was the quiet kid, even though I was definitely not quiet, nowadays it has gained a new meaning. Being an outsider, yeah, that is a good word to describe it.

I was bored out of my mind, and the class wasn’t that entertaining either. Our teacher used to be a Core explorer, so he always narrated his stories to us. This time, he told us the most trivial thing, the fact that people lost their memories of those who had died in The Core.

"What a joke." I said to myself while looking outside through the window. Anything was better than this, couldn’t we just do something related to what the class was really about... well as much as I hate it, it was an interesting idea. And it did make me wonder, had I forgotten someone who was normally part of my morning routine?

...

[The price for your death has been paid. Welcome back, contractor Moon!]