Lucius stood at the entrance of the cave, his mother's lifeless body hidden deep inside. His tears had long dried, leaving only the cold, hard reality of what had happened. The fire in his heart raged hotter than ever.
His small hands gripped the dagger tightly, knuckles white with anger. Every part of him wanted to scream, to break down, but he couldn't. His mother's voice echoed in his mind, telling him to stay strong. He couldn't cry now. Not yet.
"Don't cry… Don't despair… Now is not the time for that," he muttered to himself, his voice shaking, but his resolve was clear.
He turned his eyes toward the forest, narrowing his gaze. He knew this place better than anyone. He knew the hidden paths, the dangerous plants, the tricks nature held in its depths. The pirates may have torn his world apart, but this forest would help him bring it all down on their heads.
Lucius took a deep breath and sprinted into the dense trees. His mind raced through everything he had learned while playing here as a boy. He had gathered food, hunted small animals, learned to survive. But today wasn't about survival. Today was about revenge.
He found the spot he was looking for—where the ancient pine trees dripped with thick, sticky resin. The sap was known to him—it was highly flammable. He had used it many times to start fires when he was camping with his mother, learning how to roast the small animals he caught. The memories of her laughing, teaching him how to survive, flooded his mind. For a moment, his throat tightened, and he felt the sting of fresh tears.
But he pushed it all back.
No more crying. Not yet.
Lucius wiped his eyes with his sleeve and looked around for something to gather the resin in. His eyes settled on a large, broad leaf from a nearby plant. In this forest, there were leaves big enough to wrap a whole fish in, thick and durable, perfect for carrying things. He had used them before to carry food or water when he played in the woods.
With swift movements, Lucius sliced off one of the leaves using the dagger, folding it into a pouch. It wasn't perfect, but it would hold the resin. He scraped the thick, sticky substance from the pine tree, filling the leaf pouch carefully. He had no time to waste.
Lucius crouched near the base of a tree, striking his dagger against a rock to create a spark. He had done this a hundred times before. His hands moved with practiced ease, and soon, a small flame flickered to life in the palm of his hand. The warmth of the fire brushed against his skin, and for a moment, it felt comforting, like the embrace of his mother's arms.
But then, the memories came crashing back—the sight of her blood-stained body, the light fading from her eyes. His face hardened. This flame wasn't for warmth. It was for destruction.
As the flame danced in his hand, Lucius's eyes caught sight of a strange flower blooming at the base of a tree. Its petals were bright, shimmering in the flickering light of the fire. He had seen these flowers before but never paid them much attention.
But something felt different now.
A single ember fell from the flame onto the flower's petals.
BOOM!
The flower exploded with a violent flash, the shockwave sending Lucius stumbling backward. His heart pounded in his chest as he stared at the charred remains of the flower. The explosion had left a scorch mark on the ground, burning away the leaves and branches nearby.
Lucius's eyes widened, his mind racing. He hadn't known the flower's pollen was explosive. But now that he did… a plan started to form in his mind.
He knelt beside the remnants of the flower, carefully studying the powdery pollen that remained. If he could collect enough of it, combine it with the resin…
A dark smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
These pirates had destroyed his life, torn his village apart. But they had made one fatal mistake: they had left Lucius alive. And now, he would turn the forest itself into a weapon against them.
He would burn them all to the ground.
Lucius crouched by the remains of the exploded flower, his small fingers gently brushing the powdery pollen into his palm. The golden dust shimmered, almost glowing with a dangerous energy. He scooped it into the pouch of resin he'd collected, his mind calculating, thinking through every step.
Mixing the pollen into the resin, He packed the mixture carefully into the thick leaves he had sliced earlier. One by one, he twisted them into tight bundles, each one filled with enough resin and explosive pollen to create a deadly blast.
Lucius looked down at the small pile of makeshift bombs he had created. It was enough to cause damage, but not enough to wipe out the pirates completely. His brows furrowed. It wasn't enough.
His eyes scanned the forest. There had to be something more he could use.
Then it hit him.
Venom.
Lucius's breath quickened. He remembered the plant. His body tensed as he recalled the time he stumbled upon it, thinking it was just an ordinary bush with long thorns. That day, he had been hunting small animals to bring back to the village. He had spotted a rabbit and, without thinking, used one of the sharp thorns to finish it off.
The moment the thorn plunged into the rabbit's flesh, something horrifying happened—the rabbit's body turned a dark, purplish-black within seconds, its limbs seizing up as death claimed it. Lucius had never forgotten the sight of the venomous reaction, the way the life had drained from the creature so quickly.
He didn't understand the nature of the poison at first, but he knew one thing—it was deadly.
He had found the thorns easily that day, but now, with purpose driving him, he knew exactly where to find them
It wasn't long before he found the plant again—a wicked-looking bush with long, needle-sharp thorns protruding from every branch. They glistened darkly in the forest light, as if waiting for something to pierce, something to kill.
Lucius didn't hesitate.
He unsheathed his dagger and carefully cut away several of the thorns, gathering them with precise, deliberate movements. He was careful not to touch the tips, knowing full well what even the slightest prick could do to his own body. He wrapped the venomous thorns in another large leaf, tucking them away safely.
The memory of that rabbit flashed in his mind again, its small body convulsing and blackening in mere seconds. The pirates would suffer the same fate.
His heart pounded as he stood up, clutching his supplies. The forest was alive with sounds—birds chirping, leaves rustling—but all he could hear was the thudding of his own heartbeat.
He gathered strong, flexible branches from the trees around him, the ones he had used so many times to craft his makeshift weapons during his hunts. He knew these woods intimately—how to bend them to his will. His hands worked with speed as he shaved the branch into a smooth, curved arc. It would serve as his bow, a weapon that had helped him put food on the table but today would take lives.
He grabbed some vines, strong and flexible, twisting them together until they were tight and durable enough to string his bow. He pulled it taut, testing the tension. Satisfied, he moved on to the arrows.
He reached for the venomous thorns he had gathered earlier, their sharp edges gleaming in the fading light. With steady hands, tied the thorns to the ends of the arrows, using thin vines to secure them tightly.
But he wasn't done yet.
Lucius dipped the arrow shafts into the pouch of resin he had mixed with the explosive pollen, coating them carefully. The sticky substance clung to the wood, dripping slightly as he worked. He could almost see the plan in his head—the moment the arrow struck, the resin would ignite, setting off a deadly chain reaction.
He wasn't finished with them. Lucius grabbed the small makeshift bombs he had crafted earlier, filled with resin and explosive pollen, and tied them to the middle of the arrows. The bombs sat tightly between the shaft and the fletching, ready to detonate on impact.
He tested the weight of one arrow, pulling back the bowstring and aiming at a distant tree. His muscles strained slightly as he held the draw, the bow creaking under the tension.
His breathing slowed.
He released.
The arrow flew true, the tip of the thorn gleaming as it sailed through the air and pierced the tree with a thud. The force of the impact shook the branches, and Lucius smiled coldly. His arrows were ready.
His eyes, once filled with childhood innocence, now burned with the fire of revenge.