*sigh*

Benton sighed with his own worries weighing his shoulders.

"Master, this is the eight newbie camp since the year it was established,

" Benton paused as he heaved a sigh,

"And also the eight years since the day you left me,

" Benton continued with his soliloquy,

"Yet your goals have still never come to fruition. Tell me, was all of this worth for you to die… was it worth for you to leave me forever?

"

Benton's flat monotonous voice seemed to have reached no one's ears in the empty room. But even the flat voice shook at the very end as the upfront face was being kept no more.

A tear trickled down Benton's cheeks as he couldn't control his emotions anymore. Life had always been harsh on him… it had been harsh on every child born in hell from the very moment they were bought in this forsaken world. Such an intense and dog eat dog world was indeed too much for a human child to bear.

But even if that was the case, so what? All of the second gens go through it and emerge alive. The troubles that they go through temper their soul and fortify their spirit. But alas, all of this comes at a rather heavy price. A childhood that didn't have anything dreamy or child like associated with it.

Benton too had paid the price heavily. His mother had died when he was not even a year old. In the world of hell, the death of strangers might not mean anything to anyone. But the death of one's loved one leaves a sore spot especially for Benton who had not even learned how to speak. Hell, he wasn't even breastfed properly.

But Benton had been luckier than the others. His master had taken care of him as if he were his own child. He didn't have any idea why she was so caring towards him. Pity? Humanity? Those things were long lost in hell. But could the child Benton think so much through? For him, it was eternal bliss.

That is why he was attached to her more than anything. He had never felt the lack of motherly love.

But fate had other plans for him. It was then that his master had died when he was just a fledgling of ten years old. He wasn't so lucky this time as no one came to replace her to mend his gaping heart.

Benton wiped his cheeks as he brought back his face filled with elegance and postique.

"What you sought out for. What you gave your life for was foolish! I had told it to you then but… you didn't listen to me. You thought I was a child who knows nothing. But I was right!

"

Benton couldn't hold his composure anymore. Being at the same place that he once considered his master's legacy caused him enough pain. Indeed, the newbie camp was something that was left by his master. It was her contribution to the world of hell that made it look a bit more humane.

Sweet memories of the time they had spent together resurfaced in Benton's mind. But those sweet memories were nothing but poison that tastes sweet. It gave momentary pleasure but the moment they ended, it made him feel extremely empty inside so much so that it was eating him up alive.

"Why did you have to leave me?

"

The sobs of a boy that had just come of age resounded in the room. This was the weakness that he was never willing to show anyone. Even his personal guard who was supposed to accompany him at all times wasn't allowed to enter. This place was his only solace.

The picture of his master wasn't the only portrait that adorned the room. They were queues of many fighters who had laid down their life for a common goal - the establishment of the newbie camp or that was what they had publicly proclaimed.

Of course like every rising idea of worth, this too had met immense backlash. It wasn't possible to make it happen without some bloodshed.

The pipelines and canals that brought water to the newbie camp from far away, the other resources that were employed… the mercenaries that were paid. It needed a huge amount of resources and gold that no one was willing to invest.

No one was a philanthropist in hell. Their environment didn't allow them to see me. The newbies weren't considered worth such a big investment.

No one might have seen Satan, who seemed to be just another mythical existence having his name attached to their stat systems, but he was ever present. He might not have been physically present but the hearts of men had their own version of the devilish Satan guiding their actions.

It was like they had made a deal with the devil selling their soul to the same. No one was willing to stand by the side of the 'change makers' for their cause.

The 'change makers' had no choice but to play on their very lives to make their dream come true.

Every year hundreds of newbies were summoned. But not all of them were able to reach human settlements. Many of them died on the way or worse went in the wrong direction and died of hunger and cold.

The establishment of the 'camp' was to ensure that the newbies were to reach where they ought through a much safer route.

"You told me that many would rise from this place who would later be contributing to our society. They would become the pillars that we need. But never once… never once there came a day where such a thing came to place!

"

The memories that Benton had associated with the camp were bitter in every way. The newbie camp that was supposed to be a symbol of peace had a darker history than one might think.

***

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