Gained From Losing

After Daniel’s disappearance, Altan became somewhat distracted and angry.

He felt like he knew what had happened but since he could not understand it, he denied that it had something to do with him at all.

Sandra was upset but did not yell or hate him, which he felt like he was missing sometimes, since he felt like he ‘deserved’ it. So, he, the only person who could think of Daniel’s disappearance in real thoughts, felt like he deserved nothing and should be thrown away…

Really, back then, he knows now that he was so naive. He was so stupid and wrong. He had...Taken his son’s future, he had taken his wife’s future...

Why hadn’t he not done it or why did he have to try it on his own son?

His son had disappeared into him and so not only was he able to gain the natural ability of sewing, like that of his wife, but he had unknowingly gained the ability to pass another ability to others. Yet...All this was something Altan took time to figure out but...Before he could figure out everything from that specific mess, something a lot more detrimental happened…

Up to twenty-five years ago, Altan may have been able to live two lives, easily to a hundred, a hundred and fifty even, yet something backlashed...

Having absorbed his son’s life, then having the obvious of more than one craft, Altan gained some attention. At first people did not believe it to be true…Well, it was easy not to believe for most people because they didn’t think anyway, but there were those who did…

But, as time had gone on, they saw that Altan did indeed have at least three crafts now, and that he had been able to improve on those crafts with skill.

The attention grew and grew until a certain country found this out and wanted this power to themselves!

Altan was forced onto a path of righting what was wrong in the world for two reasons. One reason was because he felt like the people were puppets and that they should be free to live their own lives, but there was another reason that gave him even more determination to follow this path and that was…Revenge…

A certain country took not only his wife but his mother and told him some nonsense story that…Very well could be true but nonetheless, he now had nothing left to lose.

He hadn’t seen his mother for so long, only to see her like that, it brings shivers to his spine every time he thinks about it and…His wife…

Yes, what backlashed, was he himself absorbing his wife. Not only was it forced upon him, through threats and pain but his wife seemed to no longer be able to handle anymore of what was happening. They had wanted him to do whatever they wanted. They had wanted him to become their puppet and use him and his crafts as they deemed fit. They wanted him to show them how to absorb, which only made Altan angrier and angrier.

His anger and pain upon what his mother had gone through and what both his son and wife went through, seemed to have stayed locked inside him until he could no longer hold it in anymore!

After he absorbed his wife, Altan fell into a dark place, hardly remembering how he freed himself from the country at all. He killed so many people there, most of which just did as they were told…They were puppets…

He was sure that he ripped out someone’s beating heart, seeing them fade away within moments afterwards…

Nothing…He felt nothing…

He might have gained more then one craft. He might have gained the ability to think and be free but…What had he lost?

Did he even have a reason to live anymore? After all, he had wanted to make a better life for his son, a better home for his wife…

What was he supposed to do now?

Darkness surrounded him and he still doesn’t know specifically how he came back to feeling…Human once again…

Not allowing himself to feel anything for that time, twenty-five years ago, Altan was able to stay out of that dark place since he came into contact with Brian.

Brian was his closest friend, the one who knew what it was like at the bottom…

At the beginning, says Brian, it was small steps. Brian told him that they had to fight to eat, because apparently, Altan had ended up back on the streets again…And so, that’s what Altan had done…He didn’t think, he just fought, so that he could eat…

Time had gone by and Altan slowly started to think again, think again upon what he had lost and then, after more time, see that there really was a problem.

The King of Cru will continue to do what they were doing and not stop! Altan had to stop it! He had to stop everything!

For his wife, for his mother, his son! He wasn’t going to come all this way to be on the streets to just fight to eat!

No…He was going to bring pain to that King! He was going to stop the huge secret that could destroy the rest of the countries and…He was going to bring this time of world to an end!

Until now, where he just came out of seclusion, that goal was still in place. It kept Altan sane and was able to sort of go back to normal.

Things have changed though…One thing that doesn’t elude him, till this day, is the reason why he has some sort of plague on his hand...He is always reminded upon what he had gained…For what he had lost!

(Have you gained something from losing? I'm not talking about sports, board games or cards, I'm talking about an emotional experience that is remembered for quite some time and you were forced to learn because of it.)