"To end a life, one must first acknowledge its value."
Perhaps it was an old saying he had once heard, he couldn't quite remember.
But he interpreted it to mean that the weight of a life determined the worthiness of its end. Of course, such a thing was arbitrary and ultimately left up to the killer.
And so, it could be rephrased:
Who determines whether a life is worth ending?
Most would agree that in an organized state, such a decision would fall to the law and its enforcers.
But in the absence of such institutions, it truly was left to the one who held the blade.
And as the one holding the blade, Cain felt its weight grow heavier.
He glanced down at it. The edge of the sword was already wetted with human blood, which slowly rolled down and dripped to the ground.
The boy had been young, but a single look into his eyes told Cain he was not the first person the boy had tried to kill. Only this time, he was unsuccessful.
It was a tragedy.
