The following days were similarly filled with eating, teaching, relaxing and bonding.

Neither of us pried too deeply into each other’s history, so there was rarely a gloomy atmosphere or deep emotions, making these days very easy-going.

Surprisingly, at least for me, I found out that Anna was the talkative one of the two.

She kept asking questions about where I’ve been, what I’ve done, what I’ve seen and such.

Naturally, I told her only the good things, like seeing beautiful mountain ranges towering high above the clouds, strange plants long extinct, exotic animals with strange methods to catch prey and stuff like that.

I don’t know if she noticed, but in my stories there are almost no other intelligent beings aside from me.

For obvious reasons.

Damien, on the other hand, rarely, if ever, talked to me, only listening in on our conversations.

Whenever he did talk, it was almost exclusively to Anna while I was not around.

I respect their privacy, so I kept myself from eavesdropping on their little talks.

Aside from that though, he didn’t seem to hate me.

Sometimes, when Anna was off discovering on her own, he simply sat silently beside me.

I don’t really know if it means he likes me, but no one would sit beside someone they dislike, right?

Really, these were blissful days and I was happy.

Incredibly happy, in fact.

For all my life, I was instinctively hated and feared, though sometimes this turned into a fanatic form of worship.

Even the People of Sloth were one of these worshippers in the beginning, but since they decided to copy me during one of my darkest hours, they quickly became apathetic towards everyone, including me.

That is why I granted them Magic.

Simply because they didn’t hate me.

Only my wife ever said she liked me, even loved me.

And the Magic I summoned into the world ended up killing her.

That is why these past days were incredible for me.

To feel those warm feelings for a second time, I love it.

And I want it to stay that way.

Unfortunately, there is always something.

While we were in the grasslands close by the beach, teaching in the mysteries of Energy – in which they advanced rapidly – portals appeared in the sky.

They came by the hundreds, man and women, all wearing the same red shirt and pants and all with their faces covered up by the same bland, golden masks, only having slits for eyes and nothing more.

Naturally, I activated the Soulsense and got an immediate grip of our surroundings.

There were 605 of them, forming up into groups of hundred with five commanders at the head of them.

The children showed an anguished expression, so I hid them behind me, figuring that whomever they were, they most likely didn’t have good intentions.

I let them form up, not attacking them since I didn’t want to cause any more trouble, not after massacring one of their cities.

They were very disciplined and, within seconds, lined up each in five rows of ten, each with their different commander in front of the group.

From the five commanders at the front, the one in the middle stepped forward, holding a scroll in her hand and slowly began reading out loud.

“By the order of our Lord, we request that you come with us to receive punishment for the crimes of…”

Before she could name them, I shot forth a ball of Energy, blasting the document apart and throwing her to the ground.

“Do not utter a word!” I said viciously, almost hissing while releasing enough Energy to force all of their mouths shut, whether they were about to speak or not.

I don’t want them to hear it.

About the massacre I committed.

If they knew, it would definitely ruin the past few days, shattering the still fragile happiness I created.

I don’t want to ruin this second chance.

“Di, what did they mean?” I heard Anna’s voice behind me, calling me by my nickname, ‘Di’, because Acedia was too long.

“Don’t worry about it, they’ll be gone soon.” I said, twisting my neck and smiling at her.

I gathered enough Energy to surround all of them.

Sensing it, their commanders shouted orders – the commander I had blown away had recovered by now – and they began forming a large circle with two layers, one in front kneeling down, and one behind them, standing upright.

All of them forcefully tapped into the Energy around them and formed a large barrier, covering everyone underneath it.

Seeing them perform this, I noticed something odd about them.

Their souls.

Theirs bore similarities with Damien’s and Anna’s, albeit slightly different.

Although the souls of Damien and Anna were forcibly altered and infused with Energy, theirs at least still formed a cohesive whole.

They were damaged once before, but ,whoever did this to them fixed the holes in their souls, albeit rather clumsily, which explains the colouration, it being similar to scars that form on the body.

But the souls of the soldiers contained many holes, some even missing large chunks of it.

This is what happens when you improperly force Energy into the soul.

It will devour the soul until nothing remained, sometimes slowly, other times within the same day.

The reason the same didn’t happen to Damien and Anna was because, aside from the clumsy healing, they bore a poorly cast spell on their souls, continuously draining them of small amounts Energy to heal the minuscule tears that appear continuously.

In time, this healing spell will turn Anna’s soul completely golden and Damien’s soul completely violet, like a body scarred all over.

It won’t harm them though and, unlike a body covered in scars, won’t look instinctively nasty or unhealthy.

Rather, it’ll look more as if they had an unique trait than suffered grievous wounds.

If it did, I would have replaced the Energy spell with one of my own.

I raised my hand and slashed downward, a thin slice of Energy dashing forward, severing all their threads and making the barrier collapse.

The motion was unnecessary.

It’s more a statement, if anything else, that I can control and crush them at will.

Instead of scaring them off, they conjured an enormous amount of threads, each individual summoning at least twenty, together forming a huge web and forcefully sucking the Energy from the surroundings and forming a barrier once more.

As if that would help them.

Whether it was 605 larger threads or 20.000 smaller ones, a single slice would take care of it.

But that is beside the point.

Clearly, they aren’t planning to leave without me, so there is nothing left to do but chase them away forcefully.

Still having full control of the surrounding Energy, I turned the free Energy into a ceiling of pressure, making it slowly descend upon them.

When it reached their barrier, a small resistance was met and the air seemed to groan because of the pressure, until a sound much like the shattering of glass was heard and their barrier was destroyed.

“Don’t kill them!” I heard Anna shout behind me.

Both she and Damien were tugging at my clothes from both sides and looking at me, pleading with their eyes filled with fear, worry and doubt.

I halted the advance and briefly looked at inspected both of them, before resting my eyes on Anna.

“Why?” I asked them. “Aren’t they the slaves of the Lord, the one who experimented on you? Why would you want them to live?” There was a tinge of coldness in my voice, contradicting the feelings I held for them the past couple of days.

I couldn’t help it.

I cannot understand why they would not want this evil to disappear.

Hadn’t they been harmed by them?

Tortured by them?

Did they forget their night of nightmares?

“ No!... I mean yes, but it wasn’t their choice!”

Hearing the distress in her voice, I knew this wasn’t some form of capture-bonding, where the victim ends up feeling sympathy towards their captor.

“Explain.” I said, this time suppressing the coldness in my voice.

Of course, I kept the pressure on them, forcing them on the ground without killing them.

“They… They are like us! They were experiments like us, but before they could escape, they brainwashed into slaves by the Lord! Please, I beg you, don’t hurt them!”

Brainwashed, huh?

Why would she lie to me?

If they were brainwashed I would have noticed it.

Whether it is because of some strange metal inside their head, a seal placed on their brain or heart, a strange serum running through their veins, a spell on their souls or one of the many, many other methods of brainwashing, I would definitely notice it.

It’s impossible to hide it from me.

But… I can somewhat understand.

These men and women went through the same horrors as them.

In a way, they turned into slaves with a much older method.

Old-fashioned torture until they obeyed without question.

Both Anna and Damien probably feel some sympathy towards them, having shared the same experience.

But they escaped, leaving themselves with a feeling of survivor’s guilt.

She lied because she thought I wouldn’t let them live otherwise.

Which is correct, might I add.

They truly are to kind for their own good, but I like that about them.

Unlike me, they weren’t corrupt.

I don’t want to ruin them, even if it meant things will get troublesome in the future.

I sighed. “Fine.”

I sensed the Energy around me and quickly found Energy bridge they used still sloppily lying around, all 605 of them.

How weak they are.

Even the weakest of the Thirty-Seven Heroes could at least clean up what they left behind.

Sparing them a final glare, I said: “Let this be a warning: Never appear in front of us again!”

I opened portals underneath them and let them fall through it, forcing them back from where they came and destroyed the bridge.

The grassy plain was now abandoned apart from us, only a crater half a meter deep proving they were ever here.

I heard both of them sigh in relief beside me.

Although I’ve chased them away for now, I doubt this will be the last of them.

“I doubt this will be the last of them…” Anna softly said, voicing my exact thought.

“Indeed. I wish they’d leave us alone, though.” I said, sighing afterwards.

I sincerely do.

“Then… why not meet the Lord and be done with it?” Damien asked me, something he rarely did.

“…It’s annoying and after he’s gone, I doubt it’ll end.”

Whenever a new power appeared, people are bound to want to challenge it.

“But, he’s the strongest! If you defeat him, no one will bother us ever again!” I heard Anna shout, strangely pushing the matter.

I looked at her in surprise.

Although she was talkative, she rarely tried enforcing her will on others

Although I might not know her for long enough to make statements about their character, I like to believe I have experience when it comes to judging others.

Seeing my surprise, she lowered her head, not in embarrassment, but to hide her face.

“Please, stop him. Don’t let him hurt people anymore…”

Her voice trembled, her anger clearly heard.

Although she might have worded it differently, or perhaps she really meant what she said, she wanted revenge.

She wanted him dead.

Although annoying to go out of my way to kill them, I don’t mind if it’s for them.

I’ve done the same to my nightmares, so it is in their right to want him dead and since I promised to take care of them, I will do it for them.

“…Fine.” I sighed again, the third time in a row.

Luckily, I remembered the location the lackeys went to.

A city located directly at the centre of the continent.