"Rody, I'll be on the stage tomorrow. Teach me some secret techniques. I don't want to be beaten into a pig's head!" Little Fatty Tommy unexpectedly didn't go out in the evening but came to find Rody.

"Actually, I've wanted to find you for a long time." Rody put down his magic book, glanced at Little Fatty Tommy, and said, "Tommy, because of you, I specifically asked the Treant Elder Toka about the magic fruit, the source of your demonic power. Tell me, how did you come to possess this power? Tommy, I've always considered you a good friend and never asked you the reason. I hope you can tell me if you consider me a friend."

Hearing this, a look of shock and sadness immediately appeared on Little Fatty Tommy's face. For a long time, he didn't speak, just sat dejectedly in front of Rody.

Chris, who usually came to bother Rody every evening, pushed the door open, saw Tommy's state, and was startled. "What's wrong? Why do you look so troubled? Tommy, if you're really scared of getting beaten, just withdraw from the competition tomorrow!"

"I'll only tell this to the two of you," Tommy seemed to have made some decision, a certain light twinkling in his eyes.

"If it's inconvenient, I can step out..." Although Chris said this, curiosity made him sit down next to Rody, looking at Little Fatty Tommy as if seeing him for the first time. Tommy now indeed seemed very different from usual, exuding the aura of a strong person, unlike his usual cowardly, greedy, lustful self.

"Tommy, we're friends, no matter what happens, you can tell me." Rody nodded, "We will keep your secret, forever."

"My ancestor was a knight, the famous Mad Dragon Knight," Little Fatty Tommy slowly began, "He was very righteous, despised evil, and killed countless demons and evildoers in his life. But because of his strength and righteousness, our descendants have been retaliated against by demons and dark forces for generations. My grandfather was tragically killed, my uncle was cursed into a stone statue, and my two uncles were driven mad, killing their wives and children before committing suicide. My father, hiding his identity, fled to Felic with his pregnant wife."

"..." Rody was surprised by Tommy's background.

"I was born in Felic and grew up there. I yearned to learn fighting spirit and magic like my peers, to become a majestic knight, but my father wanted me to be an ordinary merchant and never taught me fighting spirit or magic. I always disliked my father; I didn't want to be a vulgar merchant but longed to be a hero known throughout the world. Unable to bear my pleas, my kind mother secretly taught me magic behind my father's back, but basic magic didn't satisfy me. I aspired to be a magnificent knight, a genius in both magic and martial arts." Tommy pulled out an exquisite pocket watch from his chest, gently opened it, and handed it to Rody, saying, "This belonged to my mother..."

Rody and Chris saw a beautiful woman smiling in the photograph, radiant like a silently blooming carnation. A great maternal glow shone on her face, spreading in her smile.

As Tommy took back the pocket watch, he gazed longingly at his mother's photo, tears silently rolling down and dripping onto the back of his hand. His eyes brimmed with tears and pain as he sighed, "If... if I had listened to her, been her good son, how happy that would have been... but I destroyed everything with my own hands."

"What happened? Be more specific," Chris comforted, "Tommy, what can we do for you now?"

"No one can help me, because I destroyed my own happiness," Little Fatty Tommy slowly wiped away his tears, gave a bitter smile, and said, "Rody, Chris, do you know? Actually, I am quite handsome, not as much as you two, but my good looks have been famous in my hometown since childhood. Because I inherited the best features from my parents, I always felt that I should be a future knight-hero, not just a merchant's son."

"..." Rody and Chris, upon closer observation, realized that if Tommy lost some weight, he indeed resembled his mother.

"When I was ten, a mysterious magician found me and asked if I was willing to save the world, to become a legendary hero admired by millions. Without hesitation, I agreed, as it was my dream," Tommy said with a bitter smile. "The mysterious magician taught me Holy Light magic, very grand magic, and I felt like I was just a step away from becoming a hero. But as a child, my magic power grew slowly, so the magician gave me a magic fruit to eat. Indeed, after eating it, I felt like an unbeatable giant, a feeling I can never forget. Unfortunately, the magic fruit's power only lasted a short time. The magician said if I wanted to maintain it forever, I needed to make a sacrifice to the gods, to ask them for eternal power..."

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

"He took away one of your five senses? Or your personality?" Rody knew what making a sacrifice to the gods meant.

"I ate a fruit that was said to transform me into an angel, and made a sacrifice to the gods in a magic circle. After the sacrifice, a golden giant hand descended from the sky and took away one of my personalities – it took away my hatred. Later, that guy crippled my father in front of me, but I couldn't feel any hatred towards him, couldn't lift my sword to attack him... It was then I realized how terrible it is to lose a part of one's personality. Each personality plays a balancing role in a person, and if missing, the corresponding personality becomes uncontrollable and extremely strong. I didn't want to forgive him, didn't want to forgive my enemy, but without the personality of hatred, I couldn't muster the desire for revenge, even when I was fully conscious..." Tommy spoke, blood seeping from his mouth, his teeth almost crushed by the pain he held back.

"Terrifying," Chris gasped, shocked by the story.

If one is unable to feel the desire for revenge upon seeing their enemy, that indeed is a terrifying and sad thing.

Rody could understand that fear. In personality, the more contrasting elements there are, the greater the effect, especially with contrasts like justice vs. evil and forgiveness vs. hatred. Personalities that seem unfavorable at first often play a certain role in handling situations. Once missing, the whole person becomes entirely different... No wonder the God of the Earth generally advocates removing one of the human senses, making life inconvenient, rather than removing a personality.

"Actually, the fruit you ate wasn't a sacred fruit; it was a demonic fruit, the magic flower fruit," Rody said softly. "The one who took away your 'hatred' personality was the Dark God. Even, I can see, using a certain method, that you are a dark follower of the Dark God, your soul chained by him, but it seems there is some power that has sealed these divine shackles."

"My mother... she sacrificed her life to the Goddess of Dawn she worshipped, in exchange for my freedom," Tommy wept profusely, crying out in sorrow.

"What a great mother!" Chris's eyes reddened.

"Tommy, why did you go to the magic academy? And why did you become like this? Is it because you used demonic power?" Rody gently asked after letting Tommy cry his heart out.

"Turning into this appearance is just the result of my own overeating. I don't want to be handsome anymore; I just want to be a good son to my parents, a plain and ordinary merchant. How I wish to return to those days, to be by their side. But, seeing my father's lonely and disabled figure, I resolved to go to school, to find a way to revive my mother! No matter the method, no matter the cost, I hope to revive her, to let her hear my repentance, to be her obedient son again..." Tommy choked up.

"Although an Archangel and above can revive humans, such a miracle hasn't occurred in hundreds of years," Chris didn't want to shatter Tommy's hope, as Tommy's mother, who sacrificed her life to the gods, might be beyond even the most powerful angel's ability to revive.

"Revive..." Rody felt it was impossible because if revival were really possible, then the protection of the gods would be meaningless.

Not to mention revival, even to restore a damaged arm, a huge price must be paid.

Some nobles and knights have to sacrifice many slaves to the gods to heal their bodily wounds. Rody believed that the cost of revival would be the lives of hundreds, as the gods wouldn't easily reverse the order of death and soul laws. Killing a person is easy, but reviving someone in the realm of death is definitely not a simple matter.

"I won't reach out to angels, nor will I plead with demons," Tommy said mournfully. "They are the same, that mysterious magician, he is the Cardinal in the temple, and also my grandfather's archenemy."

"Tommy, have you ever used the demonic power inside you?" Rody asked seriously.

"I don't know, I was crazy for a while, maybe not... Since that day, I've completely given up on power," Tommy replied, slowly shaking his head.

"If you use the demonic power inside you, I guess you'll transform into a demon, not an angel," Rody said gravely. "Listen, Tommy, I have a way to free you from the soul shackles of the Dark God, but it will be extremely painful, more than death. As for reviving your great mother, I can't do it, but I can ask the Elder of Wisdom. If you want to use magic, I do have a way, but you'll be limited to using only light magic from now on."

"Rody, do you know? You are my goal. Seeing your relentless strength, I felt the urge to move forward for the first time," Tommy hugged Rody tightly, tears streaming down his face. "Dean Buck told me, he said you're a hundred times stronger than me. Rody, I want to be strong. You should understand, my heart is like yours, wanting to become strong, a man standing tall. Rody, help me, I need your help..."

"You can think about it first. It's an unbearable pain that won't go away quickly," Rody said softly.

"Rody is talking about the Eternal Flame burning the soul, a pain that even a Sword Emperor would flee from," Chris now understood what Rody meant and advised, "Tommy, think it over. Once it starts, there's no turning back."

"Is there anything more painful in the world than watching your father fall in front of you, your enemy stepping on him and laughing, while you stand by powerlessly, unable to draw your sword to attack? Is there anything more painful than watching your mother kiss your forehead, smile and say goodbye, as you do nothing but watch her soul turn into light and vanish into the night sky?" Tommy shook his head, "No, there isn't. Rody, Chris, you should know, the pain isn't in the wounds, but in the regret of the soul..."

"I, too, have a great mother," Rody thought of his own mom, nodded, and patted Tommy's shoulder, "In front of a great mother, we are brothers."

"We are brothers, waaah..." Tommy cried out loud, tears flowing like rain.

That night, in Rody's room, although Chris cast soundproofing magic around the room, everyone still heard a voice of agonizing wails throughout the night, sending shivers down their spines. The next day, Chris half-supported a physically and mentally exhausted Rody as they walked out slowly. Behind them followed a handsome man with white hair.

Rody's weakness due to the overuse of mental power was familiar to everyone from the evil lands, but the man following them was unknown. Who was he? Why did he come out of Rody's room? And who was wailing in agony last night?

This handsome man with white hair had a shocking calmness in his eyes, like a person made of ice.

Seeing everyone's astonished faces, the man extended his hand, making a gesture of counting money.

"Ah, heavens, you're Fatty Tommy!" Thief Terry screamed in disbelief, almost fainting. Of course, Stanley, Lopeck, and others felt the same sense of shock.