"We need an explanation, now!" the villagers warranted rather angrily, wanting answers as what had happened would not allow them to fall asleep soundly.
They were all released, escorted back to the village as the downpour ceased conveniently, shaken up after witnessing the countless deaths of those that they knew.
"I-I understand. I shall tell you what you all want to know," he calmly said, appeasing the villagers barely with the help of Charles, who acted as a boundary between the two sides.
Laruse and the rest listened quietly on the side, wanting to know the truth as well, including Christopher, whose fate seemed to be closer to this tragedy than he thinks.
"The blood orb, the soul of a Dark Lord, was indeed a possession of mine, but not without reason. The one contained within that orb, was... my son..." he grew deathly silent, taking short breaths as he cast his eyes down, feeling the heavy toll of having to tell his secrets.
"Yes, Christopher, my child, you heard me correctly. That man's soul was your father. A Dark Lord. But he was not like that in the beginning. It doesn't make you a demon, or anything like that, so please, all of you, don't treat him any differently. He had nothing to do with this all. He is simply a victim, someone whom I have lied to greatly."
"Grandfather... I-is that so?" he said quietly, not wanting to interrupt him.
He felt a jolt upon hearing his grandfather's confession, awakening him a great deal; hearing about someone whom he had known very little of until now.
It was then that he felt the longing which had struck him many times, but only more at this very moment.
It was a silent morning as they all listened to their chieftain, trying their best to cope with the changes and the words that would come from his mouth.
"My son was not a demon either, not until he found someone that he loved who was one. I had him sealed the moment he went out of control. I did it to save the village, not knowing what else I could do. I could not let it fall into the hands of anyone else as they might release an unknown peril across the land. By then, it was when Christopher was only months old, not even old enough to know the feeling of having a father is like. It is because of me as well. You can drive me away from this village if you will. I shall face all your words in atonement to those that had fallen. Deal with me as you wish. No amount of true atonement can measure up to the sin I've kept for fifteen years."
Their faces seemed to avoid his, arguing whether they should feel resentment, anger, or forgiveness for the old man.
None spoke for they didn't know what to say, not that they didn't want to give him a piece of their mind, it was just that their conscience prevented them from doing anything drastic, and to a man whom gave them the peace and prosperity they longed for. The rest of them felt the cold, painful lash of war, he offered them solace, some being people who escaped being slaves only to be taken in by the man they called their village chief.
One of the villagers come forward to the old man, sending a jab at the man's jaw, a strong one that made him fall on the ground; the poor old man feeling the part of his check where the blow landed.
"What are you doing?!" one of the other villagers came and restrained the man as tears streamed on his face, barely holding it back as he allowed his anger to show on his face.
Though he was old, he wasn't not that old that he would break from a simple blow such as that. His face and build was that of someone trained through some rigorous means, one who could take a blow, but was unprepared for it.
"That's for Maria! I-I lost her because of you! I can't see myself forgiving you because of that! But I don't know what I should do... You gave us a new life when we nearly lost it. But now she's gone... I don't know what I should do anymore. It hurts... It hurts so much that I just want to take my life and die. I can't see my life without her since all I see and hear is her face full of pain and her sounds of agony and pain, desperately calling for help. Why couldn't it have been me?!" he fell to his knees, finally bursting into tears, which some did as well, moved by the flow of emotions.
Christopher intervened right away, assisting his grandfather, placing his arm around his neck, helping him up.
"Are you alright? Grandfather?" he faced the crowd, seething with anger saying, "Don't you dare lay a hand on my grandfather again! Otherwise I won't ever forgive you no matter what!" his voice echoed through the village resonating within their ears.
Charles approached Laruse, unable to think of anything to do to handle the tense situation starting to grow even worse over time, seemingly close to exploding as a fuse was close to being lit.
"I could see one of many outcomes, but not one where they reconcile. What do we do now? I doubt we can do anything to make the two sides make up. The way I see it, there's no mending this scar."
He had a calculating face, one that was lost in thought, a bit startled to see Charles, yet one that paid attention to what he was saying.
"Well, you're not entirely wrong. But there's no other way I can think of. Might as well go with it," said Laruse, walking in front of the crowd facing the concerned villagers, his back facing Christopher and his grandfather.
"Laruse, what are you-"
"Don't worry, I might as well do something, otherwise things will be worse. If it works out or not won't matter. There's no use whining," he said to Chris upon glancing back at him.
"Hey, listen up! I know you're angry and all, but you're looking at things a bit crooked. Don't you see that instead of fighting amongst each other, you should be working together as everything's starting to get even worse? I don't condone that you do what you want to do in order to make things up between you all, but how about you take note that he kept you all safe when you had no place to go. All he did was give you a place to live in. The demon wasn't something that destroyed you the way he wanted, it was a secret he kept for himself. Something that pained him inside. If he had chosen to not let you all reside here, then he wouldn't have had done it. He was confident enough to know that he could keep his painful past secret to himself, living life with all of those he had come to know. But one man can't shoulder everything. Many have been lost, that's for sure, but that isn't a reason not to keep moving and blame him. Instead, help him stand, and together in the midst of this unsettling future, remember those whom you've lost, and never forget. That's just how life goes, right?"
The light of the sunrise seemed to eclipse his speech, making him out to be someone like a peacemaker, one that everyone looked at, convinced as their emotions continued to grow more and more, resonating with his plea.
"Laruse... " Christopher and the old man simply looked at him silently, not saying anything.
The crowd didn't say anything else and began to clear out, their tears and lament were still unsated, choosing to calm themselves and waste their tears all by themselves.
The group was left by themselves, not knowing what they should say, except for the old man, who walked on his two legs, letting go of his grandson's aid.
"Thank you, young man. I know what you did, and I'm grateful for it. Though I you know less of the truth than you needed to, you stood up for me. Though I don't know if you should have done that. It would have been fine either way if they had chased me out of the village, or had done their way with me. If it could atone, then so be it."
"Don't make me repeat myself. I've already said everything that I should, so that's that, alright? Whatever happens after here is your responsibility now."
"You're right. Then I must thank you as well for coming to my request. The organization has outdone itself once more... Hmm? Well if it isn't the leader of the resistance herself, Ms. Noire! How glad it is to see you again," he came up to her, taking her hands reluctantly.
"Mr. Harold, it is nice to see you as well. I'm glad that everything has been settled for now."
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"Well thanks to your allies. Now, will you not come inside? I think the pantry hasn't been ransacked. Come, I shall fix what I can and you can all rest before you leave, it is the least I can do for you all."
He led the way, motioning for them to follow him, taking up his offer which they chose not to give up, thinking that it was a rather well deserved one too.
"That was rather inspiring, Laruse. Who knew you could do something like that. How drastic of a change," said Charles.
"It doesn't change anything at all. The problem between them and the villagers are still there, it's just starting to calm down. Whether it'll disappear or become worse will be up to them. Now come on, my body's all sore. I just want to not think for a bit," he said, leaving Charles as he came into the mansion-like lodge.
They fixed up what they could, making the house a bit more presentable on the inside than it was before.
But before the old man could rest easy, Laruse came up and asked, "I do want to know what the truth is. If you won't mind anyway."
"You're right," he sighed. " I guess I need to say it after all. Come, Christopher, I want you to listen as well. Ah, and set down the try here," he beckoned to Christopher who held an anxious expression, sitting down beside Charles, preparing himself.
"I will begin where I have left off from what I said outside. It was months after Christopher was born. My son, Howard was a simple man whom served as a mercenary for hire, helping around with caravans, making an honest living to support his son and wife. But, he hid a secret, one that he confided to me one eventful day. Irene, a calm, loving mother to her son, was a Dark Lord herself. She was one who escaped the life of being a Dark Lord, living in secret with a human."
He took a deep pause, continuing after clearing his throat.
"But it seemed that she was being pursued by those who swore to purify the land of demons. One of the more radical Sects of the church, the order of Alain, searched for her, scouring the land relentlessly until they found her in this very place. They convinced many of the people living in the region to come with them and join the excursion, knowing that they would need every kind of help they could get in order to face off against something as fearful as a Dark Lord."
"Order of Alain? What is the main branch exactly?" Laruse asked, drawing surprised looks from those around him.
"Have you never heard of the Church of Alexandria? It's the standard doctrine and religion that is taught throughout the entire continent, save for some like the land of the Orient. I don't think I've met anyone who hasn't heard of it. It's existed while we were still young, even before that," Charles said, emphasizing his point.
"Did you know about this, Cecil?" he turned to her.
"Yes. And I thought you did to, so there was no need for me to ask at all. I'm really surprised myself. Don't worry, Laruse. I can tell you about it sometime if you want. I know a pretty great deal of it too."
"Well, maybe next time. I don't really have an immediate worry for that. If I haven't noticed something that's existed even before I was born, then there must be a reason. I just can't remember right now. Everything's a bit foggy."
"And what's with the Order? Something fancy?" he continued to ask, this time drawing Ophelia's attention.
"The Orders are an army of Knights led by an appointed commander, taking orders from either the pope, or one the Bishops. An Order's number changes, but it is commonly thousands, the bare minimum since many in the continent join the religion, becoming devoted knights or soldiers. Needless to say that no nation dares to go against the Religion since they will face its full might, including the backlash of the fervent believers. It's simply that fearful.
"Then are their leaders strong?"
"Well, each of them is. They are all very influential and powerful, leading thousands, excluding their believers, whom would reluctantly fight alongside them if they needed the help. But each soldier is said to be so well disciplined that there is no need. The new Pope announced not that long ago that he will be rebuilding Alexandria's Crusade, and will wage yet another war in the far future. The Orders are separate from the Grand Knights, the personal army of the Religion. The Orders act as chivalric knights that can be commanded at will by the bishop in charge of them. Included there are some other things that I know."
"Hmm, I didn't know that it would span this far. Keep going with the story, old man."
"Ahem, It's Harold. But very well, I shall continue."
"It is as Ophelia says. The Orders are powerful enough to make things happen without them needing to lift a finger. But one came here with the goal of killing Irene and taking her blood soul to the Church. It became a drawn-out battle, one that seemed one sided at best, all in Irene's favor. But the commander of the Alain's Order overcame that mysteriously, suffering massive casualties, but becoming the victor. It was then that Howard, my son, came along, going against the Church, becoming the new Dark Lord after consuming Irene's blood soul. The Order was utterly defeated, forced to retreat. I at the time was a practitioner of the sealing arts and various Arcane spells. Without anyone else to stop my son from rampaging, I did my best and sealed him, costing me a large fraction of my life."
"What do you mean by that?" Ophelia asks with a concerned expression.
"For it to work against someone much stronger than I am, I had to sacrifice half my lifespan if I were to succeed. Sure enough it worked, and now I pay the price, waiting for my death," he cast his eyes down upon finishing."
"It can't be... Why didn't you tell me any of this?!" Christopher asked.
"It was because I thought it would be too much for you to shoulder. I kept in mind that you would hate me if word of this would come to light. But I am prepared for that. As long as you grew up without worry, then I can live with you hating me."
"How can I move myself to hate the only person I can call family? You were the only one who took care of me., and I'm forever grateful for that. But... then how long do you have left?" he asked silently, not wanting to believe that part of what his grandfather had said.
"I may have only a decade left. Who knows. I can't say how strong I can be to live pat that, but I will persevere. I must make up to the people my misgivings before anything else, and to you. I can't leave things as they are. One of the many things I simply regret is not having my son's blood soul in my possession."
Laruse seemed to twitch a brow at what he said, feeling a slight irritation as well as he began remembering how things transpired underground.
"Forgive us for that. We simply did not have the strength to keep fighting at the time. We had all used it up fighting the Dark Lord, and now it is in his possession," Charles intervened on their behalf.
"Worry not about it. Maybe it is simply better that I do not have it anymore, otherwise there might be more cults out there who will threaten us. I just fear that my son will be released on the future, wreaking unspeakable havoc upon everyone."
"If that time comes, we'll be prepared for it. I'm sure Laruse, Cecil, and Charles would be more than willing to pitch in, right?" says Ophelia enthusiastically.
"Of course. I would be more than glad to lend my power," said Charles.
"I'll be sure to help out! There are a lot of people out there that'll need our help, after all," said Cecil.
everyone then turned their heads towards Laruse, who took his time to reply, surprised that he had to.
"... Well, that's what I do. Might as well live up my reputation. But if it gets bad, remember that there's people out there with 'demon slayer' as an occupation."
"Hmm, I doubt they can measure up to you, Laruse. I'm sure that you can get it done no matter the circumstance. But I do wonder, how do you know that demon?" he asked Laruse.
"I guess it won't hurt to tell anyone."
Laruse began explaining how they met, including the events that transpired during the meeting, suprising them as they listened.
"Like I said. Always full of surprises. Even coming back alive from fighting a disciple by himself. He might just be the only person who can do that," said Charles.
"Indeed. I saw how you fought, and believe me it was more than impressive. It was as if you were on par with that Dark Lord's Disciple you fought with. Are you sure that you're human?" Harold said.
"I'm a hundred percent human. You can tell that just by looking."
"Then you are one unnatural human. I can tell that you will do special things."
As they caught up with each other, they developed a bit more of a friendlier relationship with one another, and soon the time came for them to leave as more serious matters needed to be handled.
They packed up their belongings, thanking Harold and Christopher for their hospitality.
"I hope that your travels are safe and away from harm. I will never forget the help you gave us, Ophelia. I swear to continue aiding you until this blasted war ends with our victory, and by Alexandria I won't let something such as old age stop me! This region is glad to have you as a leader of the resistance!" Harold said with more cheerful expression.
"Ah, but I'm not the lea--" Ophelia says, but was interrupted by Laruse, putting his arm around her shoulder, smiling.
"We'll have some people sent here just in case, so don't worry too much about it."
"I don't think I need to," he replied with a smile
"Thank you for all your help. To repay you all, I shall train myself and be of use to the organization. This blood in me means that I have the power to make a difference. Demon or not, I will help you no matter what," Christopher said with a determined face.
Then they fully parted with each other, walking down the path that would lead them back to their hidden base.
Moments after they had begun journeying back, Laruse slowed his pace, matching Ophelia's.
"I wanted to thank you," he said sternly, catching her off guard as she was walking absentmindedly.
"Ah! Oh, sorry, you startled me. What is this about, Laruse? Thank me for what?"
"For helping me back there. Though I knew you'd come through in the end, it made me really reckless of what was going to do. But it seems that I was right all along to put my faith in you," he gave her a bright smile, one that seemed to restore her lost smile and cheerfulness.
"Really? Thank you, Laruse."
"But now that you've been brought out from your shell, it's time to draw out your powers some more. Care to bear with me for a little longer?"
She gave it a long while to think about, still thinking a lot about that past event. Yet that she noticed that after all this, the recurrence began hurting less, as if the weight was slowly being lifted from her shoulders.
"Yes... I want to be stronger for everyone. I still haven't found a real reason, but for now, I want to be able to help everyone in need. Will you help me, Laruse?"
"Do you even need to ask?"
"I guess not. After all, you've convinced me to go this far. I don't think it's wise for me to begin doubting you," she giggled, showing the brighter side of Ophelia which Laruse hasn't seen in a while, relieving him greatly.