Kazius felt so confused as to what to do. He wanted to become the hero he was meant to become… But to do that he needed power… he needed an army among other things… Losing Vargstam would be bad for many reasons… Not to mention the blowback could end up with his friends getting hurt.

Yet The Shadows had encouraged him to do some awful things… Kazius blamed them for a lot of the questionable things he had done and that he would have to do…

Still, Kazius could not afford to take the risk… And now that he had Vind as an enemy… He could not afford to face such a threat half-heartedly.

Every thought that raced through his head was a second wasted.

What was worse, was the light breeze he felt around him… It was like a cold chill… Vind might as well be taunting him.

Making up his mind, Kazius surrendered his pride and fought back any hesitation.

‘I was wrong… I’m sorry… I… Promise to never ignore you again… So, please… Stop that wind…’ Kazius begged. A feeling of helplessness washed over him, he hated it.

He could hear The Shadows whisper in vague words of approval.

As they murmured… It was not just the weird shaping of the smoke that stopped… But the wind altogether… It was gone.

At least for now.

‘What a shameless and pathetic Goddess… To try such a thing at night… During OUR time… She should remember her place…’ The distinct voice snickered out mockingly.

With the wind gone, the rafts moved due to their momentum alone. They were slowly coming to a stop far in the distance.

The belief and superstition from the ceremony came to mind for Kazius as he heard louder sobbing from the families of the victims.

In between sobs, Kazius could hear sad whispers among those attending the event. One phrase was repeated multiple times among the different guests. A horrifying realization.

“Vind has abandoned Vargstam.”

Of course, that was not the case, instead, it was the other way around… They had abandoned Vind… Or rather, Kazius was forcing them to… Still, this development was the most beneficial one for him.

At such accusations being thrown at Vind, Egil looked like he was trembling with rage… But he said nothing.

Under normal circumstances, the townspeople would see this as a sign from Vind, a sign that Kazius had made them lose favor with their Goddess… But the fact was, the people knew they had saved Vargstam. Were it not for them… They would have ended up like the scouts… There was no proof of Vind helping during this disaster… So instead, it reflected poorly on Vind rather than Kazius.

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Kazius and his friends had saved them... Their Goddess had not.

Any possible crisis the wind could have caused had been not just avoided…

Instead…

It was a victory…

‘Do you see now the power you continue to dismiss? We are you and you are us… And one day you will realize that… Do not ignore us again…’ The distinct voice stated with a sneer in his voice.

Something about the voice’s tone told him that he was not giving Kazius advice… But rather warning him. To some extent, it could even be considered a threat…

The idea of it being a threat worried Kazius… The Shadows had always been so eager to help him… But it seemed they could also hold a grudge… After all, they had been nothing but helpful and were loyal to him…

Was he perhaps misunderstanding them because of what his father had done? If he had been nothing but loyal to someone, he would be annoyed too if they suddenly acted like he wasn’t there…

But…

If they were still angry, why help him now?

This all brought anxiousness that Kazius did not need right now…

‘What would I do if the shadows one day ignored me?’ Kazius thought to himself in concern.

Even if The Shadows were inherently evil… He was realizing that the path he was taking made him need them… Because he had too much to lose… If there was a way to entirely ignore The Shadows until they did not tempt him… He could no longer do so…

Perhaps it was out of denial or naivety that he thought otherwise.

He had crossed the line far too long ago…

But he would make the best of it. He would not give up on using his powers for good as a hero. After all, Shadows or not, he knew his future. He knew what he had to do to save the world.

He just hoped the world would be safe from himself…

“Is something wrong, Kazius?” Alice whispered to him, having grown concerned by his blank stare at the rafts.

“Yes, a lot… But more than anything… I am tired… I think I will go ahead. I have a lot to do.” Kazius assured back, his words causing more concern than making Alice feel better.

With that, Kazius would go up to the families that were mourning and give his best wishes before leaving the event.

“Enjoy your rest, we all are pretty tired and will probably head to bed soon. Or at least I plan to.” Damon commented, overhearing their discussion.

“You’re leaving? I think I will too then. I want to walk around with Eve a little. At least until she calms down.” Azanor admitted, standing off to the side while holding Eve’s hand.

Eve was crying despite having not really known the scouts. She really could not handle seeing other people cry. Then again, considering her mental state, it did not make it any easier to be in such an emotion-heavy environment.

He waved at his friends as he left, looking back at Egil.

Egil looked like he was at his wit's end and thinking about a lot. The last thing Kazis needed was for Egil to mess something up.

‘I know you are mad at me for ignoring you… But could you keep an eye on him for me?’ Kazius asked as he walked away. It was more of a question than a command, but a command nonetheless.

As he walked, he could hear the pleased whispers of The Shadows. They were delighted at his command. Their eagerness was so strong that Kazius could feel the shadows in the area move, squirming with glee… Happy to serve.

‘Nothing he does will go unseen… The Shadows are your birthright… You are me… And I am you… Do not hesitate… Because you were born to command what is yours…’

Kazius sighed as he walked home, looking off at every shadow in the distance.

He could feel them, there, watching… Waiting…

‘Yes… Perhaps you are right…’ Kazius thought to himself in dismay.

Perhaps with a father like Seselis… He was never meant to outrun them… But… He would rule over them on his own terms. He would not become his father.

He was Kazius…

The friend.

The hero.

The guardian of the future… No matter how dirty his hands got.