If he hated or disliked them, he would kill them, with no guilt.
Should there be a neutral feeling toward them, he could kill them, but there would be guilt for sure.
If they were his friends, he wasn't sure if he had it in him to kill them.
But… What if they were even closer to him?
What if they were the most important person in his life?
Forget about killing them, would he be able to harm them?
These questions had never appeared in his mind until now, as there was simply no point in thinking about it.
After all, the most important person to him was dead—his mother had died almost a year ago.
He had felt grief for so long, but eventually, he had managed to overco it to so extent.
And yet now, his mother was standing in front of him.
Millions of questions raced through his mind.
A few monts later, he shook his head. His opponent was a trickster, this had to be one of their abilities—making you see them as if they were the most important person in your life.
It was obvious that this wasn't his mother, she had been long dead, after all.
He should have no problem raising his odachi against her.
No, he would even enjoy it. His enemy had dared to take the appearance of his mother, so they should pay.
And yet, his hands were trembling.
He had almost forgotten what his mother had looked like. The mories were slowly becoming more blurry as ti passed on.
And yet, she was now standing before him in all her glory—the reason he was alive at this mont, the person he valued the most over any other.
'SNAP OUT OF IT, YOU IDIOT, SHE IS DEAD!' he cursed himself in his mind.
He was still in the arena, even if there was an illusion that stopped him from seeing it.
The fight was still going on,
Yet he couldn't move. His body refused to listen to him.
He had principles—the core one being to protect his mother at all costs—and because of that, the thought of harming her, or even an illusion of her, felt completely foreign and absurd, sothing that shouldn't even be possible.
So, he stayed motionless, almost as if he were frozen.
His mind was in battle against itself.
The woman who had taken the shape of his mother gazed at him for a mont.
Then she reached to the side of her waist and took out a dagger.
Taking steady steps, she began approached him.
*****
"This is one nasty power," Elysia sighed as she watched the battle live.
While she, as always, was busy, it would be a waste to miss the later fights of the tournant, so she was in the arena observing.
The woman that Zaroth was fighting against was capable of casting illusions. There were all kinds of illusions, of course—ones that could make copies of yourself, others that could make it appear as if you weren't there.
It all depended on how much a person was able to use their powers.
But the most effective way to fight, if you were capable of casting illusions, was to confuse your enemy.
And what better way than to make them think you were their most loved person?
Sure, there could be an undefeatable warrior who would never lose or give up fighting.
But what if suddenly the person they were fighting against took the appearance of their own child?
Even if the warrior knew that the person before them wasn't real, but an illusion, would they be able to raise their weapon against them?
Most people would think they could—that is, until they were actually in the situation themselves.
There's an easy way to test it, just go to your most loved person and imagine killing them.
Just the thought of it would make you sick to your stomach.
So, it was no surprise that people in situations like Zaroth's would freeze, unable to co up with a way to act.
It was only natural—raising a weapon against your most valued person goes against your core values. In a way, it's rejecting yourself and everything you believe in.
"You might have felt bad about killing sobody you didn't want to, but what about now? Would you be able to kill the person before you?"
Elysia didn't know who Zaroth's most valued person was, but she could easily take a guess.
She knew that he had lived most of his life in poverty, trying to survive.
aning that he most likely didn't have much ti to get close to many people.
And on top of that, he was a man.
So, his most valued person would be sobody he had spent a lot of ti with despite living in bad conditions, soone he could feel indeed to protect.
"That ans he is seeing his mother," Elysia concluded.
If her theory was correct, this would an that Zaroth was in even worse trouble.
After all, Elysia knew that he lived in the capital, and she couldn't recall him ntioning his family.
As such, his mother was most likely dead.
"So he is facing against his dead mother."
She leaned forward as her eyes focused on the man.
Elysia knew that he had a lot of potential. Not only did he have a dragon under his command, but he was also quick to pick up on new things.
But this mont would determine whether he would continue to take a passive approach to life, settling for diocrity, or rise above and beco sothing more.
"You wanted to be more mature, didn't you? Well, this is your chance. Prove it. Show if you're just all talk, or if you're truly capable of doing what's necessary."
*****
Zaroth was debating what to do.
Or more accurately, he was trying to force his body to move, but it wouldn't listen to him.
The woman who had taken the appearance of his mother grew closer and closer.
And when his mind was too stressed to think, a voice cut through the tension.
'Zaroth.'
It was Luna.
'Listen to what I am about to tell you.'
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