"Thanks for the help," Zaroth muttered to Eldros, after calming the storm of emotions raging within him.
The man only nodded, his lips sealed, mind deep in thought.
The two had just managed to stop half of the enemy council, and while Eldros might have helped, most of the work was done by Zaroth and his beasts.
Eldros knew that his owner was strong but knowing and seeing it with one's own eyes were vastly different things.
'Soon he will be able to go against the whole council on his own,' was the conclusion he ca up with.
His owner was truly a dangerous individual, if left to do what he wished there was a real possibility that he would be able to reach the level of the gods and kill them.
At that mont his owner's words surged forward in his mind, if his opinion of the gods never changed he could try and kill Zaroth, he would die as their souls were connected—but dying to prevent a future where the gods were killed was a worthy end, no?
Zaroth was weak, bleeding from every hole in his face, his mana core empty, his body weak, exhausted, heavy. If Eldros attacked while he wasn't paying attention he could put an end to Zaroth and this whole fiasco…
But he didn't do it.
For there was sothing that he didn't want to admit, sothing deep in his soul, sothing that he had felt subconsciously all this ti, only for him to realize his true feeling when he t and spoke with Zaroth.
What if the gods weren't the almighty beings he had been taught to believe? What if they made mistakes and used others for their own gain?
In normal circumstances these thoughts wouldn't have ever crossed his mind… but the fact that he had been betrayed by the Purifiers and made into a slave made him question their motives.
If they, the most devoted followers of the gods, were capable of doing such deeds, then what about the beings they followed?
"Zaroth," Eldros' lips parted after a bit of hesitation. "You know in your current state you are weak… I can put an end to you before you could issue the command to not harm you."
Zaroth's head shifted slightly, gazing at Eldros. Due to the mask that was still covering his face, there was no way for Eldros to see his owner's reaction.
A few seconds passed in tense silence until—
Zaroth scoffed, the act made pain resonate through his whole being, but he laughed nonetheless. "That is true, you could," he spoke not with fear or with worry but with confidence. "But you won't."
With that, he urged Eldros to move towards the city once again, as he was still relying on him for support.
Eldros, frowning, asked as he took a few steps forward, "Why are you so sure that I will not kill you?" He had to know the answer to the question, why was his master so confident in his assessnt?
"Easy," Zaroth replied, not even bothering to gaze at Eldros, "I might not know jack shit about your past, but the re fact that the people you trusted have made you into a slave ans that your devotion, your belief, and your understanding of the world have changed drastically. I know that you will not kill not because you feel indebted to or because you look at as a friend, but as your only chance to understand where you went wrong."
Eldros opened his mouth to speak but no words ca out. His mind was deep in thought.
In silence, the two of them returned to the city. Once they did, they were surprised by the sight—there were hundreds of n and won all ard with subpar weapons ready to fight to the end.
'They must have heard the commotion outside and were ready to fight,' Eldros realized, his eyes widening in amazent.
The second the forr slaves' eyes landed on the two bloody figures that had entered the city, they erupted into cheers.
Their saviors had saved them once again!
"Healers!" one of the district leaders shouted, the first to notice just how badly injured Zaroth was. Without hesitation, he began calling for the few healers still stationed in the city, waiting on standby.
All of them rushed to Zaroth's side. Giving him the chance to sit on the ground, they surrounded him and began to cast all kinds of healing skills on him. They were subpar at best, but it was better than nothing.
Slowly, Zaroth's mood began to improve, part because of the people that were still celebrating that the city had survived and part because he was being healed by so many healers at the sa ti.
Eldros watched from the side, his eyebrows furrowed, his mind deep in thought. A few healers had offered to heal him but he refused, stating that Zaroth was the biggest priority.
'A Godkiller…' he thought as he took a glance around the city. To kill a god was the biggest sin possible. Only the worst of humanity could do such a thing… and yet the cheers and cries of happiness that were happening around the city were all thanks to Zaroth's actions.
Eldros clenched his palm into a fist, making his decision.
Once the healers had done all they could for Zaroth, they let him get up on his feet while the other spectators returned to fixing the city, even more determined than before.
So were rebuilding the structures while others began to take the roles of guards and soldiers, not willing to let their saviors fight alone!
"Zaroth," once things were settled Eldros approached his owner.
"Yes?" Zaroth asked, his body still hurt but not as much as before.
"I have decided to tell you about my past and why I was made into a true slave," Eldros stated.
Upon hearing that, Zaroth's eyes narrowed. Finally, the man was ready to share his past. This not only ant he would get a better grasp of Eldros personally, but also the way the Purifiers functioned!
Because this was going to be a long chat, they went sowhere private where they wouldn't be disturbed.
Seated on old chairs across from one another, Eldros took a deep breath as he began to recall his life story from the very beginning.
"I presu that you don't know much about the Purifiers?" he asked, gazing at Zaroth.
With an exhausted sigh, he finally removed his mask that had been painted by his crimson blood before replying.
"All I know is that they believe in the gods and despise demons," he stated.
Eldros shook his head, "While you are correct to an extent, you underestimate how much they hate demons."
"You see, most believe the Purifiers' goal is to strengthen humanity's faith in the gods—but that's only their secondary purpose. Their primary mission, the true reason they were created, is to extinguish every single demon from existence. Because demons don't receive blessings from the gods, they're seen as mistakes—beings never ant to exist, and therefore must be crushed like insects."
Zaroth frowned. "Wait... if that's how they think, then shouldn't they be targeting elves, beasts, and even humans without blessings? If they're really that rigid, then wouldn't all of them be unworthy to exist too?"
To his surprise, Eldros nodded. "Yes. The demons are just the first step. Next co the elves. Then the beasts.
And finally, any human without a blessing.
Anyone unworthy of the gods' grace…"
He looked Zaroth dead in the eye.
"…is unworthy to exist."
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