The determination

It was a very calm day, the sun was shining with its beautiful glow, its heat was neither exhausting nor frivolous. Birds buzz and fly in the blue sky, sheep eat greener grass than ever, and other harmless animals can be seen around.

The trees were full of life and their leaves are moved by the light, cool breeze of the wind. And right on one of these trees there was leaning a child who was absorbed in reading a book.

"Asteri, I was looking for you, I was beginning to worry and instead look where you were. So carefree in reading." A woman approaches the baby, she had a warm smile that only made her more charming than ever.

"Sorry Mom, I forgot to inform you I was here." The child looks at his mother, with a guilty face.

"Ahhhh how adorable you are, you don't have to apologize, but remember to tell mom next time, okay?" The woman sits next to her baby and wraps her arm around the baby's small shoulders, drawing him close to her. "What are you reading?"

"It's the story of a paladin. It tells the story of this man who turns out to have an affinity for the power of light, despite being a simple country boy who grazed sheep. After being taken to an abbey in possession of the "crusade of light," begins his training as a paladin. "The child seemed enthusiastic to tell the story of the fairy tale he was reading.

"Oh, a paladin, keep going so I want to know more." The woman seemed curious about the story, which makes the baby happier.

"This country boy was not the strongest, nor the smartest, not even the most skilled at using light. But of one thing there was undeniable his determination to protect the innocent and the weakest, who are tormented by others or by evil entities. "The child seems to have some enthusiasm in telling it. "But in his latest venture of defending some people, he died heroically, saving a small village from a demon." At the end of the summary, the child looks sad over the death of the paladin.

"And you? How do you talk about it do you seem attracted by the deeds of that paladin, do you want to protect the innocent and the weakest like him?" the mother brushed a lock of hair in front of the baby's eyes.

"I admire the determination of the paladin, it's his wanting to protect all the people who suffer ... but I don't want to become like him, even if I respect his way. But the only thing that attracts me is his story is his determination in defending everyone despite not being the strongest and despite being against opponents more powerful than himself, he did not hold back. "He closed the book and answered his mother's question, looking into her eyes.

"So what you want is to have the same determination as him?" She stood up and held out her hand to her son, helping him up.

"Yes, I want to have the same determination. To carry on even if I am afraid, to become stronger and stronger despite the pain and obstacles ... and finally, to protect the people I love and never lose them." The child begins to walk hand in hand with his mother, in this beautiful green meadow.

"Fufufu what a good boy you are, so you want to be so ... too bad you'll never be able to." The child stopped as soon as he heard this sentence. He immediately turned his gaze to his mother. What he saw was a completely different face than the woman's glamorous one. "We are all dead, the people you loved. We died to protect you because you are weak, we died because you could not do anything ... and you act saying these words? Basically they are just these, empty words without a shred of foundation. .. You are worth nothing and you will continue to be nothing." What he saw was a face completely opposite to the woman's charming one. Her hair was almost completely gone, her eyes were empty without sockets. Her nose was flattened and she was devoid of both ears. Her mouth was enlarged and abnormally distorted, showing her gums in full view and some missing teeth.

"M-mom ?! What happened to you?" The boy seems worried about his mother's drastic change.

Suddenly a blade protrudes from the mother's chest, a black blade pulsing with an ominous red light. The blade went up to the mother's head, dividing it in two, letting out a fountain of blood, splashing even on the face of the child, who remained motionless completely petrified by the scene.

"She died to protect you, that's what happened to him, and it's all your fault, Asteri." The entity holding the sword was none other than Pólemos. "You should just hide in a hole for the rest of your life and die." Pólemos raises his sword and lowers it towards the child.

"NOOO!" Asteri suddenly wakes up from sleep. "What ... where are they?" At that moment he was lying on the bed with medical bandages on his body. After waking from a nightmare, drops of sweat ran down his forehead.

'You had a nightmare, boy. Eventually you woke up, this fact that when you sleep or find yourself unconscious, I can't see or hear anything is somewhat irritating. But for waking up so abruptly ... what nightmare did you have?' He was a little curious as to what Asteri was dreaming of.

'Why do you ask? can't you see it yourself?' He believed that Aurelion could see and hear everything he heard, including his dreams of him.

'I can't see everything you see, especially dreams, they're off-limits to me.' That's why he asked what nightmare he was going through.

'I understand ... but it's nothing important, nor something interesting to tell.' He had a hint of melancholy in his voice.

'Nothing important? boy how are you-' The door opened just as Aurelion was trying to get the boy to reveal his dream, interrupting him.

A hooded figure enters the door, with a spear attached to his back. Asteri immediately went on alert.

"Who are you?" He doesn't know how much time has passed, but he had rested enough to accumulate his astral power upon him.

"Boy, calm down, it's rude to welcome the person who saved you in this aggressive way." The figure pulled off its hood, revealing his face.