Resolution Ascension (III)

"Yes, from that day when the demons appeared I knew that the end had begun. I was always warning others that the time of reckoning was coming, but they never believed me. It was too late to atone for their sins, just like the rest of the population. However, I'm special. I have been chosen to receive enlightenment from the true god, he is on my side and he guides me on the right path"

"..."

We both stood without reacting while he with a strange expression on his face continued with his exposition.

"He kept me abreast of the events that would happen and of the mission to guide the new generations, those fools were not able to understand my greatness and threw me out. Only one person was wise enough to understand my enlightenment and show them their mistake, my former disciple Dars"

"Disciple!?"

"Exactly. After that event I found that he had left that site of his own free will. He seemed interested in what I had to say, and after completing my teachings he went off to take a test. Who would have thought that his heart contained such potential? Such enormous feelings were perfect for him to overcome his limits and become a Channeler. The people who died at his hands must have been proud to transform themselves into sacrifices of that newfound power"

"..."

Certainly that was the term Lavos said. A human who has enhanced his tamer abilities, skills and knowledge to the limit and is able to contact an entity beyond the physical, creating a connection with it. That means he used one of the spirits to cause a genocide against his own kind.

If this sir is the one who trained a man who murdered innocent people in cold blood... I doubt he is very far from his ideology.

I did not hesitate any longer and called my katana, I got into position to defend us in case of a possible combat.

"Is that your ritual weapon? Are you also an heir to the ancient scrolls?"

"No, I just have an acquaintance who is looking for the cause of that tragedy"

"You say someone else survived? Maybe he was blessed by luck, perhaps he would be interested in joining my cause"

"Who would!? He just wants to find Dars to get revenge for the death of his family and friends, don't you feel some guilt for what you drove him to do!?"

"Why should I? None of them were able to appreciate the potentials that come with contacting an elemental spirit"

"You mean you got to make a contract with one?"

"Not just any one, a special one. It was he who has guided me to this place brought from the kingdom of heaven. The insolent have nothing else to do but to kneel down and ask for his benevolence"

"I regret to inform you that from my perspective I don't see it that way. You're not imagining things?"

"Nonsense. He's right here beside me, listening to every word as we speak"

I looked to his right and left but saw nothing out of the ordinary. From Maria's expression, she doesn't seem to have any idea what she's talking about either.

Apparently he has completely lost her mind. However, what if part of what she says is true? If indeed this was the man who trained this Dars to commit such an atrocity, it is quite possible that he knew beforehand the immense strength of these beings, and what he could achieve thanks to their help.

And we have been looking for one of them all this time? Something powerful enough to wipe out a village in mere minutes, would he agreed to that decision? Shouldn't it be benevolent and vigilant of all creatures on this planet? I'm beginning to doubt my last decisions....

Was I wrong? Maybe they were always our enemies from the beginning, and I have misunderstood the matter. I shouldn't blindly trust a supernatural force to guide us, in the end it is we humans who must build the path with our own hands.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Maria a little frightened.

"Well, I will explain it so that you can understand it since it is my job as the priest of the new age. As you know, our planet has been corrupted by demons. That is the sign of the beginning of the purification, the time for all evils to eliminate each other and where only the chosen ones will be left to inherit the ashes of destruction. My work entrusted by my lord is to guide those who manage to survive to repopulate the Earth under his orders, and to eliminate the impure who may stain this sacred place. You have been guided by the divinity to get here, I welcome you once again to the new paradise"

That speech of his sounds like something out of an extremist religious fanatic. The level of this guy's delusions is dangerous, it is impossible to predict exactly what he might do. He even claims to hear voices and see figures, not someone I would want to deal with.

Most importantly, does he really want to kill all the humans he deems unfit and start history from scratch? Worse yet, will he have the power to make it happen?

"So that-"

"But..." he continued interrupting me. "That you have arrived at this place without a scratch means that you have either been blessed by the gods... or that they also possess a demonic mark. I wonder which of the 2 it is?"

At that instant he placed his left hand under his robe and pulled out a strange tool. It was like a small sickle in the shape of a zigzag, with a sharp point.

This doesn't look good.

"We are fighting against the invaders! We are not on their side!"

"You will not succeed in deceiving me" he refused to listen to my attempt to explain our situation and continued speaking. "I already know your true nature, and I have taken the necessary measures to get rid of several of you. I am clear on how your curses work"

"Get rid? What do you mean by that?"

"Poor unfortunate souls. You have been destroyed and forced to extract it from your core, driven to the corruption of nature. Cursed with the power to bring destruction to this world, you are no different from those bloodthirsty monsters"

"How dare you insinuate that we are the same! Our abilities are to stand up to them, to protect our families and loved ones! You are so blinded by the voices in your head that you cannot comprehend!"

"Oh poor young man who wanders in the mist of wailing. Are you claiming that the source of that which you have inside your body is not the same as the enemies you claim to defeat?"

"That..."

"That inhuman ability does not come from this planet. Both the demons and the cursed were born on the day of the Apocalypse, they are an anomaly that defies the natural order of things. Are you so lost that you are not able to realize it? What if in a few weeks or months, you end up becoming one of them?"

"I..."

Damn it, I'm not confident enough to answer him.