The Decision

Joshua stood frozen in the dimly lit chamber, his mind racing. The air felt heavier with every passing second as Saponu Sebastian's words echoed in his ears. "David is helping me with something far greater than you can understand." The old man's voice carried a dangerous calm, as though he had seen everything Joshua was feeling, every bit of hesitation.

David, his childhood friend, the boy who had once laughed with him and shared his dreams, was now part of something much darker. Joshua couldn't reconcile the image of the friend he had known with the person standing at Saponu's side, helping him in secret.

His gaze flickered back to Baba, still unconscious, tied to the chair. The torment that had been inflicted upon him was almost too much to comprehend. Joshua's heart twisted in his chest. He had always believed that the bond between him and David was unbreakable, but now, with everything unraveling before him, he wasn't sure where his friend stood anymore.

What had happened to David? How had he gotten involved with someone like Saponu Sebastian?

Joshua swallowed hard, trying to steady his breath. "What is all of this? "Why is David doing this?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

Saponu's smile only deepened, his cold eyes glinting in the shadows. "David chose his path, just as you will choose yours now. "The question is whether you will walk away and pretend you never saw anything… or join him."

Joshua took a step back, the weight of Saponu's words sinking in like a stone in his chest. Join him? The thought sent a chill down his spine. David, his once cheerful and carefree friend, had chosen to walk down a dark path, and now Joshua was being asked to follow. To become part of something that was beyond anything they had ever imagined.

"Why should I trust you?" Joshua demanded, his voice gaining strength. "You're manipulating him!" You're using him!"

Saponu's expression softened ever so slightly, though there was no kindness in it. "No one is truly innocent, boy. We all have darkness within us. David simply chose to embrace him. He knows that in this world, power is the only thing that can protect you. And I offer him that power."

Joshua's thoughts began to spin. Power. That's what David was after, wasn't it? The promise of something more, something that would finally give him control over his life, over the circumstances that had held him back. But at what cost? The agony that Baba had endured—the look of fear in his eyes as he hung from the chains—this wasn't the power David had once dreamed of. It was something much worse.

Joshua clenched his fists, fighting the urge to lash out. He could feel his anger building, but there was also a deep sorrow inside him, a sense of loss for the friend he had once known. David had chosen this path. And now Joshua was faced with the unbearable decision: What would he do?

Would he walk away and forget everything he had seen, losing his friend in the process? Or would he stay and confront David, knowing that it might cost him everything?

Saponu watched him closely, as though waiting for Joshua to make his choice. For a long moment, the two of them stood in silence, the weight of the decision hanging between them like a thick fog.

Finally, Joshua spoke, his voice steady but filled with uncertainty. "Where is David? I need to talk to him."

Saponu's smile returned, almost as if he had been expecting this. "Very well. But be warned, boy. "The path you are about to take may lead you to places you are not prepared to face."

Without another word, Saponu turned and began to walk toward the back of the room. Joshua hesitated for a moment, his heart still heavy, before following him. He had to find David. He had to understand what was happening. The friend he knew was still somewhere inside this stranger, this person who had become entangled in Saponu's dark world.

As they walked down a narrow hallway, Joshua's mind raced with thoughts of what he might say to David. Would his friend even listen? Would he have been able to pull him back from the edge, or had David already gone too far?

The corridor led them to another door, a heavy wooden thing with strange symbols carved into it. Saponu pushed it open, and they entered a room filled with dim candlelight and the unmistakable scent of incense. In the center of the room stood David, his back turned to them, staring at a large, ancient-looking book that was open before him on a stone pedestal.

Joshua's breath caught in his throat. This was the David he had known, the boy who once sat beside him under the stars, dreaming of a better life. But the person before him now was different. His posture was rigid, his eyes cold, and there was an air of finality about him. David had made his choice.

Saponu stepped forward, his voice like ice. "David, your friend has come to join us."

David's shoulders stiffened, but he did not turn around. The silence stretched on, thick with tension. Then, slowly, David spoke, his voice barely a whisper. "I knew you would come."

Joshua's heart raced, his words almost lost in the pit of his stomach. "David... What are you doing? This isn't you. This isn't the path you wanted. You want to be an ancestor, right? Then, why are you doing this? Why are you listening to him?"

David finally turned around, his eyes darkened by something Joshua couldn't understand. The boy he had grown up with was still there, but something new had taken root. Something dangerous.

"Do you know how it feels to lose everything, Joshua?" David's voice cracked with pain. Do you know how it feels to be treated like trash, abandoned by everyone you loved? My family, my future, all of it—gone in an instant. The world turned its back on me, and I was left to fend for myself. "I had to make a choice—power or nothing. "And this man," he nodded toward Saponu, "he gave me the strength I needed to survive." He gave me the means to stop being powerless.

Joshua's breath caught in his throat, the words hitting him harder than he could have imagined. "David… you've changed. This isn't the way. This won't make you an ancestor."

In Joshua's mind, a frantic thought began to grow: I needed to escape. Joining them will only take me further from my destiny. It will destroy any chance I have of becoming an ancestor. I have to escape... I had to escape.

David's voice broke through his thoughts. "It's too late for me, Joshua. I've already made my choice. You can join me, or you can walk away. But I won't change."

Joshua clenched his fists, the weight of the decision pressing down on him. His mind raced. Would he walk away and lose David forever? Or would he stay and join him in this dark world?

At that moment, as the flickering candles cast long shadows on the walls, Joshua realized that nothing would ever be the same again. Whatever choice he made would define not only his future but David's as well.

And with that thought, Joshua took his first step toward his destiny.