349 Interrogations
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“You know? I should burn you into ashes before you die out of bleeding...” Allan said. Suddenly leaving away the fa?ade of the “good cop”, as he quickly realized that leaving a witnesser alive would be no good either. He didn’t wanted to kill, but this man that has been enslaving and selling off innocent people for years wasn’t someone that deserved to live in his book. However, Shade stopped him.
“No. We said we wouldn’t kill...” Said Shade. “I know this sounds stupid, but if we kill, we’ll only continue an endless cycle of hatred and slaughter... I know it is ironic to say this despite being someone that has taken so many lives... But if we never truly make a difference starting with ourselves, then who else will do one? For my daughter too... I don’t want to take more human lives. I promised to myself that I would better myself after she was born, that I would do things right this time...”
“Well, too bad.” Allan said, completely surprising Shade by his sudden change of nature, as flames suddenly hit Jack and engulfed him in burning torture!
“GUUUAAAAHHHH...!”
“ALLAN, STOP!” Shade roared back at Allan, as his friend laughed a bit.
“Calm down! I am joking! Look, he’s healing.” Sighed Allan. He was always the one of the group that did jokes a bit too crude for the party’s sense of humor. Shade noticed immediately that Jack’s limbs had been reattached by the flames magical properties, and his wounds were healing too.
“Phoenix Flames...” Sighed Shade. “I almost forgot you had this.”
“Allan, I’ve always told you to not use me for stupid jokes...!” Suddenly, a beautiful and small phoenix emerged at the left shoulder of Allan, his Phoenix Familiar.
.....
“It is not a stupid joke, we are healing him, right, Phoenix?” Asked Allan while trying to appease the terrible temper of the Phoenix.
“Sigh... I am sorry Shade.” Sighed the Phoenix. “I swear I didn’t wanted to scare you. This idiot requested my help and forced my flames out.”
“I-It’s alright.” Said Shade. “Maybe I need to relax for a bit myself. I’ll go to bed after this is done.” Shade spoke casually with a mythical spirit such as the Phoenix as if both had known each other for years.
“T-These flames... they don’t hurt, they’re healing me...” Jack said in surprise. “Why? Why are you not killing me? I thought you hated me for what I’ve done...”
“We do.” Said Allan while sighing. “But we are not going to kill ya. We got our daughters waiting back at home. We can’t just greet them the next morning like nothing after slaughtering a person... You know?”
“To be honest, I am quite impressed by how you’re so two-faced to pretend that everything is alright with all those orphanage children you visit and help, after having enslaved and made suffer so many people... You even tried to kill so many innocent children only because they were the children of demons... But they’re people at the end, the same as the kids you visit each day. You were just going to kill the same kids you protect... Don’t you understand the insanity of your actions?” Shade spoke with a stoic demeanor, as Jack’s eyes shone brightly, opening wide.
Not only this man had defeated him leisurely but now he was lecturing him. However, it felt as if something happened deep within Jack. He wasn’t as unchangeable and immovable as the two thought. His mind was swarming with thoughts, considerations, and a sudden spark of guilty that quickly began to spread more and more. His face distorted slowly, despair showing on his face, he looked into the floor and then at his own hands, he looked at the subordinates trembling in the floor, hiding behind a large wooden box, and heard the cries of the slaves he had imprisoned and selfishly made suffer to no end.
“Don’t you think you’re even worse now than those you resent so much? You’ve become even more of a demon than any of the demons you ever fought.” Said Shade.
“Shade lecturing him won’t work, the other guys never changed-”
“What... I’ve done until now?”
“Eh?!”
Jack’s words suddenly stopped Allan from speaking, as he quickly glanced at Jack with a face filled with utter disbelief! The muscular man was crying tears of regret while looking at his own hands in utter disbelief. He was even trembling and breathing heavily! He, a burly and grown-up man that shouldn’t even be trembling and crying like a little girl!
“W-What? Is this guy really crying? You’re shitting me? Shade did you use some sort of spell...?” Asked Allan.
“No.” Shade answered swiftly and emotionlessly. He seemed just as shocked as Allan. When Shade got surprised, he would become as stiff as a rock, just like right now, he looked like a statue staring down at Jack.
“I-I... You’re right.. What... What have I been doing this entire time?! After experiencing near death... and realizing you’re the heroes... I’ve always acted because I thought I was in the right, but aren’t I the worst then? I’ve only done bad things after bad things, without stopping, always justifying myself by thinking that was... the demons deserved.” Jack cried, tears flowing out of his eyes like rivers.
“No, he must be trying to trick us or something.” Said Allan. “Reveal me the truth of your Heart.” Sylphy’s father quickly conjured the spell he copied from Mary with his amazing magic comprehension (acquired after intensive magic training by Faylen for over ten years), as he read through Jack’s heart, his emotions, and truest intentions.
What showed there was an incredibly dark heart, but there were no longer bad intentions, only incredibly big amounts of guilt.
Was it truly possible to change a person’s mind like this?
...Or maybe, Jack was simply too stupid and stubborn to realize he had been doing evil things, and finally realized it when two figures he admired told it to him straight to his face.
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