Chapter 7

The city streets were more restless than ever. Glelrun had always thrived on the hum of its people, but now a different kind of murmur filled the air. Whispers, heated arguments, nervous glances.

Some were already speaking openly.

"He can’t stay here. You can’t let such a creature walk freely in the city."

"Either they drive him out, or we’ll deal with it ourselves."

A small group gathered quietly near the main square. They weren’t many, maybe a dozen at most. Yet it wasn’t their number that made them frightening, but the determination written on their faces. They carried no torches, raised no voices. They simply walked with firm steps toward the Temple.

They stopped before the doors. Some exchanged glances, others only stared ahead in silence.

"We want answers." an older man said. "We won’t stay silent any longer. The Council must finally tell us what this... this creature is still doing among us."

High above, on the edge of a nearby rooftop, Vyth watched them. He sat in the shadows, elbows resting on his knees. He didn’t hide, but he didn’t want to be seen either. His expression was tense, his gaze fixed on the Temple doors.

He said nothing. He only watched the people.

"It was only a matter of time." a voice spoke behind him.

It was Llyris. He quietly sat down beside him, pulled up his legs, and crossed his arms over his knees.

"I didn’t think it would come to this." Vyth said softly.

"None of us did." Llyris replied. "But it doesn’t matter what anyone believed anymore. The people are afraid. And when they’re afraid, they don’t listen to anyone. Only themselves."

Vyth let out a faint, bitter laugh, more tired than mocking.

"Amarah always protected them. And now they’re the ones who would send him to his death."

"They can’t see him as the same person anymore." Llyris said. "And Kierg isn’t doing much to convince them otherwise."

Vyth looked into the distance, watching the unmoving group in front of the Temple.

"I think... he doesn’t want them to change their minds. As if he’s already decided it doesn’t matter what they think of him."

"Maybe it’s easier that way." Llyris said quietly. "If he expects nothing, he can’t be disappointed again."

"Except that everyone else ends up giving up on him too." Vyth’s voice grew faint.

Silence settled between them for a while.

The Temple gate remained closed, but the crowd didn’t move.

The creak of the door broke the stillness.

Aryn stepped out of the Temple. Alone. Her pink dress swayed gently in the wind outside. The crowd fell silent at once.

The High Priest stood at the top of the stairs. She waited until every gaze turned to her. And when she was sure that everyone was listening, she spoke.

"Tomorrow morning, an extraordinary council meeting will be held regarding Kierg."

She did not explain. She simply said what everyone wanted to hear.

"The meeting will be closed, but the decision will not remain hidden."

For a moment, everything fell silent. The members of the crowd did not clap or shout. Yet the tension that had weighed upon them seemed to ease just a little.

Aryn watched the people for another second, then turned around and stepped back through the door.

Vyth entered the Temple not long after.

In the corridor beside the Council chamber, a side room door stood open. Candlelight filtered from within. Aryn sat alone at the table, a few papers and a glass of water before her. But she had touched neither.

Vyth stepped inside and quietly closed the door behind him.

"This is serious now." he said softly. It was not a question.

Aryn nodded. "Yes. It is now."

"Why now?"

"Because if we don’t make the decision, others will make it for us. And then we’ll have no choice left."

Vyth stepped closer but did not sit down.

"I don’t want to make a judgment." Aryn continued. "But the people want answers."

Vyth was silent for a while. Then he spoke quietly.

"I’ll stand by him."

Aryn looked up at him and gave a single nod to show she had heard.

"It won’t be easy."

"I have to try. Because someone has to remember who he was. And because if even I stop believing in him, then he’ll be truly alone."

Aryn said nothing. She just sat and watched Vyth’s face. There was nothing more to add.

Night slowly fell over Glelrun. Within the Temple walls, the candles had gone out, and the city grew quiet.

Far from prying eyes, at the edge of the forest, Kierg was alone.

The abandoned training ground, long unused, meant only one thing to him. Silence.

Once, recruits had trained there. The air had been filled with shouting, clashing steel, and echoing commands. Now he stood alone in the center of the field.

"They’re afraid of me." he thought. "But they haven’t seen what I’ve seen. They don’t know what Vorgath is capable of. They don’t know the destruction he can leave behind. I’ve seen it. I’ve felt it. When I didn’t have the strength to stop him. And now that I finally have the strength... they fear me."

For a while he just stood there, as if listening. Then he spoke softly, to no one.

"I didn’t become this to hurt anyone. I just... never want to be powerless again."

Then the sound of quiet footsteps broke the stillness.

Vyth entered the training ground, moving slowly, careful not to disturb the moment. Kierg looked back but didn’t move.

"I had a feeling I’d find you here." Vyth said.

"At least no one bothers me here." Kierg replied.

Vyth walked closer.

"There’ll be a council meeting tomorrow." Vyth said.

"I know." Kierg nodded. "Aryn announced it outside. I heard."

"People are getting more uneasy."

"With reason." he said calmly. "I don’t blame them."

Vyth’s expression didn’t change. He only watched him.

"Aren’t you afraid?" Vyth asked quietly.

Kierg didn’t answer right away. He turned his gaze aside, then spoke softly.

"Not of being sent away. But if it happens... it’ll mean the end of everything I’ve been fighting for."

Vyth stepped closer. "You haven’t done anything wrong."

"No. But I’ve still become something else." Kierg’s voice was calm, yet a distant tension lingered in it. "They don’t condemn what I’ve done. They condemn what I’ve become."

"And what do you think you’ve become?"

Kierg smiled faintly. Not mockingly, but with sadness.

"Something they can’t understand. And maybe never will. But I’m still who I was. I haven’t hurt anyone. I haven’t betrayed anyone."

"And you never will." Vyth said.

"I don’t intend to." Kierg nodded. "But if it comes to it, and I have to leave... I’ll understand. I won’t resist."

Vyth lowered his head for a moment, then looked at him again.

"I’ll stand by you anyway."

Kierg watched him in silence for a moment, then gave a barely visible nod.

"I don’t know if it’s still worth fighting for that trust. But if you still believe in me... that’s enough."

The next morning, the Council chamber was filled.

The hall was semicircular, with tall arched windows and dark wooden pillars. The walls bore no decorations, only the banners of the Guardians’ order hung beneath the arches. In the center lay a stone floor, surrounded by rows of seats arranged in a curve. Those of higher rank sat one level above the rest.

Dozens of Guardians, city officials, and elder council members had taken their places. The atmosphere was tense yet disciplined. Everyone knew why they were there.

Aryn stood in the center.

"Kierg, once known as Amarah, still lives among us. He fought against the demons, defended the Temple, and has harmed no one since. But his appearance, his power... and his very presence have stirred fears we cannot ignore."

She paused for a moment.

"He isolates himself. He seeks no company, explains none of his choices. He asks for no help, expects nothing. Yet he has not threatened anyone. And he has done no harm."

Aryn looked across the faces before her.

"You have all seen what I speak of. And now you have the chance to say what you think."

For a while, no one spoke.

Then a short, bearded man stood up from one of the side rows. A Guardian. Older, his cloak worn, but his voice firm.

"That creature is not the same as the one who once served here." he said. "He doesn’t look at us as people. He looks through us. And that’s not normal. That’s dangerous."

Murmurs spread through the room. A few nodded in agreement.

Then a woman rose to her feet. Her face was sharp, her voice clear.

"I cannot forgive him for joining forces with a demon. He may not have hurt anyone, but his power did not come from here. And those who draw strength from darkness are eventually consumed by it."

Aryn said nothing. She simply watched as they spoke one after another.

"My problem is not with his actions." one of the city council members said. "It’s with what he radiates. My child... ever since seeing him on the street, hasn’t been able to sleep. She’s terrified. Because his eyes are red, and his face looks like that of a monster."

Vyth had been silently watching the speakers. But now, he slowly rose from his seat. The creak of chairs and the soft murmurs faded away. Every eye in the Council was now on him.

He did not raise his voice, yet every word carried the restrained anger he had been holding inside for a long time.

"I have listened to you, and I understand your fear. But you speak of Kierg as if he were an enemy, as if you had never known him. As if you have forgotten what he has done for us, and who he truly is."

Some watched his every movement with tension, while others avoided his gaze.

"Kierg has not become a monster. He did not betray the city, and he did not turn his back on anyone. Yes, he has changed. He took upon himself something none of us dared to bear, because he saw no other way to protect us. He carried the burden of darkness so that we would not have to face it ourselves."

He fell silent for a moment. His gaze moved across the hall.

"He did not choose the easy path. He knows exactly what price he paid to become stronger. He does not seek gratitude, he does not ask for glory. There is only one thing he asks, even if he never says it aloud, that we see him for who he truly is. He stands alone now because we can no longer stand with him. But he is still the same one who once protected us. And if we send him away now, we will lose not only a warrior, but also the one who valued our safety more than his own humanity. We will lose the one who was willing to sacrifice everything for us."

Vyth’s voice quieted again, yet it still carried strength.

"Kierg does not ask for help, because he has accepted that he must bear this burden alone. But I refuse to accept that we, in return, should turn our backs on him. If we send him away, we will be the ones turning our backs on what we have always believed in."

Silence filled the hall. A faint trace of acknowledgment crossed Aryn’s face, but she still did not speak. The council members looked at one another, some lowering their eyes in embarrassment, others seeming deep in thought.

But the fear still lingered. Vyth felt it as he slowly sat back down. He had nothing more to say. He had spoken all that he needed to, and now it was up to the Council to decide what would come next.

Several seemed as if they were about to speak, but in the end, they remained silent. Vyth’s words had clearly left a mark on them.

At last, Aryn stood and raised her hand to silence the quiet murmurs.

The hall fell silent within seconds. The fatigue and tension were visible on Aryn’s face, yet she stood straight, her voice calm but firm.

"I have heard your fears, and I have heard the words spoken in defense of Kierg." Her gaze shifted briefly to Vyth. "We cannot ignore the concerns that have been raised, neither those that stem from Kierg’s actions nor those born from the people’s fear."

She paused briefly and looked around the hall with a serious expression.

"But we cannot make a decision in haste or out of fear. There is only one path we can take responsibly. We must give this situation time to become clear."

Some in the chamber nodded quietly, while others exchanged impatient glances. But Aryn continued.

"In the coming days, we will continue to observe Kierg’s behavior. We will see how the city responds to him, and how he himself relates to the community. Until then, we will make no final decision."

She fell silent for a moment, then spoke firmly.

"For now, Kierg will remain in Glelrun under conditional status. But I warn us all, do not judge him by prejudice, but by his actions. And above all, do not let fear guide our decisions."

A quiet murmur ran through the hall, but no one spoke against her. Aryn remained still for a moment longer, then nodded and, closing the session, took her seat again.

Only then did Vyth release the breath he had been holding. He knew this was not a final solution, but at least he had gained a little time to prove he had not been wrong about Kierg.

Kierg sat in the rear courtyard of the Temple, far from the noise of the center. Beneath an old stone wall, in the half-shadow, he waited for dusk, as if he had found his place on the border between light and darkness. He did not hide his face this time. His red eyes looked forward calmly, though his thoughts were far away.

Vyth approached quietly, not wanting to disturb him. Kierg did not look up, but he knew he was there.

"I heard what happened in the Council." he said softly.

Vyth nodded, then slowly sat down beside him.

"For now, you can stay. But they’ll be watching you."

"They always watch." Kierg remarked, a faint, weary smile crossing his face. "The only difference is that now they do it openly."

Vyth did not reply, only let out a quiet sigh. For a while, there was silence, broken only by the whisper of the wind.

"Everyone wants a hero..." Kierg finally spoke, turning his gaze toward the distance. "But only if he looks like one. If it’s easy to accept him, and there’s nothing to fear."

Vyth looked at him. Kierg’s face showed no defiance, no anger. Only fatigue, and perhaps for the first time, true vulnerability.

Kierg slowly turned to him and met his eyes.

"Do you think I made a mistake?"

The question was quiet and careful, as if he feared the answer.

Vyth took a deep breath and stayed silent for a while. He could not look away from Kierg’s eyes, but the answer did not come easily.

"I don’t know." he said honestly at last. "Maybe the path you chose wasn’t the best one. But maybe there was no better path to take."

Kierg closed his eyes for a moment, then gave a quiet nod. He said nothing, but something appeared on his face that Vyth had never seen before.

It was not anger, nor hurt, nor defiance.

Only a deep, quiet sadness. The acceptance that perhaps there is no right answer, only choices and consequences.

For a long time, neither of them spoke again. The sun slowly set beyond the Temple, casting the courtyard into shadow. Yet Kierg and Vyth remained where they were, motionless, watching as the last light faded away.

Several days passed in silence and tense anticipation. The people of Glelrun remained cautious, and Kierg continued to avoid others. Vyth often saw him from afar, but they did not speak again.

However, the calm could not last long.

In the middle of the night, hurried footsteps broke the silence. A scout rushed into the Temple, straight to Aryn. Gasping for breath, he stopped before her and spoke briefly, in a soldier’s tone.

"High Priest Aryn! Something has happened at the southern border. We detected a large surge of magical energy, and it’s still growing stronger."

Aryn’s expression darkened.

"What kind of magic?"

"Its exact source is unknown, but it is certainly of demonic origin."

Aryn hesitated for only a moment, then nodded firmly.

"Alert all Guardians. Immediately."

The scout bowed respectfully and ran off. Within minutes, the city was in motion. Torches flared to life, orders rang out, and the Guardians armed themselves one after another.

Vyth was already outside, walking quickly toward the gathering point. A crowd had already formed in the main square, all waiting for the High Priest’s command.

Then Vyth suddenly stopped.

He looked around, as if searching for someone. His eyes scanned the crowd again and again until he stopped beside Llyris.

"Have you seen Kierg?" he asked quietly.

Llyris shook his head. "No. I haven’t seen him in some time."

Vyth frowned, his eyes sweeping over the square once more. Kierg was nowhere to be found. Deep down, a tight, uneasy feeling settled in his chest.

Meanwhile, Aryn stepped to the center of the square and raised her hand, commanding silence.

"Everyone to the southern gate! We move now!"

The crowd stirred, weapons clattered, and the formation began to move toward the gates. Vyth followed, but his thoughts remained fixed on Kierg.

He couldn’t understand where he could have gone, especially now, at a moment like this.

Chaos raged on the southern border. The Guardians had barely reached the edge of the city when flames and dark smoke signaled that the attack had begun.

They were not many, perhaps a dozen in total, but the demons moved quickly and with coordination. They did not attack as they usually did. This was no random destruction. They advanced in a straight line, with purpose, as if they knew exactly where they were going.

"Formation!" Aryn shouted firmly as she ran toward the front line. The Guardians closed ranks at once, weapons ready. Vyth stood among them, his sword steady in his grip.

But the demons did not falter. As they drew closer, red and black energy flared around them. Magic burst forth in sharp, unexpected surges. Several Guardians staggered, and some fell to the ground.

"Watch out!" Aryn shouted, raising a shield of light to repel one of the magical strikes. But the barrier shattered almost instantly, as if the demons’ power somehow pierced through ordinary defenses.

"These aren’t normal demons!" cried a Guardian beside her. "They’re different!"

"Yes, I can feel it!" Aryn answered tensely. "Don’t let them get close!"

Vyth tried to push forward as well, deflecting one demon’s strike with his blade, then shoving his opponent back with force. But the attacker did not fall. It retaliated immediately, unleashing another magical explosion that threw him off his feet.

"What is happening here?" Vyth hissed as he pushed himself up again. He could see that Llyris and the others were barely holding under the pressure.

The demons advanced slowly but steadily. Every movement, every strike was precise, as if they were being drawn toward a specific target. The Guardians were being forced back step by step, losing control of the battle.

"We can’t hold them!" shouted a younger warrior.

Aryn frowned, concern flashing in her eyes. She knew these creatures were after something far more dangerous than simple destruction.

"Whatever happens, we cannot let them into the city!" she shouted with determination.

But as the demons came closer and closer, Vyth suddenly realized that Kierg was still nowhere to be seen.

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

The Guardians were slowly forced back as the demons’ magic rained down on them without pause. Aryn and Vyth fought with all their strength, but their power was beginning to fade.

Then, as if appearing out of nowhere, a dark figure leapt into the midst of the demons.

It was Kierg.

He barely touched the ground before he was already in motion. His body seemed no longer made of mortal substance. With fluid, shadowlike speed, he swept across the battlefield. His first move was to seize a demon by the head and slam it into the ground with merciless force. The creature’s cry was cut short in an instant.

The remaining demons turned toward him in shock, but Kierg gave them no time to react. He advanced immediately, thrusting his hand forward and gripping the very aura of a demon, which swirled around it in dark, restless energy. With a single motion, he tore it out. The demon’s body convulsed, then fell lifeless to the ground.

Another demon lunged at him from behind. Kierg did not look back. He simply stepped aside, his arm moving with mechanical, cold precision. The demon’s body cracked violently in two, both halves collapsing to the ground without life.

The Guardians watched in stunned silence. Kierg did not defend, did not block, did not even try to evade. It was as if there was nothing left that could harm him, nothing left that could cause him pain.

Another demon screamed and hurled its magic at him. Kierg sidestepped effortlessly, then moved forward almost instantly. He seized the creature by the neck, his gaze radiating icy indifference.

"What are you doing here?" he whispered softly, almost inaudibly. Then, without waiting for an answer, he crushed the demon’s throat with sheer strength.

Vyth stood frozen, watching Kierg move like a shadow among his enemies. He had never seen him like this before. Every motion was precise, brutally efficient.

The last demon tried to flee, but Kierg gave it no chance. His body darted after it like lightning. His hand pierced the creature’s chest, and with one harsh pull, he ripped out the dark energy that gave it life.

The battlefield fell silent once more. Around him lay the scattered bodies of the slain demons. Kierg stood motionless among them, his breathing steady, his face showing neither satisfaction nor exhaustion. Only emptiness. Cold indifference.

The Guardians, Aryn and Vyth among them, watched in silence. No one spoke, but they all knew this was the true Kierg. The one everyone feared, and the one no one truly knew.

After the battle, an eerie silence settled over the streets of Glelrun. The demons’ bodies had crumbled to dust, the wounded were tended to, yet somehow no one truly felt it was a victory.

The Guardians stood quietly at the edge of the city, uncertain. Small groups of citizens had gathered, whispering among themselves, their eyes drawn to Kierg. They watched him from afar, not daring to come closer. Kierg stood motionless, his back to the city, his gaze fixed on the distant forest.

Aryn slowly stepped beside Vyth, her expression grave and tired.

"This was too much." she said quietly, her eyes glancing toward Kierg.

"Yes." Vyth replied just as softly, his voice filled with a sorrowful certainty. "But we won. He protected the city."

"He did." Aryn nodded. "But at a price none of us ever wished for."

Around them, people still whispered in disbelief. In some eyes, Kierg was a hero who had single-handedly stopped the attack, while in others, something different flickered. Fear. Worry. Perhaps even terror.

"He was ruthless." an older man said among the crowd, not bothering to lower his voice. "No man does something like that. That was no act of heroism."

"And what if there was no other way to stop them?" a younger woman answered quietly. "What if we owe him our lives?"

Soft arguments broke out among the gathered groups, no agreement to be found.

Vyth watched their faces, hearing the uneasy murmurs, and felt what Aryn felt too. Kierg had crossed an invisible line. Not because of his power, nor because of his deeds, but in the way he had done them. Ruthlessly. Unstoppably. With such ease, as if he were no longer bound by human limits.

"I think..." Vyth said at last, his eyes fixed on Kierg. "...they no longer know where he belongs. They cannot decide whether he is a hero or a monster."

Aryn sighed. "Perhaps he no longer knows either."

The sun slowly set over Glelrun, but something remained within the city, something that did not fade with the daylight. A deep, uneasy feeling for which no one could find a comforting answer.

Kierg stood motionless in the distance, as if he already knew that whatever he had done, there would be no way back.

Far from the city, on a distant hilltop, Kierg stood alone. The silence of the night surrounded him. The sky above was deep and endless, filled with countless stars. In the distance, the faint lights of Glelrun were still visible, yet for some reason, he felt farther from the city than ever before.

He sat down on the ground, resting his back against the trunk of an old tree, and slowly exhaled. He raised his hand before him, dark energies swirling between his fingers. They were so easy to use now. He no longer even needed to focus on them. Yet each time he did, it felt as if they carried him further away from who he once was.

"Was this victory?" he asked himself quietly. His words vanished into the cold air of the night. "I saved them. I did what I had to do."

Silence. Only the soft rustle of the wind among the distant trees.

"And yet I don’t feel as though I’ve gained anything."

His thoughts returned to the battlefield, to the demons he had defeated so easily, so mercilessly. To that moment when his gaze met the eyes of the Guardians, who looked at him with awe mingled with fear.

The city was safe. The people had survived. Yet now they stood farther from him than ever before. He could not tell whether they had drifted away from him, or he had become a stranger to them.

His red eyes wandered toward the distant lights.

"What did I lose when I chose this path?" he whispered softly. "Was there truly no better way?"

He expected no answer. He already knew it, the moment he had first chosen to accept this power. Since then, with every act and every victory, less and less remained of who he had been.

The silence of the night calmed him, but it did not ease the pain.

Glelrun was still there, as it had always been. But for Kierg, it was slowly fading somewhere far beyond reach, beyond the line he could never cross again.