89 Calming The Mad

An hour of intense treatment passed by. My straps finally loosened again, signaling the end of this hellish procedure. I sit upwards, every nerve still yelling their pain as the aftermath still lingers. My vision slowly returns, the sizzling sensation still fresh in my mind.

"Are you still there, Seccesus Solum? Hello?" Treyah Tuldani speaks out, snapping his fingers in front of my eyes to attract my attention. I don't respond, my blood's still boiling with rage and hatred.

The first sight moves back, going to converse with Ergillaz about something. I rub my eyes with both of my hands. My arm has somehow been regenerated through this process, but I'm in no mood to celebrate this achievement.

The oldish, impish priest moves closer, scanning me for any abnormalities. Her old wrinkled fingers touching the regenerated arm.

"Let her down!" Ergillaz suddenly yells out in my direction.

Confused by his antics, I look at my hands. They have the old impish woman grabbed by her frail little throat. She whimpers something inaudible as my grip only continues to tighten.

'Should I let her go?'

'…'

'Why?'

'I could simply squeeze a bit harder and end her filthy existence.'

A soft chuckle leaves my lips. Every instinct that I have urges me to go rampant and kill everyone in this room.

I decide what's going to happen next. Death or alive, rampant or sane, a battle or peace. All these options, simply at the end of my fingertips.

The struggles of the small old woman in front of me increase every passing second. Her panic and futility giving me an unfamiliar satisfaction.

"Do you want to live?" I ask her, my killing intent seeping through every part of my body. Ergillaz and Treyah Tuldani are cautiously preparing some spells, unsure whether I will snap or not.

She tries to nod to the best of her abilities. Her desperate attempts to stay alive even manage to overshadow my lingering pain from the treatment.

"Well, in that case," I respond with a sly smile, losing my grip and dropping the old imp priestess.

She inhales a clear breath, her eyes filled with relief and hope. As she almost comes in contact met the floor.

So close to safety, to survival. The endless possibilities you realize that life can offer you when you're so close to losing it all.

It only happens in a split second, all those realizations in one measly second. How many millions of seconds pass in a human's life? Then what about elves and demons, do they panic the same when they are so close to the end?

Seeing that the woman is close to hitting the floor. I grab her neck again with my left arm, snapping it without any doubt in mind.

'Did you think the same, imp woman? Did the realization that you might survive dawn upon you? Did you think about your future or what life still might have in store?' I think, staring at the lifeless body in my hands.

"SECCESUS SOLUM LUCIEL! Stop right now and calm down!" Ergillaz yells towards me, it feels rather strange, being called by this name. Especially out of Ergillaz's mouth. What was he trying to achieve with that? Trying to rationalize me, hoping that I am simply confused and that some given name would bring me clarity.

I've never felt this clear before. I've always tried to be reasonable, even if this city is stanched with the smell of inequality and madness.

'Why should I be reasonable? Why don't I just kill all those pesky things that annoy me? Why should I show mercy to those who beg?' Questions begin to fill my mind, for my suppressed demonic desires have managed to plea their case.

"Calm down? I'm perfectly calm, perhaps even enlightened." I speak towards Ergillaz, ridiculing his obscene demand.

"Then cease your killing intent and don't do anything rash."

"But I don't want. It feels so much better when you don't hold back." I respond calmly, poking the deceased body of the old imp.

"Do you want that devil girl to see you like this? A mad, murderous demon with no sense of rationality?"

"..."

"It's tempting to give in to your desires. But I know that you will be disappointed in yourself when the pain is gone and the mind recovers. This is simply a momentary sham to try and cope." He calmly explains, His golden eyes are strangely enough filled with empathy and worry.

"Why do you care? Wouldn't it be better if I didn't care? Would make me a more efficient killing machine." I respond, ridiculing his unwarranted sympathy.

"What?" Ergillaz responds, perhaps baffled by my strong rejection.

"Isn't that why we have a contract? To make me strong enough to kill enough to kill that orc, that for some reason deserves to die?" I ask recalling how this alliance came to be, an unexpected visit in a tavern.

"Now, don't misunderstand me, Ergillaz. I'm sure that this broken deal must have been quite the predicament. The inhabitants of this city kill for far less, so I'm not shaming you. I'm simply curious why you're trying to stop me from becoming more…" determined", let's call it that." I continue to speak, giving him no chance to intervene. The pain that I'm feeling, fueling the desire to attack and kill everything in this room, growing every passing second.

"..."

The reply doesn't follow immediately, my body begins to involuntarily twitch in an attempt to stop myself from attacking him. His golden eyes gaze at me rather pensively, thinking about a fitting reply.

Ergillaz's exhales slowly as gold dust starts to fill the room. Realizing that he's going to subdue me, I cast some dark magic in a desperate attempt to stop him. The gold dust that has swiftly filled this room start to emit a heavy aura.

I fall down on my knees, unable to stand against the aura. I look towards the trio standing at the door. Ergillaz is completely fine, he just looks sad and deep in thought. Treyah Tuldani is on the floor, desperately trying to keep himself conscious. The human looking priest seems to have immediately lost consciousness.

"You've gotten quite strong." Ergillaz says as he moves closer towards me.

"..."

"I'ill ask the servants to get you some herb that can help you calm down."

"..."

"This means that I'm going to knock you out, otherwise you'ill probably start a rampage throughout the city."

"..."

Ergillaz kneels down, looking me directly in the face, before he continues to speak.

"To answer your question. No, I don't intend to make you a pure killing machine. Because you and I both know that you can be so much more." He says in a surprisingly gentle tone, one that I didn't expect when he led me here.

He reassuringly pats me on the shoulder, gives me a comforting look and... punches me in the gut. Knocking me out in one go.