Crossroad

"Johannes, what have you done!?"

The paladin with the short hair and clean-shaven face, seemingly the leader of the bunch, slammed the blonde paladin against the wall of the chapel.

"You sensed the flow of its Aether, didn't you, captain?" replied Johannes, the blonde paladin. "If I hadn't taken care of the demonkin then and there, it might have caused more damage. One life lost is preferable to many more, don't you think?"

The captain ground his teeth at the cold response. There were many things he wanted to say, but he knew that they would all fall upon deaf ears. He had known where Johannes came from. Much like the orphans here, Johannes too came from the southern region. He had watched his hometown burned to the ground by the remnants of the Demon Lord's troops. The event planted a deep-seated grudge within him, not only against the demonkin, but against those in the final battle for not 'finishing the job' properly.

The captain here was amongst those at the final battle. In fact, he was at the forefront of the battlefield. His name was Randolf, one of the five heroes who had struck down the Demon Lord.

"Tsk!" With a click on the tongue, Randolf released Johannes and turned towards his other fellow paladin. "Guillimore, how is she doing? Will she make it?"

The one called Guillimore, the paladin with the fine mustache, had his hands pressed against Maria's wounds, desperately trying to stop the bleeding.

"I'm doing everything I can, but I can't stop the bleeding! My magic is only good for first aid dammit! We need a doctor! No, a healer!"

"I know that! One of the kids had already taken off to find someone."

"Well he better find someone good and they better get back here fast, or we're going to lose her."

While the paladin called Guillimore tried to help Maria as much as he could, the younger kids, namely Lina, Fio, and Theodore, were watching from the side. They had gathered around Maria before, but Edwin took them to the side so that Guillimore could administer first aid.

As Theodore stood there, staring blankly at the unconscious Maria, Fio was crying at his side, her small hand clutching at the hem of his shirt. Meanwhile, Lina was talking to Edwin, asking if Maria would be alright with a quavering voice even as Edwin tried to comfort her to the best of his abilities.

Despite what it looked like, Theodore's head was clear. He knew that if nothing was done, Maria would surely die. He also knew that there was no one in Eastcliff good enough to heal a wound such as this. That is, no one but him.

Theodore could do it, he could heal her and save her life if he acted quick enough. However, he'll have to do it under the watch of the paladins. The problem was, of the few aware of the Demon Lord's method of resurrection, the Paladins of Eustia were one of them. The information was not made widespread, however, to avoid the chaos of knowing that anyone could potentially become the next Demon Lord. And while the Paladins did not know all of the details, at the minimum, they knew that the Demon Lord's Aether would find and possess hosts to raise as the next Demon Lord. Preferably, the Aether would seek out those with weak magic resistance to make the possession easier, usually infants and young children.

If they were to witness someone as young as Theodore perform something as complicated as healing magic, it would not be a stretch of the imagination to assume that Theodore would be placed under suspicion.

Theodore had found himself at a crossroad. At this very moment, he had to choose the path he would take, either to save Maria and doom himself or to abandon Maria for his own survival. It was a choice that placed him in great distress. So great was his stress, his mind went blank as he was torn between the two.

***

Even while bearing the burdens of the Demon Lord's memories, Theodore did have many fond memories growing up. These were the memories that would shape him into what he becomes later in life. Amongst them, were memories of the elderly priestess called Eliza. She was a gentle and warm person, and Theodore liked her very much.

He could remember the book she read to him in the past. It was a tale that could be found just about anywhere in various forms, a story about good fighting against evil, of heroes and villains. However, in this one there's a bit of a difference. The story went into details about how the villain became a villain, tragic backstory and all. Frankly, it was a little too much for a child as young as Theodore was.

Back then, sitting on Eliza's lap, Theodore remembered himself asking aloud: "What if I grow up to be a bad guy?"

It was likely the only time he had let his worries about being the Demon Lord reborn slip out.

Tenderly, Eliza caressed his hair as she considered the child's question without making light of it.

"Well, there are many things we cannot control in life," Eliza said gently as she continued to brush Theodore's snow-white hair. "I remember wanting to be many things growing up. When I grew older, I had many things I wanted to do too. However, not once could I predict where life would take me. There was even a period of my life when I was somewhat *bad* myself, you could say."

She laughed as she showed Theodore a long scar on her arm, somewhat obscured by her wrinkles.

"So maybe you might be a bad guy someday, who knows. But, you know what, I always did follow my heart and did whatever I thought was best. Isn't that all we can do?"

Theodore frowned. It wasn't the answer he was looking for.

"Oh, I'm sorry if this is all going over your head," said Eliza upon noticing his frown. "I wouldn't worry too much though, I'm sure you'll be fine. You are a kind child, Theodore. You have a gentle heart, though maybe a little too soft if you ask me. I'm a little worried, frankly. Still, I'm sure whatever decision you make will reflect that gentleness. You might grow up to be a bad guy or you might become a good guy, maybe a bit of both, but I'm sure you'll find your way in the end, just like I found mine. Wherever you end up, I'm sure you'll do me proud."

***

Theodore wasn't sure why, but the memories with Eliza came to his mind. Those words from back then instantly cleared his mind. He realized what he needed to do, what he wanted to do.

(What's the point of being Demon Lord if I can't even do as I wish?)

Tenderly, he broke away from Fio and walked towards Maria.

"Damn it, the blood isn't stopping! The wound is too deep! How long do we have to wait till-"

Suddenly feeling a massive flow of Aether behind him, Guillimore turned around to find Theodore approaching. Extending from his fingertips were over a hundred threads of Aether, his microscopic limbs.

"Please, let's me handle this," Theodore said solemnly.

***

End of Chapter 10

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