The Kind of Evil

‎Three days had passed, and the world had heard of the success that South Neva had achieved in defeating the demons. Agnesia, Lenin, and Novia had come back from clearing the remnants of the demonic forces that had scattered across South Neva. Because of them, the number of casualties was almost nonexistent, and South Neva once again attained peace.

‎Rasmus was taking a break, away from everyone, to think of future plans. Ever since the war ended, he hadn't spoken to anyone, and he stayed in the Borandi village, a small village in central South Neva.

‎When Rasmus was going to the beach to have a peaceful morning, he saw Aris sitting on the shore with her gaze pointed at the vast sea. He hadn't seen her since the war ended, and the fact that she was there in front of him, he knew that she no longer needed some space.

‎Aris looked to her right and saw Rasmus sitting beside her, staring at the sea. She didn't say a word and continued to enjoy the scenery. The cloudy winter sky, the chill wind, and the sound of waves were oddly calming for her.

‎"Where to next?" Aris asked, her eyes were lazy when she looked at Rasmus.

‎"West Neva," Rasmus answered as he watched the sun rise. "Agnesia offered me to learn about magic and Mana. I might be able to learn how to understand and control it better," he explained.

‎Aris hummed and continued enjoying the silence since she had no other questions in mind.

‎"The next encounter with the Fallen Watchers would be more difficult, Aris. They must have made plans to prevent their goals from failing, and they will be more prepared than this," Rasmus said, shaping the snow into a snowball using Mana as he stared at the snowball on his palm. "With my current strength, I'm going to be a burden in your eyes. I need to be strong enough to prevent them from escaping like last time," he used mind magic to throw the snowball into the sea.

‎Aris slowly turned her head to look at Rasmus, mildly surprised that he would say something like that. She had listened to the human way of thinking, and she thought it was something that they called being considerate and vulnerable. She didn't expect to hear that from his mouth.

‎"You want to awaken your Orthias bloodline?" Aris asked after she remembered that Rasmus wanted to awaken his Orthias blood within him. "You still remember the risk?" She raised her brows.

‎"I might become a cripple for the rest of my life. I know the risk, and I'm willing to take that risk," Rasmus nodded, knowing the risk. "What's the chance of me failing, Aris?" He asked.

"It's not about whether you're capable or not. It's not rare for Orthias who can't awaken their identity as Orthias when they grow older. It's called natural selection, and only those who awaken can be called warriors," Aris answered with her head lowered to look at the snow. "It's not about if you're strong enough or not, it's about if you're chosen by nature or not. It doesn't matter if you're strong enough if nature doesn't will it," she continued and stared right into Rasmus's eyes.

"One more thing. If you fail, you will never be able to walk again, or worse, you'll lose your ability to move your body. You won't be able to recover from that, even if a Saint's power, you'll never be able to recover," Aris warned with a serious expression.

Rasmus hummed and nodded with understanding, realizing it was a gamble. However, he didn't mind the risk, and if he couldn't get stronger, there was no point in conquering the world and turning it upside down. His brain wouldn't be enough, and it would never be enough.

"What happened to those Orthias who failed to awaken?" Rasmus asked out of curiosity.

"They go back to their origin, they turn into Mana," Aris muttered as she remembered when the first time she was personified, she was one of the many, and only a handful of them that managed to awaken. "Illidan... she was my only friend... we were personified at the same time, and the elders said that she and I were made from the same Mana that got split in half," she continued.

It was the first time Aris had opened up about her past to Rasmus. They both showed their vulnerable moments for the first time to each other. There was an undeniable bond between the two, and it felt comforting for them. There was only silence and the sound of nature around them, the peaceful atmosphere that both of them needed the most at that moment.

"Are you sure you're ready?" Aris looked at Rasmus, breaking the silence.

"I'm ready," Rasmus nodded.

Aris nodded and slowly got up as she brushed off the snow from her legs. She signaled to Rasmus to follow him, and then walked toward a secluded area nearby. Rasmus followed her without saying a word as he enjoyed the scenery for one last time before nature decided his future.

They arrived at the cliff where the vast ocean was right in front of them. They stood on the edge, admiring the scenery for a moment.

"You need to take off all your clothes," Aris said as she looked at Rasmus.

Rasmus nodded and removed his shirt, trousers, and undergarments without hesitation. He was completely naked while Aris looked at his body, observing his growth. She placed her cold hands on his lower back and felt his lower spine to his upper spine with her fingers.

"You have grown a lot, even your body seems to be eager to awaken the bloodline within you," Aris pointed out as she kept observing Rasmus's back. "Your body seems to be ready, but that doesn't change the fact that the risk of failure is still there," she continued.

"I know. I'm ready whenever you are," Rasmus nodded as he kept staring at the vast sea in front of him.

Aris placed her middle finger on Rasmus's spine where the core and source of his strength was. She glanced at Rasmus's calm expression, seemingly ready to accept his fate in her hand.

"This is going to be painful, and you'll see things..." Aris muttered as she focused on the spine where her middle finger was.

Rasmus nodded with understanding as he closed his eyes, signaling to Aris that he was ready.

Aris concentrated the blue energy in her middle finger, and then she pierced Rasmus's spine with it. The moment Rasmus felt her finger pierce through his spine, he felt his whole body being torn and pulled apart. When he was about to scream in pain, he felt like something was pulling his skull and his spine off his body from above. That feeling was something that humans said when the soul was leaving the body, once they were dead.

Everything was pitch black from Rasmus's perspective, and he no longer felt pain. However, he didn't know where he was and why he was conscious because he didn't hear the sound of the waves hitting the shore anymore. He felt like he was being transported to a different dimension because he didn't feel cold anymore, only warmth.

Rasmus suddenly saw light in front of him, and the light grew bigger and brighter until he finally found himself lying in a cradle. He was confused as to why he was sleeping in the cradle and how every object around him seemed to be gigantic. Before he could look at his body, he heard a soft and soothing hum above him.

Rasmus slowly lifted his head and saw his mother, Aris, with her braided silver hair and bright blue eyes staring down at him with a soft gaze and smile. She suddenly stopped humming and gently caressed his cheek. He slowly lifted his tiny hands and realized he was a baby, and he recalled the room he was in, it was his bedroom.

"Welcome back, my child... how was your journey so far?" Aris asked in a soft mutter.

Rasmus was deeply shocked when Aris realized that she could see that the baby she was staring at wasn't a baby but rather a man in the body of a baby. He could see in her eyes how happy she was to see him. He didn't know if it was a dream or a reality.

"This isn't a dream, my child," Aris smiled and continued caressing Rasmus's cheek. "Seeing that you're here, that means you have awakened your power," she tilted her head and kept staring into Rasmus's eyes.

Rasmus wanted to speak, but his tongue and lips couldn't follow his commands at all. All that came out of his mouth was a cute squeak and a soft hum.

"You must have so many questions," Aris said in a soft voice as she caressed Rasmus's head with the back of her hand. "I'll explain everything to you. Are you ready, my child?" She raised her brows.

Rasmus couldn't say anything, and then he tried to move his head to nod. Once his head moved downward a bit, Aris smiled when he was ready.

"This is going to be a long night, my child," Aris smiled and slowly leaned down to kiss Rasmus's forehead. "Try not to fall asleep, okay?"