The warm sun hit her face as the man remained on his knees, his tears spent, but the despair still lingered. Adeline rose and pced a hand on his shoulder.

  “Come with me. I will give you new purpose. You will become the man you are meant to be.”

  “Does that include revenge for my family?”

  “The empire will be punished for their crimes, but not by your hand.”

  “WHY NOT? IT’S MY RIGHT!”

  “You know why. Once you cross that line, you lose everything, including your humanity.”

  “What makes you the judge of that?”

  “It is because I have done it, multiple times. You are a good man. I won’t let you become something you’re not.”

  “Why am I even considering this? I have nothing left to do. I might as well be of use to someone. I accept.”

  “From today, your name will be Tymon.”

  Her body released red mana, which engulfed Tymon. A patch of his hair turned red, and his body slightly enrged. A rush of energy entered him as he stood, releasing his deep blue mana. Adeline felt lightheaded and colpsed to the ground, but Tymon caught her. He quickly lifted her and carried her toward the base of the mountain. Suddenly, a rge snake appeared before him, contracting and emitting a powerful hiss. Unfazed, Tymon simply stared at it.

  “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY MASTER!”

  A powerful voice assaulted his ears. He realized the snake was speaking. To him, monsters only roared or grunted; only elves were capable of human speech. He composed himself and stepped forward.

  “She fainted after naming me.”

  “If you are lying, I will kill you.”

  The rge hydra coiled around him, inspecting every inch of his body. He came face to face with the hydra, its rge red eyes taking in his entire figure.

  “You have her mark. Ride me; it will be quicker.”

  Tymon wordlessly mounted the rge snake, which slithered across the forest floor with great precision and speed. He was impressed by the snake's maneuverability. They reached the cave, which was filled with orcs and dwarves. He dismounted, carrying Adeline. An old dwarf approached him.

  “She has expended most of her magical energy. Let her rest, and it will naturally return.”

  Tymon nodded as the old dwarf led him deep inside the mountain. The tunnels were expansive, which amazed him, but soon they reached a small room with a makeshift bed. He gently pced her down and left. As he emerged from the cave, he was confronted by an elf.

  “You! What did you do to her?”

  “She named me. From today, I will follow her will.”

  “Who are you?”

  “I was named Tymon. I was a sword master for the empire.”

  “I will keep an eye on you.”

  The elf disappeared into a nearby tree, jumping from tree to tree. It seemed his vision had also been refined. He slowly walked around the camp, watching the orcs and dwarves build various traps and contraptions.

  “She told us to get ready. Soldiers will likely come to recim our mountain.”

  The old dwarf spoke as he slowly made his way over.

  “Aren’t you supposed to hate me?”

  “I have no reason to, and our savior trusted you enough; that is good enough for me.”

  “Haven’t humans kidnapped and killed your people? I have seen dwarves in the empire sving away at the smithies.”

  “Do you want me to hate you? Is that your goal? Listen, young man, I am aware of the injustice your kind has inflicted on my people, but I am wise enough to know blind rage is not the answer.”

  “What is the answer?”

  “Praying to the goddess and moving on. But it seems the goddess has answered our prayers.”

  “Are you talking about Adeline, the demon?”

  “She is more than a demon, my child. She will bring about a new era for all creatures in the forest, the cold north, and the deserts. You have witnessed it firsthand.”

  Tymon remained silent as he continued to walk with the old dwarf.

  “What will you do now, young man?”

  “She told me to be a just person, to become the person I am meant to be.”

  “Will you do that?”

  “I will never be the man I was before.”

  “You should seek a new path, a new start.”

  Tymon paused and stared at the old dwarf. Then, a sharp whistle pierced the air, and panic engulfed the camp. The dwarves ran inside the cave, and the orcs grabbed weapons, forming a defensive line.

  “The soldiers are here.”

  The old dwarf stared with a sad look. Unlike the others, he did not panic. He slowly walked to the defensive line and weakly picked up a small stick, ready to fight. Tymon’s heart ached. This felt wrong. His instincts told him this was wrong. They had done nothing wrong; they were simply defending themselves. His mind raced, it was then he made a resolute decision. He had to protect these people. He walked to the defensive and stared down at the old dwarf.

  “I need a battle axe. Do you have one?”

  “Yes, we do. It is inside the cave, where we hid some of the weapons.”

  “Lead me there.”

  Tymon swept the old dwarf up and rushed into the cave. The old dwarf guided him to the stash. Inside, he saw a number of weapons. He put the old dwarf down and quickly looked through the pile until he found a rge silver battle axe. He held the weapon and nodded.

  “This will do. Protect Adeline.”

  Tymon emerged from the cave, carrying the battle axe.

  “THOSE WITH SWORDS AND AXES, ADVANCE! SPEARS, HOLD THE LINE!”

  He shouted commands, which the orcs reluctantly followed. He then ensured everyone was holding their weapons correctly. The massive snake appeared before him.

  “There are roughly one hundred human soldiers. At least three of them look very strong.”

  “Use your body to isote some of them, then the orcs will deal with them. If we get overrun, retreat into the cave. They must not get to Adeline, no matter the cost.”

  Alfred nodded and transformed into his smaller form, climbing the nearest tree. The sound of marching could be heard, and soon a banner with the empire’s crest appeared. Leading them was a knight trio in silver armor. They stopped in a uniform line, and one of the knights spoke.

  “How the mighty have fallen. A former commander conspiring with monsters. I would say I am surprised, but then again, you killed your own family after making false accusations. What was your name again? Oh, yeah, you don’t have one.”

  The soldiers started to ugh hysterically, but Tymon showed no reaction.

  “My name is Tymon. Leave now, and none of you will die.”