The man stared at Adeline with indifference, then continued doing his task. He had rough bck hair and a beard, but his body was well-built, with distinctive scars over his body. Adeline did not interrupt him and simply watched. As time passed, the sound of more screams could be heard. Alfred then appeared, towering over the man, who simply gave the huge snake a gnce but then continued breaking down the rge ores.

  “The humans kept moving and running, so I had no choice but to consume them. I would like to apologize for failing in my duties.”

  “No worries, they were all stupid to begin with. Go back and instruct the orcs and dwarves to start fortifying the area and setting traps. Soldiers may come once they notice the ck of deliveries.”

  “Will you be fine alone with this human? He’s different.”

  “Don’t worry about me.”

  Alfred turned and slithered back to the mountain base, leaving them alone. Night fell as the man continued to break down the ores in silence, with Adeline watching him. The man suddenly stopped as he threw down the bloody hammer. He slowly walked towards the center of the camp and compiled some firewood, then lit it up. He disappeared into the tent, then returned with some meat as he pced it down and began to cook it. Adeline continued to watch silently. That was when he spoke.

  “Will you continue to just watch me until I die?”

  “Not really, I am just curious.”

  Adeline finally got up and joined the man, sitting across from him.

  “I did not invite you.”

  “I don’t need your approval. How about this, let’s start a normal conversation. I am Adeline, a demon.”

  “My name is none of your business. Now leave me alone.”

  Adeline found his stubbornness oddly familiar.

  “Who did you hurt? Your friend, family, or someone you loved?”

  The man paused as he stared at Adeline, then resumed cooking the meat.

  “Listen, kid, or demon, or whatever you are, I don’t know you, nor do I care. Just leave me alone. Nothing good comes when you stick to me for too long.”

  “That is what happened. Somebody died because of your actions or something you do.”

  “This is the part you stop.”

  “What exactly would you do? Threaten me to death?”

  “If you’re looking for a fight, you won’t get it from me.”

  Adeline stared at the man. She then remembered her conversation with the goddess and the old elf. She knew how stubborn she was, but she was growing fonder of the care and attention she had been receiving, though she was too stubborn to accept it. Her gaze softened at the man before her, as she wondered if she were him, what would she like to hear?

  “I am sorry, it’s just I am always, well, angry. I am working on it, let’s try again. My name is Adeline.”

  “Again, I don’t care, just leave and do what you were doing.”

  “I know what you feel, what you’re going through.”

  Adeline let out a sigh as she closed her eyes.

  “What you’re feeling is pure anger, not at others, but at yourself for your actions or their consequences.”

  “You don’t know anything about me.”

  “I used to say the same thing until a goddess appeared and pyed my life word for word, then met an old elf who read me like a book. I have been thinking for the longest time, and I have come to the conclusion that I am actually scared of it.”

  “I don’t know why you are telling me all this.”

  “I am telling you this because I think you deserve a second chance, just like me.”

  “You just saw me breaking those ores, and you somehow ran hypotheticals in that brain of yours.”

  “Yet, so far, you have not told me that I am wrong. When you spend enough time in the hole, you get to sense others who are in it with you.”

  “Assuming you’re correct, what exactly are you offering?”

  “The chance to rewrite your wrongs, be the person you’re meant to be.”

  “What person is that?”

  “A pilr of strength for the weak, something like that.”

  “That is somehow supposed to convince me?”

  “The goddess of life and nature was more convincing, but you already understand what I mean.”

  “You do know that is a pagan god, right? Only the barbarians and shamans pray to her. I suppose so do demons and other monsters.”

  “Barbarians? I wonder if they are deemed her children.”

  “So your second chance is just going around saving monsters?”

  “They are not monsters, they are barely even a threat. Those imbeciles were enough to subdue them, yet you treat them like goods. I am truly starting to think the actual monsters are you.”

  “That we are, but your cause has nothing to do with me.”

  “What is your story?”

  The man paused as he stared into the fire. The cracking of wood could be heard.

  “I was once a knight commander, a swords master, the best in the empire. I had a family, a wife and a baby. I lived a very good life, a fulfilling one.”

  “What happened next?”

  “On one of my patrols, I saw a noble raping a woman, then killing her right in front of my eyes. My knightly duty is that I protect the people from harm, so naturally, I reported it to my superior, a general. I waited, and nothing happened. They told me to drop it, I should have listened. I pressed on, presenting the crimes to the emperor, and they ughed at me.”

  The man’s face contorted in anger as a blue hue surrounded his body.

  “It’s alright, take your time.”

  Adeline comforted the man as the blue hue slowly disappeared.

  “I was confused. Why would they ugh? Isn’t it their duty to protect the people? Was I the one doing wrong? Before I could fully process everything, I returned home. The stench of blood hit me, and my heart dropped. I prayed it was a mistake.”

  The man’s face contorted as he held back tears. Adeline stared at the fire. Light tears fell to the ground as he quietly whimpered.

  “My wife and my baby girl were just there, gutted. They couldn’t even send them in a dignified way. They assaulted my wife, then gutted my baby, taking parts from her dead body. I held their bloodied bodies as the guards entered and arrested me. They chained me, and here I am, working my way to freedom.”

  “How long has it been?”

  “This is my fifth year. I was promised this would be the st one. So please leave me so I can be free to exact my revenge.”

  The man’s red eyes stared at Adeline, filled with grief and anger. The stoic mask fell, revealing his true emotions. Adeline sympathized with the man, but she knew revenge was not the answer.

  “What’s your name?”

  “I have no name. They stripped everything from me, my family, respect, dignity. I have nothing to my name. What don’t you understand? I HAVE NOTHING!”

  The man screamed in agony at Adeline, but she did not waver.

  “They did not take a righteous man who stood for justice and good, a loving husband and a father. Don’t let them take that too, be someone they will be proud of.”

  The man started to cry profusely as he fell to his knees. The tears did not stop flowing. Adeline could do nothing to comfort the man but stayed next to him the entire night, for he was no longer alone.