“Any news?” Hoffstein says.

  The man takes a sip of the tea and puts the cup on the wooden table. He sits on the side opposite mine, at a distance of a little more than one and a half meters. We sit outdoors and on the ground, under the shadow of a smiling mushroom that moves from time to time to look at the giant birds. Birds, which, in turn, descend low and catch mice the size of pigs, then greet the hero with a wave and fly back into the sky.

  The fairy world and Hoffstein. I have already stopped trying to understand both. Oddly enough, the man is what fascinates me the most. He said that he is equal to me and at the same time my opposite. What does that mean?

  No, even stranger is the fact that I don't feel anything coming from him. No trace of mana, no aura. His eyes glow golden, and I can see runes tattooed on his arm. Still, I don't feel anything.

  The only explanation for this would be him being so weak that I can't detect him—which is not true—or so strong that he can hide from me with zero difficulty. That is the only plausible possibility.

  Anyway, it annoys me.

  “Hey.” He waves his hand in front of me with a smile. “Is it still there?”

  “… Sorry, I got lost thinking. What did you ask?”

  “If there is anything new about you.”

  “Ah, um, The Unknown-”

  “No, no. No talking about it while we are eating. I want to know about you, boy. How are you recovering? Have you seen any cute elves you've fallen in love with?”

  Fairy.

  “… No. I don't think I can.”

  “Oh.” He bites off a piece of the beef rib. “What about Morgana?”

  “What about her?”

  “Is she okay?”

  “Ah. Yeah, I guess.”

  “I'm fine. Thanks for asking.” A voice comes from the air.

  “Great! What do you like to do, Sieghart?”

  “I read a lot when I was in Dufae. Some children refused to touch the books I touched, so I almost had a monopoly. Knights defeating Dragons. Historical heroes. It was inspiring.”

  “I don't think there are many of those at the fairy world.”

  “No.”

  “What else?”

  “Uh… I liked to train magic, but I did it more out of necessity. I also like… cats, I guess? And dogs. Nothing that matters.”

  “What do you do while you recover?”

  “I'm talking to Morgana. I hunt some things. Magic training. I think. There's a talking tree on the side of my house, so sometimes I go there and talk to it.”

  “Oh, Bob. He's a nice guy.”

  “Uhum.”

  Hoffstein inspires. “I'm sorry. It must have been hard.” He says.

  While I hate that others feel sorry for me, that doesn't seem to be the case with Hoffstein. He sympathizes, but he doesn't look at me like I'm a victim. I wonder if he still distrusts me.

  “Well, I'm here now, so you can stop focusing on surviving and move on to living for real. Choose something fun to do, no, two, and discover more things to enjoy!”

  I smile. “I'll see what I do.” I say, and bite off my part of the rib. It almost melts in my mouth, and for a second I really think it's because of the environment. “… I like it.”

  “Great!” He bites off his last piece. “Rib is great!” He laughs. “But, well, if we have nothing to say, we'd better talk about what we came to talk about.”

  I nod. “About the unknown… I opened the door at the bottom of an old hut and went downstairs. I can still go upstairs, but if I close the door and start exploring, I can't go back. Apparently, I can't make progress if I don't explicitly close the door. I also completed the floors upstairs.”

  “Good.” He says, then bites off another piece. He is the first person who would consider meat and tea as a good breakfast. “So it's true that you need to clear the floors. At least I can help you with that. What about chaos?”

  “When I fought Aldwyn, I was able to restore my entire mana before reaching Dufae, and I think this happened because I used all the power I hadn't used until that moment, just like when I defeated the abomination in the forest. I found out that I can't do it again. The Gates have already given me what they had, and now they have stabilized.” I say, then I continue:

  “So I'm stronger than before, but not as strong as when I beat Aldwyn. I think it's a pattern. Maybe I can achieve that power if I'm willing to kill myself for it.”

  Hoffstein nodded. “You were in a delicate moment, you couldn't do that again. I don't recommend it, even if you can.”

  “I think I can emit four-tenths constantly now. If maximized, five. I also no longer have to worry about destroying the surroundings, because I can focus chaos better, but...”

  “But?”

  “I still have to work on it.”

  “We have time. Anything else?”

  “… No. I don't think so.”

  “Great.” He says and takes the last sip. His expression changes. Before with a smile that increased depending on the situation, now, he watches me intently. “The world wants to kill you.”

  “What?”

  “They felt their awakening power in the village of Dufae. Aldwyn is dead, and a fourteen-year-old boy has killed him. Rumors spread. The Blood Moon will happen in a few months, and The Demon King has returned, or at least someone related to him.”

  Blood Moon. The term does not escape my memory. Aldwyn said that The Lion would try to possess me on the night of the Blood Moon, and that he would use my body to prepare for the Eclipse. Hoffstein said that's when the evil power returns to earth, but I don't know any details.

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  “I didn't expect it to be so close. What will we do?”

  “I need time to calm the kingdoms. You trust me, but in case things go wrong, I need you to be protected. They still don't understand that it's our only chance to destroy the Demiurge once and for all.” He settles for himself. “Aye. That safe place will be Solace.”

  “Solace?”

  Morgana manifests. Steam comes together and almost becomes a hurricane before she bursts towards me and wraps her arms around me. The fairy stares at Hoffstein.

  “Absolutely not.” She says.

  “Huh?” Hoffstein says. “Why?”

  “In Solace, Sieghart will be surrounded by all the people who hate him. How do you want us to trust that?”

  “What is Solace?” I say.

  “An Academy.” Hoffstein says. “Formed by priests, military and mages, it is one of the few apolitical institutions in this world, focused on the maintenance of important beings to Destiny. It is isolated from everything and everyone, difficult to access and hidden. Most importantly, no one has the authority to enter… With a few exceptions. Me included. Since you have my permission, it's the perfect hiding place.”

  Morgana turns to me. “If we go to Solace, he will have dozens of priests watching him closely, judging him at every step. You will be restrained and used as a weapon, watched as an experiment. It won't be safe, it will be alive, and those are two different things.”

  I breathe in. “… Don't make me have to choose between one and the other. Make up your mind first.”

  “The decision is yours in the end.” Hoffstein says. “Solace is safe and hidden. Once we're there, I can go out and calm the other realms. So when you are ready, I will present you to humanity as an ally, and we will march to the seal of the Demiurge to destroy you. No drama or headaches, just a mission.”

  “A religious academy made by people who have dedicated their entire lives to killing you.” Morgana says in my ear. “How are you sure they will help you? How are you sure that the permission they gave Hoffstein to help them isn't just a trap? Can't you see we just got out of a prison? Why do you want to go back to another one?”

  Hoffstein nodded. “I understand her. As the Golden Hero, I have prestige within Solace and connection to her tutors. We can keep your identity hidden until the right time. Nothing bad needs to happen. I am the brother of the king of the Great Empire Of Mankind. I can calm them down in time.”

  Morgana throws a sharp look and squeezes her arms around me, her strength almost suffocating me. She turns to me. “Are you sure about that?”

  “… Doesn't The Lion see everything I see?” I say. “Won't he go after Solace as soon as we get there? Attract a demon? I'm not a decoy of monsters, and that's why we can't stand still?”

  Hoffstein shakes his head. “The Lion sees everything you see, and it is true that he could corner us with his influence and his… features. That's why we're using fairy world as a gateway. Since she always changes and makes no sense, we will manage to get to Solace without showing him the real ways. Since you are still sealed, you should not be able to see beyond the dimension you are in. And also, despite all this, Solace is protected. It won't be detected. Once inside, we win.”

  Makes sense. Still, Morgana's concern makes me uneasy. She seems to know something I don't.

  “… But we don't need to do that now. You said The Blood Moon will take months to happen. Does anyone know when? We have time.” I alternate my gaze between the two. “Time passes differently inside the fairy world, doesn't it? We can go years here without being noticed. We don't need to go to Solace. We can live well around here, and when I go out and join humanity…”

  Morgana looks away.

  “… That's it, isn't it?” I say. I stare at Hoffstein, he inhales and closes his eyes for a few seconds, then stares at me again. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “I think Morgana can explain it better, son.”

  “… Morgana?”

  The fairy hesitates. Her eyes weigh on my shoulders, as if forced to reveal something—but I know she'll manage to distort it somehow. She always succeeds.

  “Time passes differently in the fairy world, it's true. But the moon doesn't care about that. Nor The Sun. Nor the Earth, in a way.”

  “Earth-”

  “The planet.” She says. “I'll explain later, but it's where we live. Heavenly Bodies, as they are called, are metaphysical constructs. Their existence is simultaneous on all planes. Fairy world or not, the Blood Moon will happen when it does. Simple as that.”

  “… So did you know about the Blood Moon too?”

  “I heard Aldwyn speak.”

  “Before that.”

  “… Yes. Does it infuriate you?”

  Yes, but I feel the anger is unwarranted. There's no reason to quote something that's already been said, so she's not wrong to not tell me about the Blood Moon. He also has his own reasons for not wanting me in Solace. She's Morgana, after all.

  “If Hoffstein hadn't shown up, would you have told me and looked for somewhere safe?”

  “Yes. But not in Solace.”

  I turn to the Hero. “Is there a safe place other than Solace?”

  Hoffstein scratches his chin. “Not as safe as, but… Maybe. Many of them depend on the help of humanity, and I don't know if it would work out.”

  I wipe my forehead. “Right.”

  “… There's a reason humanity has become so preoccupied with your existence, Sieghart. Hoffstein says. “In a few months, the day will come for the Blood Moon to return.”

  “They mentioned it, but I still don't get it. What exactly happens?”

  “Every few centuries, the Blood Moon increases the power of evil forces throughout the cosmos. You're more influenced due to the demonic nature, and you will become the target of The Lion, who can corrupt or possess you directly without even needing permission. If he does, he will prepare a ritual that will bring the Eclipse. Chaos will unravel. In this Eclipse, if he gets what he wants, a third event will arise, and The Blood Moon and the Eclipse will unite to bring about the apocalypse. I suspect the rituals involve the destruction of his seal.”

  “That's why Aldwyn said I would lose anyway. If it weren't for you, I'd be walking around not knowing what to do until this happens.”

  “Hey.” Morgana says. “I would still be here.”

  “With all due respect, miss…” Hoffstein interrupts. “It would not be enough. At least we can't risk that it will be.”

  “Is that why you're so worried about finding me? You think I'm going to destroy the world again?”

  “Aye. That's the main reason.”

  “We've been through similar things, Sieghart.” Morgana says. “There's a chance we can overcome temptation, especially if we work together. Me and you. If we put ourselves in the middle of a bunch of humans…” She says the words with remarkable disgust. “They can betray us. Imprison us again, as they always wanted. It is better to risk burning one mountain or another than… You can understand me, can't you?”

  “Think and answer honestly, Sieghart,” Hoffstein argues. “What do you think will happen if the lion takes your body in a few months?”

  My gaze wander across the emerald floor. Smell of burning flesh. Smoke flies through the air, and a fairy devours the bodies it has impaled.

  A fairy who is free through your fault.

  For a deal you made.

  “… Are there more like me? From which demon did I come?”

  “There are few half-demons out there. About your father, it does not matter. Whatever the lion did to you, it seems to have overwritten your entire heritage.”

  “Possessions are rare, but the lion can possess me without needing anything during the Blood Moon. That doesn't work with everyone, does it? It's something special.”

  “Aye. Being a half-demon is not like being a half-breed of another race. What separates an angel from a demon is morality, and you were born of an immoral one.”

  “And you were born of a moral, I imagine?”

  “No. Angels have no children with humans. I was blessed, simply. Every hero is.” He says. “You are biologically human, but because you were created from an angelic being, you have a greater authority over reality than ordinary beings. On the other hand, his soul is naturally inclined to the corruption of the human heart. More than normal men, that is.”

  Some pieces fit in my head. Makes sense. If I were to try to corrupt someone, I would do it the easy way—I would stake my influence on what it is weakest against. Excluded and tortured, the boy who was used as the outlet for all the evil in the world had the obvious weakness of hatred for humanity.

  I don't know if I would be apathetic about other people's lives if it wasn't for him. I don't know if I'd have that much hate. It's hard to imagine not, and I don't think it can be completely reversed. No, I think the Demon King was exactly the same way. I am him, after all.

  That's why The Lion bet on that point.

  Morgan's touch is cold but comforting. Its form is more gaseous than solid, its presence is like a mere voice. I doubted Hoffstein's words, but not hers. I can't be sure she doesn't have her own motivations. Going to Solace, I may not be able to free her any faster—but that was never our priority, and it would always have to wait.

  Still, I understand her.

  We just left a village where everyone hated me. I was stoned for saving them. I thought about completing my destiny, but I didn't plan on having to submit to meeting more people again. People who can hate me even more, people who can do something about the hate they carry about me.

  And yet, there is only one alternative: to move on.

  I touch Morgana's hand and smile out of the corner of my face. She sharpens her gaze, but inspires and concedes.

  “I disagree. Remember that.”

  “I know.” I say. “Let's go to Solace.”