The Kind of Evil

‎"His body is really stiff like a rock..." Astrea put her hands on Rasmus's body as she healed the internal wounds in his body. "His injuries, I have never felt anything like it. It's like his whole body is clenching."

‎"Those sparks that appeared around him back then. If a human body is being electrocuted repeatedly and rapidly, their bodies are stiffened," Novia explained as she looked at Rasmus, who was unconscious.

‎"He did that on purpose? Why?" Astrea glanced at Novia with a confused look.

"I'm not sure either," Novia shook her head, not understanding the reason behind Rasmus's decision to electrocute himself. "He's a genius, and I can confidently say he's the greatest mage in this era. If we want to know why, he's the only one who can answer our question. However, one thing that I know is that no humans can handle or endure that amount of lightning within their bodies. He's an Orthias, and it's the only reason he could withstand it," she continued as she noticed the Mana depletion in Rasmus's body.

‎Astrea looked to her left at the Servil's knights who were carrying the dead bodies of the Paladins. She was heartbroken to see people die in her stead because she was a Saint. Deep down, she always hated it when people died for her because she believed they undervalued their lives.

‎"Lady Xena, how are you feeling?" Novia looked at Xena, who had just woken up.

‎Xena looked down at her armor and noticed fractures in it. She didn't remember anything after that demon threw her onto the wall. She was lucky to be alive because that throw was enough to crush a human body into pulp.

‎"I'm fine..." Xena answered as she stared at Rasmus, lying on the table, unconscious. "Is he okay?" She approached Rasmus at the table and looked at him from up close.

‎"He should be okay. He just needs some rest..." Astrea answered as she removed her hands from Rasmus's body. "Let me check your body one more time," she said as she reached out her hand toward Xena.

‎Xena placed her hand on Astrea's palm as she nodded and lowered her head. Astrea began to use her divine power and placed divine energy into Xena's body. It didn't take long until Astrea removed her hand from Xena.

‎"You're exhausted. I can heal your fatigue, but it's better for you to recover it yourself by resting," Astrea said with a gentle smile.

‎"I'll do that, Your Holiness..." Xena nodded and took a seat.

‎Novia explained to Xena about what happened after she fainted during the fight. Xena looked at the dead bodies of the Paladins and her knights. She felt responsible for their deaths because she could have prevented them from dying if only she hadn't fainted back then.

‎Astrea assured Xena that it wasn't her fault or anyone's fault. Everyone was too weak to be able to survive against that demon. It was all because of Rasmus that they were still alive and safe.

‎"He's a formidable swordsman and mage. I have to admit that I'm not even close to his level, and I believe he's on par with Lady Uriel," Xena said as she rubbed her arm and stared at Rasmus. "And I can see that he's still growing. I also sense that he has no limitations because of his lineage."

‎Astrea and Novia looked at Rasmus for a moment as they processed Xena's words.

‎"We should destroy this place, Your Holiness. This abomination needs to be destroyed and erased from this world," Novia suggested as she stared at the cave they were in.

‎"Yes, but we need to take all these records. We need to learn everything that they have done and all the secrets they have," Astrea looked at the bookshelves thoroughly.

‎"I have my storage ring with me, Your Holiness. I can take everything into the ring, and we can leave this place immediately," Novia showed the ring on her ring finger to Astrea.

‎Astrea nodded and let Novia store all the records in the room. Once Novia stored all the records, she left magic formations on the walls and the ground.

‎"We have checked the remaining areas in the cave, and there's nothing else. I guess it's time for you to destroy this place, Lady Novia," Astrea said and stared at the cave mouth.

‎Novia nodded and activated all the magic formations that she had left in the cave. The cave exploded and collapsed after she blew it up with powerful fire magic. She made sure everything exploded into tiny debris, especially the three-eyed statue.

‎The cave was completely shut by boulders which should have been impossible for anyone to enter. Even if anyone could get rid of the boulders, there was nothing left inside, so it would be a waste of time.

‎Once they made sure the cave was completely destroyed, they left the forest and went back to the capital city. They got valuable information that they could share with Rasmus and Thalior.

‎...

‎They arrived in the capital city and went straight to the royal palace. They left and arrived at the city unnoticed by anyone except for Thalior.

‎Thalior watched as the knights carried the bodies of the paladins and Servil's knights from the carriage. When he saw Rasmus's body being carried by a Paladin, his eyes were wide open, and he hurriedly walked toward them.

‎"He's fine, Your Grace. He's just exhausted," Astrea smiled at Thalior, and knew that he was shocked by Rasmus's condition.

‎"I see... I thought—" Before Thalior could finish his sentence, something landed right in between him and Astrea.

‎The shockwave was enough to knock everyone down. Thalior lifted his head, and he was startled by a Paladin that flew right past him. He then saw Aris, standing at the center of the crater she had caused and carrying Rasmus in her arms.

‎"(How did she...)" Thalior was shocked by Aris's presence. "(She wasn't supposed to be here... Wait... Did she come here because she knew about Rasmus's condition?)" He furrowed his brows.

‎"(It took us three days to get here in a carriage... How did she come here this fast?)" Thalior stared at Aris, who kept her focus on Rasmus.

‎"What happened?" Aris stared coldly at Astrea and Novia.

‎"A powerful demon, stronger than what we had encountered beyond the Blackcliffs, Lady Aris..." Novia answered nervously. "Even with Her Holiness's power, that demon is strong enough to withstand her divine power," she explained.

‎"And he killed it?" Aris asked.

‎"The demon escaped... But it was all him, we barely did anything," Xena answered as she got up. "If it wasn't because of him, we wouldn't be here..." she added.

"I tried to kill it, but I failed. The demon is too powerful that even my divine power can't contain it..." Astrea said, feeling guilty of her incapability. "But I'm certain that the demon is dying because I could sense how weak its presence was."

Aris noticed the divine energy that lingered in Rasmus's body, and she got rid of it from him. Astrea who saw it was deeply shocked by Aris's action of removing the divine energy within Rasmus's body.

"Once again, you're being useless..." Aris stared coldly at Novia and Astrea.

Aris walked past Thalior and went straight into the palace to put Rasmus on the bed. Everyone looked at her anxiously because they could sense her killing intent through her gaze. They couldn't imagine what would happen to them if Rasmus ended up badly injured or dying.

"We should be careful next time," Novia said as she looked at Astrea and Thalior. "We don't know why Lady Aris is attached to Rasmus, but it doesn't matter because if we did something to him, she won't stay quiet," she explained with her fists clenched.

"Yes, I didn't expect her to be fond of him. I guess it's because Rasmus is like a miracle in itself. To be born as a human and an Orthias at the same time, there's no record about that ever," Thalior nodded in agreement as he watched Aris enter the palace. "Let's get you all inside. I believe it's wise for you to rest for now," he looked at Novia, Astrea, and Xena.

"I will rest once I give the fallen knights a proper goodbye, Your Grace. I have to burn them," Xena said as she looked at the bodies on the ground.

"I don't think it's necessary for you to do that, Lady Xena. We aren't in a place where demons lurk around. You can give them a proper burial," Thalior responded with his brows raised.

"No," Xena shook her head. "I don't want to be treated differently, or my knights. It's unfair for those who had to watch their comrades burned to ashes," she explained.

"I understand," Thalior nodded.

Astrea decided not to burn the bodies of the fallen Paladins because she was responsible for bringing their dead bodies back to their families. She made sure that their bodies were preserved and that no demons could touch them. However, she chose to join Xena with Novia to give the fallen Servil's knights a prayer. Thalior decided to join as well while they waited for Rasmus to wake up.