Chapter 8: Chapter 8: A True Hero

Stultus’s house was a wooden and stone cabin with a rustic table and a large fireplace. Barrels filled with water, salted meats, and some vegetables lined one of the walls. On the opposite wall, there was a straw bed with a single blanket.

Stultus led Agatha to the table and served her a plate of salted pork with some vegetables and hard-boiled eggs. After she finished her fourth plate, she looked Stultus in the eyes with a serious expression and asked:

“Why did you help me?”

“At first, it was out of duty, as a warrior, I must help anyone in Aequitus who needs it. But when I saw how you wielded the sword, I realized you weren’t the kind of person who likes receiving charity.”He paused briefly to gauge her reaction, and seeing only confusion on her face, he continued:

“So I thought you might become my apprentice. That way, you could help me defend this village, and in return, I’d train you, feed you, and give you shelter.”

“Listen, sir,” she said, her voice heavy with exhaustion, “I don’t think I’m the right person for that kind of work. I can barely take care of myself, and I’ve already proven I’m incapable of protecting or helping anyone else.”Placing her hands on the table, she rose from her chair.“Thank you for the food. I’ll find another way to repay your generosity. Goodbye.” But before she could leave, Stultus pleaded her to wait a moment. “I understand that something terrible must’ve happened to leave someone like you in this state. But are you really going to keep that incredible talent of yours locked away?”

“With all due respect, Sir Stultus...”

“Please, just call me by my name,” the warrior politely interrupted her.

“Alright… With all due respect, Stultus, if you had seen the things I’ve seen and all the terrible losses I had to endure, you wouldn’t think so highly of me or my abilities.”

“Listen, Agatha, the path of knighthood is not an easy one. Past, present, and future lives depend on us. They depend on us to build the path of our duty and follow it. You have talent, a strength that others do not. Are you really going to let the mistakes of your past drag down your future, and the futures of those you could have saved?”

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Agatha stood frozen, her mouth slightly open at what the warrior had said, for she couldn’t help but think he was right.But would she really allow her heart to open once more to the possibility of falling into the abyss again?

“Time waits for no one. If you stay stuck in the past, the world around you will keep moving without you. Who knows what monstrous form the world might take if we all decided to let time shape it as it pleases?”

“But you don’t understand!” Agatha shouted, slamming her hand on the table.“I couldn’t defend anyone, I ran away! I left them all to die! How can I call myself a knight after that!?”

“I ran from my duty too,” Stultus said.“I abandoned the path of the warrior, because I was exhausted, because I hated that no one acknowledged or appreciated my efforts. That decision, born of petty selfishness, cost the lives of my apprentice and my former village.”

“W-what happened to them?” she asked, her voice stricken with grief.

“The shadows came… and covered everyone in darkness. No one was spared,” Stultus said, clenching his fists.

“How did you go on after that?” Agatha asked, overwhelmed with pain and sorrow.

“I already told you, didn’t I? We still persist in our being, in our path, moving toward the future, shaping it through our past. We’re still condemned to the freedom of choice and the endless possibilities those choices bring. So, I made a decision: I would no longer let the things I couldn’t control affect my emotions. Because that would interfere with my duty to protect the vulnerable. What truly matters is fulfilling one’s duty, no matter the cost. That is what makes a knight.

I do not forget my mistakes, nor the lives lost because of them. I fight so it never happens again, because I can’t change the past, but I can use it to create a better future, one where I won’t make the same mistakes again.”

Agatha looked at the serious, composed face of Stultus with great focus and admiration. And when he finished, she sat in silence for what felt like an eternity, deep in thought, until she finally lifted her gaze, locking her shimmering gray eyes onto his, and with a smile, said:

“You speak with wisdom, warrior. I’ve been weighing what you said, and I’ve come to a decision.”

“What is your decision?”

“I’ve decided to persevere on this path, to become a knight capable of protecting everyone as best I can. Therefore, would you grant me the honor of being my master?”

“Of course!” Stultus exclaimed, wrapping her in his arms.