Bound and Broken: An Isekai Adventure Dark Fantasy (Melas Book 1) by V.A. Lewis (autobiographies to read .TXT) 📕

do insist." He did not turn back to me, instead choosing to remain facing forward away from me. "Two days," he said.

"Two days?"

"Yes." He nodded. "In two days, we will be taking Fort Conon. There have been some complications. Nothing we can’t deal with. But certainly it would be appreciated if there was something to counter those complications. A blessing, if you will."

"You want me to fight with you guys?" I asked, taking a step back.

"Ah, no. Not fight." The Dark Acolyte turned around, face neutral. "Simply aiding us in any way you can. You do want to make it up to me, right?" He cocked a brow.

I hesitated. I was not sure what to say. At least, not yet. And he must have noticed it.

"I’ll give you some time to think about it. But give me an answer by tomorrow. If you sincerely do want to make it up to me. Well, it does not matter to me, of course. It is up to you," he said, voice indifferent.

His mouth twitched. And he walked away.

I took a deep breath, and slumped my shoulders. Tomorrow, huh?

That was a lot of time to think; at least, for most things. But this felt like a life changing decision.

If I fought in Fort Conon, I would pretty much be a Dark Crusader at that point. It was different from fighting for myself, like the last two times I fought with them.

I did not want to… be a terrorist. It’s wrong! But were they really terrorists? Zealot was the term Victor used. Ihsan likened it to bandits with a cause. A form of rebellion. With Gerrit believing that that cause was justice itself— the very will of the Goddess.

Yet, I did not care about the Goddess. I met a god once, and he was a jerk! But that was just the one. This goddess might be a good one for all you know. And you don’t even know if he was even a god!

I exhaled. This is what happens when you’re stressed. You start thinking in second person! And I really was stressed.

But this was a choice I had to make. I was an adult. Not physically, but mentally. I did not want to fight, because I was scared of… killing.

I remembered seeing death; from the one person in this world I loved, to many people I hated. I did not like it. Any of it.

I wanted to exact my revenge on those that have wronged me— and somewhere deep inside, I still felt some of that desire burning inside of me. But when I saw death, I…

I bit my tongue. I do not know.

Could I go my entire life, hunted down by the Church and running from that false god, without killing anyone? The answer was obvious: that was not possible.

Killing had to be necessary, to a certain extent. If my mother never killed those Inquisitors, I never would have survived. If Rin, Shang, and the Beastkin, never killed the slavers, I never would have escaped.

If Victor, Karna, and Gerritt, did not kill all of those city guards, would I be standing here right now? Were they in the wrong for what they did?

I knew the answer to all those questions. And yet—

Yet...

I still don't know.

I put off those difficult thoughts by showing Gerritt and Karna the new spell I learned. They were impressed. They told me that I should be a Pyromancer or a Thaumaturge considering my current skill set.

That made sense for most people, yet I wasn’t sure if specializing was a good idea for me. I did not know the limits that came with being born as the greatest spellcaster in the world, but I remembered seeing my mom cast all kinds of spells. Surely I could at least do that much if I continued training.

I did not say any of that. That would have been too much to explain. So instead, I politely told them I would consider their suggestions, while knowing that was not going to happen.

I kept avoiding thinking about what Victor said, and before I knew it, it was already night. Only a few campfires were set up since we were trying to remain discreet. I just finished my dinner (I ate a lot as usual) and was staring into the flames, still faced with an impasse.

That was when Karna found me.

"Hey, Karna," I greeted him.

He gave me a grunt, acknowledging my existence. But sat down next to me without a word.

I was not affronted by that. Since I got to know him, I learned that that was how he normally was, even when being nice. Karna was pretty awkward and unsociable. A man of few words. He preferred action, rather than talking.

I assume that was why he disliked me initially: because I did nothing he deemed productive. Studying barely qualified as such to him; and although I disagreed with that sentiment, I could see where he was coming from.

We sat there in silence for a while, before finally, the Goblin spoke up.

"We’ll be taking Fort Conon in two days. At midnight."

"Mhm."

I already knew that; Victor told me that earlier. But I could tell Karna was going somewhere with this.

"It’s a big mission. Important," he stated the obvious.

"I heard."

"And I was put in a leadership position. In charge of a quarter of our forces. Two dozen men."

I blinked. "What? I— that’s…" I looked at him in surprise. Then I gathered myself. "Congratulations. That’s a big role!"

"Yes," he said, voice revealing not a hint of my excitement.

I examined his face, then I realized. "Is this your first time… doing something like this?"

"Yes," Karna sighed. "I’ve been a leader before. But only in small missions, like stealing, scouting, and other simple tasks. This is