Demonic Devourer's Development

Chapter 176 - HECTOR. What Rules

Was it really a cowardice to refuse this old man's help? There were so many dangerous things in the world… I realised that if I would shy away from every single one of them, no matter what power I gain, I will never use it, because I will be too busy running away.

I wasn't a coward! To prove that, I jutted my chin up. "You better!"

Bishop just chuckled at that.

The first thing I noticed in his house is just how many books there were. Entire shelves of them stood near the walls—a damn library! The second thing that caught my attention was a smell of something baking in the air.

These two points distracted me from noticing much of the rest of the room. It was tidy, and furnished with simple, but well-made things, and this was the extent of the attention I paid to it. Especially after a door leading to another room opened and out stepped Gi.

He stopped in his tracks, and so did I, almost causing Bishop to walk into me. "You…" Gi said with a frown. "I'm not sure anymore if I'm happy to see your face here."

"Don't be rude, Gi. You are studying combat from Yvenna, not profanities." Bishop chided, gently pushing me forward. "Child, come, sit at the table. The pie isn't ready yet, but if you can't wait, I can bring you something else to eat. I'm called Bishop, and you already know Gi. So, you still didn't tell me your name…"

"Hector." I forced down the rests of my hesitations and sat on a free spot at the table that stood in the room. Then, I hesitated. I was hungry by now, but I didn't want to look starving, like I couldn't fend for myself. Though, I couldn't bear to refuse the pie either. It didn't even matter what it was with. "I can wait, Bishop."

Gi glanced at me, then at Bishop. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and leaned on a wall on the opposite side of the room from me, from where he stared a hole in me with his freakish huge eyes.

"Nice to meet you, Hector. Gi told you I can make you stronger, did he?" Bishop gave Gi a pointed look. The other boy pressed his lips together and averted his eyes.

"Can you?" I sat straighter in my seat.

"Yes. I have been blessed with that power. But it's one I have to wield responsibly, and that means making sure that everyone I give it to are worthy people who will use what I gave them for a just cause." Bishop folded his hands behind his back and slowly walked around the table until he stopped next to Gi. "I can tell that you have a good heart in your chest, but it's not the heart alone that makes a difference between righteous warriors and butchers who only think themselves as such."

The way Bishops spoke, the way the words fell from his lips and formed sentences, made me completely enraptured. Whatever doubts I had about them, they were gone now, replaced by the surety that this man was someone not just well-meaning, but also as wise as his years suggested.

"What is it?"

"The understanding," Bishop said heavily. "A person must understand what is true and false in the world. They must possess a clear picture of what rules it and what breaks it as to not mix up the two. But to my great sadness, such truth is hidden so deeply behind the veil of lies, that even when a person hears it, they might easily not believe."

"That's not so hard," Gi muttered grimly. "Power rules everything, isn't it?"

Bishop's head whipped towards him. For a moment, the old man's brows furrowed, but then he smoothened his face again. "On the grander scale of things, yes. But what matters is which power rules benevolently, and what seeks only its own profit. To align themselves with the latter kind of power is to only bring further destruction. To align themselves with the former kind of power is to help them create a better world for all. Where do you think you are now, Gi?"

I watched in confusion as Gi thought about that question. I felt like I was missing some context, or inner joke, to understand the full scope of the conversation.

"I don't know." Gi finally said. "Alright? Can't the stronger just be righter?"

"It's not as simple." Bishop smiled with sadness and patted Gi on his head. "It's alright if you don't understand your place in the world yet. With our lord's blessing, you will have all the time to think it over. And don't be afraid to come to me if you need help with finding the answers."

Gi nodded and stared at the ground beneath his feet in deep thought. Bishop turned to me, and I was suddenly stuck again by the weight of knowledge he seemed to carry. He wasn't like any old man from a village, who only saw crops and cattle in their lives. He knew things.

"What about you, Hector? Do you know which power you align themselves with: good, or bad?"

"I… I don't think I'm with anyone. I'm just, well, myself. By myself." I puffed my chest a little and repeated with feeling, "I'm my own man now."

Bishop shook his head sadly. "Being your own man doesn't mean to be all on your own. Everyone needs friends, comrades in arms, family. Humans were made to live in communes, in societies, groups.. Look at yourself—a street urchin with no cause in life. What'd you do if you became powerful, Hector? Would you simply wander around, helping whoever you find in need? It will be a good thing, yes—but wouldn't it be better to do the same thing systematically, together with other people, as a team? Brothers and sisters to help you in a bind, to share your desire to make the world a better and safer place?"