‘But, kid, everyone has to make tough choices.’ Ruppert kept hammering the sword.

  ‘You know the story of the hero, right? The hero and the demon lord?’ Edmund was staring at the blacksmith's back.

  ‘I remember my mother saying that if the demon lord returned, the hero would come to save us once more. I know the hero defeated the demon lord and saved the land.’ He continued to hammer the sword.

  ‘If I tell you that the demon lord will rise again, but the hero will not come this time, and that the hero did not save the world before, either.’ The boy spoke as if guilt rose with each word.

  ‘Hmm, if I am here, I think he saved the world to a point; nobody is perfect, and if the hero does not show up this time, I do not think we need him, anyway.’ The sad-faced blacksmith continued as he turned to face Edmund.

  ‘But…’ Edmund was interrupted.

  ‘You don’t need to be anything, kid; live life; perhaps you could even start a family; nobody is forcing you to do anything.’ He smiled.

  ‘I am not the hero; I know I cannot or should not do everything alone, but I can’t just watch things happen and go about my normal life when I can help. It hurts too much.’ Tears dropped from his eyes.

  ‘I am not trying to understand you, kid; I cannot, but didn’t I tell you that everyone has to make tough decisions? You must move forward if you cannot deal with the consequences of remaining still.’ Ruppert tried to console Edmund.

  After taking a deep breath, Edmund stopped crying. He ?hugged Ruppert and stormed out of the workshop, perplexing the blacksmith.

  ‘What was he talking about? It beats me. I suppose kids will just be kids.’ The blacksmith hammered the sword again.

  When he got inside the warehouse, Edmund went to the table, grabbed the piece of wood, and put it in his mouth. He then took the bracelet and bound it to his arm, which made him scream and fall to the floor on his knees.

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  But after a while, as he twisted on the ground to take off the bracelet because it was like it was glued to him, an even worse pain ran through his body like it was flowing from the bracelet to his arm. After enduring the pain for several minutes, he took the bracelet off his arm, got to his feet?, poured some alcohol on his arm, and collapsed on the chair next to the table.

  ‘ahhh… It hurts so much.’ The boy covered his wounded arm with his hand.

  Edmund awakens with severe arm pain, but it is ?less than it was before he lost consciousness. After some time, he mustered the courage to bandage and clean his arm.

  ‘Let us not do that again.’ He took a deep breath.

  Edmund lay on his bed, trying to figure out why the bracelet was glued to his arm when magic entered his body.

  ‘I was an idiot; why didn't I make something smaller?’ He spoke to himself.

  After a few days, Edmund tried to figure out the smallest form to put runes in to remove them faster or without as much pain. His arm was still sore from his previous experience. Ultimately, it appeared to be a nail with a larger head that he intended to insert into his other arm.

  ‘I am hoping it works; Ruppert was suspicious of me.’ He looked at the nail on the table.

  The moment he puts the point of the nail on his arm, it's like it plunges into his arm. The pain was bearable this time, and when magic began to flow into his body, the pain came, but not as much as the first time.

  He reasoned that the pain would go away once his body adapted to the magic, so he stayed in bed until dinnertime, when he felt nothing. It was strange for the boy, who had suffered so much from his experiments just days before.

  ‘Let us see how things go and whether my prediction comes true.’ He got up from his bed.

  Edmund left his house as usual and walked to the dining hall. This time, he could hear someone walking behind him, and when he realized this, the presence disappeared.

  ‘He was never aware that I was following him. Have I made a mistake?’ Gustav was leaning against a wall, trying to hide.

  Gustav was perplexed and terrified for the boy because of what Edmund had done days earlier when putting that thing in his arm. Due to his isolation, the knight believed he had become insane.

  ‘It would be best not to tell Lucia about this because she will worry about the boy. So let us continue to watch him closely.’ The knight murmured to himself.

  Gustav started to move in the same direction as Edmund. After some time, he was shocked to see the boy asking from an alley to his left.

  ‘Why are you following me? What do you want?’ The boy asked from the shadows.

  ‘Wow!!! By the gods, you almost killed me.’ To catch his breath, Gustav put a hand on his chest.

  ‘You are Gustav, correct? After that day, I thought you had abandoned me.’ Edmund walked out of the alley.

  ‘What? Kid, don’t you remember? Lucia said I would keep an eye on you, and I even gave you some medication when you were sick, kids today.’ He crossed his arms, looking at the boy with disdain.

  ‘I am sorry; I didn’t know, and I appreciate the medicine; it was invaluable.’ Edmund bowed his head in appreciation.

  ‘It was nothing, kid; it is my job, but how did you know I was following you? You had no suspicion for five years.’ He looked at the boy, puzzled.

  ‘I think you made a mistake. I heard something behind me, and that is why I knew.’ The boy smiled.

  ‘Hum, I guess I am getting old.’ The knight scratched the back of his head.

  ‘I have to go; I am hungry. Bye.’ Edmund ran off.

  ‘Hum, strange.’ Gustav thought to himself.