Chapter 1571: Doubts

All the emotions and self-blame came flooding into Eccar’s mind at once. For so long he had relied on his might whenever he faced a problem. He solved things with his fists, his strength, and his powers rather than stopping to understand his emotions or the situation around him.

He had always been a Dragonborn who knew how to fight. That was what he was good at. But now, as he stood before the Chaos God and listened to every accusation, he began to wonder whether fighting was truly all he could do.

If all he knew was how to use his strength to destroy whatever stood in his way, then what made him different from a monster?

The Chaos God continued staring at him with its disturbing smile, but Eccar was no longer focused on the creature. His mind had turned into himself as he struggled to understand his own thoughts and feelings.

"It is time you realized that you are not a savior. You are not even someone worthy of becoming one." The Chaos God spoke calmly. "You are a monster, just like me. So embrace your emotions, yes? That is the real you."

He slowly approached Eccar with steady steps. His smile never disappeared, and his eyes gleamed with amusement as though he was watching something extremely entertaining.

Eccar did not look directly at the Chaos God, but he heard every word. Each one sank deeper into his mind and heart, making him question his own existence and identity.

Perhaps he could no longer walk beside Erend, Aesa, and Sylven. Perhaps even the fragment of Krono’s soul inside him was something he did not deserve to possess.

That noble Dragon soul might become tainted if it remained inside a body like his for too long.

He should remove the power and give it to Erend, Aesa, or Sylven instead. They would become stronger, and Krono’s soul would finally be freed from someone as unworthy as him. "Maybe that is what I should do."

"Do not doubt yourself like this." A familiar voice suddenly entered Eccar’s mind and broke through the fog of self-loathing.

Eccar blinked in surprise. That voice... It was Krono. The Time Dragon whose soul fragment now resided within him.

"Eccar, one action does not determine your entire identity. Even if you made a mistake this time, you have done countless good things. You have saved millions of lives from countless threats. Remember that. Erend, Aesa, and Sylven will not hate you because of one failure. The people you saved will not hate you either."

Krono’s voice came again. It carried the same calmness that Eccar remembered.

Eccar’s mind slowly began to clear. The fog of self-loathing did not disappear all at once, but Krono’s words gave him something to hold onto.

He began pushing away the doubts that had consumed him and rejected the idea that he was nothing more than a monster who could only fight with his fists.

Of course, the doubts would not simply vanish.

Eccar knew the truth about himself. He was a Dragonborn who loved fighting and had always relied heavily on his strength. When the Black Rage came, he could lose control and become something far more violent.

That truth would never disappear just because Krono had reminded him of the good he had done.

For so long, Eccar was just lucky that his rage had always been directed toward monsters and enemies rather than innocent people.

But that did not make him a monster. He was a Dragon. He was imperfect. He had made countless mistakes in the past, and he would probably make more mistakes in the future.

Yet those mistakes did not erase everything else he had done.

They did not erase the people he had saved, the lives he had protected, the bonds he had formed with those who still trusted him.

Eccar slowly raised his head and finally looked toward the Chaos God.

The doubt in his eyes had not completely disappeared, but something else had taken its place, anger.

His eyes gleamed with a dangerous light as he stared directly at the creature responsible for pushing him into this abyss of self-hatred.

The Chaos God stopped only a few meters away. His smile disappeared now. His face turned into an expression of genuine shock.

"What...?" it stammered. "What happened to you...?"

Eccar did not bother answering. He charged.

—

Aesa kept forcing herself back onto her feet even though she had been thrown onto the icy ground countless times.

Blood ran from the corner of her mouth, more seeped from the countless wounds covering her body.

Everytime she moved it sent another wave of pain through her body, yet she continued to rise.

Around her stood the figures of the people from her kingdom. They stared at her with hatred and accusation in their eyes. Their faces were familiar. Every one of them was someone Aesa had killed.

They had not always been monsters. They had once been the people she had sworn to protect. But after Zerathul came and transformed them into flesh monsters, Aesa believed that killing them was the only mercy she could offer.

They had been suffering terribly. Their bodies were twisted beyond recognition, their minds consumed by pain, Aesa had believed that ending their lives was the only way to free them from that misery.

But now, as she looked into their accusing eyes, that decision no longer felt like mercy.

Their voices filled the air. They screamed at her and told her that she had killed them. The accusations echoed through her mind until her memories began to blur.

Aesa could no longer remember those moments clearly. Had they truly wanted her to kill them? Or had they been begging her to save them? Had they been asking for help while she chose the easier path because she could not find another way to save them?

The doubt slowly consumed her. Maybe she was wrong.

Maybe she had chosen to kill them because she had been too weak to find another answer.

Because of that doubt Aesa stopped fighting.

When the figures attacked her, she did not defend herself. Even her husband stepped forward and drove his sword into her body again and again.

Aesa allowed him to do it. She did not raise her hand to block the blade. She did not try to escape. She just stood there and accepted every wound as another punishment for the choices she believed she had made.

The others attacked her as well with their claws tore into her flesh, teeth sank into her body, fists and feet struck her again and again until blood covered her pale skin and stained the ice beneath her. It happened for a long time already.

Aesa did not stop them. She let them hurt her because, in her mind, this was the only thing she could still do to atone for what she believed she had done.

If she had truly failed them, then perhaps she deserved their hatred.

If she had truly killed people who wanted to live, then perhaps she deserved every wound.

Aesa slowly lowered her head as another strike sent blood spilling from her mouth.

"Stop it, Aesa. It’s not your fault." A familiar voice suddenly entered her mind.

Her eyes widened. It was Krono’s voice. The voice of the Time Dragon.

—