After the class was over, all the children dispersed, and Blake greeted Damien on his way out.
"Seems like I was a bit late. I heard that your teaching was marvelous enough not to make alchemy boring for the kids." Blake said in an appreciative tone as his lips arched.
Damien noticed that Blake seemed more receptive to him. He said with a slight smile, "Well, I can teach things I know best. Alchemy just happened to be my cup of tea. By the way, were most of the kids born here?"
The two started walking as Blake answered, "Not most. Some of them were born here without experiencing much of the outside world while the rest were kids we rescued from the clutches of the Xetonians."
He looked at the kids and continued, "Among the ones we rescued, not all of them were this happy. They all came here devoid of all hope and carrying only pain and resentment. Only after a few months did Shania and some others manage to give them hope again and make them feel safe. Otherwise, they would have only got worse. And now that you are here as well, I am sure with your teaching; they can at least grow up to be someone they dream of."
Damien could understand why most of them would have lost all hopes as they had to cripple their own cultivations to get rid of the seal. He was sure that some wouldn't even feel like living anymore after such a traumatic experience.
When Triton first asked him to teach the children, he wondered why even the crippled ones would want to learn. Especially something like alchemy that requires cultivation to concoct pills.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})But then he thought about himself, how his younger self tried to learn alchemy even with a crippled ethereal core.
Damien now understood what Blake meant by giving them hope. By teaching the children and letting them develop aspirations and dreams to achieve. Most of all, they build a strong sense of determination and motivation in them to fight for their freedom and pursue their dreams and wishes.
"I appreciate Senior Blake's confidence in me, but all this is just like a prison, right? The Zirians who are not strong enough to protect themselves or their children, were they have always been trapped here, right?" Damien asked in a somber tone.
Blake sighed, "You are right. Till we truly gain back our freedom, we have no choice but to confine ourselves within this place. For thousands of years, we already have been. But we do try to take the kids and the elderly outside once in a while. Most of us are crippled, while only very few of us are capable of fighting for us. That's why we always try to deal a blow to the Xeton Empire every dozen years or so. We simply cannot afford to lose more men, nor can we sit back and let more of our people suffer."
Damien asked as his brows pulled together, "But aren't you causing terror even to the Zirians with these attacks? How will they join the cause when they feel terrified of you people. Even in the recent attack, didn't some Zirians die as well?"
Blake said in a complicated tone, "Actually, we did subtly try to prevent any Zirian from approaching the central square. Don't think that all Zirians are sympathetic to our cause even after knowing what we are really doing. There are some who are steadfast and loyal to the Xetonians, and they would do everything they ask out of their own will. These Zirians would have certain skills or abilities. The Xetonians would rather let these Zirians work for them than dispose of them. And these very Zirians would gladly, out of their own will, do the bidding of the Zetonians to enjoy whatever power and wealth they receive. The Zirians that died in the central square were those kinds of people. We do not consider them as true Zirians, and they are no different than our enemy Xetonians."
He went on, "As for the other Zirians, we rescue them just before they are taken away to be processed and killed like animals. Only then would they be convinced and believe in us. Otherwise, we would simply be putting each other in danger. But even after all that, we are only able to save a handful of Zirians, which is very low in number compared to the Zirians that die every year. To be honest, it feels like we have been fighting a losing battle. Over the centuries, the number of Zirians has been dwindling. Now, most of our hope rests on Triton and you."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Damien said with a thoughtful expression, "But how did you people know I would even be willing to join your cause? I mean, even if you plan to offer a Rank 7 Pill to a random person, they would still think whether it's worth garnering the enmity of the strongest empire of these lands."
Blake shook his head, "We didn't. It was Triton's call that we should recruit you. He wanted you to join as he must have seen something in you."
Damien knew, just like Irene, they were not fools to not know that he has something against the Xeton Empire. Otherwise, he wouldn't have joined at all. After all, why invite the wrath of a whole empire when one got nothing to gain.
He then thought of someone and asked, "Then what's the deal with Yara Haley? How can the young mistress of the top five families join the Forsaken? What's in it for her?"
Blake said as he clasped his arms behind his back, "Because it was one of our ancestors who mixed with the Xetonians and made the Haley family what it is today. What I just told you is a top-secret that only the important members of the Haley family know."
Damien asked with a puzzled expression, "Why tell me such a top-secret then? I have only recently joined, and I am not even in the sky blue rank."
"You are right. Not even silver masks are privy to his information. But you are different. You are not just a simple silver rank comrade. You are someone Master Triton chose, and that means a lot to us. We want to try our best to put our faith in you and trust you. I believe we are not wrong in doing that, are we?" Blake said as he focused his gaze on Damien.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})Damien didn't know why these people were so okay with trusting him so easily. He knew these people who shed their blood and fought for their freedom for thousands of years were not naive.
He wondered what all things Triton fed them or whether it was because of the soul seal they were this confident. After all, if the soul seal were modified or tampered with in any way, it would immediately activate.
But of course, not if one had the help of a powerful goddess to dissolve it easily and make sure the Forsaken doesn't receive any feedback of the seal being broken.
Damien softly smiled, "Of course not. I don't betray those who won't betray me."
"Good. I actually wanted to tell you one other thing. We are having a small gathering tomorrow evening to cheer up the recently rescued Zirians. Right now, they need something to distract them from all the pain and suffering they had. We also would like it if you were there so that at least most of us would get to at least know your name."
Damien for a brief moment and said, "Why not?"
——-
It was night when Damien had finished familiarizing himself with the Forsaken and holding alchemy classes for the children. He also told them that tomorrow he would be teaching them basic combat using weapons. Although most of the kids had no cultivation, they were still determined to learn to fight and protect themselves and the ones they love as best as they could.
Not only others, but even they knew that without cultivation, everything else was pretty much useless. But they didn't want to spend the rest of their life rotting away somewhere. They felt that they were alive for a reason.
Soon enough, Damien and Valentina returned to their villa. But just as Damien slumped on the sofa, Valentina held her breath and asked, "Big Brother, who is Talia?"
