The day passed rapidly. On the next morning, Damien returned to the city center where the survivors were located.
It wasn't hard to understand the decisions of these people.
Damien followed their wishes without remorse or hesitation. If one wished to die, he provided them with death.
The city population was roughly 100,000 including those who died before they arrived, but of the 50,000 or so who survived, not many could muster up the will to live.
Salvation, what did it mean?
Salvation depended on perception.
To these people who'd experienced tragedy unlike any other, salvation often meant death. The bliss of nonexistence was their only desire.
Because the world wasn't a place that welcomed them anymore.
Young girls who'd been sullied by the Nox, those who'd been forced to carry their bloodline, how could they bear to live on with that shame engraved in their bodies and souls?
Even the strongest of these young women was too utterly disgusted by the prospect of carrying a Nox's lineage to live on.
Every single survivor in that category chose death.
For men and women who'd been forced to watch as their families were brutally tortured and killed, reuniting with their loved ones was the most prominent desire.
While some chose to survive, the majority chose death.
The stench of death, Damien had become used to it after all this time. But today, it was particularly pungent.
As Damien acted as an executioner, he didn't let the burden of his actions pollute his mind. But that didn't stop his grudge against the Nox from growing.
What if it was Rose and Ruyue who were captured? What if it was his mother?
Damien couldn't imagine the person he'd become if something untoward happened to them.
In a sense, he could empathize with the feelings of these survivors, yet they differed sheerly due to power.
Perhaps he'd become suicidal as well, perhaps he'd wish for nothing but death, however, he had the power to at least make a dent in the Nox's army before he died.
He could charge the enemy and destroy a few worlds to vent his anger, perhaps finding a will to live in that time. He had the potential to grow into a figure who could exterminate the Nox, allowing him the revenge he'd so desire.
For these people who didn't have the ability to do so, he could only feel pity.
Still, not everyone chose the easy route.
There were some, some with determination and some with courage, some with the flames of vengeance burning brightly in their eyes, who chose to live.
Damien's speech wasn't empowering in the slightest, the words he said weren't the words they wanted to hear. If anything, his harsh portrayal of the future pushed some over the edge in their decision to die.
"But you forced us to accept reality." A man said earnestly. He was one of those who decided to move forward and live, and looking at how he was treated by the rest, he had become a sort of spiritual pillar for them.
"I'd much rather hear the blatant truth than flowery words of pity. I cannot stomach what took place here, and I cannot live with my powerlessness, but regardless, I will live on."
The man's eyes turned to the horizon. He tried to look past the bounds of reality. He felt like he could almost see his wife's face smiling down at him from Heaven.
"Didn't you say it before?" The man said with a weak smile. "Perhaps I will realize that life is better than death despite its cruelty."
There were only around 5,000 people remaining. Even if it was a large number, it wasn't even a fraction of the city's total population.
Damien was curious about why they chose to live and survive, but the answer he was given was far simpler than he expected.
"You're able to move forward with only that slight ray of hope guiding you?" He asked.
The man smiled and shook his head. "It isn't that. I do not think anyone here still has the faith in existence to believe in such a small chance."
"Then…"
"We simply do not wish to see their stories end here." The man said.
"We will live so they can live vicariously through us. We will endure hardship and earn our happiness back, so that those who suffered with us can feel a portion of this happiness from Heaven."
"It may be childish, but I feel that our continued existence is the only spark of hope that our people have remaining. Even if they've already passed on, I wish for their spirits to be at peace in the afterlife. For that, people like you must exterminate the enemy, and people like us must overcome our twisted fates. Those are the roles we've been granted, and the roles we must fulfill."
As Damien panned his gaze across those behind the man, he saw a united will that didn't exist before today.
It was a will born from suffering that existed amongst a community of people that couldn't relate to anyone else.
'It isn't that they didn't want to die, they just ignored their instinct and decided to live anyway. That…'
"I understand," Damien said succinctly. He felt a strange emotion welling up in his chest, one he wasn't used to at all.
"Then, for now, I will provide you a home. If you choose to leave it in the future, I will respect that decision. If you choose to utilize the opportunities that place grants you, I will respect that decision as well."
He put his hand out and released a wave of spatial essence that covered the 5,000 survivors.
"I wish you all the best. I hope life gives you a reason to find meaning in it once more."
As the group disappeared, the man in the front smiled lightly.
"We will not wait for life to give us meaning, we will instead give meaning to life. The next time we meet, we will not show you such a shameful appearance. This much I can promise."
"Then I'll be looking forward to it."
Their interaction ended with that. The group was transported into the Sanctuary where they'd be settled by the 5 Clan Leaders.
The Sanctuary would provide them peace away from the universe. They would never have to experience the same pain again.
This was the extent of Damien's consideration.
How they lived their lives from that point forth depended wholly on themselves.
'I guess it's time to return now. I shouldn't keep them waiting for too long.'
Damien came alone today, leaving the rest of the group behind. He didn't want them to witness what took place.
But he knew that this wasn't the last "food supply" they'd come across as they continued their journey.
Eventually, the rest would come to realize what he was doing.
'But that's a conversation for another time. For now, I should give those kids a place to vent their frustrations.'
This was only the first step of their journey.
Since the hardest part, adapting, had been completed, it was time for them to pick up the pace.
The Nox couldn't be allowed to survive in this world any longer.
