Chapter 44 - Which Would You Choose?

"They are not innocent! Killing an entire group of people just because some mustache man said they were evil is unjustifiable!" yelled Mavislin.

Raiyen was taken aback, he had never witnessed the Valkyrie lose her temper before. Sure, she was playfully punching people or hurling a tree or two. But she was never violent with her words, to Raiyen's current knowledge.

Was she always like this? Or had something happened within those 600 years difference? The Time Mage could only inwardly ask himself as the situation before him increased the stress levels in the room.

"And killing all these soldiers is?" he retorted back.

"They are merely soldiers. They are just following orders. They are performing this because they have no choice. Defy, and they will suffer. Tell me, which would you choose?" interrogated the man.

That question yielded no proper answer, both would be taking lives. There was right or wrong when it came to deciding on the battlefield. If one were to kill for the sake of protecting and sparing others, it would nonetheless appoint the person as a killer no matter what.

A life is a life, no matter how evil or cruel the being was. On one hand, it would seem honorable to save the more vulnerable ones. But on the other hand, it would be unreasonable for the enemies' family. And the worst, the enemies possessed no clue that they were being manipulated into doing such acts.

That was how the charismatic Chancellor of Germany manipulated the Germans. By preying on the fears and confusion of civilians, the Chancellor was able to generate the fears into loyalty by pushing the blame on the most prosperous people in war-torn Germany.

Using fear as a factor to execute the innocent, it was a disgusting fact. Soldiers slowly turned into killers after constant orders of slaughter. The line between protection and cruelty starts blurring as the soldiers carry on with their daily routines.

The man who dared to challenge Mavislin. His eyes captured the look of a spent soldier. One who claimed many lives just for the sake of protecting others. He was guilty, as liable as the soldiers that were about to capture the family.

He took friends away. He slew fathers. He eliminated countless others. In the same sense, it was scarcely reasonable for the ancient soldier to submit to fate now. He will eternally be haunted by those who begged for their lives. He knew this matter vividly.

Raiyen knew about this fairly well. His history was filled with wars. It wasn't all peace or tranquility. No one could enjoy such a privilege. It is only through war that people would be able to triumph and continue.

Mavislin bit her lip. The fact that all those soldiers were killing was for the sake of protecting others. It sent unwanted chills and memories through the Valkyrie. Raiyen glanced at the children. They were terrified.

"I'm scared," uttered the youngest one.

He never thought she was this terrified. Mavislin was scared at times, but never this. She wasn't intimidated of the soldiers or the man before her. She was scared of something else. No, she wasn't even scared. Not terrified. Not angry. She looked like she recalled her past. The Time Mage's future.

She was petrified of her past catching up to her. Moving forward was a remarkable way of coping with the death of loved ones, but what Mavislin did was not exactly advisable. Instead of accepting the past, she was forgetting about it.

The correct remedy was to cherish the moments, accept the death and move on with a more aggressive mentality. The Valkyrie tried desperately pushing back the memories of her time with Raiyen. She tried moving on, rising the ranks in both title and power. But her heart was in denial.

"I comprehend what our fate will come to be the moment we open that door. It's adequate, I'm prepared for it. What I did was unforgivable, and that's why I forgive them since most won't," replied the old soldier, bravely.

Z looked down. Raiyen surveyed the room, at all of the children's faces. Mavislin clasped the young child's hands. The similar eyes that Raiyen had encountered her earlier in the day. But it was however altered from the one he enjoyed in his current memory.

Something dark was behind them. Something was off. At the time, Raiyen had no idea who was the woman standing before him. But this did not mean he was unsure of how to handle the situation happening currently.

Raiyen crouched onto the ground, just in front of the frightened little girl. He was presently looking up at the young girl. He briefly closed his eyes. When he looked at the girl, his eyes bore a look of happiness. Mavislin was worried about what the Time Mage would respond.