A Gentle Hand's Influence: Chapter 3 – The Scope of the Issue

Chapter 3 – The Scope of the Issue

With backup coming in from Meridian, the Compassionate have a grip on the situation in Ferdinand. Of course, many people in Fribus are protesting for the government to go back on their deal with Nanpa after those extremists blew up the restaurant, and people of Nanpa are trying their best to disassociate themselves from them. The protesters aren’t a problem. The problem is the many extremists and isolationists from both sides who have a bone to pick with the other and are now motivated to act against those they perceive to be their enemy. Extremists from Nanpa say they did nothing wrong in the world war, while the extremists from Fribus want old sanctions placed on Nanpa and for every possible suspect of extremism to be taken in and questioned.

As for me, I’d like nothing more than to blow each of their heads off their shoulders and be done with them, but that’s not what the Compassionate are about. We’re not like the Castigators, and honestly, I shouldn’t feel that way after the mercy Polina showed me for the extreme things I’ve done against innocent people. Right now, I’m sitting on a hill overlooking a town where the extremists from both sides are butting heads, daring and pushing the other to start a war between their regions. Raziel and the other Compassionate are down there, trying to reason with people to get them to calm down. It’s at times like this that I wish Polina and Penelope were here, but since they’re putting out bigger fires between opposing groups in a courthouse, we’ll have to do our best to keep things from getting worse than they already are.

Watching the situation in the town through the scope of my rifle that’s on my left arm, I see the chaos that my fellow Compassionate are trying to quell by holding people back, talking to them, and being in between the opposing groups. Some among the groups are armed with guns and are flexing their superhuman abilities, which I keep my eye on the most out of everyone. One of the armed groups from Nanpa starts to raise their rifles and grenades at the opposing crowd. I may not be able to read souls like Raziel or minds like Polina and Penelope, but my experience as a cop and soldier has taught me the signs when someone intends to kill, so I take the shots to kill the extremists. Their guns fire up into the air, and grenades blow up at their feet, causing the rest of the crowds to start openly fighting.

Over our radio, Raziel says, “Zahara, what happened?”

“A group of Nanpa extremists tried firing the first shot against Fribus, so I shot them before they could kill anyone,” I say.

“Good work, but switch to non-lethal for the rest of them, and cover those who can’t. I’ll handle the rest.”

“Roger.”

I switch my sniper to use the non-lethal rounds in its secondary clip and begin picking off extremists. The rounds are strong enough to put superhumans to sleep in two or three shots, and normal people are put to sleep in one. Some of the extremists start to flee, unwilling to fight or start more trouble, and yet, the opposing side keeps going after them. I cover the retreat of those people and the fleeing civilians who are trying to hide in their homes. Some of the civilians hide the extremists and are attacked because of it, forcing me to turn my attention to them to put the attacking extremists down, and then return my attention to the others.

“Stop firing,” I hear someone say as I feel the tip of a gun against the back of my head.

Damn. Didn’t think any of the extremists would come up here. I do as he says and hold my arms up.

“Turn around.”

Turning around, I see a bunch of normal civilians with guns and the flag of Nanpa covering their faces.

“I’m impressed that you managed to disarm my traps without me noticing,” I say.

“We grew up in this region. Of course, we’d notice. You weren’t here when Fribus had leftover traps from the era after the last world war that harmed and killed innocent children and civilians who wandered around.”

“What do you want?”

“We want you to let our side win, and stop firing on us, especially the ones with a cross on our shoulders. We don’t want to kill you, so don’t make a move, and when the fighting stops, we’ll let you go.”

Now, I’m really jealous of Raziel’s, Penelope’s, and Polina’s ability to act without weapons. These don’t seem to be too bad, but at the same time, they’re preventing me from protecting others. My enhanced body and armor will protect me from a few shots, and yet, they could still easily gun me down, since the few bushes around here won’t give me any cover.

“Huh. I’m just noticing the cross. Does it differentiate you from the other extremists? I didn’t even know there was a difference.”

“That’s because you’re a foreigner. This cross is a symbol showing we’re from the Catholic division that seeks to make Nanpa a Catholic country, opposed to those who want to make it heretical.”

“I’m Catholic, so we have common beliefs and sense that we agree on. I can relate to you, but you’re letting your love for your country overwhelm your love for God and neighbor.”

“How so? We’re only going after those who have harmed us and will harm us. Everyone in us in Fribus will be spared when the policies of a Catholic Nanpa rule over Ferdinand.”

“You may say that, but look below through the scope of my rifle. Both sides are killing one another, and innocent civilians are caught in between.”

“The other Nanpa groups don’t know what they’re doing and are getting innocent people killed. Not us.”

“Really? Not from what I can see. There’s a good reason why I didn’t know there were different groups. You people act all the same from what I see down there. Take a look for yourself.”

“…okay, but don’t try anything.”

“I won’t.”

I point my rifle toward the town and allow the man to look into the town and move my arm around to see the rest of what is happening.

“God have mercy on us all…”

“Do you see what you’re stopping me from protecting? Get out of here. Go back to your families. I won’t go after you, and my non-lethal rounds won’t kill your friends.”

“Okay…okay…”

“Are you sure?” one of the other extremists asks.

“Yes.”

“But-”

“Let’s go! Innocent people are dying down there!”

I watch as the extremists leave and don’t let my stop tracking their movements with my eyes, until I see them go over the hill, and hear them get on their motorcycles and drive away.

“Zahara. Zahara, are you okay?” I hear Raziel say over the radio.

“I’m fine,” I say as I resume my sniping.

“What happened? I just noticed you weren’t shooting anymore.”

“I’m surprised you did in all that chaos. I’ll talk to you later about it.”

As I continue knocking out the extremists with my non-lethal rounds, I see the people from before, taking off their face coverings and going out of their way to protect civilians, even turning their guns on their own. Seeing this, I turn my attention to protecting them to ensure they and those they protect. By the end of it, they’re crossing themselves and seem to be thanking God.

“Good job, Zahara. The town is secure, and all the extremists are pacified,” Raziel says over the radio.

“It was no sweat,” I say.

Sitting down, I take a breather and remember the persistent lesson that we’re always fighting against people who believe they’re doing the right thing, no matter how idiotic or evil they seem to be. Some deserve mercy and a second chance. Others deserve death and pity, and I’m grateful to have seen those who deserve mercy trying to make amends for what they’ve done by helping those they’ve hurt.

A Gentle Hand's Influence: Chapter 2 – Fire, Faith, and Fury

Chapter 2 – Fire, Faith, and Fury

Polina, along with Penelope, has become the primary focus of the people of Ferdinand ever since we saved the debate between Fribus and Nanpa from becoming the start of a civil war. As they take questions and talk to people from both sides of the country in a market square where both sides do business, Zahara and I keep an eye on them, the crowds, and the surrounding area. Given the demonic threat we experienced two days ago, I feel that I should be more on my guard than usual, especially since they prevented me from getting to Polina. I know she’s strong and can handle most things on her own, but after what happened to her…I can’t let anything happen to her. We have a child back home in Meridian to raise, and we’re considering a second child after the situation in Ferdinand stabilizes.

“Do not allow them to worry you, my friend. It is the way they make you sin and blind you from what is in front of you,” my fiery angel says.

I’m trying not to. Intercede for me so that I may never sin or allow them a way to infect my soul with evil.

Zahara bumps me with her shoulder and asks, “Raziel, do you think we’ll ever get a break from guard duty? Besides, the couple of Sundays that have passed, we’ve been doing nothing but standing around, except for that one exception two days ago.”

“No. It’s the whole reason why we’re here, after all. Why? Would you rather be in Polina's or Penelope’s position, talking to people?”

“Hell no. That’s more mentally exhausting and annoying than anything. I don’t know how they do it. Seeing what they have to go through almost makes all this standing around feel nostalgic for the guard duty I did as an officer.”

“It reminds me of my time as an officer, too. Don’t you have a rosary or prayers to say to pass the time? I have an extra one with me.”

“No, I’m fine. I’ve said plenty of prayers and am just trying not to be bored.”

“Would you rather there be fighting than talking? Fribus and Nanpa may have reached an agreement, but the wider government of Ferdinand still has to codify it into law, and some in both Fribus and Nanpa hate the other side.”

“No, not at all. Don’t mind what I’m saying. I’m just bored.”

“Heh, to be honest, I am as well. Praying and talking to my guardian angel are what keep me awake.”

Once the talks are done, the influencers from both Fribus and Nanpa argue about who takes the Compassionate to dinner to show us their appreciation, and both Polina and Penelope convince them to both take us out, with the three groups splitting the bill. They agree to it, and they take us to an expensive and gorgeous restaurant that specializes in food from both regions, and is decorated as such. Our dinner becomes a taste test of all foods, and we judge whether or not one was better than the other. Things get heated for a bit, but then Penelope and Polina calm things down by telling them the food from Fribus and Nanpa is equally delicious.

“Fribus has the best desserts and has the most savory meals,” Penelope says.

“Nanpa has amazing spicy food, that’s filling, and has dishes that are easy on the stomach,” Polina says.

They go back and forth trying to balance the scales so that both sides appear equal, another thing that Zahara and I whisper to one another that we’re grateful we don’t have to do. Per Polina and Penelope’s agreement to come here, others from Fribus and Nanpa who were in the marketplace were invited to this dinner with their meals paid for by us. Everyone gets to know each other more personally, while still expressing the uniqueness of each other’s cultures. It was a genius idea by them to further strengthen the bond between the two sides of the country and to create a group of people who see value in each other’s side. Everything seems to be going well. That is, until I see my angel pull me away from the table just as an explosion rocks the building and collapses the floor beneath me, sending me down from the fourth floor to the third.

People are screaming all around me, fire is spreading, and I can hear muffled gunshots all around me. I look around and don’t see Polina, Zahara, or Penelope.

In a panic, I say out loud, “Polina! Zahara! Penelope!”

My angel points up to the hole above me, where I see the three people I was looking for looking down at me.

“Raziel! Are you okay?” Polina asks.

Thanks be to God they’re all alive, I think as I cross myself.

“I’m fine. I hear gunshots around here. Get yourselves and the civilians to safety. I’ll handle the perpetrators of this horrendous attack!”

Before they can respond, I speed off toward the gunfire, all the while transforming into a form reminiscent of my angel with fiery wings, two large arms with scythes on them, and three flaming eyes on my face that guide me to my targets. Flying into the action, I use my scythes to decapitate and cut the attackers in two, saving the civilians, and then rushing them to get to safety. The attackers are mostly masked superhumans with a few masked gunmen here and there, with some superhumans using guns, before switching to using their superstrength or projectile powers on me, none of which have any effect on my flaming armor. Parts of the building start collapsing, so I use my enhanced strength by allowing debris to fall on me so that the civilians can be saved and are protected as they escape. One family is surrounded by flames and feels forced to jump out of the third-story window, but I catch them and gently put them on the ground before going back in to save more people.

Following the sounds of action, I come across a room full of attackers fighting the superhuman law enforcement that has just arrived. I aid them by spewing flames from my scythes, which burn only the attackers and are harmless to law enforcement and the building itself. Among those who are burned, few are kept alive, so I take them and bring them outside to the ambulances. Looking back at the building, I see the fourth floor collapse onto the third floor, which then falls onto the second floor, before the entire thing collapses. In the chaos, I search the area for Polina and my friends, and thankfully find them as they’re just exiting the building with more injured people with them.

I transform into my normal appearance and say, “Are you okay? Thanks be to God you’re all alive.”

“We’re fine. I wish we had saved more people, but many were already dead because of the attackers, burned alive, or crushed because of the debris,” Polina says.

“The bastards who did this are going to pay,” Zahara says.

“My flames spared a few from death. They’re being driven to the nearest hospital right now.”

“We should interrogate them right now so we can see if there are any more of them and why they did this,” Penelope says.

“Agreed,” Polina says.

Going to the hospital where the attackers are taken, we go to the section where criminals are kept and locked in rooms where guards stand watch. We talk to the guards, who say that the attackers are surprisingly talkative compared to past criminals that they’ve had here.

“It’s a result of my supernatural flames that burn souls as well as the body,” I say to them, which frightens them a bit.

When we question the attackers, one of them says, “We’re from Fribus. We attacked the meeting because we don’t want to deepen our ties with people from Nanpa. They did horrible things to us before and during the world war! How could we associate ourselves with such people?”

Another says they’re a veteran from the world war, and says, “My other fellow veterans participated in the attack. We know the horrors that the people of Nanpa are capable of. The wall separating us and the laws that kept them down should’ve never been removed.”

One of the attackers is an old man, who says, “What rights do the people of Nanpa deserve? None. They’re less than animals for what they did eighty years ago. People say that it was their leaders’ fault for the atrocities committed by them before and during the world war, but we all know that none of those people would’ve gotten the power they had without the support of the common folk.”

“As you said, the war was eighty years ago. Much has changed since then. The people believe different things. The leaders and people guilty of the atrocities committed against you and others across the world have been punished, and many of them have repented and are still in jail,” Polina says.

“So what? The people of Nanpa are always backwards-thinking. Nothing that Fribus has done in its entire history is as bad as what Nanpa did in a single century across two world wars.”

The old man in front of us suddenly combusts into flames. He screams as guards rush in to put him out with water, but the flames consume him until he is nothing but ash. They ask us if we did anything to me, to which we say, we’ve done nothing. Given what the man said, I assume that my flames consumed him since he went back on his repentance and to his sins, and because of what he said, the guards let what happened go.

Another attacker is more repentant and says, “I don’t know why I didn’t care for the civilians who were caught in the attack. I thought we were just killing those who would strengthen the ties between the two regions. I’m such an idiot for everything that I’ve done!”

I want to hate this woman for her evil actions and idiocy, but a touch from my angel calms me down, and I reassure her that she has the chance to make up for what she’s done, and that, “You can help us by telling us if there are others like you out there.”

“No. It was just us, but others think like us in Fribus and people who think oppositely in Nanpa.”

With nothing else gained from our questioning the other attackers, Polina says that, “This is going to shatter the agreement we’ve created between the regions. Penelope and I will smooth things over as much as we can. Raziel and Zahara, find out as much as you can about these other groups and prevent them from causing any more damage by any means necessary, and call backup for you two.”

Zahara and I go our separate ways from Penelope and Polina, and do as we’re told. These people who attacked us weren’t possessed by demons like many people we’ve faced. Instead, they were on the opposite side of evil, one that’s unprompted by demons to do unspeakable things. Their souls are so impoverished of virtue that they don’t need the forces of Hell to tempt them to do anything, since committing sins is second nature to them, making threats like them sometimes more dangerous and evil than the ones who are possessed, an evil that must be cleansed from Ferdinand if we are to unify Fribus and Nanpa and keep the peace.

A Gentle Hand's Influence: Chapter 1 – Mercy Shown in Both Forms

Chapter 1 – Mercy Shown in Both Forms

“Let’s not forget whose side started the fight.”

“Let’s not forget whose side killed first.”

“When a person’s life is in danger, do they not have the right to defend themselves?”

“A drunk band of kids is a danger more to themselves than others, and should be treated as such.”

“They were young adults, committed an adult crime, and were treated as adults. When are you going to keep referring to this case and move on to the real issue of your high taxes on our people?”

“Okay, we’ll talk about it. Why are yours not producing enough and dedicating manpower so that our facilities are well-staffed?”

“Don’t ignore my question, like how you people ignore the suffering of your fellow countrymen on the other side of the country.”

“We ignore it? We’re trying to run it properly and steer it in the right direction, while you refuse to do your jobs, like men on a boat who refuse to row. The waves of change are crashing against the boat that is our country, and it will sink if you do not do your part.”

“We could say the same about you.”

“Oh, here we go again,” I say aloud as I watch from a distance as the leaders of both sides of the country start to openly argue with one another like children.

“Let them fight it out. It’s more fun to watch,” Zahara says.

“You should be praying harder that it doesn’t erupt into violence,” Raziel says.

“I feel like we should use our powers to steer them towards peace,” Penelope says. “What do you think, Polina?”

“Remember, we don’t use our powers on them unless it starts getting violent.”

“That was the rule in Meridian. A fight in a city is one thing, but a fight here could be the spark of a civil war and tear the country in two.”

I consider Penelope’s words and keep my eyes on the crowd and everyone who’s arguing. Looking into their souls, I see that they’re all decent people with legitimate grievances, acting out on emotion and the suffering they’ve been through as a result of the other side. This is why we were sent here out of all the subsidiaries of the Dominion. The Compassionate specializes in delicate situations where both sides have legitimate arguments for their actions or are simply acting on emotion. I am their leader, and yet, I’ve been struggling to give them any other order than to be behind me and not act unless violence erupts.

“This whole situation makes me jealous of the Castigators. Kane, Idelle, and Zandro force peace onto four countries and melded them into one in a matter of days, whereas we’ve hardly gotten anywhere in the week we’ve been here,” Zahara says.

“Patience. Not everything can be done so hastily,” Raziel says.

“We’re going to need to do something because it’s been getting worse and worse. God only knows when the civil war will erupt because it looks like they’re going to wage war over a group of drunken young men stupidly attacking other people on the other side of the country,” Penelope says.

We've made some progress here since we’ve learned a lot about the people and the situation. The country we’re in, Ferdinand, is divided into two parts: Fribus and Nanpa. Fribus is the center of education, politics, business, and science, while Nanpa has the largest population and is home to most of the artists, farmers, factories, and clothing markets. Their history has been a back-and-forth struggle over who is right and who is wrong. Sometimes, Fribus leads the country as it should, and other times, Nanpa rebels against its leaders and keeps them in line, doing what they’re supposed to do. There was once a time when Nanpa joined the opposing side of an erroneous faction during a world war, while Fribus joined the righteous side.

Currently, they’re trying to negotiate new terms in a courthouse sitting on the grounds where the country was first founded by a group of families, and the Compassionate are sitting above the hall, watching for signs of trouble. I’m in my blue and black police-inspired armor with my old badge on, and my flying wings tucked within a back component of the armor. Raziel is dressed in his updated modern medieval crimson knight armor, Zahara is wearing her pink and black light body armor, and Penelope is wearing one of her simple purple dresses. I’ve made sure that we’re all dressed and look proper for this occasion. Given my regular job as mayor of Meridian, making sure my red eyes and red hair are in proper order is second nature.

As for Raziel, since he’s my husband, I make sure there’s not a single pimple or blemish on his handsome face, and his blonde hair is as dashing as possible. However, his red, orange, and yellow eyes can be so captivating that I get distracted while making sure to keep his appearance in order.  Zahara doesn’t want her appearance changed at all, though she has shortened her pink and black hair so that her pink eyes with crosshair eyeshadow are more visible, and Penelope looks as elegant as usual, with her purple and blonde hair with a purple flower on top. Even though she has one purple eye, one spiral eye, and spirals all over her arms and hands, she probably looks the best of us.

“Polina,” Penelope says.

“Yes, I know. I’m thinking,” I say.

My eyes are drawn to one of the children in the viewing crowd. I don’t need my soul-reading powers to see that he wants me to do something too, for his side of the country, and yet, it’s not that easy. One wrong move, and the Dominion and our country of the Columbian Union, as a whole, will have to deal with a messy war. Agh! Screw it. The last time I tried to wait it out for a clean solution ended in the deaths of many police officers and civilians.

“Let’s intervene,” I say, to which the Compassionate agree.

“Everyone! Calm down!” Penelope says.

She uses her psychological powers on the arguing crowd to forcefully calm everyone down. People in the observing crowd are starting to stand up and question our actions.

“We’ve seen this situation too many times not to know that this will eventually result in violence, and, in turn, result in more conflict, and possibly war,” I say.

“Just let the war begin!” a woman from Nanpa says.

“Let us have our independence!” a man from Fribus says.

All sides of the crowd start agreeing to wage war, with few wanting peace and unity. Again, Penelope uses her powers to force calm among them, and I start adding my own to it. While using my power, I try to get a better understanding of the people and why they’re so thirsty for violence.

“Why do you crave the death of your neighbors?” I ask in people’s minds as I try to pull on their hearts. “Why do you put the mistakes of others onto people you only know the surface details of? The people of Fribus are not each responsible for the high taxes and demands, and the people of Nanpa are not each responsible for the disruptions in your cities and towns, and are not all lazy.”

“There’s a way to come to an agreement that you all will find reasonable. Don’t let your stereotypes of each other and recent events of the bad actors from each of your regions corrupt your view of one another,” Penelope adds.

“But…but they…but he…” I hear them say in their thoughts.

“But…but they…but she…”

There’s something still pushing them to fight one another. What is this thread that’s doing this? Concentrating and following it, I feel that an outside actor is responsible.

“Someone is affecting them mentally. Penelope, Zahara, keep the crowds calm and try to make them resume their talks. Raziel, come with me,” I say.

Following the thread, I go into the depths of the courthouse and start to feel a familiar cold touch, like icy fingers crawling up my spine. I take out my pistol and unsheathe my sword.

“Raziel,” I say.

Raziel has already taken out his scythe and lit it on fire as he says, “I know. The demonic is here. I can’t believe we didn’t sense it before. Useless division and infighting are signs of demonic influence.”

“Perhaps the cult members have just arrived or are only making their presence known now through the further exertion of their power.”

“This can’t be anything other than a trap. My guardian angel senses it.”

“My soul is guarded as always. Raziel-”

I suddenly fall down a hole that opens from the floor and quickly closes behind me. There’s nothing but darkness around me, and the overwhelming feeling of icy hands all over me. Dark figures start peering out from the darkness as if it were a veil and stare at me.

“Polina Emundatio. This is all too familiar to you, isn’t it?” their chilling voices say.

I fire my pistol at the figures, but my bullets go through them until it jams. Trying my sword, I swipe it at them, only for it to disappear from my hands when I bring it down. With only my psychological powers of mercy left, I dig into the minds and souls of the people around me and find something surprising.

“You’re all from Fribus and Nanpa? You’re all working together to use the demonic to ensure that a war happens between your regions? Why? That won’t solve your mutual grievances with one another,” I say.

“What would you know? A good war will separate the wheat from the chaff. Perhaps many of the horrible people on both sides will die, or the horrors will teach them a valuable lesson,” they say.

“It’s not worth the loss of life! They all have the capacity to change for the better.”

“That’s what we’re banking on; however, we’re trying to accelerate that change. Things have to get worse before they can get better. Our new friends will make that happen. After that, we can go back to fighting each other as if we never worked together.”

“They’re lying! Once you fall to sin, you’ll continue to fall unless you repent.”

“Speaking of that, they tell us something interesting about you. How two police groups were against one another, and you held back from doing anything useful until innocent people died. They also told us that the weight of that choice made you act foolishly and fall under the influence of sin. Oh, the perverted things that you allowed to happen to yourself because you gave up for a second.”

“That’s true, but they’re manipulating it to make themselves sound right. I’m ashamed of myself for letting myself fall. Still, the same thing will happen to you if you don’t stop right now.”

“Will you stop us, Polina? Will your empathy for us outweigh your calling to enact justice? We both already know the answer to that.”

The icy hand all over me starts tearing at my face and my armor. They think I will hold back and let my empathy for their pain and worries overwhelm my judgment of them. That’s not going to happen. I won’t let anyone else take advantage of me like that anymore! I let God have control of the situation, letting go of control of myself as my entire body and armor turn white and grey. The darkness turns white, and the figures in it stand out clearly.

Taking advantage of their stunned fear, I run up to them, and with one simple touch, they evaporate into white ash. One after the other dies as the demons scream, afraid of the power of God being used through me. Once they’re all dead, my original body color returns to me, and the white around me disappears, giving way to the normal electrical lighting in the room. Now that the supernatural lighting and darkness are gone, I see that the room around me is an old courtroom, but it’s been defiled with blood and demonic symbols, broken holy statues, and body parts around the room. This whole building will have to be cleansed and blessed to ensure that every bit of demonic influence is erased.

An explosion blows open the walls behind me. Turning to it, I see Raziel walking out of the raging flames and the bodies of people with horns on their bodies behind him.

He runs to me and asks, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine. Better than usual, actually.”

“Really? What makes you say that?”

“I can’t put my finger on it. Maybe I’ll know and explain it to you later. Let’s see how things are going upstairs now that the threat has been removed.”

As we walk away, Raziel’s flames die down. Returning to the courtroom, we’re surprised to see the two sides talking to each other, with Penelope acting as a facilitator, expressing their true feelings and thoughts to both sides and steering the conversation in the right direction. On the side, Zahara looks genuinely engaged in the discussion. Seeing us, Zahara approaches, and we tell her what happened and the motivations of the enemies we faced.

“They were idiots to think that they could do evil as if that could bring about some greater good. I’d be madder at the fact if I wasn’t guilty of doing the same thing,” Zahara says.

“When did Penelope get so involved in politics?” Raziel asks.

“She struck a chord with them and got them to calm down. Because they didn’t trust themselves to continue the conversation, they wanted her to facilitate it and keep the peace. Should we tell her she should stop now that the threat is eliminated?”

“No. We’ll have security clean up the threat downstairs, while the negotiations continue.”

After an hour passes, the representatives of Fribus and Nanpa come to a temporary mutual agreement until something more solid can be decided by their leaders and set into law. They shake hands, and the crowd cheers, happy with the results, as far as I can see. I go up to Penelope and tell her how happy I am with what she’s accomplished.

“Thank you. I didn’t know I had it in me. I still don’t know how I did it,” Penelope humbly admits.

“We all don’t know what we’re capable of, until God puts us in a situation where it can be brought out,” I say.

“What you did today is the first step in securing peace and unity for Ferdinand,” Raziel adds.

“That was amazing, Penelope,” Zahara says.

Penelope tears up and hugs me. I hug her back and think about the current situation. It’s going to need our guidance more than I thought, and I’m glad that Penelope pushed me to do the right thing and that God saved me in my time of need. This reminds me of what mercy is. It’s both a soft and firm hand that can be both kind and understanding, but also tough and willing to force justice when necessary.

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The countries of Steadfast, Wall, and Hammer pose a perpetual threat to the Columbian Union and its allies. Diplomatic efforts have been futile, often crumbling under the weight of an ever-hostile people, so the Castigators are sent in to aid their allies in Guardian and force the opposing countries to cease their violent ways. As such, war and violence will be necessary to put down the bloodthirsty warmongers and instill peace in the four countries for the first time in generations.

Peace Through Force: Chapter 4 – An Uncorrupting Desire for Power

Chapter 4 – An Uncorrupting Desire for Power

I stand on the side of the room with Idelle as Kane and Bolster talk about subduing the last enemy country, Steadfast. We’re in yet another hideout, and the question of victory is not if we’ll win, but how, what we can do to secure peace now, and what we’ll do after. Taking over land by force after executing the leadership and those loyal to them naturally inspired those who were attacked to try to do the same. Fear and overwhelming force can be used to prevent revolution in the present, but future generations will find ways to subtly take back their country, take it back from within, or build up a military to take their own. Guardian is only the strongest because we’ve backed them up, and God only knows if our enemies will ally with others to shift the balance in their favor.

This topic comes up in Kane and Bolster’s discussion as Bolster says, “Who knows how many allies Steadfast has? Their name is ironic since they keep shifting beliefs with every generation. They’re spineless light-footers who believe in God, but don’t. Believe men and women have separate but equal roles, but then say they’re each replaceable. Believe all religions are equal, but then say every religion should get along as one. They’re universalists, a walking contradiction, who ally with everyone and no one, making sure always to have at least one person in an opposing camp, just in case they have to switch sides.”

“And God shall spit them out of His mouth,” I comment.

“Exactly, Zandro. There’s no real way to trust them, so we have to be extra thorough about dealing with them,” Kane says.

The ideology of Steadfast reminds me of my own back in Nexum. They said they believed in equality, but then backstabbed and worked against our interests in the shadows or did so in plain sight, using various excuses to claim our actions were mutually beneficial or justified. Nexum has always conflicted with the four countries of Steadfast, Wall, and Hammer, and it has tried to use its alliance with the Columbian Union to get its way with them, even trying to get our way with Guardian, despite being mutual allies. I know much of the history of the countries, but let Bolster say what he has to since I’ve been out of the loop, and much has changed in this country over the course of a few short years. To me, it feels like it’s been ten years since I last set foot on this side of the world after trying to get superpowers from the Coronamento Corporation and ending up with the Castigators.

I should have control or some power over the four countries because of my knowledge. I know when violence is necessary, and when to use extreme violence for the greater good. There’s no action I am unwilling to take, nor does killing or harming others bother me.

This is a problem. A problem I’ve been dealing with, and that’s lessened over the years, but still a problem. The sinful side of myself has to have its short time in control, and I’m in constant prayer to keep it down. I don’t want control or power of any kind. All I want to do is the will of God. Everything that I have now is everything that I need, and it is all in service to doing what I was created to do. Nothing more.

A member of the Castigators walks into the meeting room and mentions to Kane how the leaders of the Steadfast are willing to negotiate, to which he says, “Given their history, part of me wishes they said that they want to fight to the death. It would make it easier and less complicated, but let’s see what they have to say.”

A nagging feeling pushes me to say, “I think we should be extra careful, given their history. Let’s assess the situation and have backup on standby, just in case.”

“My thoughts exactly. Thank you, Zandro. Let’s make it happen,” Kane says.

We make the calls we need to and then leave to go to the town where we’re meeting the leaders and people of Steadfast. The area of this country reminds me of Nexum, being that it has many deserts, while also having luscious greenery and rivers that run through them. Ahead of us, the town has elements of the other countries, with ugly, futuristic-looking military walls from Hammer, old medieval-style buildings from Guardian, and houses that look like they’re from the colonial era. As Bolster, Kane, Idelle, and I enter the town, we watch the rooftops and corners. The civilians are out here throwing petals and flowers at us as if we were royalty, allowing them the grace of our presence, but part of me feels that it’s all done to obscure our vision from threats lurking in the dark.

We should call it off now. My instincts have improved ever since I got better in control of myself, and they are right most of the time. The safeties should come off, and we should let the slaughter begin.

No, we shouldn’t. Let’s see what happens first before we act, and only do so if we have something other than instinct to tell us that something is wrong. We meet the leaders in the center of town, where a sizable crowd of the media and civilians is kept at a fair distance. Kane and Bolster get out of their vehicles, and Idelle and I slow down to walk normally with them. I look at Kane to see if he sees anything in the leaders, and he looks agitated. The leaders tell them to take a seat with them, but Kane immediately draws his ebony pistols and points them at them.

“Don’t think you can play me for a fool,” Kane says with disgust in his voice. “Don’t you know that I can see if God judges that I should kill you or let you live?”

“Yes, I’ve heard of that, but don’t we all do that with our own God?” one of the leaders asks, trying to remain composed.

“You all have five seconds each to give me a reason why you should live before I blow your head off.”

“We just want to negotiate the terms of peace. We don’t want to fight!”

Kane blows the head off the leader talking to him. The crowds are frightened by this, some of whom start running away, and yet, no one does anything to save the leaders, and the leaders themselves are still sitting in place, but are now shaken.

“You’re lying. You all want peace just so you can stab us in the back, politically and militarily, just like you do with every peace agreement you get.”

Kane goes up to the next leader. She says, “You can’t shoot people who are surrendering and trying to talk! This isn’t lawful!”

Again, Kane blows the head off another leader. He says, “Your surrender isn’t honest. God reveals it through my eyes. I don’t care if this is lawful or not. All I care about is doing the right thing.”

Now the crowds are really starting to flee, and the leaders are holding their hands up and are on their knees. Still, no one is intervening, and I don’t see anyone sneaking up on us.

The next leader that Kane goes up to says, “What do you want? What do you want us to say?”

“I want you to change your hearts, and actually want something beneficial to us, and not solely for yourselves. I want conversion, your salvation, and the peace for the four countries and mine.”

The leader starts and stops several sentences before Kane has enough and shoots him. Kane looks at the rest of the leaders and sighs.

“There’s nothing more to be said. No prayer will save you, and mercy has run dry. Kill them all.”

Idelle and I do as Kane says, as he and Bolster shoot the leaders who try to run. Finally, my instinct proves correct as a force of robots, superhumans, and law enforcers emerges from the crowd and nearby buildings to attack us. I fully transform, with armor covering my body. The left side is completely white, with a halo on its head and a left shield. The right side has spikey fingers reaching out, horns on its head, and a large hand with razor-sharp fingers. I throw myself at the enemy, tearing them to shreds. During the fight, as in every fight, I try to cover Idelle and Kane. I’ve killed my own family, but theirs is still alive, so their lives matter more than my own.

Below, I hear Kane calling for our reinforcements, who shortly come in to aid us. This is especially timely since the civilians and the enemy have their own military coming in to help them. A new surprise happens as missiles come out of the ground, and we hear from the other Castigators that the missiles will detonate and kill everyone in the city. Hurrying to get rid of them, I run to the nearest missile and throw it up into the air. Running to the next one, I tear through my enemies trying to defend it, and throw it away from the town.

“The missiles are going to blow! There are also others coming at you from a distance! All Castigators retreat from the town now!” I hear said on the radio.

Since I’m close to a missile, I throw that away, and then see Idelle running at superhuman speeds next to me.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“Trying to save people. What are you doing?” Idelle asks.

I grab Idelle and throw her away from the missile, and say, “Doing the same.”

Running back to the missile, I manage to grab it and throw it into the air, just as it explodes. The missile's force is felt on the ground, and it rains fire down upon the town. One other missile explodes in the town, and a few others come at the town from a distance and head towards it. Running towards the missiles, I leap at one of them, grab it, and use the force of it to spin it around and throw it into the air. I run towards the next one and find Idelle trying to stop it.

“Get to safety!” I tell her.

Idelle punches me, sending me flying into the distance. I quickly get back on my feet, run with every ounce of strength that I have, and get to the missile before Idelle does, only for it to detonate in my face, sending me hurtling into the ground. I’m in a daze and feel seriously hurt for the first time in a while. Still, I try to get up, even as I stand up and fall again. In the distance, I see the other missile exploding before it hits the town, and Idelle running to me and yelling as I lose consciousness.

Was it worth it? Is this the end of my life? Was it all just to get to this moment and die for a town full of my enemies and the Castigators, who roped me into helping them in place of execution or jail time?

Kane and Idelle helped save my life, and more importantly, my soul. It’s only right that I give my life for them in exchange. The strength in my body leaves me, until it suddenly comes back, and I wake up on a bed with needles in me, reminiscent of the ones put in me when I was experimented on. I take them out of me, see that I’m some sort of mansion, and wander its hallways. Where am I? I don’t think I’m dead.

Eventually, I find Idelle and Kane in a room with a bar, fireplace, and a view of the town we were just in. It’s still standing, and yet, it is burning. Bolster is sitting on the side, drinking and watching the news, talking about the Castigators taking over the four countries and forming them into one, under the Dominion.

They knew as well as I did that the only way to instill true peace in the region is to take control of it all ourselves, and since I’m a primary member of the Castigators, I should have my own land and servants. Perhaps, I could take it all for myself in time with the right moves and allies.

Kane turning his head to see me makes my temptations cease. He springs up and says, “Zandro! I’m glad you’re awake and walking around, brother.”

Kane walks over and hugs me, and I pat him on the back in return. I ask him, “What did I miss? What’s this about the Castigators taking over the countries?”

“First of all, I’m glad you did your best to save my wife, but you had to know you’d get sent flying if you tried to prevent her from doing what she wanted, right?”

“I knew that, but I never thought I could survive a missile to the face.”

“You were out for a couple of days. We had to get the Coronamento Corporation to send over fluids that they used on you during their experiments to help speed up your regeneration and make sure you healed properly.”

“Thank you for saving me, again.”

“Don’t thank me yet, because our job here isn’t done. As you heard, I decided that the Castigators should take control of the four countries under the Dominion. The people of the countries respect our strength, and our enemies here will only stay in line if we’re the ones ruling over them, and not some leader or group that the Columbian Union puts into power.”

Bolster comments that, “That is how things have been in this region for hundreds of years, and nothing that any foreign power has done has changed that in the slightest outside of taking direct control of it.”

“I guess the new country’s king,” Idelle says.

“And that makes you its queen,” Kane says.

“What about me?” I ask, half curious and half wanting some kind of power.

“You’ll rule by our side as always, fighting where you want to and giving your opinion to help shape the new country’s future.”

“So, I’m just doing the same thing as always on a bigger scale?’

“Basically.”

“What did the Dominion have to say about your decision?”

“They were strangely quiet about it at first. I had to call Timeo, and Idelle called her brother to make sure they heard the news, and it turns out that they completely trust that we’re making the right decision.”

“If the heads of the Dominion are fine with it, then that’s all that matters.”

“Well, all the other countries are concerned about this. Even the Columbian Union and its allies are uncomfortable with a hero association taking over foreign land and ruling over it as an independent nation.”

“And?”

“My point exactly. I prayed to make the right decision, and if this is what God wants us to do, then we’re going to do it, no matter how illegal or extreme it may seem, which is the entire point of the Castigators. We force the law to serve true justice, and don’t make compromises with it or any evil in any way.” Kane goes over to the balcony and says, “I think this land and its people have grown on me in the short time I’ve been here. I like how they do things, how blunt they are, and how they’re willing to do anything to enact what they know to be right. My children are being moved here, along with many more members of the Castigators, so we can make this our permanent home. What do you think, Zandro?”

“I’m fine with that. Just lead the way, brother. I’ll be right behind you.”

“Maybe we can finally find you a wife in this country. What do you think, Idelle?”

“If God wills him to have one, then we’ll find him one.”

In the distance, a group of cars arrives with superhumans, men with cybernetic enhancements, and robots behind them.

“Looks like we have challengers to the throne,” Kane says.

“It looks like a small army comprised of forces from all four countries,” Bolster says.

“It’s a fair fight then.”

Bolster, Idelle, and I follow behind Kane as we exit the mansion. The crowd yells at us with their weapons in the air. A man from the crowd steps out, covered in armor, scars, and weapons.

The man holds up a hand to make them quiet down, before he says, “Do you think you can simply take our countries from us? That we’ll let you rule over us just because you’ve taken out our leaders?”

“It’s in your best interest that you do,” Kane says.

“Ha! You care only for your own people. You don’t care about the people of any of the four countries.”

“If I didn’t, I’d let the missiles destroy that town behind you. I would’ve had my Castigators slaughter civilians, surrendering soldiers, and those who weren’t involved in the fighting at all. Instead, I’ve only killed those who want to kill me and my allies and plotted against us. Your last words will decide whether or not you will live in the peaceful and secure country I will create.”

“You’re going to create a peaceful country? With all the destruction and killing you’ve done?”

“Sometimes, the only way to calm a rabid dog is to put it down. As such, violence has quelled the conflict between all four countries, and the rebels are the only ones trying to continue the endless war. So, what will you do? Will you join me or die where you stand?”

The group of people talks and then starts arguing with one another. Some say they will stand with us and move over to us, while others call them traitors and say they will fight and die for what they believe in.

These people are savages.

But then again, Kane managed to reason them to his side. It’s no wonder that God inspired him to take control of the four countries for himself, the Castigators, and the Dominion. He’s a true leader, unlike me, who’s a mere follower at his side.

It’s no matter. I’ll have my moment to take power for myself.

What I have now is all I need. A fight begins to break out between the two groups, which have now separated. Our supporters are close to us, while the opposition is farther away, making it easier for us to tell friend from foe. Kane tells us to help our new friends and calls in backup for them. Even though this is how our rule begins, I’m confident that we’ll turn the four countries into one singular, peaceful country, and perhaps help the wider world with our particular brand of establishing peace through force.

 

The End

Peace Through Force: Chapter 3 – A Just Case of War

Chapter 3 – A Just Case of War

In my head, I see the faces of those kids. Their fear, hatred, and desperation lay on each of their faces, especially when they heard the beep in their vests that preceded them exploding. The boiling hot hatred for the leaders of Hammer and the parents who sacrificed and indoctrinated their children still burns through my veins, making me want to kill them over and over again.

“Idelle. Idelle!” I hear Kane’s voice say.

When I wake up, I see that I’m in one of the Guardian hideouts laying down on a couch on top of Kane.

“Huh? Is something going on?” I ask.

“You were shaking and sweating in your sleep. Were you having a nightmare about what happened?”

“I was.

“It’s okay. After this is over, we’ll take a nice, long vacation with the kids and family somewhere peaceful.”

Remembering what happened makes me glad that my parents are taking care of our children and are protected by the Dominion back in the Columbian Union, while we’re here, so their lives aren’t threatened. Kane kisses me on the forehead and lightly strokes the back of my head. It always amazes me how he’s fine with embracing me even after I fight and have blood all over me. It makes me jealous of Zandro, who can simply transform to his normal self, and all the blood and dirt on him is gone in an instant, whereas I need to clean the blood off my armor every time. He’s sitting across from us and seems to be in deep thought.

“I used to be a parent like both of you, so I know how you must feel,” Zandro says.

Nothing more needs to be said. We’re all feeling the same thing and on the same page, though some of us feel worse than others. I’ve gotten over the horrors I’ve done for those I still find it hard to consider my real parents, and all the killing I’ve done since then. I know I’m justified in what I’m doing, but that doesn’t make doing the dark work of the Lord any easier, especially when innocents get caught in the crossfire. Trying to take my attention off it, I look around the hideout to see that it’s gray and barren like the previous hideout, except for a few crosses and images of Mary, St. Michael, and other patron saints called on during battle. The TV is on, reporting the Castigators taking control of Hammer, and hardly ever taking prisoners or sparing anyone. If they only knew how bad it was.

Bolster steps in and watches the news with us. He comments, “These Western news outlets never really know what they’re talking about, do they?”

“Believe me. It isn’t any better back home,” Kane says.

“All they do is report on what sounds most appealing to their audience with little sprinklings of the truth here and there. I could swear their scripts are all written by the same people.”

“That’s probably true,” Zandro comments.

“Anyways, have you heard anything from the Dominion?”

“Nothing other than that we’re doing a good job, and they’re trying to handle the press and relations between our home nation and allies. Some are happy with what we’re doing, and some aren’t, but most agree that it was a good thing that my Castigators destroyed the weapons of mass destruction that Hammer had.”

“Do the opinions of world leaders matter to your organization?”

“It hasn’t before, and never will. Even if it did, the Castigators are used to rebelling against corrupt authority, so we’d just do what we think is right anyway. That’s the goal of the Castigators. To fix the law where it’s most broken and put our neck on the line for those for whom the law failed or was unjustly used against.”

“That’s why we in Guardian love you out of every subsidiary of the Dominion. When will we make our next move?”

“Soon. Why? What target do you have in mind next?”

“The country of Wall.”

“The stubborn heretical traditionalists who larp as true Christians? I wish that ideology were wiped out during the Crusades when it was in this area. Didn’t their religion used to be called Islam or something else?”

“All error is reused. The demons can’t come up with an original false ideal even if it would get them out of Hell.”

“Once my wife has her moment to rest, we’ll get right to them.”

I appreciate Kane’s words and knowing I need a minute to get my mind straight, but at the same time, I’m happy and comfortable where I am. Eventually, Bolster comes back in and asks if I’m okay and ready to go, and I give him a look, which makes him step back.

Bolster looks at Zandro, who says, “Don’t look at me to help. If I try to get her off him, she might beat the Hell out of me, and my superhuman powers don’t help much from a beating from her.”

“Thanks, guys. Really appreciate you having my back,” Kane jokes.

Kane then talks me out of cuddling him for the rest of the day like I want to, and we get moving. Unlike Hammer, Wall is a desert with marshes and jungles spread out here and there. All the towns and cities are spread out, and there are fewer here to worry about, but there are deadly predators in the wild, and if you’re not prepared, you can easily die of thirst or hunger out here. Bolster also tells of the rumors of hidden underground bases in the jungles and sands where the most dangerous predators reside and act as natural defenses against outsiders who don’t know their way around. Thankfully, the few allies we have in this country do know everything we need to know and are leading us through the jungle to one of the hidden bases.

We’re suddenly attacked by said wildlife we were told to watch out for, but we aren’t attacked by animals. Instead, the plants come to life and kill many of our allies from Guardian by chomping their heads off and swallowing them whole, before we’re able to save them. It’s times like these that make me wish I had some kind of ranged attack, but my strength is enough to tear these abominations to shreds, and my snakes are durable enough to push them back and block their attacks.

“Living killer plants? Are these native to this area?” Kane asks.

“Not at all,” one of our guides says. “These must be the experimental weapons that they made in conjunction with Hammer that we heard about. Seeing them now, the rumors of a weapon that can be hidden until it activates itself make sense. They were going to ship these over to the Columbian Union and its allies and let them wreak havoc wherever they ended up.”

“Tch. As if we need any more foreign infiltrators in our country trying to destroy it from the inside,” Kane says.

Our guides lead us to a series of tree one of which is actually a pole with a hidden keypad in it. After using a hacking device on it, a part of the ground separates, revealing a series of stairs down to a single door. Going through it, we find ourselves in a series of tunnels that are air-conditioned and feel much better than being on the surface. We explore the tunnels, finding caches of weapons, multiple kinds of foreign currency, quarters where their soldiers are resting, and places where they’re experimenting on plants, wildlife, and people. Seeing this reminds me of the experiments done on me by my own parents and country, especially since they’re trying to invoke the supernatural in some of their experiments. I look over at Zandro, who is winching at the sight of it all.

Kane gives us the go-ahead to attack. Zandro and I instinctively go after the researchers and their experiments, putting them out of their misery. The alarms in the facility start blaring as automatic turrets come out of the walls and ceiling to fend us off, but they are large and ineffective as my snakes intercept the shots as I charge at them and throw the turrets at other turrets and enemies attacking us. The lights start going out, and the walls start shifting in strange and confusing ways that separate us all from one another. I try breaking them down, but they’re tough, so it’s going to take a while to get through.

“Continue forward, and we’ll meet up, eventually. Be careful,” Kane says through a static connection.

I try talking to him and the others, but I don’t get a response. Our communication devices are jammed, so it looks like I’m on my own. I’ll be fine. I’ve done operations solo in foreign countries for the Columbian Union before, and yet, I feel nervous and rushed. I don’t know what could happen to Kane and the others, so I take the immediate path before me and charge ahead. Out of the darkness, turrets pop out along with robots who try to get me, while I’m off guard, but my snakes protect me, yet again, reacting to their attacks, before I’m able to, allowing me to be defended and quickly counterattack.

Next, superhumans, animals, and plants that were experimented on are sent after me. Changing up my tactics, I let them come to me and roll with the punches. I let my snakes handle the ones to my side, while focusing on the foe in front of me. Our fists collide, resulting in both of them breaking, and allowing me an opening to punch his head off. The next superhuman that I focus on throws a series of punches at me that I block before taking one of his arms, breaking it off, and shoving it through his chest, killing them. Shifting my attention to the animals and living plants, kill them easily since they have no form to their attacks and simply use their instinct and raw power.

Finally, the remaining superhuman tries to sneak up on me with a punch from behind. I dodge her attack and stick my hand into her throat. Since she isn’t dead, I throw her to the ground and unleash a flurry of punches until her face and body are nothing more than bits of gore and blood on the floor. With no other foe in sight, I collect myself for a second, shake the blood off my hands, and continue running. Further down the hallway, what feels like two hands gripping my brain overcomes me, making me slow down.

“Always the brutal killer,” a voice says with the sensation that feels like scratching my inner ears.

“You haven’t changed one bit, have you?”

“You call yourself a wife and a mother? You’re the furthest thing from it.”

“You’re nothing but a vicious animal who belongs in a cage.”

These temptations are nothing new to me, so I pray for help. Hoping that destroying the source of the temptations will make them cease, I continue pushing forward, offering up the pain of the temptation as penance, and even thanking God for it, since it proves that I’m still a good enough person to face temptation. My white snake pulls me in a certain direction and points its head at a wall, while my black snake tries to push me away. Given that my white snake is blessed and my black snake is cursed, I do as the white snake wants and start punching through the wall. I tear through the metal, wires, and concrete of the wall until I reach a room where a ritual is being conducted.

The objects and people here are vain imitations of true Christianity, and so are the prayers to their false Christ. Again, my white snake pulls me forward and hisses at the cultists in the room, who are praying louder for help. They don’t get any as I slaughter them and break apart everything in the room, and I must’ve broken more than I expected, as all the lights come on and the walls come up. With the walls lifted, I see Bolster, Zandro, and Kane, all of whom are finishing off their foes. Unfortunately, our other allies were killed in their fight, so we finish it for them by killing the remaining foes around us.

Now that no one is left to kill, I run to Kane to make sure he’s okay and hug him. I ask him, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Better than okay. This underground area was not only where they developed their weapons and kept their army, but their true leaders were down here as well. They lived in comfort with all this protection around them, and ways to get around the country of Wall, undetected,” Kane explains. “I’ve just killed them, so all that’s left is to clean up their remaining forces in the other parts of the tunnel and on the surface.”

“Let’s get our allies and the other Castigators to do it. It’s too much for the four of us to do,” Bolster says.

“Agreed. Let’s head back up and call for reinforcements.”

The four of us wander the tunnels, following the signs until we find a set of stairs that lead us up. When we arrive on the surface, we find ourselves in the capital of Wall. We’re in a seemingly normal restaurant, in particular, and find ourselves surrounded by Wall’s leaders, their guards, their supporters, and their families. They’re stunned by our sudden presence, and we use it to quickly kill most of them, and leave a few alive as Kane tells us to do. When the fight is finished, and the remaining people left alive are brought to Kane on their knees, he pulls up a chair and stares at them with a judgmental stare on his face.

“I think it’s clear to you what happened in the underground if we came out alive, so you have two choices, and little time to make it,” Kane says with his hands out and none of his guns in his hands. “So? What will it be?”

The people before him argue, cry, and yell at him in such a way that none of their words can be clearly heard. After a few seconds, two ebony pistols appear in Kane’s hands. He immediately stands up and guns them down. A group of law enforcers comes into the room and is stunned by the death around them. They look at us with their guns up, shaking in their boots, and slurring their words.

“Do you want some too? Get the Hell out of here if you know what’s good for you!” Kane says.

The law enforcers run away in fear, along with the crowd that formed around the restaurant. Kane calls in the Castigators for reinforcements and sits at the restaurant’s bar, putting his head in his hands.

“That was great, Kane. This’ll show them all our power and your compassion,” Bolster says as he finishes recording what happened and posts it.

“Do you have to record every execution of leaders that Kane does?” Zandro asks.

“I do, but I don’t do it for show. This is to instill fear into our enemies and to make them back down.”

“Tch. If you say so.”

Zandro goes to sit at the bar with Kane and pats him on the back.

Going over to Kane, I ask him, “There go the heads of another country. We’ve conquered yet another in one day, all thanks to you.”

“They had a choice,” Kane says.

“Huh?”

“My eyes went back and forth in telling me their fate, so I tried to give them mercy, but they screwed it up. They all did. It shouldn’t bother me at this point, but when someone is on the cusp of salvation, and they throw it away. That is nothing more than pure tragedy.”

I wrap my arms around Kane, hold him, kiss his forehead, and say, “It’s okay. You went out of your way to give them a way to save their lives, and, as you said, they made their choice. If anything, the fear you inspired in the fleeing crowd will make them rethink who they ally with and which God they worship. You’re a good and strong man, Kane. Never forget that.”

“Hehe, and you were the one who started the day upset. I can say the same thing about you, too, Idelle, and you, too, Zandro.”

“And me?” Bolster asks.

“Yes, you too, my friend. You too.”

We are all good people, despite the killing we do and the brutality of our work. It is necessary to punish evil, instill true peace, and inspire fear of God and of the virtuous in our enemies, so that even the furthest gone can be saved, a goal that seems closer than ever.