Tales of the Pearly Kingdom (Pearly Tales Vol. 2)

134. The Path of Redemption and its Prices

Hours went by as Seamus confessed as much as he could. He mentioned the people that he had killed. The comrades and enemies he had slaughtered, the time he'd murdered someone despite Fauna's protection, digging inside his living comrades for messages, drowning children, assassinating high priority targets that used to be the city's original residents, the times he was beaten for incompetence and the times he did the beating.

As he continued to confess his crimes he felt the horror fill his soul as the mask that covered his face became drenched with tears. All the while Lord Perilous sat with one leg crossed over the other. Every once in a while, he asked for clarification, but he didn't so much as flinch. The calm and stoic Lord Perilous was an unsettlingly calculating side of Cal that Seamus found even more off-putting than the Dread Pirate in some ways.

At a certain point Seamus couldn't go on and buried his face in his hands. Lord Perilous stood up calmly and walked over to Seamus. With one smooth motion Cal pulled back Seamus's hood.

"Brother Calphius, I have heard you. And I will declare my verdict." Cal announced.

"There are two paths to those in your shoes." Cal stated. "Those who feel anger toward those who wronged them, and regret for those who they wronged. The path of the avenger and the path of redemption. In your eyes I see both fire and sorrow plaguing you from the depths of your soul. I could choose to kill you for your sins, or I could also choose to forgive you, but that's too black and white for me. So I shall do both, as you do both."

"So you are going to kill me..." Seamus said as relief washed over him.

"In a way, yes. As the god of Death, to me you are Seamus, regardless of whether you have a body or not, so slaying you is... pointless. It is more valuable to me to have slayed Timid, that blind warrior of darkness, and in doing so I have also slayed Seamus, the innocent and naïve. This means I must mold you into something new, an event I have long since foreseen although not under these circumstances." Cal spoke evenly. "As the God of Peril, you will be my Angel, a message and messenger. You have fought those stronger and more dangerous than you and survived, you face death with regularity, and you have shown regret for your past. Serve me with your life, find redemption not in a meaningless death, but in a meaningful life."

"So you aren't going to kill me?" Seamus asked.

"I already have silly boy, would the Timid of your stories have cried like this?" Cal smiled smugly as he ruffled Seamus's head. "Death isn't something as simple as removing the spirit from the body. Death is also a chance for rebirth, it is a stage in a cycle not simply the end of a path." Cal then frowned. "However, I cannot overlook your crimes. There will be punishment. Are you prepared to face it?"

Seamus swallowed and bowed his head. "I am ready for anything, Lord Perilous. My entire existence is in your hands."

"Yes, Seamus you will live as you have. As a member of the Calphius Family you will strive to live a happy and fulfilling life alongside the many responsibilities that go along with that. That is the most complex and dire of your punishments, for it requires more effort physically, emotionally, and spiritually than you have ever before faced. I do not expect perfection. I expect perseverance. Is that understood?" Lord Perilous asked.

"I understand, Lord Perilous. You are merciful." Seamus said.

"Do not spout words like 'mercy' at me. I have not finished. You have offended me, Brother Calphius." Lord Perilous' aura grew cold.