Leobolt had no idea how long he had been dreaming. He had been wandering through the black fog for what seemed like an eternity. No matter how far he walked, no exits ever came into view. It was stressful for him—painful, even. It was enough to make him want to give up and abandon all hope. Yet for some reason, he kept on walking.
At the end of his seemingly endless journey, he finally saw a light in the distance. It was a warm, gentle light. As he reached out to touch it, he felt his consciousness flow into it.
“Oh, you’re awake.”
When he opened his eyes, a familiar face was standing in front of him.
“Commander Bolton...”
Leobolt took stock of his situation. He was lying in a bed, which meant he was probably in the infirmary. A number of empty beds were spaced out on either side of him.
Something felt off about his body. When he brought his hand to his forehead, he was shocked to find there were no longer horns protruding from it. There were no symbols on his skin either.
“I’m no longer a demon...?”
“That’s right. Surprised me too. You didn’t actually give in to the darkness in your heart, so I guess that meant there was a way to undo it,” Commander Bolton said. “You kept on groaning in your sleep—you musta been fighting the darkness that whole time. It’s a damn miracle you won out against it and made it back to us.”
“I see... So I ended up surviving after all.”
He would’ve been fine with dying. If he had, he would’ve been acknowledged by all as a hero who had played a part in saving the world.
“You’re not allowed to die a hero quite yet, pal.” It was as if the commander had read Leobolt’s mind and wanted to beat him to the punch. “I need you alive so I can work your ass off here. The Guard Corps still has a serious shortage of manpower, y’know.”
With that, Commander Bolton put a hand on Leobolt’s head. Surprised, Leobolt looked up to find the commander smiling, offering him a trusting gaze reserved for close comrades.
“Starting tomorrow, things are gonna get real busy around here again.”
As Leobolt watched the commander’s broad back retreating, a single thought came to him.
Spending my days here might not be a terrible alternative.