Jessica looked at the towering figure before her, her hand tightening around her axe. Luke had already been sent back. To protect her—a warrior not yet strong enough—Luke had fought with the courage of a hero. Facing a horde of demons far beyond his level, he had used his wits and skill to slay the beast before the Ancestors intervened and sent him away.
"Jessica, I still cannot recognize your aptitude as a warrior," Orek said bluntly.
He used the power within his manifestation to hold back the shockwave of the explosion. Around them, the city walls were crumbling into dust.
"Then what do you think I am suited for? To stay at home in a daze, waiting for news of my lover's return or his death?" Jessica smiled. When she spoke of her "lover," her face softened with genuine happiness.
"You can choose a stable life. You do not need to be a hero. Your resolve and will are not yet enough to sustain you on this path."
Orek's massive form was flickering. He had already been eliminated in the battle against Cassius. Attempting to block the explosion with only the power of his soul, without the Holy Mountain's support, was a draining task. Yet, he did it anyway.
"Are heroes born that way? I doubt even you, Ancestor Orek, were called the God of War from the very start."
Jessica reached out and worriedly grasped Orek's hand. The instability of his soul was obvious. Orek reflected on his past for a moment and let out a long sigh.
"I was a strong warrior from the beginning. From the very start, I was prepared to die at any moment." He looked into Jessica's eyes, hesitating for a fraction of a second. "Your conviction is too thin. It is too selfish. You cannot become a hero."
His words were cruel, piercing Jessica like a dagger.
"Conviction can change, Ancestor!" she argued desperately.
"I know. But I also know that most whose convictions 'change' end up serving the Lords of Hell! Jessica, your conviction isn't hard enough. It's just an excuse."
Orek looked at the ruins around them and drew his Blade of the Warlord.
"Can you draw this blade?" he asked, throwing the weapon far into the distance.
The heavy, one-handed weapon landed in the dirt. Amidst the endless shockwaves, it began to sink deeper into the earth.
"Are you serious?" Jessica asked. She turned and prepared to leave the small protective circle Orek provided.
Orek did not stop her. Given her physical limits, the moment she left that circle, the shockwave would tear her apart. If she were merely testing him, he wouldn't let her die, but he would never again give this young woman—full of schemes but devoid of true courage—the chance to be a warrior.
Commoners are helpless before disaster. But warriors are the first to die when disaster strikes.
Jessica didn't hesitate. She stepped out. The moment her foot left the barrier, her toes began to disintegrate.
Orek remained silent, watching.
"Ancestor Orek... I was happy to be a 'Cub,'" Jessica said. Her foot stopped; the protruding part was gone. She turned back and smiled at him. "I know whether my conviction is false or not. I know if I am full of sin. But I still want a chance!"
She lunged forward, her other foot slamming into the ground outside the barrier. She didn't vanish.
Orek moved a step toward her. "Only those with a conscience feel guilt for their mistakes. Your conviction is not suited for battle."
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