Legacies || Hermitcraft

Chapter XXII - The Demon

The two ended up resorting to other methods of keeping Hels out of trouble, which often resulted in Wels taking control of their body at all times to make it look as if Hels didn't exist. It was difficult, especially considering his control was often forced and exhausting for the two of them to keep up, but it was far better than the fate they'd face if the demon was caught.

However, today was particularly exhausting, as Wels had been forced into control for weeks by now and Hels was growing increasingly restless and uncomfortable with it. It didn't help that Wels was swinging a heavy training sword around on a hot August afternoon, adding to the strain on their physical body alongside their respective mental states, and that Hels hated everything about the Paladins' Guild and Wels' involuntary participation in their ranks.

Perhaps it had been some kind of desperate move by Wels' parents, in the hopes that becoming a holy warrior would finally cleanse their child of all evil or demonic intentions. Not that Wels harboured any evil or demonic intentions, but Hels had come to realise quite a long time ago that his parents rarely listened to him when he tried to say otherwise. They'd enrolled Wels in the Guild the moment he was old enough to qualify, and although he was now a very skilled swordsman, it did little to change his attitude towards Hels.

And, after 12 years of enduring their nonsense, Hels' attitude towards them hadn't changed either. Today was no exception, as even as Wels insisted he was fine and continued to spar with his partner, Hels could feel his frustration and exhaustion slowly coming to the surface. It was tempting, to say the least, to take over and end the sparring match for both Wels' sake and his own, but the training grounds were full of squires and parents watching every move on the field.

Wels was far too focused on what he was doing to talk or listen to Hels, which was likely for the better, as Hels was only getting increasingly exasperated with each passing moment. Wels' partner was playing dirty, making moves that were on the very cusp of being banned but somehow flew under the radar of the adults watching, and Wels as always was abiding by the rules and not defending himself.

Had Hels been in his position, the other child would have forfeited a long time ago. However, that scenario quickly became a reality when Wels' partner made a reckless swing at him that would have taken his arm off had there been no intervention. So, before Hels knew what he was doing and Wels could stop him from doing it, he had the kid in a chokehold and two adults were shouting as they tried to pull the two apart.

Hels was forcefully shoved out of control as Wels took over once more, his exasperation having become an amalgamation of guilt and terror as he was dragged to his feet. Muffled shouts of 'foul play' and 'disqualified' rang throughout the field, Wels barely able to focus on what was going on around him as he tried to recover from the nausea and confusion caused by two rapid changes in control.

He watched as his partner was dragged off the grounds to be checked for injuries, shouting and pointing at Wels the whole time as they screamed frenzied claims of his eyes turning red. Wels shuddered slightly, worried yet still glad that Hels had been taken out of control before his presence became too obvious and he risked getting caught.

"What happened?!"

Wels and Hels were brought back to attention by a harsh, livid voice snapping at them, and they looked up to see Wels' mother standing before them with a strong grip on their shoulders and a furious expression on her face. Wels faltered, and Hels considered apologising on his behalf, but Wels' mother hated him just as much as he hated her and trying to talk to her would only cause more conflict.

"I-I'm sorry." Wels eventually apologised, eyes fixated on the ground. "It was an accident, I'm sure he didn't mean to-"

"I don't care!" She interrupted, awfully hypocritical given that she was the one who had demanded an explanation from him in the first place. "If you don't keep that thing under control then you know what consequences will lie ahead of you."