Chapter 613: Keeper Of Balance And Peace

Both women looked at him, confused and intrigued at the same time.

Carmela was the first to speak.

"Created? You mean...what, exactly?"

Joy followed.

"And what do you mean by a sense of duty that was instilled in you? People aren’t born with duty..."

"...They develop it from life, from what they experience."

Cassius shook his head slowly.

"Not me." He stepped forward, the flickering light reflecting in his eyes. "From the very start, I knew. I knew I existed to purge evil, to bring balance between the good and the bad in this world."

"It wasn’t something I decided...It was simply there."

He lifted his hands and gestured slowly, one up and one down, like a scale.

"You see, this world, like all worlds, depends on balance. Good and evil, peace and chaos, joy and suffering. One cannot exist without the other."

"But that balance is fragile—easily broken."

"And more often than not, evil tips the scale. Evil grows faster. Spreads quicker. It doesn’t need reason, or faith, or structure. It just multiplies."

"And if you let that evil keep growing..."

He said slowly, his gaze drifting between them.

"...then the balance of this world will eventually shatter completely."

"Once that equilibrium breaks, the very nature of existence begins to twist. Chaos doesn’t stay contained—it spreads, corrupts, and reshapes everything it touches."

He turned slightly, his eyes gleaming with the soft firelight as he spoke.

"Take war, for example."

Joy and Carmela listened silently as he went on.

"Wars always begin with something small, something personal. Two rulers, two egos, a handful of grievances."

"erhaps a border, a piece of land, or the hunger for power. But those small sparks always ignite something far larger."

He lifted one of his hand higher, voice deepening as though the weight of his words filled the air.

"And because of the greed or defiance of two people, millions suffer. Armies march. Cities burn. Mothers weep. Children die. Blood, despair, sorrow, hatred—all of it piles on one side of the scale, crushing what little peace remains."

"That’s when the world tilts, and the balance begins to fall apart."

His hand fell, fingers curling into a fist.

"Or take something less dramatic—a greedy king who raises taxes to fill his coffers."

"The nobles thrive, the rich get richer, but his people starve."

"And because of their hunger, they get desperate. Desperation breeds resentment. Resentment turns into revolt. Revolt turns into massacre..."

"...and once again, the scale tips, and the good that remains in the world weakens until it’s almost gone."

He looked back at them, his expression perfectly calm as he quickly added,

"Of course, conflict and greed are natural parts of existence. They have their place in maintaining balance. But sometimes..."

He frowned.

"Sometimes they go too far."

"One war becomes many. One tyrant inspires others. One act of greed triggers a thousand more, until the world itself forgets the meaning of peace."

Then he gave a gentle smile as he casually added,

"And that...is where I step in."

Both Joy and Carmela stiffened slightly.

Cassius continued.

"When the balance begins to fall apart..."

"...when the equilibrium between good and evil tilts beyond recovery..."

"...when the world starts to sink into chaos and the weak are swallowed by it.."

"...I appear."

"I remove the source of the disturbance. I erase whatever threatens the harmony of the world."

He walked slowly past one of the corpses, brushing his fingers lightly along the table beside it.

"If a ruler’s greed begins to consume nations, I remove him. If the ambitions of men birth endless wars, I silence them before they start."

"If something—anything—threatens to break the balance that sustains this world..."

He glanced back at them, a faint glimmer of something vast and unknowable flickering in his eyes.

"Then I destroy it."

The words weren’t boastful.

They were a statement of fact, one that carried a chilling certainty that both of them could feel deep in their souls.

He then looked at the two women with quiet conviction and said,

"That’s what I do. I don’t rule. I don’t judge with words or laws. I simply restore the scale to where it’s supposed to be. I destroy what’s necessary to preserve the balance that allows the rest to live."

Hearing this, Carmela stared at him in disbelief.

"So you’re saying...you eliminate people to maintain the balance of the world?"

"Yep." Cassius nodded. "You can think of me as a peacekeeper. A watcher. Someone who exists to ensure the harmony of the world—past, present, and future."

"I was created for that purpose. It’s what my blood, my lineage, my very existence was built for. I don’t just believe it; it’s what I am."

Joy and Carmela exchanged a stunned glance.

Cassius’s next words came quieter, like it came from the deepest part from his heart.

"My mother—Gaia—entrusted this duty to my bloodline. It’s a purpose woven into our very essence."

"To protect the balance, to act when the world begins to fall apart."

"That was the task given to me and to all who came before me."

As he spoke, something in the air shifted and both Joy and Carmela could feel it—that sense of immensity behind his words, as though an ancient will pulsed faintly through him.

It wasn’t arrogance.

It wasn’t madness.

It was conviction, so deep and unwavering it transcended logic.

They didn’t understand it fully, but instinctively they knew: the man standing before them wasn’t just another noble, or warrior, or sinner.

He was something else.

Something older.

Something greater then anything this mortal realm could handle.

Then, just as quickly, Cassius broke the spell with a casual shrug, his expression turning back into a teasing grin.

"But of course..." He said. "...that was all back in my original world. The one I used to govern. I’m not there anymore, which means I’m free."

"Free?" Carmela repeated, still trying to process everything he’d said.

Cassius nodded.

"Yes. Free from duty. Free from judgment. Free from all that balance nonsense."

He chuckled lightly, as if brushing away the gravity that had filled the air only moments ago.

"In this world, I can do whatever I want—live how I please, eat what I want, play around with my wives, and enjoy myself however I like."

He leaned back against the wall, completely relaxed again.

"Honestly, it’s refreshing. After all, this isn’t my world. I’m just a guest here. Which means I don’t owe it anything."

Carmela and Joy stared at him wordlessly. The shift from ancient proclamation to casual mischief was so abrupt it made their heads spin.

Cassius chuckled softly, then leaned his shoulder against the wall.

"But even if I’ve broken free from all those shackles..."

He continued, his tone dipping into something more thoughtful.

"...some things don’t go away."

He tapped his chest lightly.

"That duty, that instinct—it’s still here. Deep inside. I can’t turn it off. I can’t ignore it. When I see corruption festering, when I sense the scale tipping too far...I feel compelled to act. Not out of duty anymore, but out of habit. Out of instinct."

He smiled faintly, almost sadly. "I guess you could say, you can take me out of my original world..." His gaze flicked up to meet theirs. "...but you can’t take what that world instilled out of me."

Seeing Cassius finish and turn away, neither Joy nor Carmela could say anything.

Their minds swirled with questions.

Too many questions.

Mother Gaia?

Another world?

Peacekeeper?

Balance and harmony?

Nothing made sense, and yet everything about the way he spoke felt real.

Finally, Joy found her voice, even though it was clearly hesitant.

"Cassius...what do you mean, your mother Gaia? Isn’t your mother Lady Florence? And what do you mean by ’your original world’? What are you talking about?"

Carmela added with an equal among of puzzlement.

"And what do you mean you were created? Who created you? Just what are—"

Cassius lifted a hand, cutting her off with a small, amused smirk.

"Ladies. I know you have a thousand questions swirling in those beautiful heads of yours, and you’re dying to ask them all."

He folded his arms, leaning his head slightly to the side.

"But unfortunately for you..." His smile widened mischievously. "...I’m not going to answer a single one."

"What—"

Carmela began, but he interrupted her again, wagging a finger playfully.

"Nope. Nothing more. That’s all I can say. The rest is far beyond what you’re meant to know—and honestly, it’s a lot more fun this way, isn’t it?"

"A little mystery keeps things interesting, after all."

He winked, but even in those playful crimson eyes they could see that he was holding secrets beyond their comprehension.