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Chapter 984: Shell of One's Former Self

"However, you have the right to know at the very least, especially since he thinks of you as the main reason why the village is what it is today," he continued, giving Alfaera a signal through his glance.

With that, the woman continued where the man left off, looking at Valyr directly in the eye. "To cut a long story short, the Damian we once knew is now gone."

Unsurprisingly, Valyr's eyes widened in surprise, only for his face to adorn a frown, feeling that the apologetic expression on both Alfaera and Tristan's eyes meant something else. "By gone... you don't mean dead, right?"

"We don't... but in a sense, he kind of is," said Tristan after taking in a deep breath, causing Valyr's expression to turn serious as he listened. "Physically, he's still the same Damian we know and care for."

"But if we're talking about his mental state, then that's another story."

Raising his eyebrow in response to those words, it went without saying that the young man asked for more information about the matter, prompting both Alfaera and Tristan to mull over what they should do once more.

Thankfully, just like the previous one, they eventually decided to tell Valyr what he needed to know, prompting Valyr to perk up his ears as he listened to them explain why the Damian they once knew was "dead".

Being closer to Damian during that time, Tristan was the one who did all of the talking, starting off his story near the end of the first monster tide Valyr didn't participate in.

Around that time, the forces of the village had already cleared through all of the waves the monster tide threw at them, with the only thing standing before the village's safety being the Prodigious Lesser Tidemother leading the entire tide.

Compared to the Prodigious Lesser Tidemother Valyr killed, the Tidemother they fought against was in the middle levels of Rank 3, proving to be a challenging adversary for the entirety of Astarto Village due to the strength it exhibited.

Though almost everyone in the village knew that they needed to band together if they wanted to defeat it, Damian decided that he would be the one leading the charge against it, feeling a bit of guilt for not doing anything in the monster tide that came before.

The same monster tide where only Valyr, Myst, and Tristan made a move against the monsters of the tide.

"As to why he felt compelled to lead the entire thing, he was the guard leader of Astarto Village, after all," said Tristan, emphasizing these words for the young man. "It was his duty to protect the village from harm."

With that, Tristan continued on with his narration, talking about how Damian was at the forefront while he and Myst were just a fair distance away from him to act as his backup.

Wanting to prove that his position as Astarto's guard leader wasn't for nothing, Damian went all out against the Prodigious Lesser Tidemother, confident that his attacks would deal a decent amount of damage against it.

Yet, as if the heavens were playing tricks on him, the damage he dealt to the Tidemother was negligible at best, instead incensing the Tidemother as it decided to summon a bunch of Tidespawns that brought ruin to those at the rear.

Though the entire village was able to defend against the tide at the end, Tristan remembered that the expression Damian had at that time encapsulated multiple emotions at once, such as fear, regret, and guilt.

"He felt responsible for what happened," said Tristan to Valyr, with Alfaera nodding in agreement to his words. "Even though no one was blaming him, he felt immense guilt for the casualties that resulted from his actions."

"And so, he decided to temper himself, polish his skills and strength for the next monster tide that would come."

At those words, Tristan explained to Valyr that Astarto had finally become a fully-fledged town at that point, establishing connections with the other towns and villages nearby as they made themselves known as a forging town.

At the same time, Damian was exerting all of the effort he could, increasing his level to the peak of Rank 3 while also working on all his skills.

"He also commissioned a new set of armor and weapons from me after that." Tristan adorned a bitter smile. "He told me that he'd evolved to a better class that would help him protect the village better."

Continuing his story, Tristan eventually moved onto the second monster tide, telling Valyr that the entire force was more than prepared to defend against all of the waves that came at them.

Just like the previous monster tide, the only thing left that separated them from safety was the Prodigious Lesser Tidemother leading the fray.

Though, unlike the Tidemother in the previous tide, the Tidemother was now at the peak of Rank 3, seemingly getting its hands on an Intent Seed.

Trusting in the strength he'd developed in between the two monster tides, Damian decided to lead the charge against the Prodigious Lesser Tidemother once more, confident that things would be different in this attempt.

"And it was," said Tristan as he gave Valyr a proud smile. "His efforts had paid off, allowing him to slay the Tidemother with only a bit of help from us and some of the others."

However, that smile of his soon became grim as he continued, "Yet, just as he thought that he'd finally proven himself as Astarto's guild leader, the Tidemother rose up from the dead, making a mockery of his efforts as it attacked with greater fervor."

At that point, Tristan mentioned that he noticed something within Damian crack at that moment, suppressing part of the courage and determination the man had in making sure he was doing his job to the fullest.

"Once again, we were able to clear the monster tide after that. In fact, there were only a few people injured this time around," said Tristan.

"But as I've said, it was like something snapped within Damian at that time, to the point that he gave off that same air the moment the recent monster tide came around."

Talking about the recent monster tide where Myst had difficulty fighting against the Greater Tidemother, Tristan explained that Damian had made an appearance once more, improving his strength to the middle levels of Rank 4.

However, rather than lead the charge against the Greater Tidemother just like he'd done in the two previous tides, Damian instead chose to wait until Myst had exhausted the Tidemother out before making his move.

"Sure, he was able to kill the Greater Tidemother, but the attacks and the approach he did at that time made me realize that the Damian I knew... the Damian we knew, had gone away."

At those words, the man let out a sigh, with Alfaera closing her eyes before also letting out a sigh of her own.

"Even interacting with the man felt different after that," said Tristan. "If I were to describe what it was like talking to him, it feels like he's given up on Astarto."

"Or more exactly, it feels like he's given up on himself."