Fairy Tale: With Sin Of Pride

Rhodes occasionally felt as though his understanding of magic was evolving, as if it were no longer just a weapon for attacks, but a tool for more intricate purposes.

At the moment, he studied the man bound before him, his face dark with an unyielding expression.

"I couldn't care less about your motives," Rhodes said coldly. "But if you keep wasting my time with irrelevant chatter, I promise the only thing left of you will be a pile of ash on this ground."

The room's temperature rose as Rhodes spoke, the air heavy with heat. The man before him swallowed hard, but even the act of swallowing proved futile; the moisture in his mouth evaporated instantly.

"It's... it's too hot!" he stammered, trying to compose himself. He struggled against Rhodes' dominating presence, only to find his will slipping away.

"All right! I'll talk," the man finally relented, his voice trembling. "They sent me to learn about you. To uncover your weaknesses."

Rhodes narrowed his eyes, his interest piqued. "Tell me everything," he commanded, his tone brooking no argument.

"Yes, I will!" the man stammered, his desperation palpable.

Rhodes chose not to kill him. Instead, he planted a sliver of flame magic within the man's body, a silent warning of the power he wielded. As the man stumbled out of sight, Rhodes turned back toward his chambers.

---

The Dwarf King greeted Rhodes with his usual nervous smile. "Lord Rhodes, how may I serve you today?"

Rhodes gestured toward the humans gathering outside the castle walls. "Tell them that, in my name, they are free. Slavery will no longer exist under my rule. Let them understand that I value their dignity."

The Dwarf King hesitated, his face twisting with uncertainty. "My lord," he began cautiously, "even if we deliver such a proclamation, they may not believe it. Slavery has always been tied to malicious intentions, even if we dwarves have merely followed tradition."

Rhodes dismissed the King's words with a shake of his head. Without another word, his body ignited in flames, and the air around him shimmered with power. As he stepped outside, the humans waiting below looked up at him with a mix of awe and fear.

Rhodes ascended into the air, a blazing red disk materializing beneath his feet. His voice, filled with authority, thundered across the crowd.

"I, Rhodes, in my name, declare that no slavery will exist within my territory. All races who come here will be under my protection!"

A crack of thunder accompanied his declaration, and a red and silver halo expanded outward, encasing the entire city in a divine barrier. The people below fell to their knees, not out of fear but in reverence.

"Great Rhodes!" one cried. "We will follow your commands! The bards will sing of your virtues, and the greatest writers will immortalize your deeds!"

---

Back in his chamber, Rhodes felt a strange energy accumulating within the Bottle of Souls at his side. He held it up, inspecting the power it now contained.

"Faith," he murmured, realization dawning. "The power of faith... how could I have overlooked something so fundamental?"

A wicked smile spread across his face as the possibilities unfolded before him. "Faith and power, intertwined. From this moment onward, I will create a god. An absolute god!"

---

Meanwhile, the man Rhodes had released wandered aimlessly through the wilderness, the heat of the flame left within him gnawing at his insides. He recalled Rhodes' chilling words:

"Try to extinguish the flame if you can. If not, it'll be your life that burns out."

As he approached a small, seemingly harmonious village, he noticed the peculiar stillness. Children played in the streets, and elderly villagers tended to their chores. Yet beneath the surface of this idyllic setting, something darker lurked.

The man walked into the village with cautious steps, aware of the watchful eyes tracking his every move. As he passed a mound near the outskirts, a shadow shifted, disappearing silently into the earth.

He approached a tavern at the center of the village, pushing the creaky wooden door open. The raucous noise inside abruptly ceased as the patrons turned to stare.

Ignoring the hostility in their gazes, the man moved toward a corner table. He pulled back his hood, revealing his face to the man seated opposite him.

.

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