He wandered between the houses. "Well, what do I do now?"
He pondered, then picked up the bottle and took a sip. People were crying.
They were in a trance. Their eyes were red from the tears they had shed. They couldn't be happy with their families. They couldn't appreciate life. Yet, everything had to change. It was just normal.
A cold pain filled the drunkard's body as he transformed into a wine merchant. He approached them, dragging himself along the ground, leaning against their houses. "A drop?" The man turned around, and, dear God! His gaze! It would soon become contagious. The man seemed to have lost everything. Didn't he have his body left? His true self?
Life had drugged him. The man was already making the best choice. He saw great intelligence in them.
"A drop?" he repeated. The man nodded and began to drink, becoming joyful once again. He would insult him later, but only when he was in a trance. He brought them back to their true nature. In exchange for energy.
The man transferred pure energy to him through his hand and danced and sang in the village. Others saw the situation, rose, and timidly approached him. He greeted the people, who this time asked him for wine; he chuckled, took his amphora, and poured wine until each bottle was filled. His amphora never emptied.
It refilled with their energy.
A man approached him hastily, his face displeased.
"What on earth are you doing?!"
There were sighs in the group.
"Well, we're drinking, can't you see?" said one nonchalantly.
"Drinking?" he repeated. "No, you're getting high to forget! To tell yourselves it's not your fault!"
"It's not their fault that the creature suicide on us," said the wine merchant. "Stop bothering us and get lost," he laughed at his words.
"And you, you're ruining their lives! Doesn't that bother you?"
"It bothers me more than it bothers you, apparently," he said seriously. "You didn't even see the sadness in their eyes. You think you're better? You don't understand them, so just leave!"
The man, who seemed familiar but whose name he couldn't remember, grabbed him by the collar and tried to lift him. Failing, he pushed him against the wall.
"You find this amusing?!" he yelled. "They will all die at that day in a few years, and you think its funny?"
"Hey, hey, I'm relieving their suffering. It's not even you drinking!"
"No, you're hiding it, it will come back stronger when it's too late. How many demons have you created like this? Huh?"
He pushed him against the wall again, making him grunt.
"Let me go!"
The man's grip was too strong for him to get out of this situation.
"You're taking away their pain, their ability to change! How will they change if they don't hurt? They'll just take everything as normal. Even the dead! Even the demonic creatures!"
"Alain!" a voice growled. A man in fine clothing appeared. "Your role doesn't allow you to threaten my villagers."
"He's giving drugs to everyone!"
"It's just wine, for heaven's sake."
"He's preventing them from thinking!"
"Why? Because, right now, are you even thinking? It's his fault, too?"
"It's his fault!" he said even more enraged. "Why do you let him do this?"
"The king has given each his place and his order. His life has meaning, and even if it didn't, it's my duty to protect him, to protect every member of the village. An open door will kill all the inhabitants of the house, which is why we allow no mistakes like the one you're making. Does it please you to destroy an innocent? It must be easier to believe you're not guilty than to help them. Let go!" he ordered.
Alain released him and approached Louis. The wine merchant caught his breath and cursed weakly.
"Do you support him? Of course, I help them! We just need to eliminate the poisons and everything will be better!"
"Alain, we only destroy what we replace. By waging war all the time, you'll render the village incapable of doing anything else, and that will be the end of the village. We need energy producers! He allows them to sustain their tasks; he is indispensable to the village, period!"
"In the village, yes, if you want it never to change! Why not! But don't you dream of more? Of living?! Soon the fateful day will come, they will come! In numbers we cannot repel! You're just delaying the inevitable! Is that the end you want?"
"The village will survive. The villagers will die one day, that's obvious. But every moment is a moment worth taking, worth living. Look! You only have time left; life has turned into a battle against time that you can never win."
"He's not even in the village anymore! He's in his own worlds daydreaming all the time, that alcoholic!"
"Let him live his life in his worlds. He's one of those who will leave something behind for the village, and thus his life will have meaning. He's doing what the king has planned for him! There's no need to search for another meaning!" Alain left with a dark look. "You won't always be able to protect him."
Louis approached the wine merchant and said, "Don't worry, I'll protect you." Despite their purchases of wine, they were becoming rude to the merchant. "He doesn't realize that you bring the most. He just wants to manipulate them for his cause, and he needs enemies for that. He knows you're the strongest, so he's trying to exterminate you first. He doesn't realize the burden you carry. He only sees your appearance, not your inner, benevolent light."
The wine merchant forced a laugh. "I, uh..." Louis hugged him, the wine that was staining the drunkard's clothes dripped onto Louis's magnificent garments.
"your -"
"It's because you're too good at your job, too kind. When you're here, they see something contrary, something unknown, it scares them. When you're not here, you find a way to help them, and then they realize what they would miss without you. You are the king's and the village's best subject."
How could he not follow the only person who understood him? Who understood his suffering and his kindness? A kind or cruel word could destroy dozens of others words. He wanted a rope; some offered it to get them out, others for him to commit suicide, always making him feel guilty. Was it fun to provoke a civil war? They ordered him what they wanted, never thinking about him.
"They don't understand; they're too immersed in their roles that they've forgotten their origins… they want conflict not to think, so you're doing you job twice. Reconnect, and you will change things the right way, so that we can manage the everlasting apocalypse. Together."
Oh. That's right. He had a mission.