A Story My Dad Told Me

Dad's asleep.
I'm writing in Dad's journal oh my god what should I write?

My dad keeps telling a story he says is passed down in his family, and he told me that this is a secret story, and it shouldn't be told to anyone else.

So guess what?

I'm gonna tell all of you while he's sleeping.

Why?

It's a neat story, kinda. I don't see why it has to be a secret. It'll probably make him mad too.

Once upon a time, a very long time ago there was a large family of magicians. They'd inherited their  family name from the Greats of their family long past, but the current generation nor the one before it had done anything noteworthy to keep their name.

Because magicians back then had to do something to hold onto their honor or something whatever whatever.

Anyway, eventually the family were tasked by some higher group or another to do something for once in their life. It wasn't anything simple: there was this demon made of glass that they had to take down.

So, I know what you're thinking: Sweet! Can't wait to hear about how they fought valiantly and saved the world by felling the monster, right??

'Nah. They had to be boring.

The magicians, despite having freaking magic on their side, decided that they were gonna take the diplomatic route and try to make a peace treaty with the demon. And it worked! She was surprisingly agreeable with their terms!

Yeah, no. Not really.

Right at the last moment, where they thought they've finally found peace, the glass demon betrayed them and killed almost everyone. There were survivors, but only a few. 

One of the survivors of the attack was determined to get revenge for what the demon had done to his family.

So fiiinally some action happens, and it's a pretty close battle from what he says, but in the end the human magician brought her down. 

And just as he was about to deliver the finishing blow... he noticed something.

It was a reflective piece that he had broken off the demon. He saw his own face, and dropped everything to take a closer look.

He stood silent, staring at the piece for the longest time, before he decided to spare the demon's life.

I never got why. Dad said he thinks the reason was the man saw in himself everything he believed in, which was peace and certainly not demon-slaying or something like that, but... I dunno.

That's the whole thing, too. They just go their separate ways without anything other fanfare made about it.

...

His name was-

Dido?

Eh?? I thought you were--

Sleeping, I know. What are you doing up at this hour?

...Mmaaaybe I was hungry!

...Oh, is that so?

'Nah.

...Dido, go to sleep, please. I'm too tired to deal with this right now.