NOVEL NEXT Chapter 145: Tired
Old habit made Elijah let out a groan as he got up from one knee. From their old talks, he knew that Aleksi hadn't wanted something so dramatic, but… who cared what that bastard thought? A stone to signal the place where he'd been buried was deserved.
"Not a bad place to be either," he murmured, looking out at the green plains around them. Two kilometers away from Kulvik, on the tallest hill, right beside a tree that had sprouted on that dreadful day. "I like it. I know you would too, if you'd bothered to be here."
Anger grew and was shut down instantly. Elijah didn't need to feel angry right now. He'd felt plenty of that emotion four days ago. His being had been ripped apart, assimilated with the Dungeon, and then separated with some minor success. He'd seen the cosmos, the countless dimensions that the human mind couldn't perceive, and he'd spent what felt like an eternity in a maze of his own making.
But it had been worth it when the Dungeon had finished his work, and they had used the vast ocean of Mana together. The barrier that had stopped the Entity from summoning creatures on the surface had been broken, and an army of plant monsters had been built up. Thousands of giants, guardians of great power, had protected Kulvik, cared for the wounded, and stopped Castilla from destroying everything.
A miracle, fueled by the death of over a hundred thousand souls. The result was momentary peace, as the remainder of Castilla's soldiers had surrendered. No more fighting around the capital city. Only the chance to rebuild, to regrow what had been lost and return to some form of normalcy.
Some people could get behind that idea. Vera had preached it loudly, and the promises of aid for every home lost kept the people happy. That she had proven herself capable of following after her mother's talent, to summon a dragon of fire, cemented the belief in her.
Elijah didn't share those hopes.
Even now, he felt his hands tremble. To open his eyes, to see what had been done to keep him safe through his efforts…Elijah didn't want to accept the truth.
"Why did you have to make me break the oath, you bastard?" Elijah cursed, looking down at the stone. "You kept me safe, and I kept you alive. That was the promise, and yet you just had to go ahead and… I don't want this. It was supposed to be me. I made sure you could keep moving without my help. Your heart could've kept on beating for centuries without any pills. I was the one who was supposed to die first. Not you."
Elijah knew his words were selfish. He didn't care.
He'd begged the Dungeon to help bring Aleksi back, to do whatever was needed for that giant fool to stand up and live, but it had been too late. The body had been burnt out, the injuries too severe, the stress too high. Aleksi's soul had moved on, leaving Elijah behind to keep moving alone.
Jack and Sasha were still alive. Mila and Grace as well. Some scratches, perhaps a few deep cuts and bruising, but nothing they'd die from.
"They all survived, but they're finally ready to move on from here," Elijah continued. They were bringing Mila as well, as the young girl had demanded. Grace would be joining them as well for some time, but her duties meant she eventually had to return to Serenova. "Both the elven and the dwarven kings want to finish the job. They want Castilla to feel the pain they've caused. Vera asked us to join, but I didn't want to. We're done. We're leaving."
To where, Elijah didn't know yet. It just needed to be somewhere far away, where the wounds wouldn't be forced back open for a while.
He paused for a few minutes, looking out at the falling sun. With the calm winds and the fair temperature, it should've been a beautiful moment, but he felt no pleasure from the sight.
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"... I'm tired," Elijah confessed. "I feel old, Aleksi. Older than ever before. After I've finished the oath, and I'm confident that those two can protect themselves, I think I'm done. After this, the world shouldn't have reason to demand more of us."
Those words felt like insanity, but, in that moment, Elijah truly did believe them. Maybe the bits of the Dungeon's soul still residing in him could be blamed for that new perspective, or maybe the loss of the man Elijah had cared about more than anything else had broken something in him. Who could truly know?
"Elijah Caede."
Elijah turned his head to see the elven diplomat approach. Lura smiled at him. He didn't mirror the gesture.
"If you're here to try recruiting me, like your king tried yesterday, please just leave," Elijah requested. He couldn't be bothered to deal with that right now.
"My former king and I are not on speaking terms, so I hadn't heard of his attempt," Lura replied, causing an eyebrow to be raised. "And, I assure you, I am not here to bring you into any fold. I'm simply here to thank you for everything you've done."
"It wasn't for your sake that I did what I did."
"And yet your actions still saved Sven, along with the country that he is now indebted to. Without your actions, the love of my life would be dead."
Elijah narrowed his eyes. Her words were genuine. The new voice at the back of his head told him as much. For whatever reason, the intentions of the elven people were on wide display for the Dungeons of this world.
"... Why did your king forsake you?" Elijah asked.
"Is it not obvious?" Lura threw back at him, with a bittersweet grin on her lips. "Humans and elves are not equal in the eyes of my people. Humans are beneath us, though we make an effort not to clarify that in front of human ears. For an elf to befriend a human can be excused, to use and exploit their feelings is encouraged, but to fall in love with one? My people find it disgusting. My personal emotions and opinions no longer match those of my king's, and I am therefore removed from his sphere of influence."
The words, and the poison they were laced with at the end, made him blink.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Elijah said. It was genuine.
"Don't be," the elf assured him. "It's better for them to be honest than to let Sven be swarmed by their quiet dislike. He's been through too much to spend the rest of our lives being hated by those around us."
Elijah looked her in the eyes. Lura's smile didn't fade.
"Enough about me," she declared, changing the subject. "There is another reason I went to see you, before you and your entourage leave this country behind. A personal curiosity, to be blunt. Just… how does it feel?"
"How does what feel?" he asked.
"To have Awakened," she clarified. "I can see it in your eyes. Your body is no longer human. It's a facade. Your appearance is a conscious decision. Beneath the skin, you are closer to the crystal soul than any mortal being."
Elijah didn't answer, his tongue unmoving, but that seemed to be an answer in itself to Lura. She thanked him again before she turned to walk back to the city to help the love of her life prepare for their trip to the southern forests.
Vera had granted them a larger stretch of land down by the coast, and they planned to fill the area with every rare plant and tree Lura had gifted Sven through the years. A sweet future for those two, one that would likely bring them both many years of joy.
'They're ready,' Dawn reminded Elijah, breaking him out of his trance. 'Can we go? I'm hungry.'
"... Sure," Elijah replied. With a not-yet-instinctual command to his new body, he walked back down the hill and towards the road. Just as Dawn had promised, the four were there, waiting for his return.
The three adults gave him quick nods, respecting this request for silence. However… The hug from Mila, after he climbed up on the wagon, did make him smile. Maybe this would turn out alright, after all.
End of Book 2.