Chapter 188: Whose Sake (2)
“Die, demon.”
An emotion of hatred Gaionia had not noticed was evident in the child’s eyes.
No, if it wasn’t for the confusion stirred by an emotion he had never felt before in his life, he may have noticed her intention easily.
Just what, made him trust this child’s deceitful pleas and made him weak?
“You deserved that.” Michael closed in and held out his arms. Deborah ran into it as if she was waiting.
He was consistent, from the moment they entered the Orcus to now, as he stood before Gaionia.
His mouth uttered curses and his eyes displayed his hatred.
That made Gaionia who loved Ignis with all his heart sad and filled with lament.
It made him think that he would never be able to return to how things were with his loving children ever again.
And so…
Perhaps.
He was struggling to find Genus from way back then from Deborah’s crying face as she pleaded that she alone would love him and not leave him to be lonely.
Perhaps that was why.
“Why? Did you recall Genus from the past from this child’s face like a fool? The poor daughter who said she loved you?”
[Ignis…]
“Of course, I’m sure that sweet Genus would have meant that. So did I at one point.”
[…]
“But not anymore. Do you know what ruined everything and changed us?”
[Just why…]
“It was you.”
[…]
“You have ruined everything. And this, is the result of that.” Michael said as he saw Gaionia’s hardening heart, his eyes containing no regret.
Gaionia still had nothing left in him to take out the blade that had pierced through his heart, nor did he think of doing so.
Gaionia himself knew better than anyone that a source of mana that has already been starting to be paralyzed could not be reverted.
It was the end, the definite end.
[Genus…]
It pained him to face Michael’s cold eyes.
For the last time, Gaionia walked slowly towards Aisha standing behind him.
He hoped that at least she would understand him; to shed tears in sadness for him; to regret what she did; to tell him that she loved him.
Indeed, that affectionate child stared at him with surprise in her eyes.
Gaionia reached out his hand slowly towards Aisha sitting down.
She too, reached out her hand as if she would meet his.
Even if he disappears right this moment, he felt as if nothing else would matter as long as he could grab that hand.
Gaionia laughed quietly.
And then,
[Ah…]
Before their hand tips touched, Aisha coldly retrieved her hand back to embrace Hades in her arms once more.
It was as if she said she would never, forgive him.
His body stiffened.
Gaionia’s body started being petrified from his fingertips and withering away in the wind.
Like a handful of ash, as Gaionia broke apart so did the sky of Orcus.
The ground shook and the space started to crack like glass was breaking.
***
“…is! Miss!”
“My days…”
When I opened my eyes in surprise, I saw the taxi driving smiling awkwardly as he was scratching his head with his body turned around to me.
“Sorry to wake you from such a deep sleep. We are here.”
“Ah…”
Right. I was on my way to book signing of the author of
It seemed that I had fallen asleep inside the taxi.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s nothing. Anyways, is there something going on here today? There are a lot of people.”
In the front of the first floor of the large bookstore where the fan signing was being held, there were fans who arrived even before I did, waiting.
Seeing the crowd outside through the taxi window, I hurriedly paid for the ride and got off.
“Thank you.”
I turned on my phone as I waited for the traffic off the taxi.
It felt like I had a long dream while I fell asleep, but I could not recall anything at all.
“What did I dream about again…”
Even as I entered
“I think it was a dream with my dear Abel in it…”
A dream of a stan, it was obvious.
“Oh! The author uploaded a new post.”
I was happy to see a new post uploaded overnight.
Well. I was moved by every little thing the author did, anyway.
[Today my first book signing is finally happening. Meet you at Myungpum bookstore in Gangnam at 8, second floor~ ^^]
[Ah and to celebrate the book signing, I will let you in on another secret setup within the novel. The light element has a secret skill, which is ‘miracle.’ Unlike the other elements that have finished awakening their abilities to the third and final level, this is a hidden ability that is only given to light elementalists. A little extra panache for the heroine, so to say?]
[I believe that that child will finally bring peace in the end to all through a miracle. She will succeed no matter what.]
“Oh… this was not mentioned in the main storyline. Is he implying there would be a spinoff?”
It should be quite fun to read about the adorable heroine Deborah achieving world peace through a miracle as well.
I was elated seeing the author’s post that seemed like he had a spinoff in mind.
I hurried my steps, wanting to see the author in person as fast as possible. But I halted at the sudden thought in my head.
Some details of the dream I could not recall so well snuck into my head.
“Ah, right.”
How did it all start? Come to think of it, didn’t I get in a car crash and die, when I was on my way to a signing like this?
Why was I not being alert inside that dream?
“Miss!”
At that moment, someone’s urgent voice hit my ears.
In an instant I turned my head in a hurry to have my field of vision full of lights from the headlights.
Because it was early morning, it was still a little dark. I saw the white lights taking over my sight through the darkness,
‘Ah.’
Only then did I remember how I died in the dream.
‘Right. I was, looking at my phone and…’
Tooot-!
A long car horn rang in my ears and boomed like a drum.
***
“Aisha!”
“Ah…”
Waking up from a dream in a similar manner twice already, I had nothing to be surprised about, even though Hades who left to die in Orcus was standing alive and well before me, looking like how he was just before he left.
“…What is it?”
Though I was a little surprised by how cold and hard the floor was, it was more important to check if everyone was okay first.
Before me was Hades holding Abel, a little further was Michael and Deborah, and…
“Ye canna stop yapping even if I save ye life, aye? Ye nothing but an ungrateful firehog!”
“And who asked for you for saving? If you ever do something like this you weren’t told to do, I would drag you out of your grave and kill you again even after death. Get that through your head.”
There were also Roxa and Azar, safe and sound without as much as a single scratch on them.
Since the body in Orcus was the soul body, I did expect them to look just fine here where they have returned alive, but…
Even though I knew, I couldn’t help feeling relieved.
But only after a brief moment of me patting my chest in relief did Roxa stumble on the vibrating ground and speak, “Hieee me days, but it looks like ye should be worried about dying with me dis time.”
His worrisome eyes gazed up at the sky and only then was I able to look around me.
I thought we definitely left for Orcus from within the duke’s castle, but we were standing on the devastated land with nothing but ourselves.
The sky was drenched red like blood and was raining down numerous meteors, and each time one of them smashed on the ground, the ground shook.
The places where the meteors landed were all cracked up like a monster’s mouth that would swallow us whole.
“Aisha, listen carefully to what I say.”
“Your Grace, you look… intact.”
That was the first thing that came to my mind seeing Hades grabbing me in a hurry.
In truth, that was the only thing that mattered to me in this chaos.
That Hades, he was still alive and standing before me.
“Does that matter right now?” Hades said to me baffled, seeing me calm for some reason.
I smiled at how consistent he could be.
“Abel, are you alright?” I asked Abel in Hades’ arms. He nodded with a face with evident tear marks.
“I’m glad…”
“Aisha. The Grand priest said that because Gaionia is gone… this will also disappear soon as it’s created by him.”
“Is that so?” I stared at Michael standing not too far from me.
He looked as calm as I was even at the end of the world which was about to disappear soon. As if he knew of the miracle that was about to come soon.
Seeing me silently smiling seeing him, Hades asked.
“What do you mean ‘is that so’?”
“Well, it’s something so obvious…”
“Don’t you get what that means? Shoot, I shouldn’t have trusted your brother’s words. Talking of recreating the world and whatnot… He spoke as if everything would be fine as long as Gaionia is gone. but he tricked me.”
“Right. No one likes tricking others as much as he does,” I replied dryly with a smile and Hades gave out a hollow laugh as he blinked his eyes.
He looked down at Abel in his arms and spoke, “It seems your mother has lost her mind from how devastating the situation is.”
“M-mother…”
After smiling at Abel’s worried face, I raised myself up from where I sat and drove straight into Hades’ arms.
“I’m so glad… you are safe. Thank you for staying alive.”
“Yes, it’s all good and well that we survived but that is coming to an end as well I say. Please Aisha, listen to me.”
“Yes, tell me, I’m listening.”
I dug deeper into Hades’ arms and hugged Abel in his arms as well.
“I don’t know too well what would happen to me and you, after this world disappears. It would be nice if there is an afterlife promised to us even if we die, but we cannot be certain. so…”
“Yes.”
“So I am thinking I should say what I couldn’t say before, right now,” Hades said as he pulled me away from his arms. Even with his serious face, I couldn’t help but smile.
He seemed baffled by me laughing when this was clearly no time to laugh, but Hades continued, perhaps thinking that there is no time.
“I don’t know how many times I’ve lived in how many forms I took, but one thing is for certain.”
“…”
“I probably, loved you in every single one of them.”
Ah…
I felt lost for breath hearing him confessing without any hesitation.
Even when I expected what he would say in advance…
“Really?” I asked, holding back the tears from suddenly bursting out. Hades nodded without second thoughts.
“Yes. And because of that I can promise with certainty. If, if this is not the end of us… if I am given a miracle of meeting you once again…”
“…”
“I would, love you even then.” Saying so, Hades gave out a little laugh. “So if… even if I cannot recall you like a fool, please hold on and wait for me a little.”
It seemed that I was shedding tears without me knowing. Hades’ hand wiped away at my cheeks affectionately.
“I will end up loving you again anyway, and I would be living for your sake once again.”