Chapter 491: Homecoming (1/2)
Chapter 491: Ho
ARTHUR LEYWIN
As I watched Tessia walk away froers went autoering Her words played over and over into it at the expense of the wo3rld’s future” It was exactly as I’d feared: too much had happened for us to simply pick back up where we’d left off
“The world’s future” I clenched and unclenchedthe world first Had there ever been room for me to be happy? Somehow, I knew that wasn’t what Fate had intended for me
Me intotide I’d seen versions of my life where I had love, and where it was taken away frole time Every decision, every bit of unusual luck, every coincidence had pushedwith Fate, and its aspect cared only for one thing Any part of my life where I had found some se stone in the path Fate laid before ht of that expectation grew heavy beyond evenelse?
Comfort radiated outward frois and Sylvie bothwhat she thinks you need,’ Sylvie sent, her thoughts bobbing along in the floodwater of hts beneath the surface ‘She still cares about you, Arthur Soshe wants fro, obviously, but…take it for what it really is,” Regis added softly as heshe said wasn’t a big old profession of her unyielding love, then I’uppy”
Tessia was nearly to the base of the tree Virion alking beside her, but he kept shooting furtive glances back over his shoulder at me
Aether radiated down my back to the cluster of Godrunes My mind unraveled into dozens of separate threads, each one capable of holding individual thoughts, exa patterns in sequence with the other expanded branches of my consciousness
I couldn’t afford to be selfish The entire world couldn’t afford for ested Every decision I make could send out ripples that would topple continents or end tiain inside the keystone
And so,bolts of thought, I examined every failed opportunity I had seen in the keystone, every hout my life, every indication I had about what potential future is and Sylvie pulled aithdrawing their buttressing support as they shi+elded their minds frohter as my brain thrummed with aether-driven introspection
I couldn’t afford to be selfish But I couldn’t afford to be hopeless
Connection Care Hope Love
Grey had lacked these things I, as Arthur, had th and the purpose fordifferent in mind for me Fate did too Outside forces had been responsible for my rebirth, but that didn’t mean they could dictate what I did with my new life as they had for Cecilia
Hadn’t I e its ’s Gambit into Realmheart and God Step, and I was pulled alht into the aetheric pathways
I appeared in the air before Tessia and Virion Light from my body painted their upturned faces pink Virion bit his lip and took several steps back, his gaze falling to his feet
Slowly, I floated down until I was hovering only a few inches off the ground There, I gestured at my own body “This is what I am now, Tess What I am may define my future more than who I am or who I want to be”
I released the Godrunes and settled back onto the ground The light died in ways that I can’t describe ords, and so have you The people who stood above the Wall and proone, and so is the pro out to take her hand, unsure if she’d reciprocate When her fingers closed gently around mine, I continued “The future is uncertain, and any promise noould be a lie But the past we’ve shared is set in stone, and nothing can take it away froe that I don’t need a proo weak in the knees She didn’t throw herself at htened around ently but firainst my chest I felt how our breath and our heartbeats fell into rhythm Mana stirred within her core, and aether within mine The two forces pushed and pulled at one another, just as they did in the at,” she said softly into the cloth of unether like that for quite soh to look up at esture for the last teeks for nothing, you know”
I let out an embarrassed chuckle, then looked at herI can’t promise you much of a love story…”
“No,ss for each other can survive everything we’ve been through, what else could fate throw at us?”
I didn’t answer right away I wanted to explain everything about Fate and the aether real about it was daunting
Her expression faltered “We take what coain It may still come to the point where we just don’t…work Ito the past”
I caressed her cheek “I’o back to Epheotus in a couple of days”
“And I’ll be staying here, at least for now,” she answered, her eyes darting to Virion She didn’t need to explain more than that She needed time with her family, her people
I wanted to stay there with her, to linger in the afterglow of our reconnection It was difficult to conceive of the fact that, onlyrelationshi+p was truly co to an end But there was no tiht onfor you Go Be the hero Dicathen needs”
Running ently toward oodbye
The following fareas short and bittersweet We eain When we finally released each other, Virion stepped in, his own arhed, and the somberness of the moment eased “About tied
My steps were light as I left the grove behind, turning only once to wave to Tessia and Virion, who stood at the base of the tree and waved back Tessia’s eyes were dry, but a single tear dripped down Virion’s cheek
I found Mo forclimb back down the stairs after such a short stay
Ellie, a sarded oofy grin as the butterflies of this renewal fluttered in ood hands Come on, we have quite a few people to talk to”
‘I told you so,’ Regis thought ‘Grand gestures Nice touch with the whole Godrune, archon-forht ae with her hip ‘Don’t tease This has been an eh, if I can offer a bit of constructive criticis for the whole knight-in-shi+ning-arh, pro in our heads again
As we descended back toward Lodenhold, however, I tried to turnelse that needed done while I was in Dicathen It was incredibly difficult to take my mind off Tessia, and after a few e to King’s Gaiving me space to focus
My first priority, and the closest, was to deliver news of everything that had happened to the dwarven clan lords
We found Lodenhold abuzz with activity I sent ith a runner that I wanted to see the council as soon as possible While aited, guards, clerks, and uilds came and went at a frenzied pace My appearance was no less noticed within the palace than it had been after our arrival, but the dedicated folk there did not stop in their duties to speak with us
We were still standing there when a familiar face unexpectedly passed by
“Caera!”
She jerked to a halt, startled “A-Arthur,” she said after aover uildsrabbed her hand and squeezed, and Mom patted her on the shoulder “We’ve been worried sick Even Seris, although she tries not to show it,” she said
“What’s going on?” I asked, focusing on a bundle of scrolls in her ar the dots hat the dwarves had been shouting earlier
‘No wonder they’re upset,’ Sylvie thought ‘It’s the right thing to do, but that’s not an easy sell to a wounded and angry populace’
Ellie had listened raptly “How are Seth and Mayla? And their friends? We kind of got kidnapped right after the battle”
Caera’s brows rose
“Not really,” Ellie quickly clarified, “but kind of”
“They see up fine,” Caera said slowly “I’lad to see you before they return to Alacrya They’re still closed up in the prison, but the guards ht let you in if you throw your brother’s name around”
Ellie looked at me for permission I looked at Mo at us happily, Ellie hurried off to go visit her friends, Boo trundling protectively after her She only reoodbye to Caera when she was al her go, the dwarven runner I’d spoken to earlier returned “Lance Arthur, the lords will be with you shortly I can take you to—”
“I’ll be speaking to the my desire to finish my conversation with Caera
The dwarf looked unsure, but when Sylvie marched past him toward the corridor that led to the Hall of Lords, he had no choice but to scrahtly “Actually, Art, all thisall over Vildorial has left o check in at ho over her orry She was a little peaky, and there were dark circles for to herthat some rest and a return to nors ever return to nor, and she followed in Ellie’s footsteps out of the palace
I reordered ’s Gambit as I turned my attention back to Caera Despite the fact that it was incredibly busy in Lodenhold, the croas loud and bustling enough that we could easily speak in confidence “Thank you, by the way Ellie told me about the battle You—”