Chapter 1114 Happiest Moment

Arthur raised his dagger again, but this time it did not unleash a wrathful cry, but a sad hum. As the golden souls disappeared with tears in their eyes, they turned into golden strings that began pa.s.sing through the three hundred challengers.

As the golden string pa.s.sed them, the challengers felt the warm mana wash over them. Their tears fell from their confused eyes as the voices of the departing forgave them, ending this traumatic experience for them.

The golden strings carried memories as they left their bodies, sealing them away from their owners. Even though they forgot the memories themselves, the challengers knew what had gone missing. It was akin to knowing that a tumor existed in your mind, but it disappeared now. You know it was there, but it can no longer hurt you.

Sivan raised his head as his child dissipated, and then began to wipe away his tears. Then, he turned toward Arthur before kneeling on the ground in grat.i.tude. Three hundred challengers bowed at the same time as they muttered the same words over and over.

"Thank you."

Their grat.i.tude was overwhelming for the group, but Arthur smiled and nodded at them. Then, he began following the arrow pointing toward the Trial of Heroes. The challengers watched as the man left without taking credit or even telling them his name. However, everyone heard him tell the witch.

"My name is Arthur Netherborne," he told her. That name will forever be engraved in the challengers" mind as the man who saved them from death and allowed them to meet their loved ones for one last time.

Eight strong challengers followed after the man, not seeking fame or recognition even after saving the challengers too. As the nine challengers left, daylight shone on their backs, ending a terrible nightmare.

"That witch was weak as h.e.l.l…" muttered Sarohan with boredom as they once again rode the wyvern across the third floor. "Her face was scary, so I expected something more from her. Turns out a single attack is all it takes to kill her!"

"A single attack that cleaved the world in half," said Jonathan as he swung his sword, training even in the blowing wind. Sweat covered his muscular body as he had been swinging this sword ever since they left the forest. "We are all weak compared to that slash!"

"Is that the reason you lost your mind?" asked Sarohan as he rolled on his side, looking at Jonathan with boredom. He picked his nose before throwing the booger at the knight. However, the knight swung his sword hard enough to create a protective gale against the flying green object.

"Don"t act too friendly!" said Jonathan with a frown as he glared at the Waiga. "We might follow the same king, but I don"t know who you are, Waiga!"

"Act nice, everyone," said Arthur, preventing a fight from breaking out between them. "The witch was strong, but her weakness lies in her arrogance. She believed that she could win against us because of the sleepwalkers."

"She didn"t know our king would go bam! Boom! Whoosh! Lalalala!" said Sarohan as he seemed to act out the entire battle in a single breath, making the rest chuckle. Arthur was the same as he turned toward Jonathan.

"You seem better, Silver Rose," said Arthur with a smile. "You were listless for a while there, almost as if your mind could not handle the memories that Skyline awakened."

"I, like those challengers, cannot handle the truth," said Jonathan as he stopped swinging his sword. "Some memories are better left forgotten, don"t you agree, my king?"

"The sweet ones only," said Arthur as he gazed into the distance. "I don"t think that sadness haunts us as much as joy does. We always compare the present to our happiest moments, making us miserable."

"What is your happiest moment, if I may ask?" asked Ramiel, who has been silent all this time. It seems that leaving Luna was too much for him since he has been down ever since they left the second floor. However, they would reunite once they clear this tower.

"I was half-awake when the person I love covered me, protecting me from the cold," said Arthur with a smile. "At that time, I was studying to build the greatest city in the world, a city of runes. I had fallen asleep over my desk when I felt someone cover me with a blanket. I opened my eyes and saw her arranging my books and blowing off my candle."

Everyone was quiet at his honest answer. However, none of them could ask him where she is now, because if she wasn"t with him, something must have happened to her. Arthur, however, smiled toward the sky as the wind fluttered his hair.

"I will meet her again after I leave this tower."

At that moment, the eight could hear the happiness in his voice. A child-like happiness that he made no effort to conceal. After he managed to control wrath, Arthur changed entirely. He was now a man whose every emotion could affect those around him.

Their hearts beat as his did, dancing with joy at the thought of meeting a woman none of them had seen before. In that moment, the eight thought about the same thing, even Lian, who considered himself to be less loyal than the rest. They thought about how they didn"t want this man to feel sad anymore.

As the wyvern cried out, it pulled their attention back toward the third floor. A great monument shone from a distance, made from shimmering white granite that seemed to reach the sky. Around the monument were countless flocking monsters, some of them heading toward the wyvern.

"Let us handle this, my king," said Ramiel as he raised his club. The rest followed suit, preparing for battle, while Arthur remained seated. "We cannot call ourselves your soldiers if we let you fight every battle."

"I am getting bored too!" said Sarohan as he jumped, blood mist rising from his fur. "Time for some excitement!"

Arthur watched them all jump into battle with a smile, meeting the flock of flying monsters ranging from cloud snakes, winged lions, and sky slimes. As the wyvern got close, the seven jumped from its back and launched deadly attacks against the monsters.

"They are too excited to wag their tails," said Lian as he snorted with disdain. Arthur did not mind his comment, as he knew what the tamer had in his heart. "I am different than the rest."

"I know you are, Lian. We met before everything began and now after everything is about to end," said Arthur as he leaned back while staring at the battle taking place in the sky. "I don"t expect anyone to serve me, but those who do will be rewarded."

"It would take more than a few words to let you carry my revenge for me," said Lian as he stared at the sky. "I will kill Kaius Firebrand, the man who stole my rightful place."

"After meeting G.o.ds and demons, does that place matter anymore?" asked Arthur with a sincere voice. Lian stared at him with a pondering expression before turning back to steer the wyvern.

"If we abandon our dreams because the world is bigger than we thought, how are we to live?" said the tamer, earning an approving nod from Arthur, who rose from his seat.

"Kaius Firebrand tried to kill me too, multiple times," said Arthur with a smile. "Even more, he is the vessel of a guardian that sacrificed his people. We are on the same boat, heading in the same direction."

"…I apologize for trying to tame your wolf back in the trial," said Lian after a few moments of silence. "I have always been a rash and naïve kid, so please don"t hold it against me."

"I never did."

"After we pa.s.s this flock of monsters, we will reach the Trial of Heroes," said Lian as he tightened his grip on the reins. "It has been half a day since we left the second floor, and we are already here!"

"Thanks to you, Lian," said Arthur with a smile. "But we have one more thing to do before leaving the trial. A certain man is waiting for me, and I can feel his presence. This conversation is one I would not want to miss."

Lian nodded and navigated his wyvern away from the monsters, descending toward the base of the monument. The Trial of Heroes seemed to be a giant white peg aiming toward the sky, surrounded by a deep bottomless trench.

On the edge of the trench was a small cabin that seemed to have been there for ages. The wyvern landed in the front yard, allowing Arthur to jump and began walking toward the door. As he rang the doorbell, he turned toward the sky to see his friends still clearing away the monsters.

The door opened, revealing a middle-aged man with wise eyes. As soon as the man saw Arthur, he began trembling as he pointed with his finger. Arthur smiled and entered the house, closing the door. Once inside, he shook the man"s outstretched hand.

"A pleasure to meet again, temporal scholar. I heard that you have something to tell me, and there is so much I need to ask you about Alka."