Chapter 1241  The G.o.ds Descent

Diana met the rest of his followers, although most remained respectful of her. Except for Sarohan, who began marveling at her beauty, the rest remained distant and respectful.

On the other hand, Arthur lived in a world of darkness after Gaia robbed him of his sight. However, he was not bitter about it. But he did have some ideas on how to counter the blindness.

[Sight: a rune that uses mana to visualize the surroundings.]

The rune danced on his fingertips as the rest were getting to know each other, each one introducing themselves to Diana. Arthur infused the rune with mana, but that caused a horrible backlash.

"Ugh!" he groaned while grabbing his scars, feeling the searing pain in them almost knock him out. Diana supported him as their conversation was cut short.

His followers rushed to his side, surrounding him. Arthur felt embarra.s.sment rather than pain since they had never seen him wounded. As he tried to rise, he heard their concerned voices.

"Are you going to tell us what happened, my lord?" asked Whisker with a frown. "I saw you just hours earlier, and those scars did not exist. What kind of enemy can inflict such a wound upon you?"

"The consequences of my actions," answered Arthur with a troubled smile as he rose with Dia"s aid. "I chose to merge the two worlds, endangering humanity. I had to forsake my sight to activate the Level Up Legacy."

"You mean this?" asked Seraphine with confusion, staring at the s.p.a.ce in front of her. "Why is it telling me that I leveled up? What does that mean?"

"It means you will get stronger," said Arthur with a grin as he tried to turn toward the rest. "As would all of you. Those with good intentions toward humanity will benefit from the legacy, while those seeking to harm others would not."

"Does it have any drawbacks, my lord?" asked Ilia Perli with skepticism. "It sounds like an unrealistic dream to have this gamified legacy."

"It recycles the slain monster"s essence to absorb it into your body while being fueled by my powers of creation," Arthur explained to them. "The world will soon get accustomed to the legacy, and it will reshape it forever."

"Arthur, you should not tire yourself," requested Diana on his side. "Let these explanations take place some other time. You need to rest."

Arthur wanted to refuse since he was a little excited about the legacy, but her tone and warmth made him agree. The rest of his followers excused themselves as they retreated to their rooms.

Diana led Arthur through the Runic Mansion, straight toward the main chambers. As the runes on the door allowed them entry, the couple finally enjoyed a moment of peace.

Arthur sat on the edge of the bed, unable to see. He breathed out as his fists balled. Sweat covered his forehead as he tried to endure the residue of the pain he was ignoring.

Diana sat on the ground before him, her hands reaching out toward his. In her softest voice, mingled with choking tears, she spoke to him, "It pains me so much to see you like this."

"This is how I first met you," replied Arthur, faking a smile. "You were unable to see, too, and you had a slight urge to kill me."

"I never wanted to harm you," she said, squeezing his hand. "But I do know what it feels like to be in total darkness, afraid, and alone."

"But I am not afraid," he said while relaxing before holding her hands. "And I am not alone."

Although Arthur could not see her, he could tell she was moved because of her wavering existence. Although in total darkness, he could still see her existence as a mixture of blue and red, with a heart filled with pure white.

"Never alone again," she said while rising, bringing his head to her chest. Arthur felt her warmth as his arms wrapped around her waist. As he breathed in her familiar scent, his mind grew easy.

He had been waiting for this moment, and this very moment was what he strived to achieve. The entire world disappeared from his mind, banished by this familiar warmth, scent, and love.

"Everything will be okay now," Diana promised, whispering into his ears. "We are together now."

"I know," he replied, embracing her tighter. Her hands reached toward his hair, letting her slender fingers run through his hair. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you so much, too," she breathed out, her voice a myriad of emotions. "Even while entrapped in ice and time, I counted the days until I meet you again."

Arthur felt a lump in his throat as he imagined her waiting for him all that time. The sacrifices she made and the hardships she has been through were also to reach this moment.

They embraced each other like this for a long while, and Arthur felt his consciousness floating above the clouds.

Their peace was cut short by a knock on their door. Diana turned toward the door, and Arthur could feel her annoyance. He laughed before turning toward the door as well.

"Who is it?"

"It"s me, Arthur," called a voice behind the door. It was Suyin, the daughter and incarnation of Morana, Gaia"s sister. "I heard that you returned."

"Who is this woman?" asked Diana with an icy tone. Arthur swallowed hard before he rose, letting her help him to sit on the table in his chambers.

"A girl I met during my time in Ilios," he explained, but it didn"t make sense to the woman from Alka.

"Why is her presence this threatening?"

"She is the incarnation of Morana, the Gatekeeper of Souls for our world," he explained again. "Let me allow her inside."

Arthur opened the doors with a wave of his runes, allowing Suyin inside. As she walked in, he saw that she had a dark vortex energy surrounded by a white silhouette.

"It is true..." Suyin"s trembling voice reached his ears as her footsteps rang loud inside the chamber. "You lost your sight."

"A small price to achieve what I always wanted," he said with a smile before holding Diana"s hand. "Is there something wrong, Suyin?"

Arthur inquired with a frown since he could tell that she was troubled with something. Suyin was about to answer when she felt the icy gaze of Diana standing on his side.

"You must be the one that Arthur always talked about," began Suyin as she turned toward the Princess of Ice and Fire. "Whenever Arthur spoke of you, I felt his deep-seated love for every memory of you."

"Thank you for the kind words," Diana seemed to soften as she heard the words. "And I appreciate your aid for him all this time."

"Arthur did not just save me. He also allowed me to awaken my powers," said Suyin with a smile. "He has been absent for a long time, so I wanted to see him as soon as he returns."

"Suyin here is being humble. She also helped me defeat a calamity," praised Arthur with a smile. "You might not know him since he was trapped inside a dungeon, but he is the Sin of Pride, Ca.s.sius."

"I heard legends," answered Diana with a frown. "You fought against him?" she turned toward Suyin, who nodded. "Impressive."

"Thank you, my lady," said Suyin with a grin before she bowed. Diana shifted uncomfortably as she glanced at Arthur.

"You don"t need to be this respectful. Just call me Diana. I know that if we fought, none of us would emerge victorious."

"Strength is not everything," replied Suyin.

"It was, back in Alka," laughed Diana.

"I"m glad to see you two getting along," said Arthur with a smile before it faded. "I still sense great unease within you, Suyin. Did something happen?"

"...as insightful as ever," sighed Suyin before she turned toward Arthur. "I did not wish to disturb you after the battle, but I had to ensure you knew this."

"Know what?"

"Morana talked to me after your battle in Yalen," revealed Suyin with fear in her voice. "She told me you fought against the G.o.d of Souls, Phaneron."

"I defeated him, even," nodded Arthur with a frown, an ominous feeling blooming in his heart. "What does that have to do with Morana?"

"As the gatekeeper of souls in our world, she knows the G.o.d of Souls personally," said Suyin as she stepped closer, her voice almost a whisper. "Morana met the G.o.d after his defeat, and he left her with a warning."

"A warning?" muttered Diana with a rising hostility.

"The G.o.ds will begin their descent into our world by using humans as vessels," Suyin nodded. "They have found the perfect entry point to select these vessels, who are descendants of those the G.o.ds favored."

"The Seven Guardians," realized Arthur, what she was hinting at. "They will use the Trial of the Holy Crown to descend to our world."

"Sister Julia said the same thing," said Suyin with a nod. "We wanted to warn you so we can start preparing, preventing an outcome where the entire world is against us because of these divine vessels."