Chapter 1322  Restored Sight

Runes worked again, and the world heaved in relief. The countless incidents around the globe were now under control. Barriers were erected again, and monsters were pushed back thanks to the return of abilities. The calamity might have lasted only a few hours, but the losses were immense.

Arthur read the reports Julia sent him and couldn"t fathom the amount of damage he had caused. Of course, he never thought that his wrath would be capable of deactivating the runes in the entire world. It might have been because of this new phase of wrath that he had never heard about: the eclipse.

After they left the seabed and rose to the surface, Arthur and the rest met Rhys Nightroad and his children. Kody had grown a lot since Arthur almost beat him up on the rooftop of their school. Selena embraced Oren, crying once she saw that he was safe and sound. The entire incident ended without any real damage to the parties involved but caused a lot of collateral damage to the world that relied on runes.

Rhys Nightroad introduced himself, and it was a surprise to see the man behind a giant company being so young. Nightroad was considered to be the top military company in the world in recent years because of their technological advancements.

Rhys wanted to discuss something with Arthur, but Diana insisted that the latter rest. Knowing that Diana herself needed to rest, he asked Rhys to postpone their meeting and to meet again at the same coordinates they used to pick up Diana and Benjamin.

Then, they returned to Mount Ehler with Oren and Selena joining the group. Arthur expected some backlash from the two clan leaders for having disrupted their wrath, but they said nothing, only nodding when Benjamin said that other matters could wait. Recovery came first, everyone agreed.

Some of the disciples brought a bigger bed so that Diana could stay with Arthur. The two then fell asleep in the comfort of their room, and Arthur woke up six hours later feeling fully rested.

The wrath from yesterday still had lingering effects, too, like a headache that Arthur could not explain. When he attempted to use runes to ease the pain, he found himself unable to summon them, as if something prevented him. Another astonishing thing that Arthur could not believe was that his sight had returned.

Somehow, the golden scars were still there, but they did not seal his eyes like they used to do. Therefore, after he woke up from his sleep, sight began to return to him. The outline of the room came first, and the moonlight came through the window. Just moments later, his sight returned to normal.

"It has been a while, but what caused this change?" muttered Arthur as he rose from the bed, staring at his own hands. Then, his eyes drifted to Diana, who was sleeping on her side. He walked around the bed to look at her sleeping face.

Arthur didn"t have enough time to see her this close before his sight was robbed from him. Her sleeping face made his heart flutter, as he once again felt the overflowing feeling of love fill his heart. His hand caressed her face, making her brows furrow. Arthur smiled and stood from the bed.

Then, he read the reports that Julia had sent him over the communication device. As he slept, the entire world was thrown upside down. The internet had been restored in every nation, with satellites being launched every second by the kingdoms. The vital importance of technology became known when runes ceased working.

Many kingdoms also sponsored different tech companies to build them shelters, walls, and even aircraft that solely relied on technology. Although mechas still needed runes, it wouldn"t be long before another breakthrough in technology took place.

Arthur read through the reports with a smile on his face. Although he had caused the world to be traumatized, he liked what he was seeing. In order to use the full extent of his powers, he needed to rest a.s.sured that Earth could handle the disappearance of runes.

This reminded Arthur of Ragnar Netherborne, his ancestor who was respected by every race in the universe. Ragnar believed that the world did not need mana. He wanted to create that world, where strength relied on collective power rather than individual power. Although wars and violence would still exist, it would be less drastic.

Arthur kind of agreed with the notion after seeing the world unite to fight off monsters once their runes stopped working. The Yalveran Union received help from Ilios to stop the demi-humans, and Janea worked with Halin to fight against the famine that had spread.

In the end, the world came together to fight against the monsters. This union was the result of unexpected circ.u.mstances: the merge and the disappearance of runes. Both of which Arthur had caused, which made him feel guilty but happy at the result.

In the past, Arthur used to feel guilty if people died as a result of his actions. But he no longer had that privilege. Some things needed to be done, and he had to own the responsibility of doing them. Regardless of whether he becomes a villain or a hero, it doesn"t matter. He will protect his loved ones first, and the world second.

Once he regained his sight, Arthur wanted to see the world again. He wore his coat and left the room, only to find Benjamin drunk again, collapsed outside in the courtyard. Arthur laughed when he saw Oren beside him, drunk as well. His little brother had grown.

Arthur went back inside and brought out a blanket to cover them. Even though they wouldn"t get sick with their superhuman bodies, it would still be uncomfortable to sleep in the cold. Then, he began walking around the clan.

The moonlight illuminated the surroundings, which Arthur inspected with interest. As he walked around, he chanced upon a figure using a mop to clean the clan. Arthur stopped several meters away, looking at the woman with long hair and black robes.

"Do you need a hand?" asked Arthur as the woman stopped and turned toward him. Arthur examined her pale face, trying to engrave it into his mind before he lost his sight again. "You look a little different than I imagined."

Arthur was not saying that in a wrong way. Nyx was even more beautiful than he imagined based on her voice. Her eyes and hair were black, and her skin was pale. Her features were symmetrical with a small nose and big eyes. She was a beauty, but no one would a.s.sume she was a master of wrath.

"And I never thought you would regain your sight," said Nyx while breathing out as she wiped the sweat away from her face. "You should rest some more."

"No sleep can cure this backlash," said Arthur as he raised his hand. The skin was covered with black veins, as if it had been poisoned. "This is what I get for using too much wrath."

"You seem a little different, though," said Nyx as she placed the mop away. "Calmer is a proper word to describe this change. And that"s not something you see for someone who lost himself enough to stop the entire world from using runes."

"I"m just too tired to care about things anymore," said Arthur with a smile as he placed his hands in his coat. "Are you still going to follow your routine?"

"Do you have something different in mind?"

"Just a few errands," said Arthur with a smile. "Care to join me?"

"Sure."

Nyx followed Arthur as he left the clan. Although she didn"t know the destination, she was surprised to see that he took her to the wall separating Mount Ehler from the rest of the world.

"What did you mean by what you said?"

"What I said?"

"That you no longer cared," muttered Nyx as she stared at the wall, admiring the handiwork of her parents who tried to rebuild it. However, it was still far from what it used to be. "How does that work?"

"In my wrath, I realized that I was fortunate. I was never a victim."

"How?"

"Everything I have suffered through led me to this place. I have Diana, Oren, Benjamin, and many more people I can call family. If I return to the guild, I will be received with open arms. I have many people waiting for me, missing me, and even thinking about me."

"That sounds nice," said Nyx as she stared at him, his cold breath leaving its trail in the cold night. "How does it feel to have those things?"

"Seen, mostly. Appreciated, at best. But I no longer care what happened to me, it"s irrelevant. I no longer care that I suffered because, in the end, I won. I defeated my enemies and survived against the entire world. I can no longer be affected by them."

Nyx wanted to ask him some more, feeling the envy within her. However, they reached the walls. Instead of pa.s.sing, Arthur instead released his wrath. Nyx felt the weather get colder as the darkness engulfed the world.