WITH YOU I CAN BE STRONG

A few days later Sargon regained consciousness, he gazed around and realized he was in his room with a sleeping Lia on a chair besides him. She was clutching her staff, seemingly fatigue from casting many spells. His body sore, as he looked down he saw his chest wrapped in bandages. He tried getting up but his groaning woke Lia.

"No, you need to lay down it's still amazing how you survived that." As she helped him back down.

"What happened?" he asked her.

"We won." She said as she pulled his sheet to cover him.

He grabbed hold of her forearm and pulled her closer to his face.

"Did they take her?" he asked and after studying his fiery eyes which was now green, she hit his hands away.

"In your weaken condition, there's no way you can go after her, just rest and recover for the time being, even I can push you down right now." She walked to the door. "Right now everyone is waiting for their master to wake up patiently. So reward us by doing just that." She closed the door behind her.

Trusting in his subordinate, he did just that.

"How was he?" Diya greeted Lia in the hallway in front of his room door.

"Why didn't you stay until he woke up? You never left his side until just now." She replied.

"I can't face him, not after what I caused." she said looking down.

"None of this is your fault." Lia said to her as she held Diya's hands.

Thanks to harnessing both darkness and light, Diya grew to her original size to that of an adult, which boosted Lia's admiration for her. The news of Vanir's defeat had already spread to the ends of the continent as the people began calling Sargon the next demon king. Dormant demon lords who were keeping quiet began to rage, the remaining humans began to congregate into the major capital at the edge of the continent making that humanity's last resting place as they prepare to face the coming battles. Ares and few of the other gods remained in Entel, while Athena and Apollo sort an audience with the supreme.

"Hahaha my daughter is now a demon? Hahaha." He laughed and struck his long shining silver beard.

Lost for words as the mighty Zeus sat upon the golden throne having an outburst.

"Father, forgive me, I do not understand." Athena spoke.

"Well of course you don't. after all I was the one who sent Enyo to awaken the lad in the first place knowing fully well what was going to happen." he replied to her.

"HUH!!??" Athena and Apollo looked at each other,

"You planned this?" Apollo asked.

"Not just myself, but an old friend of mine, now that lad will become the next ruler of the demons and my daughter will guide him there; but what I didn't planned for, was what blossomed between them." He laughed again "you two are forbidden to breathe a word of this to anyone." he said in a stern voice.

What was just told to them weighed a lot on their hands.

"What would you like us to do, father?" Athena asked.

"Simply watch over them and carry on as you do." He said as he disappeared with those words.

"How are we going to retrieve Ares? And what do we tell them?" Apollo asked Athena who was still processing this. "You're the goddess of wisdom, share some."

"I can't believe this but, we're going to do just that." Her face however said that she was about to barf.

A few days later Sargon had begun to move, he began going squats and stretches to strengthen his muscles when he glanced into the mirror he noticed his eyes were green and he had wings. A seemingly jet black pair of wings. He thought of it as a reward for defeating Vanir, and that exhausting himself turned him back into a human form which explained his green eyes. As Lia entered to remove his bandages since he was healed. It revealed a huge scar that covered his abs and chest and a small part of his back.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't remove it completely." she said as she stared at his scar.

"how did I get it?" he asked her.

She took a moment before she spoke.

"Diya fought you, you were a raging demon with no senses; the point of entry is your front and point of exit is your back. You were hit by a combination of Zeus's lightening and darkness, that's how she saved you." she replied.

"I see, why hasn't she come to see me?" he asked her.

"Why haven't you ordered her to see you." She countered.

"I don't know what to say." he turned his head to the side.

"same for her, but right now she's with Ares." she said.

"What?" he said to her in surprise.

"I didn't tell you? The gods are still here." she said to him as he immediately jumped through the window.

"How energetic, this is getting good. Hey we're five stories high!" she rushed to the window.

He landed on some demons below.

"Master, you've recovered." said one of him higher ranked demon.

"Have you seen Diya?" he asked them.

"She was just here." the demon replied to him.

"where's she now." he asked.

"I saw her go to the chicken's coop." the demon replied to him.

"Thanks we'll spar later I promise!" he said and he took off to the back for the castle.

Along the way this subordinates called to him, but he paid to attention to them as he came to the chicken's coop.

"Oh master, glad to see you recovered." the orc said to him.

"Have you seen Diya?" he asked them.

"She was just here, but left to the kitchen." He took off running towards the castle.

"Are they playing hide and seek?" the orc wondered as Sargon rushed inside, catching his breath.

"Chef, have you seen Diya?" he asked just then Wendell walked in.

"Oh master Sargon, how I've yearned for your wakening." And he grabbed onto him and began cuddling.

"Now's not the time for your brotherly love pervert!" Sargon said as he slapped Wendell which sent him flying into the stone walls.

"Diya? you just missed her, she came to select today's menu and left to assign duties with that gorgeous god." the demon said to him which made him annoyed.

"Get him out from the wall." He pointed to a passed out Wendell, "and thanks."

He decided he'd run to strengthen his legs instead of teleportation. Running through the halls, up the stairs he vowed he'd smack Ares face in if he tried something; along the way he passed his demons who were awaiting orders, already received them and were on their way. He arrived at the meeting room where he encountered Eris and Romulus.

"Brother, glad to see you on your feet again." Eris spoke as she floated across the room.

"Why are you two still here?" he asked them

"Ares haven't given us orders yet." Romulus said as he was about to chow down on some fruits. "Speaking of him, they just left here." He continued

"did they say where they were going?" Sargon asked

"throne room." Eris replied.

He left the room and began to walk towards the throne room. Every time I keep missing her, does she not want to see me? He thought to himself. As he approached the door he met Lia.

"Oh, you're back so soon." she greeted him at the doors.

They opened the door to find only Ares, who was staring at the balcony.

"Heh, so you survived." Ares scuffled.

Here it comes Lia thought the trash talk as she gradually made her way to the balcony.

"Death couldn't kill me even if he knocked on my door." Sargon replied.

"I'm not leaving Diya for you." Ares said

"Like you have a choice." He replied

"Nice scar, where'd you get it?" Ares taunted.

"Your mother gave it to me." Sargon countered.

Smoothed Lia thought.

"Thanks to your outrage, and you passing out for five days, I've had a lot of time with her." Ares said with a grin on his face.

"Is that so, well I can't change her mind, but she's bound to me so she can't leave me." Sargon said with a smug look on his face. Ares became frustrated.

"Just what does she see in you!" Ares lashed out.

"What are you talking about?" Sargon looked at Ares confused.

"for the past couple of days, I've tried to reason with her, get her to come back to the white city, but each and every time she sternly refused saying she refuse to leave your side, even if you were to banish her after all this, she wouldn't go back with me." He walked up to Sargon and placed his knuckles on his chest. "She chose you. So if you have something worthy to say to her, go outside and tell her." He turned away and gritted his teeth.

Sargon said nothing but walked towards the balcony.

"She's standing at the edge of the forest where the low monsters are; I'm looking at her." Lia said.

Wendell emerged from the shadow and sat on the banister as Ares walked out and stood beside them Sargon vanished. Surrounded by the fragrance of the flowers around her, the wind gently blew around her, she opened her wings to receive the wind's greeting. She had horns and a halo and the red markings on her body. she outgrew the previous clothing Lia had made for her, and now wore a white dress, Eris gave her a pair of heels, her legs were charred, but she still looked beautiful in the eyes of Sargon who was quietly watching her.

"Do I look weird?" she finally spoke as she turned around.

"Beautiful." He replied as he wiped his eyes. "Is this what you looked like before?" he noticed her right hand was scared until her shoulder, it matched his.

"Without the horns, and the weird patterns on my skin, both wings were white yes, should I turn back small?" she asked him.

he walked towards her until he stood in front of her.

"your eyes are green." she said to him.

"how nice of you to notice." he smiled "before i became a demon, i had green eyes, my mother also had green eyes."

"i love it. it's filled with life, it's beautiful." she said to him.

"From the first moment I saw you, I thought you were beautiful." He held both her hands. "I've said it twice; don't make me say it again. With you I'm strong; I don't need anyone else, stay beside me now and forever." She began to tear up.

"But, I've hurt you." She rested her head on his chest looking at the scar.

"You did, but you did it to save me, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't know what would have happened to everyone else." He embraced her. "But if you want to be punished for it then." He held up her right hand and bit into it until her blood began to leak from his mouth.

It pained, she clenched her fist and rested it against his scar, but he held that hand too. Trying to resist the pain, she collected her thoughts and calm down.

"Do you know where we're standing?" she spoke to him, who was still biting into her. "This place was where you were killed." He continued to listen. "If you didn't die, I wouldn't be here surrendering to you. So to answer you, I'm not going anywhere, I'm staying with you. for now and always. Thank you for dying." She chuckled and he finally let go the wound healed instantly.

"Now that I think about it, what would have happened if I didn't die?" he said to her.

"That would be problematic." she replied.

"Why?" he tilted his head at her.

"Because you wouldn't have met me." She teased.

"Oh that reminds me." He said as he reached into his pocket.

"I made this while I was being held captive in my room." He opened his hand to reveal a silver hair pendent with a red gem on it. "it turns out I can craft items with my blood." He spoke as he fixed it on her hair. "let this be the proof of our engagement."

"I haven't said yes yet." she replied.

"But you did say you're not leaving my side." he smiled at her.

"Indeed I did." she said as he took her by the hand.

"Let's go, they're waiting for us." he gently said.

"Yes. let's go." she smiled.