Chapter 57 - Aftermath

The day and night went quickly. Nerun, Silvester, Maikal and the rest were escorted back to the Ansem's Army Camp, where they were given health aids in order to properly recover from the fight against the Violent Tigers. Several of the Army Captains stayed on Sagat's Lair and rounded some of the survivors and took them into custody for questioning. Some of them knew of Sagat's business with the Rhodnians, other were gravely injured after being attacked by Elijah, Nerun and co, as well as some lucky survivors from Ren and Malo's rampage.

With their testimony, Saul and Commander Sebastian managed to understand what happened with Sagat and the stones. Elizabeth had recovered the ones delivered to Roland, and since no one knew that Arbak had taken the rest, they didn't know of the existence of Sagat's secret stash. It was usually very lucky that a piece of Fruit of the Mountain God was recovered or sold in an Auction or through private deals, for prohibitive amounts of money. Sagat did not really know what he had gotten.

Therefore, no one thought that there was a bottle with the precious liquid derived from it in Nerun's bossom. Also, no party would be able to take it back from Arbak even if they knew, since she was a mighty Rank 9 Beast Lord, and she would go into hiding soon, to increase her power and possibly become a Beast Overlord in the near future.

When Captain Serena went back to the army camp, she was mesmerized by the news that Elijah had violently infiltrated the Army Camp, and managed to cause a major ruckus. She was feeling guilty for having telling him the direction of the Camp, when she later found out that the Commander had not found any fault whatsoever with him. Captain Apollo was on he edge of getting demoted, and there would be no apparent consequences for Elijah's blunder. Captain Serena knew that there had to be a secret behind all these, but she knew better than go snooping around in the Commander's business. The General as well had no say about the things that transpired, so everything seemed to be alright, at least on the surface.

That night Maikal examined Nerun, who was still unconscious. He noticed that his body was seemingly ok, however he still couldn't wake up. That being said, both Maikal and Elijah were tranquil. They had been able to talk to Silvester, and afterwards with Eliana alone, and managed to understand somewhat what had happened.

Finally, before dawn of the next morning Nerun opened his eyes. He was feeling a bit groggy, but otherwise ok. When he came to himself, he started checking himself with his hands, and noticed that his body was not in tatters as he had pictured. There was not a broken bone or muscle in his body. He was actually feeling stronger than ever, however, he did notice the sharp decline in his Qi and Mana level. He was not saddened by this fact tho, his biggest fear was actually becoming a cripple. He also noticed the change in his meridians, and he was utterly flabbergasted.

Then he touched the heat coming from the Genesis Stone, and for a while he thought that everything that happened in the space inside with Ego Sum, was nothing but a dream. However he quickly denied the notion. Not because of the changes in his body, but the change to his mind. The clarity of his thoughts, the quickening of his mind, and his ability to understand the world around him had greatly increased. He understood that was a fundamental change to his state of being. His wisdom had soared to the heavens.

With his naked eyes he managed to tell the flow of the Natural Energy of Heaven and Earth. When checking his body, he noticed all of the micro changes performed by Arbak's baptism, and understood how best to utilise his strength and each joint to get the best result with each movement. Had Nerun just received the changes done by Arbak, he would have an increased talent and vigorous body, however he would need a long process to get used to it, and later a lot of time training to develop his strength. However, with his powerful wisdom and renewed mind, it was like adding wings to a tiger.

In the depth of his heart, Nerun engraved in stone this enormous favour he had received. First, he should have died without remedy after having fought Sagat, and no matter how powerful Arbak was, unless she was a miracle healer of some sort, she could not have kept his life. It was the power of Ego Sum first, that left him with a sliver of life and stabilized the condition of his meridians, which later allowed Arbak to perform the Baptism. When Nerun noticed the bottle of Millenial Stone Milk in his bossom, then he understood what Arbak had done, since there was no one else who could have remade his body in the Cell Area with him.

These two implausible situations happened to Nerun at the same time. Just one of them would have been an enormous blessing, let alone receiving two. Nerun had laid the foundation to become unrivaled on the land. He was feeling giddy all over, however he quickly sobered up, when he recalled Ego Sum's promise to him. Pain, sorrow, hard work and trials. Nerun tried not to get these changes to make him proud and overconfident. That being said, he was truly happy right now.

When Nerun finally calmed down and finished checking himself up, he started looking at the room he was in. He was alone in a wood bed, inside a tent that looked like it belonged to the military. He quickly thought of Elijah and Maikal's mission. He tried to get up clumsily, but before he could do so, two people came into his tent. They were Maikal and Elijah. Maikal quickly waved his hand and use his domain to seal the area so no one would be able to spy on them.

Nerun smiled when he saw them both and was about to speak when he noticed Maikal's deep frown. Nerun felt scared for a moment, but he spoke still: "Is Silvester ok? Where is he? How are Ailan and Eliana? Are you guys uninjured?"

"So you know to ask about your brother first. You were not exactly thinking about him when you disobeyed my orders and stayed behind trying to save the prisoner from Sagat. You put, not only your life, but everyone else's life in danger. Roxanne did not have to die, and we promised to keep her safe, and we failed that promise due to your actions" spoke Maikal sternly.

Nerun lowered his head, and then he bowed down, but he quickly said: "Your are right Father. I was wrong. That being said, I needed to stay back. Sister Arbak had saved our lives, I would be an ingrate not to try to save her. However I understand that I could have done things a lot better. I should have given her the Millenial Stone Milk, and then left with the rest of the guys. I was indecisive and unwise. I'm deeply sorry Father. How is big brother Silvester doing?"

"His life is still his own. He is somewhat bruised, but otherwise he is ok. He will need a few weeks of rest, and afterwards he'll be as good as new. I'm sure he will use this experience to soar and become even stronger. Hopefully not fatter" Said Elijah half jokingly. He was also looking sternly at Nerun, but the concern in his eyes was clearly noticeable.

"That's good" said Nerun with a smile. Nerun knew that they wanted to ask what had happened to him properly, since Eliana only saw part of what happened, since she was paying attention to her brother's missing leg, and Silvester was already knocked out. Before they could ask, he then started describing what had happened after. Maikal's eyes constricted when Nerun told him he had swallowed a drop of Millenial Stone Milk and used it to open his 47 meridians, which allowed him to use a power far greater than what he could manage, and allowed him to go toe to toe, at least temporarily with Sagat.

"You are not just lucky to still be around. You should have exploded in a thousand pieces for your recklessness. Next time you want to die, why don't you drink poison. It will be faster and not such a loss of precious materials." yelled Maikal.

Nerun didn't answer back, and kept telling them how he fought with Sagat for the whole ten seconds, destroying his meridiands and blood vessels, until Arbak managed to recover her power and finish Sagat for good. Nerun however did not tell them about his encounter with Ego Sum in the Genesis Stone. He felt it too big of a secret to tell them just yet. He knew he could trust both Maikal and Elijah, but he did not know if Ego Sum would punish him or them as well for telling them their secret. Until he understood the limit of the other's power he would not easily tell anyone else about it. Also, the Stone was the last memento from his parents. He felt it as his due heritage.

So, Nerun put all of his recovery on Arbak's shoulder. After all, it was true that she rebuilt his body, he just did not tell them that it was Ego Sum who saved his life first. Also the increase in his Mind capabilities and wisdom is not something they could notice at first glance, different from the changes in his body.

He didn't really know what exactly was what Arbak did, but he told them about the changes he felt in his body. He also told them about the loss of Qi and Mana, but he was not saddened by the fact.

Both Maikal and Elijah were more or less prepared to hear about the transformation in Nerun's body, but they still couldn't help but feel a little mesmerized by the changes. Nerun was as strong as a Qi master, just with his physical body alone. But what they were happier about, was that Nerun's meridian problem had been solved for the better.

Also, Elijah was also tempted to scold him, but in the end, he opted for saying nothing. He understood his little brother the best, as well as his stubbornness. Also, thank EON, the worst didn't happen, though Roxanne's death was a big stone in their hearts. He could also see that Nerun was sincerely regretful of how things developed. Maybe, this would help him mature a lot faster. In the end, Nerun was just a 6 year old boy. A 6 year old boy who managed to stall a Qi General with his little body, his wits and his sacrifice. He could qualify as a legend, though no one else would believe him.

Elijah then proceeded to tell him what had transpired from his side, his encounter with Ocelot and Malo, and later his search for the Army Camp. He still didn't understand why the Commander decided to help him after causing such a ruckus. Maikal also recounted succinctly what he encountered, and the battle with the Qi Emperor, Sylas du Sacar.

Maikal then told them: "When Armand was one of the Dragon Generals, his subordinates loved him to death. Even though time has passed after his death, and his name is considered taboo in some circles, there are still some people in the army who remember him fondly. I only know of a couple of them, and one is precisely Commander Sebastian Dai Renata. He was one of Armand's most trustworthy advisers. Nevertheless, my warning from before still stands. Do not say Armand's name lightly. He had as much admirers as detractors and enemies from all over the world. Perhaps some of those who "admire" him now defame his name, and perhaps, there could be a traitor among Armand's close retinue from back them."

Nerun wanted Maikal to keep telling him things about his father, but he knew better than to ask questions. Also, he deeply understood that he could do nothing about it right now. He could only grow stronger.

Finally Nerun took the bottle with Millenial Stone Milk from his bossom. Both Maikal and Elijah had seen it before, but thought it was the same bottle Maikal had originally given him. But soon they understood how wrong they were, when they noticed the ten shiny drops inside the bottle. Arbak's generosity was incredible to say the least.

Before Maikal could reject the bottle, Nerun spoke first: "Father, please take them. You told me that to recover your strength you needed one drop, then seven drops, and twelve drops later. You already took one drop, but I can tell that your injuries worsened from fighting that other Qi Emperor. Please Father, use this to stabilize your wounds and recover some of your fighting power".

Elijah was clearly on Nerun's side on this one. Seeing Nerun and Elijah's insistence, he took the bottle and poured 7 drops in a bottle of his own. Then he returned the 3 drops to Nerun. The latter tried to stop him, but Maikal said "Do not deny me boy. 3 drops were originally yours and 3 drops you have recovered. Your power is now in shambles, and thank EON, that your foundation was not lost. With proper training you will recover your strength very quickly. I will use these drops to properly enter the Qi Emperor Stage. I will not be able to recover fully to the Qi Saint I once was, but this is more than enough for now. Elijah, you need to also train. I was told that the Commander had asked to see you in the morning. Use this chance to get into the Army. You can trust him. The badge you carried earlier was Armand's personal badge. Had Sebastian wanted to hurt you he would have done so already. He will probably keep this under wraps, so no one that does not need to know will find out. Nevertheless, don't lower your guard."

"Yes Father" answered Elijah with vigor. This was the chance he had been awaiting for a long while. His entrance to the Army was something he deeply craved. Not only to get to know what happened to Armand, but his true objective was to help Maikal recover what he had once lost. Even though Maikal wanted nothing from Elijah, or any of his children, this was a deeply rooted desire for Elijah and no one could convince him otherwise. Unlike Nerun, he did not wish to know his true father and mother, nor had he ever asked about them. For him, Maikal was the only parent he knew and needed, and he truly wanted to restore Maikal to his previous glory. In this, he was more like Armand, than even Nerun.