Chapter 128 - The Dragon Ruins

— Eris Greyrat —

The ninth month of the year was quickly approaching, which meant that winter had once again reared its head on the northern territories.

And also… it meant that there were less than two months until the expected date of birth for the child currently in my womb.

But more importantly, it had marked the fourth month since I had last seen my husband… and three months month since we received the news of his demise.

The days had been rough… for all of us, really, but at least with the others, they had banded together to try to move on.

I was happy for them, but… I wasn't as strong.

No… I was still suffering as bad as I had since the first day, although I was able to mask it better.

Even if I was able to feel happier with my family's love, it still didn't change the fact that he was gone.

Leon… Leon was gone, having died in a land far away from home… far away from me…

Releasing a sigh, I leaned back against the couch as I then looked down at my belly that had gotten large enough to be a burden while walking, my hand hesitantly reaching out to rest on it.

Yes… he had died away from home, and away from me… and it was all because of this.

My pregnancy had forced me to remain home under his insistence and my acceptance, and now… now Leon was dead.

The one I loved the most in the world, the one who showed me love, the one who showed me warmth… he was gone.

I was not stupid.

Well… I was, but not in terms of fighting.

So logically, against something like the Demon God, I knew that even if I was there, I wouldn't be able to change anything.

In fact, I might have even made things worse, especially if I was put in a position where Leon would need to save me, getting himself hurt in the process.

But still… knowing that didn't change how I felt, and even then, the fact that he died alone, without me at his side… that was the worst feeling in the world.

That is… if he was truly dead.

After the initial shock, I calmed myself down, telling myself that his death was not confirmed, as Leon's body was sent to another world, so no one knew if he was truly dead.

He was Leon Greyrat, the man that had completely enveloped my heart.

If there was someone who could survive a fate that even the Dragon God deemed impossible, then it was him.

And I believed in my husband with all my heart.

He was Leon, after all. 

And while I wouldn't say that he could do anything, if it was something to do with protecting his family or allowing him to be with him, I knew he would always come out the victor.

And then, a day passed… and then a week… and then a month… and now, when it had been so long without even a sign of him… I could no longer deny it.

He was dead.

I would never feel his touch, see his smile, or receive his warmth… ever again.

And it was all because of this… this damn pregnancy that forced him to go alone despite our promise to each other to always fight by each other's sides.

And that was the other thing that was clawing away at my heart, past the incredible loneliness and grief at Leon's absence.

This baby… when it was born… considering what it made me do… would I hate it?

I was incredibly scared of such a thing.

I… would never want to hate an innocent baby, much less one that was born from the love of Leon and I.

Yet… I can't help but feel like I would blame it.

And even if I didn't hate it… and even if I tried to not show it… I knew that it would affect the child.

After all, I knew from experience what it felt like to be in a place without love.

I had been like that before Leon came into my life, after all, as my father was too concerned with politics, and my mother was wallowing in the grief of my brothers' separation.

It was a horrible feeling, to be forced to grow up in a place without love, but luckily, I could trust Roxy, Sylphy, Ariel, and all the kids to give this child all the love they could ask for… even if I ended up being a spiteful, horrible mother.

Ah… right, I already knew that was a possibility.

So perhaps… I shouldn't even be here at all afterwards.

The children didn't need me here with the other three, after all.

I… didn't know what to do anymore.

Before, the answer was simple.

So, so wonderfully simple.

I wanted to be with Leon, no matter what we ended up doing.

We would grow old, watch the kids grow, defeat the Man-God, and then… we would settle down, maybe opening a dojo for Leon's Elemental Style to pass the time.

All five of us would grow old, and the kids would come over every now and then, showing off their spouses, and eventually their children.

Sylphy and I would calm Leon down when one of his daughters found a man, and then after some time, he would reluctantly accept him taking his daughter, and show off to their future kids as the best grandpa around, telling them lots of stories of our youth and various adventures in front of the fireplace.

And then… with him, Ariel, and me growing old, we would leave the family to Sylphy and Roxy as we all laid in bed, hand in hand, before eventually peacefully passing away with wide smiles on our faces.

That was the future I wanted.

That was the future I wished for and would fight for.

But now… that future was impossible… so I had no clue what to do.

I guess… I would give birth to this child, and try my best to be a caring parent, and once they grew up… I could support Ariel with the throne, or maybe… I could even go back to the Sword Sanctum.

Nina had told me I was always welcome there, and I always felt better when I was absentmindedly swinging a sword… even if I recently wasn't able to due to my condition.

But more than all of that… I just wanted it all back.

The warm house, the embrace of my husband, being able to watch him play with the kids during the day and then play with my body during the night… I miss it all.

Really… I miss every single bit of it.

I wouldn't even mind if Leon and I ended up in one of our stupid little arguments we sometimes had as soon as he got back, if only it meant being able to see his face again.

But that… was impossible, wasn't it?

Right… it was.

My happiness… was gone.

I will never forgive him for leaving me, even if I could never bring myself to hate him.

And more importantly… I will never ever forgive myself for letting him go.

Needless to say… there was no person I hated more than this useless, pathetic Sword Emperor, who couldn't even save the one person that she held most dear.

— Leon Anemoi Greyrat —

"Ah… so that's it," I muttered, flipping through the book once again as I took in the information. "This is it… finally, this is fucking it!"

Clenching my fist, I immediately ran over to the stone monument at the centre of the room, nearly tripping over my hastily-made bed in the process.

"So this one is meant to do that… and then I activate the treasure here… I see," I murmured, reading through the instructions once more as my gaze flickered back and forth from the book and the monument.

I didn't really understand too much of the technicalities regarding everything in this laboratory, and that was the main reason why it had taken so long.

That stuff were the kind of things I left to Shizuka and Roxy, and I always hated using magic circles, even for teleportation.

But this… these instructions relating to the activation of the sacred treasure… that, I could understand.

It was simply a shame that it took me so much time.

How long had it even been since my fight with Laplace and arriving in the Dragon World?

A month? Two? Even more?

I couldn't tell… there was no indication for time here, especially where the sky was unobservable, so I had no clue how long it had been.

I just hope that I wasn't too late…

"Oh… but I should probably bring that back first, right?" I muttered, turning back to the staircase.

And here I was, talking to myself again…

It had been happening more and more often, a likely byproduct of not having had any human interaction for the entire length of time since arriving in the Dragon World, as well as the uncomfortable quiet of this place.

But I wasn't going crazy… was I?

Right. I definitely wasn't. Anyone would hate the quiet, after all.

Besides, even if I was, I would get cured by the love of my wives and children, so it was all fine.

Shaking my head, I then headed back up the familiar set of stairs, making my way towards the door that held the records of that lifespan research.

Which one was it again?

Ah, this one!

Heading inside the room, I instantly recognized the same large, stone book filled with the research of the dragonfolk's lifespan, and the concept of a lifespan in general, as well it's connections to mana.

Okay… let's just hope this makeshift bag doesn't break from the weight, because it would be quite awkward to carry this in my hands all across the land on my way back home.

Fuck… and that was another thing.

I had completely forgot about that issue.

Throughout all the research and instructions, it didn't find anything about the coordinates or general location of where the person using the sacred treasure would be teleported to in the other world.

Well… I guess that would be a problem for later.

I could only hope that I would recognize the surroundings, and if it used my wish for the location, it might even teleport me right to my doorstep.

But that… might be nothing but wishful thinking.

Placing the book in the sack that I found in the laboratory, with my belt acting as a strap, I then placed it against my back as I stood up, nearly stumbling from the change in weight as I tied it flush against me.

Okay… so it didn't break.

Good.

Now… there was only thing left to do.

Finding myself back in the laboratory, in front of that same stone monument I had been studying for the past however long I have been here, I took one last look at the surrounding room before stepping into the middle of it.

Crouching down to my knee, I pressed my finger against the specific magic circle that would start the activation process as I slowly began pumping mana into it, feeling a subtle heat begin to radiate from the sacred treasure still attached to my wrist.

Now… there was one troubling thing from the research notes I had read through.

According to them, to properly use the sacred treasure in this fashion, you would need to be a dragonfolk, and otherwise, you would find yourself dead upon your transportation.

I wasn't quite sure why, and they didn't really know either, as since they were all dragonfolk, they didn't care.

But if I had to guess… it had something to do with the soul of being a member of the Dragon race.

After all, that was why Kaito needed to merge with me back when we were first sent here, and the black cracks that had appeared in that white space… that must have been the burden of the teleportation on my human, non-dragonfolk, soul.

So hopefully… I would be fine like this.

And if I wasn't… well, I didn't have any other ideas, and I couldn't just wait around in fear, so I just had to hope everything worked out.

The magic circle I had been filling with mana suddenly began to shine, casting the dark room in a soft, white glow.

Okay… now, with the first step done, I needed to have my mana cover the main sequence magic circle, and with my experience in watching Rudy help Shizuka with her experiments… I had the basic idea of it.

Closing my eyes, I felt my mana fill up the guides of the magic circles, as well as flood into the sacred treasure on my wrist as the heat grew hotter and hotter.

My mana… I was cutting it close.

While I had quite a lot of mana compared to others, unlike my brother, it was still in the realm of common sense, so I could very easily find myself out of mana, especially since I had been constantly using wind magic to breathe, water magic to keep my hydrated, and healing magic to keep me healthy.

But as I found out, my mana reserves… they had grown.

I was still nowhere near Rudy's level, and I likely could just barely match Sylphy now, but still… it was quite a bit of growth.

That must have been another side effect from Kaito and I merging together, huh?

Either way, thankfully, with the support of the magic circle structure… my mana was enough.

Okay, magic circles filled, activation sequence prepared, and sacred treasure primed.

So… there was only one thing left to do.

"Please… please work," I muttered as I pressed the sacred treasure against the magic circle, feeling the mana within the two constructs instantly clash.

A spark flashed across the room, and then another, as if I had just been sent to the middle of a lightning storm.

And then… my vision was filled with white.

Shit… and that dizziness… no, I could handle it.

After things seemed to calm, I then opened my eyes, instantly closing them a moment later from the blinding brightness.

And then… I blinked.

And blinked again.

And finally… the surroundings came into view.

The sun was near the crest of the horizon, lighting the destitute ground in the soft orange glow of dusk.

A very familiar destitute ground, with debris dispersed here and there from a battle that I had participated in quite recently.

Ah… so I was right back here…

Turning around, the giant crater, as well as the scars of a past battle that stretched across the land, confirmed my guess.

This… this was the place where I stabbed Laplace, and consequently was sent to the Demon World by his activation of the sacred treasure.

This was awfully convenient.

I guess it linked back to where it was originally used, huh?

Now, at least, I wouldn't have to worry about wandering around uselessly for a sign of direction before starting my way back home.

Oh… and the mana… the air…

Right, I could do that now.

Widening my eyes, I did something I had not done for quite a while… I took in a breath of fresh air without the use of wind magic.

"Wow… that hits different," I muttered.

While the air I generated from magic was completely pure, technically being the 'freshest' type of air one could get, taking it in naturally simply had a certain feel to it.

Or maybe I really had gone insane.

Either way… now that I was back, there was only one thing left to do.

It was… north-west from here, right?

So if I followed the sun's positioning… it was this way.

Narrowing my eyes, I took in another breath of air before shooting forward, my form blurring across the land as I made my way towards where I believed that the teleportation circle was.

That is… if it was still there.

I really hope it was, and I hope that I could find it quickly.

I didn't know how long, but I could tell that it had been a while since I had killed Laplace.

Shit… I could only hope that it hadn't been more than four months…

I promised to be there for every one of my children's births, including Eris'… and I did not intend on breaking it.

No… I would not break it.

Ah… but now that I was back in this world, there was another thing that I had realized, or more specifically, I had ignored it to focus on finding a way back.

Disappearing out of nowhere like that… they probably thought I was dead, huh?

And I could only imagine how devastated they were.

Fuck… I really needed to apologize with all the hugs and cuddles that they would ever need.

Although…

I came to a stop as I looked down at my clothes, all of it extremely worn and tattered, and covered in blood, dirt, and grime.

A disgusting sight, and I could only imagine that my hair and face were in a similarly terrible state.

And then there was the smell…

I had gotten used to it over the time, but it didn't take a genius to imagine how horrible of a scent I must be emitting right now.

Yeah… so before those hugs and cuddles… I would probably need to shower, and get a change of clothes as well.

But that was fine.

Because now… I was finally back.