Chapter 20: Ripples of the New Balance

The warm dying sunbeam bathed the rustic village as Kael approached. Little had changed in the rustic beauty of the village, even with the great explosion that had shaken the cosmos with its power. To the villagers, life went on as it had always done: simple, peaceful, unsuspecting of the balance restored in a delicate manner. For Kael, though, the universe pulsed, and each instant weighed infinitely possible.

He padded silently down the dirt path that led toward the centre of the village, his mind still snarled with the details of the aftermath of the confrontation with the Harbingers. In a decision he had made that kept him back under his control, not just another piece on the board, yet even as the dissonance ebbed and balance returned, Kael had the feeling that the universe wasn't done playing with him yet.

"'That was quite the display of power, isn't it?'

The voice in his mind, Legacy of the Cosmos, whispered its words in a silvery tone, growing increasingly chatty since they got connected to each other. The sarcastic remarks which before used to upset him now somehow felt endearingly off-putting. It was a reminder that even with all his might, he wasn't quite alone yet.

He nodded mutely as he trudged past the tiny hut houses of the village at his usual pace, "But it seemed neither a victory. Almost more of a stalemate. I can feel it—the cosmos is still in flux."

"Balance is never permanent, Kael. You of all people should know that. It's like trying to hold sand in your hands. You can only hold it so long before it slips through your fingers."

He sighed. For all he'd seen, he hadn't lost the metaphor of the system. Balance was indeed fleeting. Even now, with the leader of the Harbingers, at least temporarily subdued, Kael could still feel the undercurrents of chaos rumbling beneath the surface of reality. There would be others like the Harbingers—forces that would rise up, pushing the cosmos toward disorder again. It would be impossible to stop; no one could prevent it.

As he entered the village square, familiar sights greeted him. People flocked to the sundown gathering to be done for the evening routine. Little boys ran with big smiles and laughs across the street while elderly people sat on their benches recounting stories about what took place during the day. The freshly baked bread smells blend with the smell of woodsmoke carried by smoke from the hearths.

She stood over on the edge of the square, arms folded, looking on. She hadn't said a word while walking them back; her sharp wit was muted probably with her clever mind racing through a thousand calculations.

Kael walks up to her, his voice low. "You are thinking, aren't you?"

She sat up, looking up at him. "There's always still so much to consider. The Harbingers may be hindered for now, but I have no doubt whatsoever they won't throw the towel in without a fight. You may have restored balance, but it is a fragile peace."

Kael nodded. "I know it is. It's never really ever over.".

Erasa's eyes scanned over the villagers, face blank. "These people. do not know what has been going on beyond their borders. How close they came to seeing their world crumble down before them."

"That's the whole idea," Kael said quietly. "They shouldn't have to know. That's why I did what I did. So they can keep living their lives, ignorant of what is going on around them.".

Erasa nodded involuntarily, but her eyes said otherwise-it was a concoction of fear, of doubt. "You can't keep them out of all of it, Kael. You can't no matter how strong you be. The mess will reach them eventually. You can't stop it forever.".

Kael clenched his fists. Truth of her words stung more than he cared for. He had passed beyond the world of mortals, become something more than just protector, but even so, could not control everything. The universe was too vast, too unpredictable.

"I know," he said after a moment. "But I'll do what I can for as long as I can.".

Erasa stood there, weighing his choice, then turned once again to face the village. "And now? Are you going to stay here and pretend that everything's all right?"

Kael smiled faintly. "For some time, they do deserve a few more peaceful days, don't they?

There wasn't time enough for Erasa to speak a word before a flushed little boy ran out to Kael. "Mister Kael, you have to come! There's a festival tonight, you have to see it!"

Kael's smile deepened as he crouched to be roughly about the height of the boy. "A festival, huh? What's the occasion?

He grinned. "It's the Harvest Festival! There's going to be dancing and games, and my mother says there is going to be a big feast! You have to come!"

Kael laughed his heart lighter, for the first time in what felt like weeks. "I wouldn't miss it.".

It was very contagious, the enthusiasm that had gone into the boy and soon enough, the joy of festival preparations caught hold of Kael. Tables started appearing in the village square, rather heavily laden with a delicacy that the villagers loved to prepare for such festivals, and strings of lanterns hanging along the branches of trees gave a warm glow to the whole area.

Waves of music rolled in on him, and the entire village danced. And there was an old elder speaking freely with a baby pushed to their hip, while laughter from everyone mixed into one voice for the night. Kael stopped there for a moment, his heart filling with something rich and deep at what he saw. He fought for this: uncluttered, simple happiness.

Erasa stands beside him, tilting her head to one side. "I wouldn't have thought you the type to enjoy village fairs," she comments.

As the hours wore on, Kael became more and more lost in the merriment. He danced in the streets with villagers, laughed with the children, and feasted with everybody. At least for a time, his cares disappeared.

Deepening into the night when the last lantern's flame danced on the evening breeze, he felt the other presence waiting at the back of his mind.

"You have to appreciate these evenings, Kael," said the system voice a little softly. "They won't come around again anytime soon, you know."

Kael let out a heavy breath, his eyes going to the stars above. "I know, but tonight it will have to do

"You're stronger than you think you are," the system went on. "You've rearranged the universe once before. Fear not what's to come.

Not fear. It's the uncertainty that hurts. Choices ahead, bigger than I thought they'd ever be.

"You've always had a way with difficult choices. And you'll continue to do so," she said.

Indeed, the words were still true, warm with celebration, standing there in the silent, quiet village square as Kael did, for he'd gone beyond mortal bounds, gained power beyond comprehension, and so restored balance to the universe-for a little while, at least. Yet deep within his mind, Kael knew his journey was far from over.

It was far from defeat; it was more of a delay of the inevitable. And the forces of dissonance would rise again, stronger and unremitting than ever. But tonight, Kael gave himself over to the world—a world of people, laughter, and the fleeting beauty of the peaceful night.

And so, as the last of the villagers retired into their dwellings and the square stood empty once again, Kael stood there beneath the stars, feeling the weight of the cosmos press upon him. And for the very first time, he did not feel overburdened by it; instead, he shouldered it as his duty, and accepted that burden as if he had a right to impose himself under its weight.

New trials, new perils would rise with dawn. But for the first time in centuries Kael stood in the heart of a village as a balance keeper and felt peaceful.

Yet the universe still spun, however Kael still steered it one step at a time.