CHAPTER. 164: AFTER SO LONG

I braced myself for the worst as the surroundings turned dark. The sky itself went from a vibrant blue to a dead gray, the clouds themselves became a dark abyss, and the world flickered. It almost looked as if the world was beginning to get corrupted, and that wasn’t all, the grass at my feet became gray and a heavy bloodlust enveloped me.

If it wasn’t for my experience in the Forgotten Places I would’ve found it suffocating, and even now it made me tense as I raised my spear. I had definitely pissed the keeper of order in an unimaginable way, however, this was something I had to do. I knew that if I let the Hero of Humans go I would regret it, and I also knew that it would be tantamount to letting the keeper of order win.

After all, he had already won once by sending me to the Forgotten Places, and now he got to save his subordinate? No. While it was certainly pride driven action, it was something I needed to do, and I was more than willing to face the consequences. So, I prepared myself to battle to the death.

But first, I need to bring the fight as far as possible, I tensed staring at the keeper of order as I prepared to stake everything right here and now.

However, he simply took an angry march towards me, speaking gravely; his voice shaking with anger.

“Youuu…” The ground rumbled. “Do you have any idea of what you’ve done? No⁠— of course, you don’t!”

I frowned, but this time I didn’t quip, I simply listened as he arrived in front of me and looked down.

“You’ve doomed us all, even killing you doesn’t fix anything; killing you fixes nothing. Fighting you fixes nothing,” he said, his cadence fast and anger palpable. “But do not misunderstand, I want to kill you, Arc.”

He gritted his teeth before turning around.

“And I can kill you.”

Following his words I sensed a gathering of mana as I swung my spear, and blocked something. Blood splattered as a deep cut was made on my arm, and I simply frowned as he continued.

“However, that does nothing for me.” He scoffed, glancing back.

“So, you’ll just do nothing?” I asked, frowning but confused.

He shook his head. “Just know that you’ll regret ruining my plans.”

I prepared myself for his next words, for his next threat, but contrary to my expectations he disappeared, and along with that, the world changed back to normal. I blinked, and realized that he had left.

I couldn’t sense him anymore, nor could I sense anything amiss. He was gone for good, at least for now. And while I was sure he would get back at me eventually, I didn’t care. I didn’t even worry. The time of his return didn’t even concern me, because right now all I felt was a single emotion.

Relief.

A long tired sigh left me.

“It’s finally over.”

I could finally focus on the things that mattered to me.

A small smile crept on my face as I turned to Vaelith, and excitement immediately filled me. I didn’t care for the keeper of order right now, or anything else really, because right now I had a much more important task at hand.

Meeting Ceylon.

* * *

Ceylon didn’t know how this situation developed, or what she even expected, but her heart was racing. However, it wasn’t because she was in danger, it wasn’t because of the fact that the Hero of Humans was still out there somewhere, nor was it because of the proximity she had to the Heroine of Water.

In fact, even though her situation should have made her nervous, it didn’t. Even talking to the Heroine of Water and telling what to do to the monstrous hero did nothing to her mental state. And that was because of one single factor.

Arc.

Her sworn sister. It had been a month since she had last seen her, it had been a month since the keeper of order had sent her to the Forgotten Places, and while sometimes it was hard to believe she would survive. It happened. Arc had survived, and she had returned. And now, it was only a matter of time before they met.

The situation made Ceylon feel hazy, weird almost. How had Arc changed? What would she say about the state of affairs? Would she be a different person now due to her experiences? All those questions made her feel some level of nervousness, but strangely not much. She simply was excited, deep down in her heart she felt that Arc hadn’t changed.

Even though she had only briefly seen her, the warmth that Arc made her feel was still there, and that was the reason for her excitement.

And maybe, that was why she was shaking while sitting behind the desk at her castle. Right now, the Heroine of Water and Lily were out trying to calm the people while she herself prepared to make an announcement.

Though, it wasn’t quite an announcement so much as the plan was to go around the entirety of the city calming people down. However, that wasn’t safe to do, not until the right time. And needless to say, this preparation time was invaluable for her to choose the best words to calm the crowds of people she would be visiting.

Yet, her mind was simply flooded with Arc.

Ceylon continued to shake as the time passed looking down at her table, and it wasn’t until her door was knocked that she broke out of her stupor. She blinked as the Heroine of Water and Lily entered the room, though a sigh left the heroine.

“You should’ve told me Lily was an anxious mess,” she said, annoyance in her tone. “It made this whole thing a lot more difficult.

Ceylon blinked. “What⁠—”

“I’m just shy!” Lily protested. “Nobody told me the humans would scream at me.”

At that, the Heroine of Water shook her head before turning to Ceylon. “Well, good news is they are pacified, bad news is that they are afraid of me now, so you may need to change your speech a little.”

“Right…”

Ceylon was at a loss for words, ignoring how casual the Heroine of Water was, and ignoring how she seemed to have gotten acquainted with the Dragon of Taboo, Ceylon was still processing.

She had basically forgotten this duty that she had, all in favor of thinking about Arc, and now, she had to do something. But, rather than grow nervous, Ceylon quickly gathered her bearings; all she needed to do was pacify the people.

“So you threatened them?”

The heroine shrugged. “It was that or letting them attack me, so yeah.”

“I see.”

It was going to be a bit troublesome to explain the situation with the Heroine of Water, especially because she was sure some people were well aware that she was part of the destruction outside the city, but it was something that could be managed. However, first things first, was checking with her.

“Heroine of Water, would you be willing to…” Ceylon pursed her lips, thinking.

The Heroine of Water raised her brow, and after a moment of deliberation Ceylon continued.

“Help fix the surroundings of Vaelith?”

It was certainly a big request, maybe a dangerous one considering the heroine’s reputation, but right now Ceylon was acutely aware that the worst the woman could do was say no, so she went for it, and after a moment, she got the answer she hoped for.

The heroine nodded. “Yeah, of course, why do you ask?”

“I think it’ll help reassure the people that you’re on our side,” Ceylon said as she stood up.

The Heroine of Water simply seemed to give a small nod of acknowledgement at that. Then, Ceylon turned to Lily.

“Do you think you could show your dragon form to the crowds of people?”

At that, the dragon blinked but hesitantly nodded. “I-If I don’t have to talk, I think I can do it.”

Ceylon felt content hearing that, so, she immediately headed out with two SS Tier existences in tow.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

It was time for her to be a proper ruler.

* * * * *

Heroes have really ruined this world. He sighed.

His name was Wesley Stroude, and he had seen… a lot in his century of life. He had once been a naive boy who admired heroes, he had once become an adventurer that was full of life, hoping to one day reach the peak that the heroes were, and he had once retired still full of hope. But now, after living for so long, and seeing so many things he knew better.

Even in his youth he had known that heroes weren’t like the tales he heard in his childhood, but it wasn’t until after retirement that he saw a hero rampage and destroy a city⁠— that was when he finally realized what they were.

Monsters.

After that, Wesley sought out a country with no heroes; Draliz. Later, he realized that there were heroes, just acting without showing. Namely the Hero of Flames and the Hero of Shadows, however that was enough for him, enough for him to be at peace.

But thirty years later, something happened. A new hero appeared in the country, the Heroine of Frost, and she uprooted everything. Not only did she kill the Hero of Shadows, but she also ended up killing the Hero of Flames in the middle of the noble party; and then, she disappeared leaving the country in turmoil.

“And to make things worse, now the Heroine of Water wants to destroy us all,” he whispered, ending in a grunt. It truly was disappointing.

The Heroine of Frost was supposed to be here, she was supposed to protect them from the awful fate, but in the end, she was a hero. A creature not bound by responsibility but by their own fickle desires, just like all others.

And now, it was time for their fate.

He sighed remembering the heroine’s threat.

“Move and I’ll execute you all, there is an impending announcement,” or so the Heroine of Water had said.

Wesley closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable, and soon, it happened. He heard a wave of susurration sweep through the gathered crowd, marking the beginning of the end.

A long sigh left him as he turned to the distance where… Ceylon Arlow was approaching with the Heroine of Water⁠— an unexpected sight, but an obvious one.

So she’s seized control of Draliz. Wesley shook his head and a moment later the young lady ruler coughed, speaking with an artifact.

“I’ll be quick, since this announcement must be made multiple times,” she said calmly.

He prepared himself for the worst as the young lady took a deep breath, then she continued, delivering the awful news.

“Arc, the Heroine of Frost, my sister, has returned and is currently fighting the Hero of Humans,” she said simply. “Which means; we are safe.”

What? He blinked.

“Not only that, but the Heroine of Water is apologetic of her actions and shall help with the restoration of the land surrounding Vaelith.”

Huh? A hero, apologetic?

At that, the completely unfazed heroine stepped up and coughed.

“As everyone knows, I’m infamous for being a terrible hero, but today I regret my actions. So, even if it’s a small apology, I shall assist in restoring this city. It’s the least I can do after witnessing the Heroine of Frost’s greatness.”

Then she bowed, leaving the crowd flabbergasted. The monster had bowed to them, and everyone was too shocked to say anything. Then a moment later, the ruler continued.

“And I want to add that we will be hosting the Dragon of Taboo, one of the Grand Dragon Elders, and the dragon who assisted Arc in returning. Those that are injured can come to receive aid from them in the palace.”

What?

Her voice rang clear, yet everyone was confused, and it wasn’t until there was a bright light behind the hero and the ruler of the nation that they paused.

Wesley gaped as they saw a towering dragon looking down at them, and it looked so… majestic. He blinked and then registered what the ruler had said.

One of the Grand Dragon Elders will heal us if necessary?

He gulped at the thought. A creature of legend would aid them… and there was also the fact that a hero⁠— one of the most infamous heroes in history⁠— had bowed to them. To mere… civilians.

For a moment, he wondered if he was dreaming, and he wasn’t alone for everyone was just staring. And that was when the ruler finished her announcement.

“That is all, there will be a great compensation of one gold coin to every civilian as an apology from me.”

One gold coin? That⁠— was a lot. For a moment, he felt weird, then confused, and finally, grateful, and he wasn’t alone for the entire crowd broke out into cheerfulness.

“Thank you merciful ruler!”

“We knew this was under control!”

“You protected the city!”

In the end, nothing could have prepared him for what had happened; everything⁠— his whole reality had changed. And it was all due to one person.

It was all due to the Heroine of Frost.

For a moment he was stunned, but he quickly realized that maybe… not all heroes are bad.

* * * * *

Ceylon went all around the city as the atmosphere quickly changed to one of a parade. After all, the Heroine of Water was now on their side, the Dragon of Taboo would help the people and there was also monetary compensation.

It didn’t take long for her to be thanked before she could even do her announcement. It was weird. At some point, Ceylon felt like she was walking around only to do nothing, but she did find clueless people; people that didn’t know what was going on, and that’s when she did her job.

But eventually, she ran out⁠— it took less than an hour as the atmosphere of the city completely changed; as the streets were filled with a cheerful atmosphere, their presence too became obvious. From Lily being constantly pointed out as a strange girl following them, to people staring from afar, admiring the Heroine of Water.

As for the heroine, well… she was mostly quiet.

“What will you do now?” Ceylon asked her as they made their way through the streets.

They were now making their way back to the palace, given the hysteria had been dealt with.

“Well, I suppose apologizing to Arc is in order, then I’ll call for help to restore the land,” she said calmly. “And then, I don’t know.”

“Right. Sorry for making you do this.”

At that the heroine lightly shook her head. “I’m simply acting in accordance with what I saw. Though…”

There was a pause as the Heroine of Water’s eyes narrowed dangerously, at that, Ceylon tensed before a chuckle left the woman.

“It’s also nice to not need to worry about my reputation,” she said with a smile. “I’ve grown tired of being a monster.”

At that, Ceylon blinked, unsure of what to say, which caused the heroine to chuckle.

“It’s nice to feel human,” she said, “I hardly ever feel it. After all, I had to shed my humanity to survive in this world. I wonder how long the Heroine of Frost will take to get to this stage? Though I certainly hope she enjoys her time as human while she can.”

Ceylon frowned. “What do you mean?”

The heroine turned and raised a brow. “Someone of her power stature, cannot have a normal life, you should know as much, right?”

Hearing that, her frown deepened, but the heroine simply continued shaking her head.

“Whether it is another battle maniac like me threatening their friends, or simply the passage of time. We heroes are lonely existences, whose only solace are each other, it’s a sad thing really.” The heroine closed her eyes before turning to Ceylon. “Though luckily for you, you won’t be there to see it, because you will be long dead.”

“What⁠—”

The Heroine of Water shook her head. “Relax, I bear no ill will towards you. You’ll die of old age, or at the hands of someone else, I’m simply stating a simple fact; eventually the Heroine of Frost will have nothing, just like me. And while I hope there is someone to console her then, it likely won’t be the case.”

Ceylon paused, taking in the heroine’s words as they continued walking. They were hard to… digest. They were shocking, but also they were things that had a grain of truth to it. And it wasn’t like she herself hadn’t thought about them.

But… why? Ceylon trembled. Why say something like this now?

Suddenly, it felt hard to breathe, and her chest was tight. Such… existential things were her fears, such… thoughts were the things he avoided. Of course, she knew that eventually she’d leave Arc’s side, not of her own choice but because of the way life worked.

However…

“You are wrong,” Ceylon said, tightening her fists as she steeled herself. “I’ll figure out a way, whether it is to extend my lifespan by leveling or something else. I’ll figure out something.”

It wasn’t the first time she had wondered about such things, and one thing was for certain; she didn’t want Arc to have no one again.

For a moment Ceylon remembered the Arc she met, the awkward Arc who had nothing, the girl who simply made a connection with her due to circumstances. Arc had looked… so lonely, so fragile back then. Sure, Arc was strong, she always had been. But Ceylon remembered her apologies, the way she awkwardly behaved, and she knew that that was loneliness.

Eventually, someone was bound to change due to such feelings, often for the worse; and Ceylon didn’t want that for Arc. She didn’t want to leave Arc’s side.

“I won’t let it happen…” She gritted her teeth.

“That is cute,” the heroine smiled, breaking out of her own stupor. “But unfortunately it is an inevitability, all heroes I’ve known are lonely. Even those that achieve their own peace are still their only company, and are tyrants in some way, such as the Hero of Glass.”

Then the woman turned to the sky.

“Such is the fate of us: heroes.”

Ceylon had never pondered something as grand as the life cycle of a hero, but she had pondered about the future. She had pondered about many things, about her fears, about what she could do, and she knew one thing for certain: the fact that the words of the Heroine of Water grated her, and also made her feel something else.

Panic.

Because in the end, they did carry a grain of truth, but even then, Ceylon couldn’t accept it⁠— she wouldn’t accept her fears.

“And who are you to decide Arc’s fate?” she said, raising her voice as she began to shake. “Arc is⁠— Arc is my everything⁠—”

“That’s enough,” a calm voice said, touching her shoulder with a cool breeze. “There is no use in listening to the insane heroine who tried to kill you, Ceylon.”

At that Ceylon blinked as the Heroine of Water paused and lowered her head.

“My apologies, it seems I got carried away…” the heroine said in a low voice. “I’ll let you two be.”

With those words, the heroine disappeared and simultaneously the world around them changed, and suddenly they were back in the castle as Ceylon’s heart raced.

“Well…” the voice began, now more familiar, more sweet. “This is not how I wanted to start but…”

Ceylon immediately turned to see the familiar white figure⁠— the pale woman who had saved her life numerous times and who she had grown closed to, and she seemed as awkward as ever, scratching her cheek in hesitance. But, Ceylon couldn’t hold back, not after all this time. She leapt into her sister’s arms, as her excitement poured over the edge, tearing up.

“Arc!” She cried, sniffling. “I missed you⁠— I thought you were⁠— I thought you⁠—”

“It’s fine.”

Arc hugged her back, as her voice turned soft.

“I’m back now, Ceylon.”