Gen moved towards the original spot he had picked. What he first built was now no more and, as such, he made up his mind and began to build it again.

He would build an entire underground maze that would be his own.

And he would fortify it with enough runes that even Nangua would not be able to do shit about it.

…

Drem watched as Ame left him alone and went to Risa to start working on her own place, away from his own.

It broke his heart.

He loved her too much to even blame her.

He decided to turn his attention away after a few more minutes of watching her. It would only bring him more pain to continue. And yet, he was feeling as if he needed that pain…How weird.

He looked at the empty ground left in the middle. There was not that much space left. Then again, he did not need much for himself.

He circulated his energy and created vines. He began to build himself a small house.

One kitchen, one bedroom, one bathroom, one hall.

There was no need for anything else and, even then, he probably did not even need all this. He looked at the vine construct and nodded to himself. It was not much but it was his.

A new home.

He entered his house.

He created some furniture like tables, chairs, closets and a bed. He made sure to create a comfy one since sleeping is the greatest way to rest. Sleeping had always been important to him. Only by having a rested mind could one control his body correctly.

Or so he was taught years and years ago.

He did abide by this precept ever since and it did not fail him.

He laid face first on his bed.

Then he cried silently with his head buried in pillows he just made. It was not the best way to welcome these new items into the world but he needed it.

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Right now, he needed to evacuate the pain.

And this was effective.

So, he cried.

Risa sighed as she saw how Ame watched as Drem entered his little house alone. The man was a wreck but so was the woman.

Her body had changed and everything she knew was flipped upon itself.

It was only a matter of time until she broke down.

She would probably do it while away from prying eyes though. Risa respected that. She was not a good confidant when it came to love issues anyways.

Her only love was justice.

And it was a twisted one.

She focused to finish Ame’s residence first. She could at least do that. It was not much and she was very much able to do so.

Ame’s hill was small.

The little house built upon was lonely and small too. She thanked Risa and entered her new ‘home’. It was empty like her heart. It was neither cold nor warm, in a state of neutral ambiguity.

She went up to the room that would be her bedroom and sat in the corner. She hugged her knees and cried.

She had held her tears for so many days…She could finally let it all go.

Risa sighed.

With her abilities, she was doubtlessly able to sense what was happening in both houses. However, she did not pry more than a second. She could at least respect their privacy.

She spent the rest of the day building her little palace instead. It was nothing much, far from the grand buildings she used to frequent back in her days, but it was a start.

She smiled when she was done.

It was made of white stone and supported by pillars with many artistic depictions. She always had a thing for sculpting… She used her memories to create these artistic details. It was about her life and what she fought for.

Of course, aside from Gen, no one would probably recognize any of it. It was quite some time ago after all.

Vestiges of a past long forgotten.

Moments that seemed important yet ended up not mattering in the grand scheme of things.

Life was such, maybe? It would not stop her from trying again and again. As long as she breathed, so would her ideals exist.

She would fight for them once more.

Maybe it would succeed this time?

If not, she would only have to try again.

Gen was laying down on a bed within his new underground lair. It was only around thirty meters deep for now but it would be enough. He would first fortify this area before going further.

As he laid there in his bed, he thought upon his life.

He reflected on his actions.

Was it worth it? It always seemed so.

But had it been?

In the end, nothing that he did- or that Risa did- mattered. Things stayed the same after their real selves ascended. People were still fighting each other out of greed and no one cared about others.

Was it wrong of him to believe that this was wrong?

Was it wrong that everyone, him included, was a sinner to him?

His justice was not about righting wrongs. He believed everyone was wrong. It was solely about punishing everyone.

Until there would no longer be anyone deserving to be punished.

Which would never happen.

He knew it. He was aware of that. But, so what? He would live his life in his own way, with his own beliefs.

And it would begin here. He would create a true power and spread his belief.

Once more.

He had been granted another chance, another opportunity and he would not waste it.

Even if he somehow someday managed to reach the Peak once again, he would give up ascending to remain here.

There was still far too much to be done.

That he should do.