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Every single inch of Pluto bathed under a gray light. The ashes on Pluto—the remnants of the billion dead humans—floated with the fiery storm that wrecked the planet.
“I am sorry I couldn’t save you all those years ago,” Varian gently whispered as he landed.
The storm died down to a breeze, and the gentle breezes carried the ashes to him. The ashes swirled around him as if they were about to drown him at any moment yet didn’t touch him.
Varian couldn’t understand why but his famine power’s ability to distinguish life and death made one thing clear.
The ashes weren’t completely dead…yet. There was something in them, something he didn’t know, that made them different from dead things. Perhaps it was a soul, a spirit, or something else.
It had no power, physical or mental. It was like a spectator, allowed to only watch and make no impact.
“I was young at that time. I couldn’t understand what the news entailed, but I felt really sad,” Varian gently caressed the ashes and closed his eyes.
The memories of that day flashed in his mind. The horrifying deaths, the wails of the helpless, the doom of a billion. His young mind didn’t understand the depth of that horror.
“After I grew up and gained the powers, I wanted to avenge you all one day. I didn’t think if that conviction would make any difference. Abyssals had to die, revenge or not. But now, I’m glad I killed them trying to avenge you,” Varian smiled and his eyes narrowed. “Even though you’re all gone, some part of everyone still remained.”
The gentle breeze stopped and the ashes slowly began to fall.
“Now it’s all over. You can rest in peace.” Varian gently grabbed a handful of ash and buried them in the ground.
It was the trigger. The ashes all over Pluto began to melt into the ground and disappeared. Bit by bit. As if they the last part of their existence was finally bidding farewell, the ashes of a billion dissolved.
“This is my first and last gift to everyone.” Varian lifted a finger and tapped into the space.
The sky rippled and a small but firm crack appeared. Out of it came the Abyss Emperor’s corpse.
Varian clenched his fist and the corpse wriggled before an invisible force ripped the heart out of the body and brought it in front of him.
“I wish I could’ve buried him whole here. But Neptune lost more of us. A lot more. He will be buried there. But I can give you his heart.”
Varian snapped his fingers and the heart exploded into bits of violet and green. Then a lump of water materialized in the air and enveloped the blood. After assimilating the blood, the water went straight into the sky and formed hundreds of clouds.
The clouds dispersed all over Pluto and rained the river of blood. The rain water seeped into the ground and washed the ashes, bathing them in the blood of the man responsible for their death.
Today, a billion souls were avenged.
— — —
“Father,” Sarah knelt in front of the healing pod and lowered her head.
“H….He won,” An old man so thin that he looked like a skeleton covered in skin, moved his lips with difficulty and said.
“Yes. He did.” Sarah gently held her father’s frail bony hand to avoid breaking it and said with a smile, barely holding back the tears threatening to spill out. “And he proposed. I said yes.”
Evander’s muddy eyes brightened and his dried, purple lips lightly arched up. His weak chest heaved up and down while his breath grew ragged.
His already fragile heart began to tweak in protest as he experienced extreme joy. “Ah…Hahaha…”
Evander used all his strength to turn his head to the side and glance at the face of his daughter.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t see her face properly. It was blurry and dim. But he could imagine her.
“B-Be happy,” Evander’s voice was lower than the flapping sound of a fly. Even then, it seemed as if he was using all his strength to speak. “I…I’m sorry I wouldn’t be able to make…it.”
The door opened and Sia stormed in with teary eyes. “You promised her. You promised me.”
Evander opened his mouth to speak but his throat was failing him. He felt weaker and his eyelids began to droop.
“I…” It felt like he was pushing his chest out of his mouth. “I am…sorry…”
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Evander stared at the ceiling and his eyes slowly grew dimmer. Breathing grew difficult and every time he pulled air into his lungs, it felt like he was trying to fill a balloon riddled with holes.
It hurt. It hurt badly as his legs grew numb. Then it caught up to his abdomen and waist. It was a chilling coldness that ate into his very being.
Evander spasmed and groaned as the gut-wrenching pain wrecked his body. His frail body began to collapse further with his excessive moments.
“Haa!” Evander struggled to breathe.
“Father!” Sarah cried out in panic and looked at the medical bots for help. The bots tried to stabilize his condition but it continued to worsen.
“You’re our only elder, if you go too, we’ll be orphans.” Sia sniffed back her tears and muttered in a low voice.
She prayed for him to recover. But he’s really beyond any help. His vitality was fundamentally broken and he’s now a tree without roots, destined to die.
Evander felt his eyes slowly close, and as they did, he sighed in his heart. He’s happy to have died for the greatest cause. But he still regretted that he was going to miss his two daughters’ marriage. He regretted that he was going to break his promise to Sia and his responsibility to Sarah.
As his vision turned dark, Evander sighed as his consciousness grew blurry. ‘But at least with Varian, I can go with peace of min—’
“You’re not going anywhere, old man.” A familiar voice rang in his ears and the darkness enveloping him was ripped apart by a pillar of light that struck deep inside him.
Evander felt something inside him stir and then a tremendous vitality flooded him. It was richer than anything he’d ever seen or heard. A single drop of this vitality was enough to grow a forest for a hundred years. And now, an entire river of such vitality was filling his entire being.
The weakness in his body, the fragility of his being, and the fatigue in his soul all disappeared as if they never appeared in the first place.
Evander blinked his eyes and stood up in confusion. His arms were no longer wrinkly and his head was no longer bald. And his chest no longer hurt.
“What happ—” Evander paused midway as he heard a familiar voice. It was his own voice, but not frail and weak but strong and deep. His original voice. The voice of Earth Academy’s Dean, the voice of Earth’s high general.
“You did promise to do your duties on the marriage. How can you be allowed to die?” Varian shook his finger at Evander and grinned. “Try harder next time.”
“What next time?”
“Stop joking around.”
Sia and Sarah chided him for the joke.
But Evander stared at him blankly. Varian’s face didn’t change much since they first met. It appeared more mature but he’s still incredibly young. But what did change was the temperament.
From a confused and hot-blooded young boy to a man who wielded power so high that he could fight against entire humanity by himself and still win.
Seeing him bicker with his lovers like they were just the neighbor kids, Evander recalled the young student who arrogantly barged into his study not too long ago.
‘If you want humanity to survive, make me your disciple.’ Varian said a year ago.
And now, he did save humanity.
Humanity survived.
His disciple saved humanity!
“Hahaha!” Evander suddenly burst into laughter and pulled Varian.
The bickering stopped and the girls looked at the two men in surprise.
Evander patted Varian’s shoulders and smiled at him with pride. Varian smiled back in gratitude and promise.
Sometimes, words weren’t needed to speak.
A sincere smile was enough.