Chapter 358 - Welcome Back
Irus was smirking while watching the shocked expression on the boys' faces. He turned to Madam Locraine who had the same expression. "What? You didn't know?"
"No. Irus, what do you mean?" she asked. "Does this have to do with what you told me about the bread?"
Irus gave her a toothed grin, "Exactly about the bread. My father gave me and my six siblings seven pieces of bread. I took dirt and crafted three pieces of bread from mud, replacing the bread from three of my siblings."
"And those bread represents the Blessings?" Lance asked. "You replaced the Blessings?"
"Greed, Gluttony, and Sloth. All three of them," Irus shrugged. "Two of which were the ones Malice stole."
"So, she had a fake Bless along with–" Connor paused. "Lance, you got the Blessing of Greed, right?"
Lance nodded hesitantly, "I-I did. So, I have a fake one."
"The fake blessings will disintegrate with time," Irus then frowned. "Someone's coming. I'll tell you more when Elliot wakes up."
Frederick dashed forward, standing in front of Lance while raising both his hands beside him defensively. Dark blue wisps started appearing all around them, with Fredrick staring at Irus with ill intentions. "Who are you and how were you able to do that?"
"Frederick, it's okay," Lance said. "He's with us."
"I'm not with you," Irus corrected. "I only wanted to stop the madness because I don't want any more deaths. The right thing to do was stop the ruckus and that was the–"
"The darkness in your aura is saying something else though," Frederick said. The wisps started to glow brighter, they were now burning with rage and slowly got closer to Irus. "I have never felt such darkness in my life. And believe me, I have seen a lot of them."
"The darkness is a natural trait," Irus said. "But I have no ill will. It would be best for me to just go, but I have to speak to Elliot first. Him and I have a lot to talk about."
Fredrick's flames slowly dimmed. He lowered his arms and took a deep exhale of relief, "Thank God, I didn't have to fight anymore. My body is exhausted and my mana has been depleting."
Irus narrowed his eyes, but a smirk was playing on his lips. He shrugged and turned to Madam Locraine, "Mama, I need to rest too. Can I sleep in your arms?"
"For eons, all you did was stare at the empty void while being sealed," Madam Locraine smiled. "Come here, my child."
Without a second later, Irus fell to her arms. His eyes were closed and the presence he was exuding immediately shut down, leaving only a small portion of the power he was showing. A soft snore came from the Sin while a smile slolwy reached his lips.
"You're home," Madam Locraine kissed his forehead. "You're finally home."
"Woah," Connor, Ed, and Hope chorused.
–
Three days have passed and Elliot and Irus has yet to wake up. Their unconscious state made everyone worry. If it was only, Elliot, they would understand if he couldn't wake up right away. But since Irus too fell in deep slumber, the fear of something might be wrong started to enter their minds.
While the two were asleep, the kingdom had to rebuild itself. A funeral was held the day after the incident, everyone wore white as a parade was commenced in memory of the fallen Adventurers.
The total casualty wasn't as bad as they initially thought. The Sins eliminated large numbers of Adventurers from groups, but it turns out only an eighth of the Adventurers present in the stadium were killed.
This surprised even the Trinity of Power who witnessed the killings themselves. The Holy Crow promised to pray to the Almighty for a week after he said what their deity did to them. The Raven Justice thought it was too much but he kept his opinion to himself.
The man himself investigated how the Son of Heaven followers turned. It turns out, the Oracion Alma had infiltrated the church long before the Twilight War started. The cult had their plants in the church and made them rise in the ranks to control the flow of their operations.
The rest of the cult was thrown in the dungeons and was set to be executed but their bodies lit aflame the night of their captivity. The Raven Justice assumed this was their way to keep their secrecy.
Braun was freed after his name was cleared. He told the police that he wanted to stop Polschk from continuing with his plan, but the old man removed the memory in him as to what he was making him stop Polschk in the first place. That was why he was blindly following the man while trying to stop him.
As for the Legendary Crusaders, they were asleep for a day but they woke up immediately. Platt returned to the Afterlife while the others rehabilitated to heal their wounds. Their wounds were deep, but they weren't a serious threat to their lives.
It was the afternoon of the third day and Lance was in the roof of the inn they were staying. A mug was in his hand while he watched the people rebuilding the city pack up. The lights were turned on one by one, and the people filled the streets.
"It seemed like you're in deep thought," Jameson sat beside him. "Elliot is still asleep, I assume?"
"I just think that it's beautiful how we work together like this," Lance said without looking away from the scenery of the city in front of him.
"You're starting to sound like Elliot," Katarina appeared on the other side. "That kid sure is filled with surprises."
"He is," Lance chuckled. He looked up and was now watching the darkening skies. "Speaking of Elliot, aren't you gonna leave, Katarina? You're free technically since he had died. You promised him your life, but it's a new beginning now."
"I promised him my existence," Katarina said. "I am his shadow and I owe him everything. Besides, he is yet to fulfill his end of the deal."
"Makes sense," Lance chuckled. "And what about tou, Jameson? Any plans of returning to your kingdom soon? The Twilight War is over."
"I think I'm gonna stick around," Jameson said. "I am somehow attached to that boy. It would be disrespectful if I just disappear, don't you think?"
"He has that effect on people," Lance chuckled. "He's–"
Lance stopped when the presence of the two disappeared. He stood and raised his arms in defense, thinking it was an attack. He looked around and felt Jameson and Katarina in the floor below him. The two had stable auras, making him wonder what happened.
When he turned around, a light laugh escaped his lips. A boy was standing in the rooftop door, a blanket was wrapped around him and a grin was plastered in his lips.
"One of them passes through walls and the other is fast as hell," Elliot chuckled, grinning while seeing the shocked expression on Lance's face. "My friends are all cool, you know that. Don't look so surprised."
A gentle breeze of wind passed through them while a tear escaped from the prince's eye, "You idiot.. Welcome back."