Chapter 1147 A Funeral
Chapter 1147 A Funeral
After the tower stabilized again, peace reigned for a while. Those inside the tower continued on with their lives, starting a new era of trade under their new lord. Rumors about the second floor becoming the best place to live reached those in the wilderness, but many still wanted to conquer this tower.
Since the Red Tower had an infamous reputation throughout the universe, many warriors came to challenge it. Some of these warriors remained on the third and fourth floors, still seeking to conquer the tower.
A few days before these challengers began seeking the tower master, a funeral without attendance took place on the fourth floor. The Strings of Fate, which had always sought to resurrect the Demon King that would destroy the world, attended.
Ilia Perli lowered the coffin to the ground, which contained the corpse of his brother. Those who died of sickness do not get resurrected inside the tower, because they would just die again. Thus, the corpse remained, with tear marks on its eyes.
"You don't need to be here, my lord," said Ilia as he lowered the coffin and jumped out from the grave he had dug. "I just wanted to give Yuvan a proper burial as his older brother."
"I want to be here," said Arthur as he raised his hand, creating a metallic shovel. Ilia looked at him for a few seconds before grabbing his own shovel. Then, the two men began covering the coffin with earth until it disappeared.
No one said a word during the burial. Even the Strings of Fate did nothing except stand there and watch. Ilia did not invite them, but they appeared after Yuvan died. These people had no more desire other than destruction, which made Arthur pity them.
Once the coffin was below the earth, Ilia brought a wooden tombstone. Despite his desire to take revenge on the man, Arthur did not deny him a proper grave. Thus, he helped Ilia with the tombstone.
[Yuvan Perli]
Arthur stared at Ilia Perli carving his brother's name on the tombstone, and remembered the first time the two of them met. It was in the ball where Arthur was awarded the medal of heroism. Ilia greeted him at that time and tried to recruit him for the Unbroken Corps.
Life has a weird way of working out. Ilia was an enemy at one point in life, now, Arthur could not trust him any more than he did. This man was the embodiment of honesty and righteousness. On the other hand, Yuvan Perli was a master of deception and evil.
The two brothers were different sides of the same coin. This made Arthur worry about his own brother and his current whereabouts. In the end, Oren was right about the powers of wrath. They were cursed, but they were a necessity.
"I remember the first time I saw Yuvan in mother's embrace," said Ilia as he stared at the tombstone, his knees digging through the soil. "I was seven when he was born. The moment he was born, he caught a terrible flu, so severe it almost killed him. All I remember was his burning skin as I touched him."
Arthur crouched to sit on the ground a few feet behind Ilia, allowing him to grieve. From his position, Arthur could see the whiteness in Ilia's hair as he approached his fifth decade.
"At that time, I feared for him. My prayers didn't cease as I promised everything that I could think about just to see him get better. He did, but I never fulfilled the promises."
"Because there is no one to promise, Ilia."
"I know, but I took his health for granted. The moment he got better, I no longer thought that I would need to pray again. I neglected him to pursue my ambitions, thinking that he would be just fine. Never realized that I was the disease my brother had, not the flu."
"Others will view your existence through a distorted lens, shaped by countless experiences and accumulated emotions. You can be the hero for some, the villain to others, Ilia. We both know that."
"I never considered myself to be either. My purpose was always to reach the next goal and accomplish another grandiose feat. In my pursuit of honor and fame, I forgot the things that matter. My mother died without my being there, and my brother went astray."
Arthur did not chime in this time. He understood that Ilia needed to process the loss of his brother without any help. After all, there was nothing that anyone could do to make the pain any less. However, his words reminded Arthur of his own mother and brother.
It was at this time that he saw himself in Ilia, focused on his own goals and battles. He never took a minute to stop and think about his brother and mother, who were also fighting their own battles.
After a period of silence, Ilia rose from the ground. Arthur snapped out of his daze and looked at the man dust himself off before turning toward Arthur and bowing his entire body.
"Even though my brother committed many atrocities, you were still merciful enough to bury him with me and allow me to mourn. You have my sincere gratitude, my lord, Arthur Netherborne. Please let me serve you in this life and the next."
"I would not accept any other person to stand beside me, Ilia," said Arthur as he floated to stand on his feet. Then, he offered a handshake. "Forgive me for making him suffer the way I did, but it had to be done."
"There is no need for apologies, dear lord," said Ilia as he shook his hand. "Before his death, Yuvan asked me to thank you. He said that even if it was just a dream that crushed his soul, it still made him realize that everyone deserved love and happiness. Moments before he died, he confessed that he no longer wishes for the world to be destroyed if it had you."
Arthur found himself lost for words. Even though the last words the two exchanged were Arthur rejecting him, Yuvan changed moments before his death. It was at this instant that the laughter of children echoed in their eyes.
Ilia was confused as he turned around, looking for the source of the sounds. Arthur, on the other hand, realized what was happening instantly. The laughter and joy came from within the grave, as Yuvan relived a memory of his past.
"Your brother's soul did not join the kingdom of wrath," said Arthur as he stared at the sparkling light rising from the grave. "He no longer hates nor resents this world."
Ilia stared at the sparkling lights that rose from the ground, hearing memories of their childhood from them. Despite the life that he had, Yuvan died in peace because he accepted his fate, no matter how twisted and lonely.
As he witnessed the miracle and heard the voices, Ilia cried again. This time, his tears were nostalgic of a distant past. The laughter of their younger selves reminded the man that some memories are worth remembering.
"I apologize, sir, because my brother found peace although he was vile," said Ilia with tears streaming down his face, which he refused to show to Arthur. "He does not deserve rest after killing so many. I know he does not, but I am selfish enough to feel happy that he did."
"Everyone deserves peace upon their death, Il
ia," said Arthur as he grabbed the man's shoulder, which shook a little. "Your brother was just another victim of an unfair world that condemned him to make wrong choices."
After a few minutes, the lights disappeared and so did the sounds. Ilia wiped away the tears from his eyes before turning toward Arthur, smiling at him and nodding.
"Let's return, my lord," said the middle-aged man, to which Arthur nodded. Then, the two walked away from the grave, as did the rest of the Strings of Fate. As the grave sat on the grassy hill, the tragic story of a villain ended.
Residents of the tower also found peace under the rule of Dorian. Challengers reached the fourth floor to conquer the tower since monsters no longer attacked them, but they found a more terrifying opponent waiting for them.
Ramiel took the duty of protecting the tower that his king conquered. No one managed to defeat him, and they had to suffer seeing him eat the handmade lunch Luna Stormblade made for the demon. That made most of the single men vomit blood in rage, before leaving the fourth floor and heading toward the second.
Dorian was fair and honest, making him loved by all those serving him. Although he wielded immense power and wealth, he barely spent money on himself, and instead invested every power he had to develop Karma City.
In the short span of a week, the city became the oasis inside the tower. Its population reached a staggering million before long, making it thrive even farther. While it was developing, the tower master was hard at work creating an artifact that would shake the world.