It was over. Guardian Angel Z357 was gone, and the Voidgod was exiled back into the Fractured Realm. Now, it was just Ar’elith and I standing here in the middle of the devastated mountain range illuminated by the orange light of dawn.
Or— his name was Arthur now. He was the Lich King once, but not anymore. He shook his head before bowing his head.
“Thank you,” he said softly as he wiped the tears from his cheeks. “For giving me a chance to right my wrongs.”
I rolled my eyes as I took a step back. “Thank me later. Let’s just get out of here first… I really hope Z isn’t going to quit on me when I get back.”
“Right.” Arthur shuffled his feet, slightly confused, but not questioning me.
“Come on, give me your hand. I’ll carry you back to Wolfwater. Although… you’re pretty weak as you are right now, so I’ll take it slow.”
I proffered him a hand, and he took a step forward. I narrowed my eyes as he drew closer. And I stopped him, shaking my head.
“But before that—” I said as I gestured at him. “You need to put on some clothes.”
Arthur blinked. Then he looked down at himself, before his eyes went wide.
“Oh.”
He flushed, covering his crotch as he shifted back. I rolled my eyes as I pulled out an extra pair of pants from my Bag of Holding.
“Here, wear this.”
“S-sorry,” he said as he quickly moved to put on the pants. It was too tight for him, but it was better than nothing. “I didn’t even realize I was…”
“It’s fine,” I snorted. “Now let’s get going.”
—--
“There she is!” Noele exclaimed as she saw the figure zipping through the sky.
Saros and Garron looked up and narrowed their eyes. The two adventurers got to their feet as Amelia descended down into the forest. Noele had been standing the entire time, waiting for her mentor to return.
She had seen Guardian Angel Z357 pass over the landscape about half an hour ago, so she already knew that Amelia was on the way. But she didn’t expect to see her mentor arrive with a stranger in her arms.
“Amelia— who’s that?” The blonde girl blinked.
She stared at the disheveled man. He was half-naked— all he wore was a pair of ripped pants. His skin was deathly pale, and his hair was dirty blond. He was probably ten to fifteen years older than Noele, but he had an oddly wizened visage. Like his brown eyes were black and hollow.
Saros frowned. “Where’d you pick this hobo up from?”
“Is it over?” Garron asked, shaking his head as he ignored the gnome’s rude question. “Did you win?”
“Yeah, everything should be fine for now,” Amelia said as she waved a hand dismissively. “Come on, let’s get back to Wolfwater.”
She took a step forward, urging the three adventurers forward as the disheveled blond man shifted back. He averted his gaze, and she proffered a hand expectantly. Saros and Garron shrugged and approached her.
But Noele narrowed her eyes. She saw the way her mentor avoided the question. She noticed the uncomfortable look on the stranger’s face. So she pressed the question.
“Wait, Amelia… who is this? Where did he come from?”
Saros and Garron glanced back at the blonde girl. She looked past them, staring at Amelia. It was a simple question. The brown-haired woman could have answered it with a single sentence. And yet, she hesitated.
She scratched the back of her head as she explained. “Oh, he’s, uh… his name is Arthur.”
“Arthur?” Noele peered at her mentor suspiciously. That didn’t explain anything.
And Amelia clearly knew that. She apprehensively bit her lower lip, before sighing.
“Well, he’s called Arthur now. But you may know him as… Ar’elith the Lich King.”
The three adventurers froze. Noele’s eyes grew wide as her jaw dropped. She stared in shock at her mentor, before turning to face Arthur.
“...what?”
The Noble Spellsword couldn’t believe it. But by the expression he wore, it was evident that Amelia wasn’t lying. It was the truth. Arthur was the Lich King.
“But… how? No—”
Noele shook her head. She gritted her teeth, turning to face her mentor.
“Why?”
Amelia shrugged. “It’s complicated. But he’s weak now, and he’s not really Ar’elith anymore…”
“That doesn’t matter!” the blonde girl exclaimed. She pointed accusingly at the former Lich King. “He’s the one who nearly destroyed all of Laxo ten thousand years ago!”
Arthur winced at her words. Garron rubbed his chin, and Saros massaged his temples. The Gnome Inventor shook his head as he sighed.
“This is insane… you’re insane, Amelia. What in the Thrones makes you think that sparing the First Lich King is a good idea?”
“First of all, I didn’t think it was a great idea. I already killed him once before, remember? But look at him— he’s literally not the same person he was before.” Amelia gestured at Arthur. “Secondly, I’m not going to just let him wander around doing whatever he wants… he’s going to be my bartender.”
“That’s—” Saros opened his mouth. He stared at her as she held his gaze. And he threw his hands in the air exasperatedly, giving up as he drew back. “Whatever! I don’t care anymore! Do whatever you want!”
Noele watched as the gnome stormed off for a moment, before coming to a halt. He must have realized that there was nowhere for him to march off to, so he just milled about over there as he grumbled to himself. The blonde girl turned back to face her mentor.
“Amelia…” she said with a serious look on her face.
“Look, I already had this argument with Z. I really don’t want to rehash it again.” Amelia shook her head. “Arthur is not Ar’elith—”
“But I am,” Arthur finally spoke up as he stepped forward. Amelia blinked at him as he nodded at her. He placed a hand on her shoulder as he managed to muster up a weak smile. “Thank you for defending me. But I don’t want you to make excuses for me either.”
Noele’s brows snapped together. She stared at the former Lich King as he took in a deep breath. He turned to her and held her gaze.
“Yes, I am the one who was called Ar’elith. And I am the one who was responsible for razing half of Laxo to the ground. I have committed an uncountable number of atrocities. I regret every single one of my past actions, but I also know that isn’t enough for me to be forgiven…” He lowered his head as he hesitated. “And nothing I do will ever be enough. I can never be forgiven for what I have done.”
Arthur stared at the palm of his hand as it trembled. He clenched a fist, before exhaling heavily.
“I deserve your hatred. I deserve to be vilified for the things I did. But I have a chance to finally do some good— after so long, I can right some of my wrongs. I know I cannot fully rectify my past mistakes. That nothing I do will ever be enough. So I am not asking for you to trust me. However, please let me use this opportunity Amelia has given me to do what I can to make the world a better place.”
Noele’s gaze bore into him. She saw the way he hesitated— the way he seemed to doubt himself. And it was clear in the look of disdain he had for himself that he was speaking from the heart. That he was not lying.
She pursed her lips as she turned to Amelia. The brown-haired woman crossed her arms.
“There you have it,” she said simply. “If Arthur tries anything, I can easily stop him. But I doubt he’d even be able to hurt a fly at his current state. He lost his levels, and he reverted back to a human. I’m pretty sure even Harlan is stronger than him now.”
Noele didn’t respond. She just chewed her lower lip as she looked between Amelia and Arthur. But a voice from behind drew her attention.
“I, for one, agree with Amelia,” Garron said as he strode up to the blonde girl. She turned to face him as he looked towards the former Lich King. “As he is right now, Arthur is harmless. He can’t hurt anyone. But he can help others. And that’s all that matters, right?”
“I…” Noele opened her mouth. But she stopped herself. She glanced between her mentor and the Steel Tank, before looking back towards Arthur.
The former Lich King looked like he was about to avert his gaze, but he steeled himself at the last moment. He looked the blonde girl directly in the eyes and nodded. She lowered her head and sighed.
“I still think it’s a bad idea,” she finally said. “And I cannot agree with this. But… fine.”
Noele acquiesced as she closed her eyes. She remembered all the stories her sister had told her about the First Lich King as a child— it was horrible. And yet, it happened so long ago, it was hard for her to fully contextualize the true terror of his atrocities. Only he knew what he had done, and that was why he asked for this.
The blonde girl sighed as she glanced at Amelia. “It’s not like I can do anything about it anyway…”
Arthur nodded as he took a step forward. He placed a hand on his chest, giving Noele a grateful look. “I understand how you feel. And I know that nothing I do will never be enough to make up for the atrocities I have committed. So thank you— for letting me do this.”
“I’m not doing this for you,” Noele snorted as she turned away from him. “Let me make it clear— I do not like you. I do not approve of this. So do not try and befriend me. Because I will not reciprocate you.”
“...right.” Arthur backed up as he lowered his head. “I understand.”
And Amelia clapped her hands together as she swept her gaze over the group. “Alright, now that that’s settled— let’s head back!”
She paused as she watched Noele, Garron, Saros, and Arthur approach her. She placed her hands on her hips, shaking her head.
“And remember: no screaming.”
“...no,” Noele said simply. “I will scream as much as I want after what you’ve done.”
Amelia snorted, and the blonde girl chuckled. And with that, they took off, returning to Wolfwater.
—--
“Thank you, Melissa. You are dismissed.”
Kallistus Kal waved a hand, and Melissa swept back. She smiled as she bowed low.
“Of course, my liege. I will send scouts to investigate the Breve Mountain Range, then I will contact them immediately.”
With that, she took her leave. He watched her go as the large double doors slammed shut behind her. The [Hero King] was left alone in the dimly lit throne room. He sat there as he closed his eyes.
And he tried to sense the source of power that had been so overwhelming just a few hours ago. But it was gone. It had surged to such an extreme level for a brief moment— one that eclipsed anything he could comprehend— before vanishing in an instant.
There was still some traces of the Void’s essence left in the air. However, it was such a minute amount that it was practically nothing. Especially compared to the extremity it had reached seconds before it dissipated.
Melissa hadn’t noticed it— none of the [High Mages] in his court detected it. Of course not. They weren’t touched by the Void. They could not possibly parse its power. But they had noticed a bright light shining from the Breve Mountain Range.
Kallistus knew that the fight was over. Nothing remained of that power. However, he still sent scouts to investigate it just in case he could find anything that would be useful to him. He especially wanted to know what it was there that dispelled the Void.
He had his suspicions. He believed that it was very likely to be the Guardian Angel. But he needed confirmation to be sure. Because if the angel was truly capable of overcoming such power…
The [Hero King] needed to make preparations. He needed to concoct a plan for his inevitable second meeting with the Guardian Angel. And once that was settled, he’d finally be able to freely study the limits of the Void’s power.
And then with it, Kallistus Kal would seize its power to return back to his world.
But for now, he made his preparations. He schemed. He readied a trap.
MelasD
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It was over. Guardian Angel Z357 was gone, and the Voidgod was exiled back into the Fractured Realm. Now, it was just Ar’elith and I standing here in the middle of the devastated mountain range illuminated by the orange light of dawn.
Or— his name was Arthur now. He was the Lich King once, but not anymore. He shook his head before bowing his head.
“Thank you,” he said softly as he wiped the tears from his cheeks. “For giving me a chance to right my wrongs.”
I rolled my eyes as I took a step back. “Thank me later. Let’s just get out of here first… I really hope Z isn’t going to quit on me when I get back.”
“Right.” Arthur shuffled his feet, slightly confused, but not questioning me.
“Come on, give me your hand. I’ll carry you back to Wolfwater. Although… you’re pretty weak as you are right now, so I’ll take it slow.”
I proffered him a hand, and he took a step forward. I narrowed my eyes as he drew closer. And I stopped him, shaking my head.
“But before that—” I said as I gestured at him. “You need to put on some clothes.”
Arthur blinked. Then he looked down at himself, before his eyes went wide.
“Oh.”
He flushed, covering his crotch as he shifted back. I rolled my eyes as I pulled out an extra pair of pants from my Bag of Holding.
“Here, wear this.”
“S-sorry,” he said as he quickly moved to put on the pants. It was too tight for him, but it was better than nothing. “I didn’t even realize I was…”
“It’s fine,” I snorted. “Now let’s get going.”
—--
“There she is!” Noele exclaimed as she saw the figure zipping through the sky.
Saros and Garron looked up and narrowed their eyes. The two adventurers got to their feet as Amelia descended down into the forest. Noele had been standing the entire time, waiting for her mentor to return.
She had seen Guardian Angel Z357 pass over the landscape about half an hour ago, so she already knew that Amelia was on the way. But she didn’t expect to see her mentor arrive with a stranger in her arms.
“Amelia— who’s that?” The blonde girl blinked.
She stared at the disheveled man. He was half-naked— all he wore was a pair of ripped pants. His skin was deathly pale, and his hair was dirty blond. He was probably ten to fifteen years older than Noele, but he had an oddly wizened visage. Like his brown eyes were black and hollow.
Saros frowned. “Where’d you pick this hobo up from?”
“Is it over?” Garron asked, shaking his head as he ignored the gnome’s rude question. “Did you win?”
“Yeah, everything should be fine for now,” Amelia said as she waved a hand dismissively. “Come on, let’s get back to Wolfwater.”
She took a step forward, urging the three adventurers forward as the disheveled blond man shifted back. He averted his gaze, and she proffered a hand expectantly. Saros and Garron shrugged and approached her.
But Noele narrowed her eyes. She saw the way her mentor avoided the question. She noticed the uncomfortable look on the stranger’s face. So she pressed the question.
“Wait, Amelia… who is this? Where did he come from?”
Saros and Garron glanced back at the blonde girl. She looked past them, staring at Amelia. It was a simple question. The brown-haired woman could have answered it with a single sentence. And yet, she hesitated.
She scratched the back of her head as she explained. “Oh, he’s, uh… his name is Arthur.”
“Arthur?” Noele peered at her mentor suspiciously. That didn’t explain anything.
And Amelia clearly knew that. She apprehensively bit her lower lip, before sighing.
“Well, he’s called Arthur now. But you may know him as… Ar’elith the Lich King.”
The three adventurers froze. Noele’s eyes grew wide as her jaw dropped. She stared in shock at her mentor, before turning to face Arthur.
“...what?”
The Noble Spellsword couldn’t believe it. But by the expression he wore, it was evident that Amelia wasn’t lying. It was the truth. Arthur was the Lich King.
“But… how? No—”
Noele shook her head. She gritted her teeth, turning to face her mentor.
“Why?”
Amelia shrugged. “It’s complicated. But he’s weak now, and he’s not really Ar’elith anymore…”
“That doesn’t matter!” the blonde girl exclaimed. She pointed accusingly at the former Lich King. “He’s the one who nearly destroyed all of Laxo ten thousand years ago!”
Arthur winced at her words. Garron rubbed his chin, and Saros massaged his temples. The Gnome Inventor shook his head as he sighed.
“This is insane… you’re insane, Amelia. What in the Thrones makes you think that sparing the First Lich King is a good idea?”
“First of all, I didn’t think it was a great idea. I already killed him once before, remember? But look at him— he’s literally not the same person he was before.” Amelia gestured at Arthur. “Secondly, I’m not going to just let him wander around doing whatever he wants… he’s going to be my bartender.”
“That’s—” Saros opened his mouth. He stared at her as she held his gaze. And he threw his hands in the air exasperatedly, giving up as he drew back. “Whatever! I don’t care anymore! Do whatever you want!”
Noele watched as the gnome stormed off for a moment, before coming to a halt. He must have realized that there was nowhere for him to march off to, so he just milled about over there as he grumbled to himself. The blonde girl turned back to face her mentor.
“Amelia…” she said with a serious look on her face.
“Look, I already had this argument with Z. I really don’t want to rehash it again.” Amelia shook her head. “Arthur is not Ar’elith—”
“But I am,” Arthur finally spoke up as he stepped forward. Amelia blinked at him as he nodded at her. He placed a hand on her shoulder as he managed to muster up a weak smile. “Thank you for defending me. But I don’t want you to make excuses for me either.”
Noele’s brows snapped together. She stared at the former Lich King as he took in a deep breath. He turned to her and held her gaze.
“Yes, I am the one who was called Ar’elith. And I am the one who was responsible for razing half of Laxo to the ground. I have committed an uncountable number of atrocities. I regret every single one of my past actions, but I also know that isn’t enough for me to be forgiven…” He lowered his head as he hesitated. “And nothing I do will ever be enough. I can never be forgiven for what I have done.”
Arthur stared at the palm of his hand as it trembled. He clenched a fist, before exhaling heavily.
“I deserve your hatred. I deserve to be vilified for the things I did. But I have a chance to finally do some good— after so long, I can right some of my wrongs. I know I cannot fully rectify my past mistakes. That nothing I do will ever be enough. So I am not asking for you to trust me. However, please let me use this opportunity Amelia has given me to do what I can to make the world a better place.”
Noele’s gaze bore into him. She saw the way he hesitated— the way he seemed to doubt himself. And it was clear in the look of disdain he had for himself that he was speaking from the heart. That he was not lying.
She pursed her lips as she turned to Amelia. The brown-haired woman crossed her arms.
“There you have it,” she said simply. “If Arthur tries anything, I can easily stop him. But I doubt he’d even be able to hurt a fly at his current state. He lost his levels, and he reverted back to a human. I’m pretty sure even Harlan is stronger than him now.”
Noele didn’t respond. She just chewed her lower lip as she looked between Amelia and Arthur. But a voice from behind drew her attention.
“I, for one, agree with Amelia,” Garron said as he strode up to the blonde girl. She turned to face him as he looked towards the former Lich King. “As he is right now, Arthur is harmless. He can’t hurt anyone. But he can help others. And that’s all that matters, right?”
“I…” Noele opened her mouth. But she stopped herself. She glanced between her mentor and the Steel Tank, before looking back towards Arthur.
The former Lich King looked like he was about to avert his gaze, but he steeled himself at the last moment. He looked the blonde girl directly in the eyes and nodded. She lowered her head and sighed.
“I still think it’s a bad idea,” she finally said. “And I cannot agree with this. But… fine.”
Noele acquiesced as she closed her eyes. She remembered all the stories her sister had told her about the First Lich King as a child— it was horrible. And yet, it happened so long ago, it was hard for her to fully contextualize the true terror of his atrocities. Only he knew what he had done, and that was why he asked for this.
The blonde girl sighed as she glanced at Amelia. “It’s not like I can do anything about it anyway…”
Arthur nodded as he took a step forward. He placed a hand on his chest, giving Noele a grateful look. “I understand how you feel. And I know that nothing I do will never be enough to make up for the atrocities I have committed. So thank you— for letting me do this.”
“I’m not doing this for you,” Noele snorted as she turned away from him. “Let me make it clear— I do not like you. I do not approve of this. So do not try and befriend me. Because I will not reciprocate you.”
“...right.” Arthur backed up as he lowered his head. “I understand.”
And Amelia clapped her hands together as she swept her gaze over the group. “Alright, now that that’s settled— let’s head back!”
She paused as she watched Noele, Garron, Saros, and Arthur approach her. She placed her hands on her hips, shaking her head.
“And remember: no screaming.”
“...no,” Noele said simply. “I will scream as much as I want after what you’ve done.”
Amelia snorted, and the blonde girl chuckled. And with that, they took off, returning to Wolfwater.
—--
“Thank you, Melissa. You are dismissed.”
Kallistus Kal waved a hand, and Melissa swept back. She smiled as she bowed low.
“Of course, my liege. I will send scouts to investigate the Breve Mountain Range, then I will contact them immediately.”
With that, she took her leave. He watched her go as the large double doors slammed shut behind her. The [Hero King] was left alone in the dimly lit throne room. He sat there as he closed his eyes.
And he tried to sense the source of power that had been so overwhelming just a few hours ago. But it was gone. It had surged to such an extreme level for a brief moment— one that eclipsed anything he could comprehend— before vanishing in an instant.
There was still some traces of the Void’s essence left in the air. However, it was such a minute amount that it was practically nothing. Especially compared to the extremity it had reached seconds before it dissipated.
Melissa hadn’t noticed it— none of the [High Mages] in his court detected it. Of course not. They weren’t touched by the Void. They could not possibly parse its power. But they had noticed a bright light shining from the Breve Mountain Range.
Kallistus knew that the fight was over. Nothing remained of that power. However, he still sent scouts to investigate it just in case he could find anything that would be useful to him. He especially wanted to know what it was there that dispelled the Void.
He had his suspicions. He believed that it was very likely to be the Guardian Angel. But he needed confirmation to be sure. Because if the angel was truly capable of overcoming such power…
The [Hero King] needed to make preparations. He needed to concoct a plan for his inevitable second meeting with the Guardian Angel. And once that was settled, he’d finally be able to freely study the limits of the Void’s power.
And then with it, Kallistus Kal would seize its power to return back to his world.
But for now, he made his preparations. He schemed. He readied a trap.
MelasD
Start of the new month! Best time to patron!
You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here!
Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit!
Or follow me on twitter!
