Chapter 40: The Prodigal Son Returns
(A/n A little surprise in the end)
/// 3rd POV ///
Two silhouettes walked through the narrow hallways. Their footsteps muffled to a bare minimum as they walked through the stony hallways. A veil of silence enshrouded the entire place. But the silence was not awkward or filled with malice. It was a comfortable silence.
"--thur, Arthur!" Azreal raised his voice as he snapped him out of his stupid.
"You seem way too lost… and messy." Azreal said as he looked at him, examining him from head to toe.
"Ahh, thanks for your hospitality that I'm left with only these tattered clothes." Arthur said as he let out a bored snort eliciting a chuckle from the old man.
"Looks like you've gone deaf from your own screaming. I just told you we're here." Azreal said as the same double doors opened in front of him.
"How much time has it been outside?" Arthur asked as his brows twitched like he was remembering something.
"9 years. Must be 900 for you." Azreal said in an empathetic tone.
"No need to feel sorry. I just got what I deserved. I'm grateful enough I made it out alive." Arthur said as he stepped inside the huge room. The room was as grand as ever. Gold and beautiful shiny white marbles embellishing every corner of the room. Arthur went straight In front of the throne as he stood in front of the king, staring straight into his eyes.
The king, Michael, looked down at him from his throne, which laid 10 metres above his eye level, hovering over the onlookers like a ferocious beast. Michael stood up, pressing the armrests of the throne,
"Thanks for peacefully accepting your punishment Arthur. I'm grateful, indeed. Now, at the very least let me take you back to your children." Michael said as a smirk formed on his face.
"Thank you, your maj- wait, what do you mean by Children?" Arthur interrupted his own greetings as his head was dipping down in a bow raised up to meet his eyes.
Michaels brow raised as he looked at his older brother, Azreal. "You didn't tell him?"
Arthur looked at Michael and then at Azreal alternately, "Tell me what?"
"I just thought it would be a good idea to let him see for himself." Azreal said as his cane appeared in his hand, "time for you to go back, Arthur. Our blessing lay with you and your children for generations. Wishing you a peaceful life here after." He said as he tapped his cane on the ground and Arthur's body vanished in an instant, the purple specks, the only proof of him.
"I liked the boy tho. Maybe I should invite him some other time here." Michael exclaimed under his breath as he turned around and started to walk towards his throne.
Arthur fell from the sky as he crashed face first into the ground. He got up removing the dirt from his face and from his body that managed to sneak inside from the tatters inside his clothes.
"Haha, you Azreal bastard. I'm going to kill you." He said, frustration dripping from his voice as he let his bloodlust out.
—--------------------------------
The warm spring wind blew and blew some fallen leaves. It even greeted the face of a woman who was sitting drinking tea and looking at the scene in front of her, the wind blowing her midnight blue hair into a mess.
The woman picked up a box-shaped object on the table, then pointed it in front of her, a click sounded in the air as a blinding light shot out of it, captured the image of the scene in front of her, and stored it as a lasting memory.
The woman smiled and then looked at the scene in front of her again.
In the farthest corner, there were 2 girls of different ages sitting on the grass, the older girl was combing the hair of the little girl. Their hair was both the same color, wheat white. The little girl was chattering to her older sister. Her ruby red eyes flashed playfully as she spoke excitedly.
In the opposite corner, in a large field, there were shadows that moved very fast attacking each other, the bigger shadows left a purple trail with every move, the smaller shadows left a blue trail of the shadows of his hair. Every time the shadows collided, there was the sound of metal clanging.
The little one spun around like a hurricane as it launched a barrage of blinding strikes but were parried by the purple haired man as a veil of purple enshrouded him.
"Ok! Enough you two! " said a black-haired person, who was standing a bit far away and looking at the two shadows who were fighting in front of him.
After a while the smaller shadow stopped moving, and there was a 9 year old boy with blue hair holding his knees, he looked exhausted, he took a few breaths and then spoke "You cheated uncle Regis! You promised not to use Aether while sparring!" The boy's golden eyes glared at his fighting opponent, his midnight blue hair falling over of his sweaty face. "Uncle Nico, he is cheating right?!" The boy turned his gaze to their jury.
Shocked for a moment at being looked at with such a gaze, Nico swallowed his saliva 'How can a child of this age have a kiilling intent like this?' he thought then he replied "Well, I can't blame Regis, he-"
"You're the one who learns too fast brat! If I hadn't strengthened my neck with Aether, you would have cut it off!" Regis said back while sighing and glaring.
"You're so stubborn uncle!"
"You're so stubborn too, brat!" They glared at each other, trying to channel the irritation from their eyes. Then suddenly they both laughed loudly. Regis reached out his hand to the boy and pulled him up until he was standing on his feet. Which the boy accepted with a wide grin.
************
/// Caera's POV ///
I looked at the scene in front of me with a forced smile. I looked at the two children of the opposite gender alternately. The girl who was with Sylvie was very similar to me physically, and the boy who was sparring with Regis was very similar to him physically, to his Father.
Days turned into days, then turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and before I knew it 9 years had passed. Yes, it's been more than 9 years since Arthur disappeared from this world, from my world.
My world without him seemed go to so slow and so blurry, I felt like waking and sleeping is the same, morning and night is the same, everything seemed numb and bland to me. Losing him was the most painful thing in my life.
But I still believe that Arthur just disappeared, even though everyone believes that Arthur is.. Dead, I still believe he will come back someday. Back to us, back to me.
I don't know how long I'll keep waiting for him to come back.
However, my world returned to its color when my two children were born into this world. I'm excited to go through the day because of the two of them. And now, the two of them had grown up. Watch them grow without Arthur was hard enough for me, without Mom, Alice, I'm sure I wouldn't be able to live day by day.
The spring wind blew slowly again, I closed my eyes enjoying the warm afternoon breeze, and instantly, Arthur's voice and face flashed in my mind, this happened every time I closed my eyes.
Her wheat-white hair swayed in the wind, her golden eyes looked at me gently, and there was a glimmering light in her eyes indicating the traces of tears there. He smiled gently and said "Take care of our child." Ahh, I even still remember his whispering voice clearly even after 9 years have passed.
I,,
miss him so much..
"Mom, why are you crying?" I opened my eyes, then met a pair of golden eyes that looked at me with a worried look. His little hands held mine which was in my lap, they were shaking there. My boy.
"Mama remember Papa again?" I averted my eyes and this time met a pair of red eyes that were watering there, ready to drop tears from there. My girl.
I shook my head and then I wiped my tears "No honey, I'm okay, don't worry" I opened my arms and they both hugged me. Bury their little bodies in my arms.
I felt a gentle squeeze on my shoulder, tilting my head, I saw Mom standing next to me giving her a gentle smile to comfort me.
Everything happened so fast, without us knowing it, suddenly a very powerful explosion appeared on the field. The ground below us shook violently, and sent a shockwave that pushed us away from the explosion. On reflex, I pulled my two children and hugged them both tightly then strengthened my body with mana. Ignoring the pain that hit me as my body hit the wall behind us.
A ringing sound rang in my ears, I shook my head to clear my thoughts then looked around me. Dust and smoke filled my surroundings, blocking everyone's vision. When my mind was clearer, I saw my two children who were hugging me tightly. I let go of their arms and I saw their bodies one by one. "Are you guys hurt? Is anyone sick?" They just shook their head slowly in response. Fortunately, there were no significant injuries on their bodies.
"Caera! ....! .....! Are you all right?" Rey-Dad ran through the flying dust and came to us. Mom is behind him.
"We're fine dad"
"What happened gramps?"
"I don't know, I-"
Suddenly an extremely strong pressure was felt in the air, making the air even vibrate at it. This killing pressure and bloodlust felt extremely dense and pure, whoever caused that explosion and gave off this kind of pressure was no ordinary person. It's...like an Asura, no Asuras paled in front of this pressure. It was something….. even more divine.
The flying dust and smoke slowly dissipated, revealing that the front of the small house where we lived was shattered to nothing but ruins. I saw not far from where we were, Sylvie turned into her dragon form and growled towards the source of the explosion, Regis who was beside her turned into her destruction form and glowed purple at this moment.
"Dad, Mom, please take the kids inside" I said pushing … and ... Behind me.
Mom and Dad nodded and led the children into our house.
I walked forward to Cecilia who was beside Nico right now. "Who is it? Why are they attacking us?" I asked them both.
"I don't know, when I was in the forest I felt a strong power coming, that's why I quickly came back here"
"Is it the Asuras? Haven't they become our allies this time?"
No one answered Nico's question, we were silent waiting for whoever caused the explosion.
I took out my red sword and concentrated on the source of the pressure. Try to sharpen all my senses. I can't let anyone hurt my children.
When all of my senses were sharpened, I looked for traces of the pressure that someone was giving off. But...
*thumps thumps*
Strange, this is so strange, why do I feel so familiar with this pressure? The pressure didn't swallow me up. I actually feel very comfortable with this pressure. (Masochist Caera mode on)
I walked forward, ignoring the intense pressure that kept pushing me away. I even brushed off a hand that prevented me from moving forward.
Like a magnet, something pulled me forward, and I couldn't resist. My feet continued to step forward, my mind seemed to be blurry, I continued to walk through the smoke and dust created earlier from the explosion.
Planting mana in my eyes, I saw more clearly, and from the cloud of smoke and dust, I saw the silhouette of a person standing there. The image of someone who looked so familiar to me.
And in an instant, as if smoke and dust didn't exist, suddenly the smoke and dust disappeared from around me. As if sucked somewhere.
And I froze at the sight in front of me, and drop my sword.
A large crater was created in the middle of the field, the surrounding ground was scorched and emitted smoke from it. The surrounding plants even burned to nothing.
But what made me freeze wasn't the chaos that was around me, but what was in the center of the crater, the person who was standing of the others.
A man, around the age (how Azreal looks? I forgot hehe) and that person is holding a man next to him with one hand.
The man's hair was very long and white-wheat in color, his hair was messy and covered his entire face, his clothes were also torn and holes in some parts. As he lifted his head, his eyes peeked out through his hair. His eyes are.... Gold.
*thumps thumps*
Our eyes met and I know those eyes very well. The eyes I've been missing for a long time.
My body was still frozen, my whole body stiffened, but my legs felt so weak that I fell to the ground, unable to stand any longer. I covered my mouth, I... I couldn't believe what I was seeing...
Not taking my eyes off his figure, I watched him move. He stood up straight confidentiality and then walked towards me dragging his feet, leaving the person who was holding him earlier behind him.
Time seemed to stop spinning around me. With every move he made toward me, all of our memories spinning around in my mind.
When we first met, all the time we spent together, all the little things I shared with him, all the things he gave and sacrificed for me. Everything repeated in my mind. His eyes, his smile, his touch, and his voices..
"Caera…" He said, made my tears fall.
"Art...." Without even realising it I was sobbing at this time. Trying to breathe normally and saying his full name is very difficult right now.
He came and knelt in front of me, tears flowing from his eyes that were probably as much as mine. But he smiled very gently at this time.
"Caera Leywin, my wife, sorry for waiting so long, I'm home now" he said then pulled me into his arms.
I hugged him back, hugged him and confirmed that this wasn't a dream then said "Welcome to home, Arthur"
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A/N 2:
Hey, are the vibes in this story familiar?
This chapter is specially created by two different authors. Can you guess who I am?
This is the last chapter of PSR.
Wow, it's been a long journey, and for you who followed this fic from beginning, you must have noticed how his writing has grown much much much better every chapter.
I remember editing his first chapter 🤦♀️😅 and he asked me to help again on the last chapter.
So.. this is the end of PSR.
Hope you like this chapter!
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