38 The End

After spending some amount of time on the runic trap of the ancient mages, we were finally in the cavern.

The cavern was large enough to hold a small town, and the various tunnels that led out of the cavern reminded me of highways. Running through the entire expanse was a wide stream that glimmered under the light-orbs. There were several multileveled structures on either side of the stream and bridges that crossed the width of the stream at various points throughout the cavern.

In the midst of all this, however, my attention was drawn to a flickering light that I spotted coming from within the second level of one of the buildings just by the stream.

Sylvie and I exchanged glances, understanding each other with just a thought. I turned back to Bairon, who was still taking in the sight in front of us, and Virion, who was catching his breath.

I waved to catch their attention and pointed to the building with the light. Their expressions both grew fierce, all signs of fatigue wiped away in the face of a potential intruder into this place, our last sanctuary in Dicathen.

I took the lead as we descended a set of stairs leading to the ground. We weaved silently through the empty stone structures. I took a mental note to explore these buildings later on. There may be clues hidden about regarding the identity of these ancient mages. However, our first task was to find out who had lit a fire this far below the ground in a secret location.

Arriving at the building, I could hear the quiet muttering of several voices, but the windows were covered by glass, and even with enhanced hearing, I couldn't make out how many voices there were.

Gesturing for everyone to lean in close, I whispered, "I hear at least three different voices, but we should assume there are more than that."

After receiving a nod from Sylvie, Bairon, and Virion, we circled the perimeter until we found the entrance to the building. There wasn't a door, so we inched closer, keeping our backs against the wall until we were just beside the opening.

I held up five fingers and slowly counted down. Once my last finger fell, I pivoted to face the entrance, mana coiled around my body.

I had expected to meet a guard keeping watch, and I was right…

My eyes widened and my jaw fell slack, "Boo?!"

Boo must've been thinking the same thing I was, because the thousand-pound bear charged at me on all fours, letting out a happy grunt and tackling me. Looming over me, Boo revealed a toothy grin before slobbering all over my face with his long, soft tongue.

I struggled under the mana beast's weight as he pinned me down to the ground and slathered me with affection, "Boo—Ack! Stop! Okay! Enough!"

"I think he's had enough, Boo," Sylvie said, her voice calming the excited beast enough for me to escape.

"I feel violated," I groaned, wiping off the thick, slimy mask of saliva that had accumulated over my face. Then it clicked. If Boo was here…

I grabbed Boo's large, furry head and turned him to face me. "Boo! Is Ellie here? What about my mom? How did you get here?" I asked, the questions pouring out of me before I could think them through.

Virion suddenly pushed past me and the bear, and I heard his voice call out, choking with emotion, "Tessia!"

Letting Boo go, I immediately followed after Virion. I didn't have to go far before I was able to see four figures at the base of the stairs near the far wall of the building. It was my mom, sister, Tessia and…Elder Rinia.

My long and hurried strides skidded to a halt. I have to tell them. I was conflicted about it, I wanted to spare them the pain. But giving them false hope would be even worse.

I raised an arm, signalling Ellie to stop. "I…I need to tell you guys something," my voice cracked and I cursed myself for it.

I had their attention and I knew it.

"F-...Fayden is…dead," I choked back tears as I said it.

I didn't dare look up, fearing what I would see.

I heard footsteps coming towards me, and a hand fell on my shoulder, "Arthur, tell me that's a lie. Please tell me it's a lie." She shook my shoulders vigorously, seemingly unable to come to terms with it. It was understandable, hell even hadn't come to terms with it.

I shook my head, "It's not…"

My mother slumped down, leaning upon me and broke down. Ellie was on her knees ahead of me, a hollow look on her eyes, weeping endlessly.

It tore me up inside to see my family this way, it really did. This war with Alacrya had cost us so much, even with this many sacrifices we still lost in the end.

At that moment, I vowed to kill Agrona by my own hands, I didn't care that he was a deity and well beyond me. All that mattered to me was that I would rip Agrona apart.

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My mother had tired herself out and fallen asleep on my shoulder, the same could be said for Ellie. And judging by the bags under their eyes they hadn't slept in a while.

Gently letting my mother down on the floor, I got up and proceeded to do the same for Ellie. I turned to look at the tear stricken face of Tessia, and grit my teeth. I moved away, giving them some space and me some time to reorganize my mind.

We might need to make a trip to civilization occasionally—maybe the Wall—but for now, I considered just resting for a while.

I was tired, Virion was tired, and Bairon was tired—whether he admitted it or not. We all agreed that we had lost the war. Coming to this realization didn't warrant any mind-numbing revelation—maybe I was growing used to winning our battles but losing the war. Agrona utilized his limited resources to their utmost potential and didn't hesitate to sacrifice his troops to further his overall goal. Dicathen had been only reacting, and Agrona knew that all too well. Like Virion said, maybe the best thing to do was to go underground and wait for a chance to fight back.

My thoughts were interrupted by the soft footsteps approaching me. I turned around, greeting Elder Rinia with a nod. The old diviner smiled back, wrinkles tugging at the edges of her eyes. Taking a seat next to me with a weary groan, she lifted her hands to warm them in front of the fire.

"You've grown older since the last time I saw you," she said, her eyes staring blankly at the dancing embers.

I chuckled. "Well, I am a growing teenage boy."

"No teen would be wearing the expression you have," Elder Rinia scoffed. "But I guess that's what comes with war and having so many responsibilities."

My hands unconsciously stroked my face as I wondered what sort of expression I wore and what Rinia meant. Too tired to think deeply, I looked at her, wondering why she had come back alone. "Where's Virion?"

"He said he'll check up on Tessia to see how she's doing, that was quite the bombshell that you dropped back there.."

We sat, gathering our courage together: I, to ask the question, and Elder Rinia, to answer it. "Can you tell me everything that happened?"

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Three days passed by in the blink of an eye. A lot had happened, from Tessia trying to run away and Rinia explaining to me that she knew of our identity ever since we first met. No one smiled, the atmosphere was gloomy in the cavern.

There was little to no ambient mana which made it all the more harder for Virion to heal his body. He had to use what little mana he had, and the occasional help from Sylvie.

Rinia had been working on an ancient portal, using aether to aid the process. It was obvious that it had its toll on her body. I had asked her to rest up a bit, but she denied.

Things had been rather peaceful for the last few days, Elder Rinia even had multiple dimension rings full of rations. That was a pleasant surprise.

But the peace didn't last for long and my numbered days began coming to an end.

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"How do you know that name," I growled, wrapping my aether-strengthened hand around his throat, threatening to crush his windpipe.

"Looks like you're finally…sober," he wheezed. "If you weren't…under the influence of that power that's…killing you right now…you might've already figured it out."

I squeezed harder, making him gag, then loosening my grip. "Who are you?"

Elijah spat on my face, then smiled, revealing his blood-stained teeth. "I was your best…best friend, and you killed my fiancée right in front of me."

My grip loosened, my head swam, and my entire body felt like it was submerged in tar. My heart seemed to have forgotten its rhythm. My throat tightened as if I were the one with the fist crushing my windpipe. It couldn't be…could it?

"Nico?"

Explosions of black and gold from Sylvie's and the Scythe's battle lit up the battleground in the distance, but I was focused on the man I had in my grasp.

"It can't—no, it's impossible. There's no way—"

"That I'm…Nico?" Elijah coughed as he pried my fingers apart just enough so he could speak. "If you and your little lap dog have reincarnated into this world, Grey, why is it impossible for me to have done so too?"

The hand currently wrapped around his throat trembled uncontrollably. I squeezed harder. I didn't want him to talk. I wanted to deny everything. I couldn't bear whatever it was that he was about to say.

"Art! Watch out!"

Tess's scream jolted me out of my thoughts, but I couldn't fully dodge the back spike that Elijah had launched from the ground.

My grip around his neck loosened and Elijah took advantage of that moment perfectly, prying himself loose and punching me square in the jaw with a hellfire-clad fist.

I swayed, nearly losing consciousness, but the runes coursing down my face protected me from the black flames. I started to fall, but a hand grabbed my wrist.

As my weakened body struggled to counteract the otherworldly toxins that had entered my body from the black spike, Elijah lifted me up by my collar and pulled me close. His piercing dark eyes glared down at me while the venom-coated black spike hovered over his shoulder, its tip pointed at my face.

"Art!" Tess shouted. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her aura flaring as she prepared to attack.

"Focus on the gate!" I roared. Focusing on the spike, and a moment later I was free and behind him.

Dark purple lightning writhed off of my fist as it sailed to Elijah's back, burning away the skin and exposing his flesh as he shot forward.

"What did Agrona do to you, Elijah? Did he make you say all of this?"

Elijah's head snapped towards me, as he spat out blood, "Do you think even Agrona would know how you and I used to steal and sell whatever we scrounged to the pawn shop? And that we'd use the earnings to keep our orphanage funded without Wilbeck knowing?"

"That…doesn't mean—"

"Do you think Agrona knows that deep down, you had feelings for Cecilia?"

I stiffened, watching as black fire washed over his back, healing it.

Elijah smirked, but his eyes remained cold. "Cecilia liked you for a time as well, did you know that? But she gave up on you, because you kept your distance emotionally after you found out that I had feelings for her."

"Stop," I whispered, but the anger provided clarity, and I felt my mana core flaring up inside me. The runes spread across my body pulsed as I focused on gathering strength.

"And even when I told you everything I had uncovered about Lady Vera, you turned your back on your best friend for that bitch," he seethed, black flames dancing along his hands. "And as if that wasn't enough, you killed her! You killed Cecilia in front of me!"

My runes and his flames waged a constant battle, but for the moment, it was a stalemate. "Stop, Nico!" I cried, unable to help the tears rolling down my cheeks. "That wasn't what-"

Another explosion rocked the city, the shockwave creating a gust of wind that blew dust and debris even as far as Nico and me.

'Are you okay?' I asked my bond, worried about her after that last explosion.

'I'm fine. It's weird, he's definitely attacking me, but it feels like he's holding back,' she responded. 'How are things going over there?'

'Not so good,' I admitted. 'But I'll be able to hold my own. I just need to get Tess and the others through the gate. '

Just as I finished that thought, a large fluctuation of mana from where Nico had landed drew my attention. He was preparing a spell, a powerful one, but it wasn't aimed at me.

I immediately burst through the air, landing on the ground right between Nico and the teleportation gate.

A concentrated beam of hellfire the width of a wrist pierced through the cloud of dust and debris, targeting the gate.

I narrowed my eyes, it seemed he hadn't figured out my ability. My vision lurched, and I almost threw up from traveling so far, but the deed was done and Nico's own spell hit him dead on.

"He's trying to destroy the gate! Hurry up and activate it and escape!" I yelled at Tessia, once again exchanging places with Nico.

"It's almost done! But what about you and Sylvie?" Tess shouted as she continued to hold the ancient medallion up against the center of the glowing ring, which was slowly turning to purple.

"Just go! Please!" I begged her.

"No!" Nico shouted. He burst forward to try and get past me. However, despite the poor state of my body, my reflexes were still a lot faster than his.

I pivoted and launched myself into him, tackling Nico to the ground and pinning him.

"Let go!" he roared as he flailed, trying to escape my grasp.

Small embers of hellfire ignited throughout his body, but I held strong with the help of aether.

"Hurry up!" I shouted, feeling the black flames slowly burn through the layer of aether and mana protecting me.

Nico suddenly stopped trying to break free and his whole body started to shiver. He looked me in the eyes and said, "You owe me, Grey. You owe me for killing Cecilia!"

"So that's what it is? Cecilia died so you have to have Tess to make it even?" I said, disbelieving. "I didn't mean to kill Cecilia, but even if I had, she wouldn't have wanted this, Nico! Taking Tess isn't going to bring Cecilia back!"

"What if it is?" Nico shot back.

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"Explain what you meant when you said vessel," I demanded, my voice carrying with the help of mana, despite the tired whisper I actually projected.

"You said taking Tess isn't going to bring Cecilia back, right?" Nico said, his voice a lot calmer than it was before. "Well, what if it will?"

"Then I would say you're out of your mind," I retorted, ignoring the burning needles stabbing every inch of my body.

"This is what Agrona has been researching for the last few hundred years, Grey, and your reincarnation was what allowed the gears to start turning. Although, Markus' one was more intriguing. Did you know that a higher power reincarnated him forcefully?" Nico said. "And that was how I was able to reincarnate into this world. After all, if someone deserves a new life, it isn't you…it's Cecilia and me."

"Bullshit," I hissed, the word leaving a trail of pain throughout my lungs and throat. I let the anger fester inside me in order to mitigate some of the pain coursing through my body. The purple motes of Aether moved painfully slowly and I could feel my body deteriorating.

It wasn't fair. No matter how much stronger I became, I always just barely lacked the power to win.

Damn it. Damn it. Come on, now would be a great time for a weapon! I pleaded, clawing at the palm of my hand where that bastard asura, Wren, stuck that aceclorite.

Tess grabbed my wrist. "Arthur, stop! What are you doing to your hand?" Just then, as everyone's eyes were on me, I felt hot liquid pour down my nose, spilling on my hand.

"Art? Your nose…" Tess gently touched my shoulder from beside me, worried.

I hurriedly wiped at the blood running down my nose and lips and looked back up to see Cadell's lips curved into a smirk. "Your body is breaking down, isn't it, Lance?"

"What? Is that true?" Tess asked. "How bad is it?"

"He's dying," Nico said grimly.

"I'll be okay," I lied, shrugging her away. I couldn't even look her in the eye. Instead, I kept my eyes focused on the opponents ahead. Talking was pointless now and whatever that asura jabbed into my hand wouldn't help me out of this one. Whether it was Elijah or Nico, it didn't matter. He was an enemy trying to take Tess, and they wouldn't stop there.

I infused mana into my legs and prepared to make whatever desperate attempt of an attack I could manage, but a small girl suddenly stood in the way.

"Sylvie. Don't try and stop me," I muttered, wrapping my degrading body in mana in preparation for one last battle.

"Would you stop even if I tried?" my bond asked solemnly. She took a step to the side as a golden-white aura flared to life around her. "If you're so bent on killing yourself, we'll go together."

Cadell and Elijah sheathed themselves in their dark mana as well. The ground cracked and splintered around us.

"Nyphia, take Tess and Madam Astera as far away as possible," I said looking back over my shoulder. Shifting my gaze down at Madam Astera's stump, I conjured a simple prosthetic leg out of stone before turning back. "And don't stop."

"Elf Princess," Cadell said, his smirk widening. "If your dearly beloved stays in that form any longer, whether he wins or loses this battle, he'll die."

"Leave her out of this!" I shouted, but by the time I turned around, Tess had already shrugged off Nyphia.

Tess didn't speak to me, though. Instead, she gripped Sylvie's wrist and asked her, "He's lying, right? Tell me he's lying, Sylvie!"

I wedged my hand inside my protective chest plate and pulled out the medallion that Elder Rinia had given me in order to bring Tess back. If she was right, then this entire world and countless others would fall to Agrona if Tess was in his hands.

No. I couldn't let that happen.

It all made sense now. For whatever reason, Tess was the vessel for Cecilia. Maybe it was because of our relationship in this world, which had to create the bridge, but that didn't matter.

If the three of us became this strong after reincarnating into this world, how strong would Cecilia—the "legacy"—be if she reincarnated into Tess' body?

A shiver ran down my spine at the thought, I couldn't let it happen.

'I'm sorry Tess.'

In an instant I cleared the distance between us, and hit her at the base of her neck. Her body crumpled down, Nyphia lifted her up.

I activated Static Void once again, leaving Madam Asterta, Nyphia, Tess and Sylvie unaffected.

With no time to waste, I threw the medallion that had the coordinates engraved in it and held my hand in line with it. I curled the fingers of my outstretched hand as if I was molding the aether around the medallion. What manifested from it was a teleportation portal of my own.

"Into the portal, now!" I shouted as I struggled to keep it stable. Wasting no time, the three of them left through the portal.

"Sylvie…it's t-time to go," I said, but my bond just looked at me in horror. She reached up and wiped away the tears streaming down my face, but her hand came away red with blood…my blood.

"Arthur, you're not going to make it," Sylvie said, and I felt her consciousness go deeper into mine. I couldn't shield my thoughts from her in my current state; my mind was an open book.

"The portal isn't…it isn't going to stay stable for much longer, Sylv. P-please, I can't have you die too," I said, pushing my feelings into her: my desperation, my sadness, my despair, my hope. I made her feel it all, so she would understand.

A wave of blinding pain hit me and the negative world of Static Void rippled like a bubble about to pop. Disoriented, I tried to force Sylvie into the portal, but my strength had already begun leaving my body.

"Sylv? What are you—" My eyes widened in horror as I realized what she was doing.

Sylvie glowed purple, growing and spreading until she stood before me in her dragon form.

"Try to keep yourself alive while I'm gone, okay?" Sylvie said, giving me a toothy grin.

"Sylv, no! Don't do this!" I screamed. Desperate, I tried to push her to the portal, but my hands went right through her.

Sylvie's body had become ethereal and she was fading as motes of lavender and gold began drifting away from her diminished form and attaching themselves to my body.

I writhed in unimaginable pain at the sudden change my body was going through, but I held on, unable to pass out. My vision faded as I screamed out to Sylvie, and she pushed me through the portal with the last remaining corporeal limb she had left, her last words engraved into my mind as darkness overcame me.

"Until we meet again…"

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Authors Note :-

And with that, we come to the end of Strife of the Gods.

I know that there weren't many changes in the fight, but hey why change what's perfect?

I'll be uploading the premise to book 3 in a while, so that you guys can add it to your libraries to get alerts when I upload. Which I fear isn't gonna happen for a pretty long while. I'd say around mid March would be my next update, finals are messing my schedule up.

But, if they are held online, I might just update long before that. Though that seems unlikely.

Tales of Avernia will still get updates every week, so there's nothing to fear there. And COTW will get an update when I return.

I will be seeing you guys in March then, until that time comes.

Farewell