18 The long ride home

"I wish you a safe journey in your travels," Beck said

"Are you sure you can't stay?" said Evan

"T-thank you for everything," mumbled Tia.

On the border of the city, Tempus, Beck, Eva, and Tia stood about to depart.

"I have to head back to the Demon Realm. I've been ignoring my duties by coming here."

"You didn't have to come and visit," Beck said, sarcastically.

"Trying to make a joke? Do you not remember what position you are in?"

Tempus and Beck exchange a few words before he returned to deal with the destruction of the arena.

"What are those on the back of your carriage? They look like bodies?" Eva pointed out.

"That's because they are," Tempus replied. "I arrived thanks to two adventurers, I wouldn't have made it without them. Beck used them for his plan, so I'm going to bury them in their hometown."

"Oh. I-i see." The air got heavy from the conversation. The three of them stood awkwardly before Tempus was able to say he was leaving. Eva and Tia questioned Tempus's decision but didn't want to mention anything. They didn't want any more sad departures. They already had too much going on.

He quickly left the city by himself in a dragon-horse-drawn carriage. He used his Dragon Crest to leave the city without the worry of them checking his luggage, and began his journey home.

He travelled nonstop until he made it back to the place he met Zack and Kat.

He parked his carriage outside Caitlyn's tavern and went to explain everything that happened.

She didn't say anything as she trusted Tempus' words. Afterwards, the two of them took the bodies and buried them in the garden of the Tavern. Praying for their souls. Tears fell to the soil below. Caitlyn stayed breathless until she placed her hands together, remembering the times she spent with them and the smiles that were always on their face.

"Do you want to stay the night?" Caitlyn asked. "It's getting kinda dark."

Tempus could see that Caitlyn wasn't in the right state of mind. Zack and Kat's deaths shocked her and she was unsure of what to do. Tempus knew he still had a few days before he had to return so he decided to stay. He wanted to make sure Caitlyn was fine more than anything. He continued to tell her of the stories of his travels, along with all the information she needed to know about what happened at the academy to her friends.

"They didn't deserve to die," Tempus said unable to eat.

"It's not your fault. Beck was the one that killed him."

"Was it right for me to let him go? He will die soon but maybe I should have killed him then and there."

"Well, I'm glad you didn't kill him," Caitlyn said. "Although he has killed innocent people. I don't believe he should die as a way to repent."

Tempus looked down at the food in front of him and twiddled it around his fork.

"I'm not that kinda person. I've killed plenty of innocent people."

"Hmmm…" Caitlyn wasn't shocked. Tempus isn't the first person to tell that to her. "You're an interesting person Tempus, so I'll listen. Tell me about yourself. I want to hear about your life and why you are you."

Caitlyn stood behind the bar and smiled at Tempus ignoring what he had just said.

"My life, huh? I've lived far too long and have experienced many things. I watched my parents get killed and I even killed someone who loved me more than anything all because I wanted power. It didn't bother me at the time but hearing some of my old names from the Jester Mask made me look back on my life."

Caitlyn listened to Tempus's life story but it was quickly interrupted by a group of people entering the tavern.

"Ah, Welcome!" Caitlyn instantly turned into her waitress mode. Tempus looked at the people that entered and remembered the pain they caused him. During his first visit, the drunkards beat him up and caused him much pain.

"What are you doing back here?" The leader said.

"I'm not in the mood. Leave me alone." Tempus quietly sat to himself in deep thought, still confused about what was right and what was wrong.

"What was that?" The group went up to him and began poking at him. Pushing him around whilst laughing as Caitlyn failed to stop them.

"Look." Tempus stood up. "If you want to fight then I'll fight you if I win then you never return and cause trouble here ever again."

"A fight? Huh, remember how that went last time? But I'll take you on again. I'm still pissed off about everything from before."

"No!" Tempus said. "I'll fight all of you. All of you fight at once."

"HA! You got some guts, kid. This'll be fun."

The drunkards all ran towards Tempus whose eyes looked as if they'd just encountered death. His soulless eyes lit up from the fragments of ice that swarmed the drunkards like a plague of insects. Each piece danced between the drunkards, surrounding and scraping them as they tried to move. The sheer amount of ice moving around forced them into place. They couldn't move and they weren't stupid enough to try. Just one touch was enough to burst a vein.

"There. I think this counts as my win." Tempus said as he shattered all the ice into fine dust particles.

The drunkard's all stood down and left the tavern, the leader had no clue what he was doing. It was over in seconds. Tempus' speed was unmatched and for someone without magic training, they didn't stand a chance.

"I'm glad you held back," Caitlyn said.

"I'm sorry. I must have scared you."

"N-no… It's ok. I'm glad you got rid of those guys."

Tempus sat back down but didn't feel like doing anything any longer. He planned to leave and go to sleep before leaving in the early morning but was stopped by Caitlyn.

"I don't know what type of person you are. I don't know what you've been through and I don't know about magic or anything like that, but you are incredible. Your magic was something that I feel like any mage will aspire to be like. You may think you are heartless and you may have killed people, but I feel like sometimes we can forgive even murder. Maybe that's why you let Beck live."

"I guess if I did kill Beck the destruction I caused would have been the Demon Realm's problem."

"Hehe… See you're already joking again. The way I see it, you're alive because of people like Beck. I'm only young myself, but even I know this world isn't as nice as I wish it was. Maybe you're always the one being protected, and maybe it's your time to protect others."

Tempus knew he was always being protected by his parents. Just like him, his parents were mages. They were strong and had countless enemies. They protected Tempus when he was young. They even sacrificed everything so he would live.

"Maybe you're right," Tempus said. "Maybe I do need to protect others. It's just a shame I couldn't protect Zack and Kat, and with what happened to Beck. It's hard to think that once we got along."

"Don't worry about them. I'm sure they would also want you to be happy. Protect this world, Tempus. Protect people. I'm sure you're good at that."

That night Tempus didn't sleep. His mind kept racing with thoughts of the past and his mistakes and the dream he spoke to Zack and Kat about. He thought back to the battle with Ren and Beck and constantly criticizes himself. He had been acting as if he was blind to all the issues with the world. He has the power and the position in the world to change it, and that is what he will try and do.