Chapter 204: Rescue Complete

The woman in front was the first to react.

"Mr. Holmes! You're back!" 

Soon after she was followed by the rest who cheered. Adryan laughed a little at this.

"Of course I'd be back, or were you doubting me?"

The woman shook her head sharply, tears still falling from her eyes, but not of fear but of happiness.

"I never doubted you!" 

"You're going to make me cry at this point." Adryan with a short laugh as he wiped away a fake tear.

He walked to the cage door and using the key he unlocked it. He braced himself in case any traps were to be triggered, but it wasn't necessary.

With a creak, the door opened. Looking at the people inside the cage, Adryan nodded calmly.

"The building is now clear so you can come out calmly."

Slowly the people filed out and before heading for the exits, each of them thanked the masked redhead with a tight hug along with a few words.

"Thank you so much for saving us!"

"You are a saint Mr. Holmes!"

"You are my guardian angel!"

"Mr. Holmes, you're my hero!"

"Are you single?"

Adryan just smiled at everyone and hugged each of them back. The basement emptied until only Adryan, Jerry and the woman from before were left.

Jerry was still looking at him from her sitting position while the woman was standing in front of him. Still without leaving the cage.

"Is something wrong miss?" the red-haired man was a bit puzzled at the woman's behavior.

Her mouth opened and closed, but no words came out, she was gathering the courage to say something. After a few seconds, she let out a somewhat anxious sigh, and wrapping her arms around the man's waist, she hugged him tightly.

"Thank you for saving me again Mr. Holmes. I will never forget what you have done for me and I will remember it until the day I return to the embrace of the Evernight Goddess."

Adryan returned the embrace as he did with all the previous hugs and chuckled a little.

"Hopefully that day will be a long time coming."

The woman nodded and tightened her embrace a little more, after a few seconds she pulled away from the red-haired man, and tears again fell from her eyes staining the man's chest a little.

She looked a little alarmed at this, but Adryan didn't think anything of it. Compared to what had stained his chest throughout his two lives, a few drops of water were nothing.

Seeing that what she had done didn't seem to matter to the masked man, the woman nodded somewhat embarrassed with reddened eyes.

She walked quickly to the stairs, but before leaving she turned to look at the man.

"My name is Serena Williams. I don't know if it's too much to ask, but please don't forget me."

The corners of the redhead's lips lifted.

"Don't worry. Now that I know your name I won't forget you as long as I live."

"Thank you." The woman sobbed a little and turning around, she walked up the stairs leaving Adryan and Jerry alone.

Turning his gaze away from the stairs, Adryan's eyes returned to the still seated figure of Jerry who was looking at him with her gray eyes slightly misty, tears drying on her cheeks.

After a few seconds of staring at him, she looked down at the floor.

Letting out a quiet sigh, the red-haired man walked over and sat down next to the girl.

"..."

"This place isn't safe." Adryan commented calmly as he looked at Jerry, his red eyes watching her from head to toe looking for any injuries he hadn't seen before.

'No very serious injuries but I'm worried about that black eye, maybe she has a small concussion but I can't be sure... I have to take her there to get her checked.' The redhead thought as he waited for the little girl to say something.

Jerry looked at the ground ignoring the man's words.

Seeing this Adryan sighed again and looked straight ahead. After another 10 seconds, he spoke.

"I know what happened to your father."

"!"

Jerry's body began to tremble slightly at the man's words, the girl's dry lips opened and closed but again, no words came out.

Adryan looked at this and his gaze softened.

"I'm really sorry about what happened with your father but you can't stay here, that's not-"

"DON'T YOU DARE FINISH THAT PHRASE" Jerry stood up angrily and faced the redhead, tears falling from her eyes again.

"DON'T THINK YOU KNOW WHAT MY DADDY WANTED. YOU DIDN'T KNOW HIM SO DON'T TALK LIKE YOU DID" The girl roared in his face spitting out some spittle, but Adryan wasn't bothered at all.

All it did was make the man's heart ache more for the little girl.

"You're right I didn't know him, but from the way you defend him I can see he was a loving and gentle father." Adryan spoke softly and Jerry tried to say something, but she choked on her words.

Knowing she couldn't say anything she just clenched her fists tightly and her lips trembled even more as did her body. The tears were still falling and she blew her nose.

"It hurts doesn't it?"

Jerry choked on her words again and fell to his knees, but she was still resisting. Her gaze was smoldering, but she was only a few words away from breaking.

Adryan smiled sadly, he removed his right glove and with his bare hand touched Jerry's head. He gently ruffled the girl's hair and in the softest voice, he spoke.

"It's okay, you don't have to try hard to hold it in anymore, let it out. Scream, cry, hit me if you want I'll take it all..."

Those last words were all it took.

"WAAAAAAA!"

Jerry broke into a heart-wrenching cry and lunged at Adryan's chest, she began to hit him with everything she had as she screamed disconsolately.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

"HE TOOK HIM FROM ME. HE TOOK HIM FROM ME."

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! 

"THAT DEMON TOOK MY DADDY AWAY FROM ME."

Thump! Thump! Thump! 

"HE TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME... EVERYTHING!"

Thump! Thump! Thump... Thump...

Jerry was hitting Adryan's chest with all her might but each blow became weaker and weaker until it was barely a graze.

Thump... Thump...

With no more strength to strike, Jerry grabbed the red-haired man's jacket and sank her face into his chest, and wept. She cried so hard that her voice was breaking showing how wounded her young soul was.

"I WANT MY DADDY BACK. I WANT HIM TO HOLD ME AND TELL ME EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY."

"WAAAAAAA" 

Adryan said nothing, he wrapped a gentle hug around the little girl and let her vent.

"Sniff..." 

He heard a small sob inside him too, but decided not to say anything. It wasn't the time or place for that.

Besides... He could feel a small tear running down his cheek.

...

It took 15 minutes for Jerry to stop crying, but she didn't do it because she felt better but because the little girl's body couldn't take it anymore and she had fainted in the redhead's arms.

Adryan wiped with his right hand the tears that kept falling from the face of the sleeping Jerry. Still holding the girl in his arms, he took off his black jacket, leaving only his shirt, and covered the girl with it.

That done, he placed her gently on the ground. He got up and walked over to the bodies of the fallen Beyonders...

Sealing the characteristics in the multiple containers he always brought with him as well as taking their wallets, Adryan looked at a dark corner where a figure was watching everything.

"Good job Ñoño, you can go back now." Adryan said flatly and the soldier nodded.

Before fading into golden dust the soldier returned Hangover Time to the red-haired who took it and put it in his pocket.

With all that done, he returned to the sleeping Jerry who was clutching his jacket tightly.

The red-haired man put the Burn Band back on his arm as well as his glove.

Adryan lifted Jerry in his arms and around him fireballs formed and hit several places in the basement as well as the staircase.

Watching as the basement burned along with the bodies, Adryan along with Jerry disappeared into the shadows.

...

Rose Street, Harvest Church

Crack*

"Ah much better" Sasha Strauss let out a pleased groan as she thundered her neck and felt the stress of the day leave her body. She was dressed in her brown robe along with a necklace with the Earth Mother symbol on it.

"Are you tired Sister Sasha? If you want you can take a break. I'm almost done here." A gentle voice spoke at her side.

Sasha shook her head and gave a big toothy smile to the blood-eyed woman.

"Don't worry Opera I just needed to stretch a bit. Besides, if I leave who would help you move the boxes?"

"Hehe, you're right." Operas laughed softly at her friend's question and continued working with a smile.

Opera couldn't be happier with her life now. It had now been almost 3 weeks since James brought her here and she felt more grateful to him with each passing day.

Compared to how dark her life was before now she felt like she was finally walking in the light.

Sasha watched as Opera was working with a smile before returning her attention to her work. She could see how Father Utravsky was calmly cleaning the altar, the mother who always came had taken her daughter to her first day of school and would only come in the afternoon so they would have a quiet morning this time.

'Opera made oatmeal cookies. Mmmmm I want to try them already!' Sasha thought hungrily and she could feel her mouth watering.

She would have kept thinking about food but the mountain that was Father Utravsky stopped cleaning the altar and turned to look at a dark corner.

Sasha was a little confused at this and followed the man's gaze, seeing what he was looking at the giantess's eyes widened.

'Boss!' Sasha thought stunned.

Adryan who had stepped out of the shadows and was walking towards them, looked at Sasha with a tired expression under his mask, Jerry sound asleep in his arms.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, but I need your help."