Chapter 83: What's Left

  After Dolos disappeared, the silence that followed was crushing. I still couldn't believe what had happened, and how he orchestrated practically everything.

  I turned to Chronos, feeling I had a chance to apologize for what I had said to him last time. “I’m sorry.”

  Chronos gave me a weak smile, shaking his head. “Don’t worry, Aidan.” His voice was tired, distant. “If there’s one thing we’ve learned from all of this, it’s that I was the one who failed. There were so many things I could have done differently, but I refused to see the loopholes Dolos found eons ago…”

  Before I could say anything more, Goren collapsed to his knees, his body trembling as he shook his head violently.

  “I’m sorry!” He called out. “It’s all my fault! He was the one empowering me, and I missed everything! I should’ve known – I should’ve done something! I should’ve noticed him replacing the shard!”

  Chronos didn’t hesitate. Despite his weakness, he knelt down beside Goren and pulled him into a one-armed embrace.

  “No, Goren.” His voice was calm, filled with something I hadn’t expected from him – self-blame. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I failed to see who you truly were. I kept telling Aidan to stay away from you. If I had been wiser, I would have capitalized on your true nature – on your loyalty – to forge a real alliance between the two of you and take down both Erebus and Dolos.” He shook his head. “My failure goes even deeper – to where I failed to see Dolos’ true nature. I made that mistake twice – once when I had recruited him, and a second time when I had allowed him to rejoin the battle.”

  “No, it’s not.” I shook my head, stepping forward. “Sure, maybe some things could have been done differently. But I’d be an arrogant bastard to pretend I would have made better choices. I can’t begin to understand what you go through each time,” I said as I glanced at Pix and Balthor as well. “Manipulation isn’t the right path to gain trust – real trust and cooperation, but I won’t pretend I know the struggles you face. I shouldn’t have lashed out at you. I shouldn’t have judged you. And you're definitely not at fault for believing in someone."

  Chronos shook his head slowly. “No, Aidan, you were definitely in the right. Dolos was right about some things too. He never told me about the loopholes he eventually exploited, but I saw his resentment growing over time. I should have acted sooner – I should have changed things. Experimented. But I didn’t.” He clenched his fists, his gaze heavy with regret. “Whatever happened after that is on me.”

  “We can still change things!” Goren suddenly shot up, rising to his feet, his voice carrying hope. “We can still defeat Erebus!”

  Chronos hesitated, but then he gave a small nod. “It will be hard. The Millennium Prison and all other key items were destroyed. They cannot be fixed without divine interference, which I cannot provide. That means you won’t be able to seal Erebus away. I don’t want you to lose hope, but the only way to stop him now is to fight him – and defeat him.”

  A violent cough rocked his body, and before he could collapse, I caught him. Balthor and Pix rushed to my side. Together, we helped Chronos toward the glass table, settling him onto the chair beside it.

  I turned to him, my voice low, uncertain. “He’s level 249…We’re so far behind…” I shook my head, trying to regain some hope. “Chronos, is there anything you can do to help us? Anything at all?”

  Chronos shook his head, his disappointment visible. “Unfortunately, I can’t. Right now, so deep into the battle, I’ll be violating the rules. If I interfere now, I will pay with my life – and Erebus will win. Not just this battle, but all the ones to come.”

  My chest felt tight. Our situation was horrible.

  "What about Gaelith?" Goren asked, his voice shaking. "If we release him, he could help us."

  I nodded. "That's right! I know he's Dolos' son, but he surely resents him even more than we do. We need to save him."

  Chronos nodded. "It's a plan, and seeing Dolos' true face, I'd say he has hidden Gaelith somewhere in the tomb - he does want Erebus to use him as his vessel. The problem is - we don't know where, and with both of you marked, you don't have actual time to look for him. I assume that starting from the next run, Erebus will overwhelm you from the second you step inside the tomb."

  Silence spread across us all.

  “What about our fight?” I asked hesitantly, glancing at Goren. “Do we still have to go through with it if we reach the 64th run?”

  Chronos sighed deeply. “I’m afraid that if you won’t defeat Erebus before then, you will have to fight each other.” He shook his head, his expression grave. “I wish I could’ve taken it back – cancel the agreement with Dolos – but I can’t. If you refuse to fight, both me and Dolos will die – the price for an unfulfilled godly pact – and that will, again, ensure Erebus’ current and future wins.”

  I shook my head, in disbelief.

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  But then, Goren stepped forward, his voice strong. “We can do this, Spellsword. Together!”

  He held out his hand.

  And I looked at him – really looked at him.

  After everything that happened…After hating him…After wanting to kill him myself…After witnessing his sacrifice with my own eyes…I no longer despised him. I no longer resented him. I just couldn’t.

  He was lost. He was manipulated by a wretched god. He had suffered, and didn’t know better.

  I forgave him.

  A small smile formed on my lips, trying to channel hope. “Let’s do this.”

  ***

  [Déjà vu System: Level 54 - MAX]

  [Loop Count: 63]

  I woke up to a subtle push from Goren.

  He sat next to my bed, the darkness of early morning creeping through my window.

  Erebus held true to his words.

  Only once did we make it past the main antechamber. And even then, he overwhelmed us instantly.

  All other 98 adventurers? Dead. Each and every time.

  I pushed the thoughts away and sat up. “Okay, what’s our plan for this one?”

  Goren shook his head slowly, a weak smile forming on his lips. “No plan, Spellsword.”

  I frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “This is our last run before the fight…” His voice was quiet, resigned. “If this is my last day on earth, then I’d rather spend it with my loved ones.”

  I stared at him with confusion. “What are you talking about? We have to fight. You said so yourself! Don’t give up on me now, Goren!”

  He nodded. “I know what I said.” He said heavily, rubbing his face. “But you’re not blind, I believe. We can’t do this as we are now. Erebus is expecting us. The way things are – it’s over.” He dropped his head into his hands. “We’re out of time.”

  I swallowed, trying to process his words. “So what? We just give up?”

  “No.” he muttered. “We fight. Well…at least one of us will. No matter what we wish for to happen – in the next run, we’ll have to fight each other for our existence – whether we want it or not.” He let out a bitter chuckle, then shook his head again. “And if this really is my last day, then screw this quest. Screw the Tomb of Gaelith. I want to be with my family.”

  He turned away, heading for the door. But just before he left, he glanced back.

  “My suggestion?” He smirked, his eyes carrying pain, regret, and something else. “Spend some time with your girlfriend, Spellsword. Despite everything, despite what I think of you now, I won’t let you just off me easily. I will fight to live on. I have my family to look out for. And I don’t want you to have any regrets as well, okay?”

  And then, without another word, he melted into his own shadow and disappeared.

  ***

  Yana arrived to get me for the quest – late as always.

  I was still in my sleeping clothes when I opened the door. But it's not like a slept a second after Goren left.

  Her eyes widened in surprise. “Why aren’t you ready yet?”

  I watched her – her red hair, her green eyes, her freckles. Goren’s words rang in my mind. He was right. If this is my last day, I want to spend it with her.

  I couldn’t stop myself.

  I stepped forward and leaned in, capturing her lips with mine.

  She didn’t resist.

  The kiss was deep, desperate – filled with everything I held back for years. My arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer, pressing her against me as if I could somehow make up for all the time we’d lost – the time we might never get.

  When we finally parted, our faces were still inches apart, her breath uneven.

  “Aidan? What’s going on?”

  I didn’t answer. Instead, I leaned in again, kissing her just as fiercely as before.

  We stumbled inside, and I kicked the door shut behind us, pressing her against the wall.

  She was still in my arms as I finally spoke. “I love you. I always have.”

  Her eyes searched for mine, but I didn’t let her speak. I had to say it all.

  “When I hit my cap, I fell into depression. I kept telling myself that I didn’t want it to affect you – that I didn’t want it to stop your progression, that I was doing it for you – so I left. I was a fool. I should’ve never walked away from you. I love you, Yana. I love you so much.”

  She narrowed her eyes, still held in my embrace, and then – she just kissed me.

  “I love you too.” She whispered, a single tear slipping down her cheek. “I have for so long. But I didn’t know if you felt the same. Every time I tried to get closer, I felt like you pushed me away. And then you left, making me feel like you wanted nothing to do with me anymore…”

  “I was stupid.” I kissed her again, and again, hoping to make up for my mistakes. “I was so focused on myself, on what I thought I needed to be. I had you right there, and that should’ve been enough, but I always felt unworthy of you, that I needed to be more – like if I wasn’t a level 100 adventurer, I wasn’t worthy of someone like you.”

  She chuckled softly, cupping my face between her hands.

  “You dummy.” She said, smiling weakly. “You were always enough, Aidan. Always. I never cared if you were level 50, level 100 or level 1. I loved you for you. For your bravery. For your kindness. For your dumb jokes. For everything that makes you who you are.”

  I kissed her again. I didn’t care about the past anymore. Or the future.

  I had her now, and I never wanted to let go.

  For a long time, we stayed like that, lost in each other.

  Until finally, she pulled away, breathless.

  “God, I don’t want this to stop, but we have to get to the tomb, or we’ll be late.”

  I smirked, brushing my thumb over her lips.

  “Let’s ditch.” I kissed her again. “Screw the quest. I just want to spend today with you.”

  “Aidan, we can’t.” She whispered, breathless, as I trailed kisses down her neck. “Lady Mikaela expects me to be there. She likes me, and I don’t want to ruin the impression I’ve made.”

  I shook my head, tightening my arms around her. “I know. But I don’t want us to go. Not today. Let’s stay together. Please.”

  She met my gaze, an inner conflict ensuing behind her eyes.

  I pressed on. “There’s a lake nearby. We can spend the morning and the afternoon there, just the two of us. And then, I’ll take you out for dinner – there’s this place here – something out of this world. No quests. Just us. Please, Yana.”

  She hesitated, biting her lip, but then a soft smile broke through. Another tear slipped down her cheek as she nodded.

  “Okay.”

  “Okay?”

  “Okay.” She repeated, then kissed me again. “Show me this lake of yours.”

  I smiled, my heart pounding in a way that had nothing to do with battle or survival. I pulled her into a tight embrace, breathing her in, holding onto the moment as if I could keep it forever.

  She hugged me back, burying herself in my arms.

  But she didn’t notice my silent tears.

  Deep down, I knew how fragile this was.

  This might be all we had.

  In the next run, I might disappear from existence, and she’ll forget me. She’ll live her life – or what’s left of it if Goren fails to end this alone – never recalling an Aidan Dar.

  But recalling Erebus’ words – I refused to go down with regrets.