808 A Choice

Dishes were laid down, and the stew was poured. The Runic Dome had arrays that could cook food as long as you’ve given it the ingredients, making it useful in times of need. Lin Xue sat beside her sister in awe.

“Is there a thing that this place cannot do?” asked Lin Xue with an incredulous face. Suyin smiled but didn’t answer because she knew this was merely expected from Arthur Silvera, The Creator.

However, now, he gained another title for himself. There were many: Sin of Wrath, Fenrir, Eragon, and Ageless Breaker. It was hard to keep track of them, but she only knew him as one. He was her benefactor.

Oren Silvera, the younger brother of Arthur Silvera, sat the plates down with a smile. His gloomy expression seemed to disappear ever since Arthur awakened. He reminded her of herself when she tried to protect Lin Xue as her lackey.

The memories brought back a smile, and the warmth made her feel at ease. The lights from the kitchen counter shone down on their table, enough to host twelve people. Soon, people began filling in.

A middle-aged man sat beside Suyin, sighing as he did. The thin man from earlier, who looked like he would die at any moment, pulled a chair for Princess Tiara. As for the beautiful woman with green hair, she bowed respectfully toward Suyin before sitting, and the thin man followed.

As she heard, all these people met Arthur through different means. Oren was his brother, the middle-aged man was his father’s friend, and the thin man had once betrayed him. Then, finally, the beautiful woman with brunette hair arrived, styled far better than Suyin ever had hers. She was Arthur’s trustworthy Deputy Master, who ran the guilds while he stormed the world.

Then, the masked man came to sit at the table. He never talked or ate, but he sat beside the head of the table, where Arthur’s seat was. It seemed he was bent on protecting his lord even during supper.

His name was Li, and he came with Arthur from Runera. When Oren introduced him to the two, he paused and said his past was also a mystery to them. But Arthur trusted him, so they did the same.

“You all live extraordinary lifestyles,” said Suyin, making the group pause. The plates were laid on the table, lining it from one end to the other. “All of you here gather not bound by blood, honor, or profit. So, what binds all of you to this place?”

“We would like to give a poetic answer, Queen,” replied the Deputy Master with a smile. “However, we all gather here because we found ourselves here. And we found ourselves because of that man,” she said, pointing behind Suyin.

All of them turned toward the dining room’s door, and Suyin followed. Arthur was standing there, leaning on the door for support, and wobbled his way toward the head of the table.

Oren stood to help him, but Arthur raised his hand to stop him. In the end, he held the chairs’ top rails for support to walk toward the table’s head and sit down.

“No need to look at me as a dying old man,” Arthur said as he sat down, but even that seemed too much effort for him. “I should be healed within a few days. Right, Tiara?”

“I said a few months, my lord,” said Princess Tiara with a smile. “The wrath has consumed your life, so you must rest until full recovery, or a permanent weakness will remain within you.”

“There is no such thing as permanent,” said Arthur as he held the table and pulled himself closer. “I don’t have time to rest while our enemies march closer every second.”

“Our enemies?” asked Julia with a frown. “Do you refer to the Light Emperor, Guild Master?”

“That is one of them,” said Arthur as his expression grimaced. Suyin knew that Eragon hadn’t been eradicated, and mentioning the emperor brought Arthur wrath, but he tried to control it. “However, our enemies are many, and we are a few. Before we eat, I owe all of you an explanation.”

The hall quietened until nothing, but breathing could be heard. The men and women stared at their guild master, and he stared back. Suyin could feel it in the air. There was a bond, hidden and deep, lingering in the air between them.

She was not a part of it.

“All this time, I had no idea what to do about my enemies. I led you blindly, with no goal but to close the dungeons that might one day turn into spewers of monsters. However, that was no goal, just a reason to start this guild.”

“And we are happy that you started it,” said Julia while raising her cup. Arthur smiled in return, and Suyin felt jealous of how comfortable the two were with each other. However, seeing Arthur cast aside his cynicism and all-knowingness made her happy.

“We had good runs, and we will have plenty. But we still need to choose some fucking recruits, or we will all be extinct before we know it.”

“You always postponed the matter!” said Julia as she slammed her cup down, and the hall roared with laughter. The Deputy Master glared at Arthur and seemed frustrated about the matter.

Suyin managed to see a glimpse of their lives together. They knew each other and their flaws, yet they still sat together for food. In a sense, this was a family.

“I’m sick, so maybe later,” Arthur dramatically said while waving his hand. Julia hmphed while the rest snickered. Then, Arthur’s smile slowly disappeared. “We will have a different approach against our enemies from now on.”

The group stopped laughing and stared at Arthur with confusion. He pulled his cup, drank a little, and twirled the drink in his glass while staring at it.

“I decided to kill them.”

The words fell like a bomb on the dining room, making the warmth disappear. His words were violent and raw, with no hesitation within them. None of them moved, and none of them dared ask. Well, except for one.

“Who are you killing, Arthur?” asked Oren with a voice devoid of emotions. He was sitting at the far end of the table, opposite Arthur. The two brothers stared at each other for a few seconds.

“I will kill our enemies if they refuse to submit,” said Arthur, the exact words he said to Eragon. “I will break them if they refuse to bend. I will not wait, and I will not linger here any longer.”

“Then, you are going to pursue them?” said Julia after gulping.

“I am,” said Arthur as he turned toward her. “All my life, I believed in repaying debts and how I would repay those who wronged me as much as those who helped me. But I realized something after my last fight. You have seen it too, Suyin.”

The sudden mention of her name, especially at this moment, made Suyin flinch. She turned toward Arthur, who stared into her soul with sad, angry eyes.

“You’ve seen how the calamity didn’t think twice before sending meteors toward the city and the valley. These are the enemies we are fighting, and there is no waiting for them anymore. A choice must be made, and death will be on one end.”

“Then you are going to chase down those you deem as enemies, give them a choice to either submit and die and then decide their fate?” asked Oren with the same apathetic voice. “This sounds like what my father wanted you to do.”

“Father wanted me to be a savior of humans, and I have no such intentions,” said Arthur as he looked into the glass. “I have fought for humans more than once, and I’ve been repaid with everything except gratitude. Humans can fight their battles, as I will fight mine.”

“And what battles are those, my lord?” asked Princess Tiara, whose lips trembled a bit. Suyin could sense fear within her as she asked.

“Battles against anyone who claims to be a god,” replied Arthur as he placed down his cup. “My enemies are many, and one of them has prepared many traps for me. I wanted to overthrow his rule, but I had no reason to do that. I can kill the Voldor Family, and it will be over.”

“This is tyranny, Arthur!” Oren harshly said. The rest were surprised and turned toward him. “Tiara here is also one of those you deem enemies, right? Will she also be faced with either serving you or dying?”

The hall was quiet as all eyes shifted to Arthur. Suyin saw what no one else had seen, and she saw the pain within Arthur after witnessing this world’s wrath.

“Serving me?” muttered Arthur with a smile. “I never intend to rule. But, if the time ever comes, I intend to make them obey my commands.”

“And what time is that?”

“For us to fight against the nothingness.”

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