As Aria faded, Isaac took a deep shaky breath. He felt like screaming to the heavens, smashing through the nearby wall with his bare hand, ripping the darkness itself from the Innerworld and hitting some faceless Contantis soldier in the mouth with it. The emotions in his chest made him feel as though he needed to tear his armor open to allow them to fly free. He felt like a blanket that weighed tons was resting on his shoulders attempting to drag him down into the depths of himself and his sorrow and rage fueled agony. But more than any of those feelings, he felt a sense of numbness.

Aria was gone, and Claus had killed himself to prevent Isaac from going after him and getting himself killed. Isaac knew that it was the right decision, even if he hated it. Claus had thought everything through completely. He had known that Aria was dead and that he was not going to be able to escape or be rescued. He knew that if he died then he would get to be with Aria again anyway, so living wasn't really that important to the goliath. Everything had been done in the most logical way, as far as Aria and Claus were concerned, and that put a wet blanket on Isaac's rage. He wanted vengeance for his friends, his very first friends that he had memories of, but why? What would it get him? An early grave? His mate dead alongside him? No, Isaac couldn't do that. His logical and pragmatic brain wouldn't allow him to do something that stupid. His drama queen self and his cold calculating self often butted heads but something like that was too much.

The more he thought about it, the more his emotions boiled inside of him. His rage was specifically fueled by a power next to him. It safeguarded his rage's embers and fanned their flames as they started to rise. In the moment though, Isaac unfortunately didn't realize that fact.

The entire tunnel dimmed to the point where the torches were but glowing embers in the dark. The glowing stones looked as bright as stars in the sky. Alexander took an unconscious step backward as the mana all around them felt as though its deepest undertones were vibrating with barely contained bloodlust. Harry took a few back of his own towards the nearest normal soldier. "Edward!" Lenna yelled and put all of her strength into shoving the Guild Master away from Isaac as she felt like he was about to go off like a fireball.

Edward went with Lenna's shove and jumped back just as the entire ambiance of the cavern, the very feel of the world around them, froze like the calm before a storm. Isaac had taken another deep breath, though this one was far less shaky, and the world had frozen as he held his lungs full. His fists clenched so hard they bled but the external pain did nothing to ease what he was feeling inside. His power started to radiate out of him as if it were trying to disperse the pain of loss. "AhhhhHHHHHH!" His cry of rage and pain started off as normal as anyone else who had lost a loved one, but almost instantly transcended into the realm of a dragon about to go on a warpath.

The world around them shook as death and shadows lashed out from Isaac in random alternating patterns. His cry had only lasted two seconds at most but Edward had been forced to use Lenna as a shield because Isaac's death flames healed her and his barely tangible shadows had never posed a threat to anyone present. Alexander had thrown up a Reality Shield to block the trashing tendrils and pulses of power. Harry hit the first two waves of rampaging power with his shield as he retreated to a safe distance. Luckily they had been the only ones close enough to Isaac to be in real danger, but even so, two of the guards in training collapsed to their knees under the soul pressure from Isaac's cry as mana itself echoed it outwards for all to hear for miles, sixteen miles to be exact.

"DAMN IT!" Isaac screamed to the heavens after another short intake of air. This time it was only pure dark mana that was blasted outwards from him. After that final wave, the light in the tunnel returned to normal as the curtain of darkness was lifted.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Lenna clamped her hand down on his shoulder for stability as she felt like she was about to collapse. "Isaac." She whispered, just barely loud enough for him to hear. Her legs were about to give out as her strength was leaving her. Isaac had strained their new connection with his flexing of raw intent. His voice resounding in the mana around them, from right next to her, hadn't helped her weakened state any either.

Isaac turned as he finally felt exactly how weak his wife was and caught her in his arms. "I'm sorry." He told her. "I'm sorry." He said with tears streaming down his face. He felt like it was his fault that she was so weak, and to an extent it was, but most of it was simply the repercussions from their wish. He hadn't actually done any damage to her, just taken some of her dwindling energy away before she had gotten a chance to fully replenish it.

"It's okay." She told him in a voice that was barely over a whisper. "I'm fine." She assured him. "Let's just, let's just rest for a little while."

Isaac nodded with his head against hers as he half hugged half held her up. "Okay." He whispered and then swallowed. She was right. He needed his emotions to settle so he could regain proper control of himself.

"Should I take you both back?" Alexander asked tentatively as he slowly and carefully approached.

Isaac didn't want to go back. He wanted to accompany Aria's body wherever it went, the entire way until she was put to rest. One day, maybe far or maybe soon into the future, Isaac swore that he would also find Claus's body and lay him to rest properly as well. He also knew that Lenna really and truly needed rest. "Can we take her back with us?" Isaac asked and gestured towards Aria. "I don't know what her customs are for laying the dead to rest."

"She is an adventurer." Edward replied. "Her body will be frozen and kept in a Bottomless Bag in the catacombs under the main Guild Hall in the capital. There it will remain for sixty years or until a relative comes to claim it. Her next of kin will be notified within the month, if possible, but once that time has finished, her badge will be placed on the Guild Leader's Wall of Heroes where it will rest in perpetuity and her body will be cremated. The first half is a luxury given only to those who died still in one piece. The second half is what we do for everyone." He explained. "As the highest ranking Adventurer and Guild Employee, the task is mine to carry out. Go home, get some rest, and when it is time to lay her fully to rest, I will let you know."

Isaac nodded slowly as his mind mostly took in what the Guild Master had told him. What he really got out of it was: 'Go home and sleep, I'll call you when it is time to bury her.' which was good enough considering how put together he was at the moment.

"Okay." Isaac replied and nodded towards Alexander. "Take us home." He told the Court Mage.

Alexander gave a tight lipped nod as he still felt the raw pain, sorrow, and anger that had been sent out in all directions by Isaac's cry and mana previously. "Alright." Alexander agreed and placed a hand on the duo's backs. "Should we kneel first?"

Lenna nodded. "Isaac, sit." She told her mate who lowered them both to the ground so they were both sitting on their knees and toes.

Alexander knelt beside them. "Head my command, magic and space, take us to this imagined place." He chanted and they were gone.

Once they were gone, Bartholomew, Brick, and Eleonora Espina joined the Guild Master from where they had been off to the side and out of the way. "I didn't even know that he could feel something like that." Eleonora spoke in awe as both she and Bartholomew unconsciously rubbed their chests in an attempt to work out the feelings that Isaac's cry had imparted into their hearts.

"He may not seem human to many, but some of us still know him as he is, a human with a human heart and more power than he knows how to handle." Edward explained. "Get everyone together. I am going to talk to Sam and see what he can tell me about what happened and the people that attacked them. After that, we are packing up the bodies and leaving. While we are getting ready, keep an ear out for a dull grinding or rumbling sound."

"Yes G.M." Eleonora replied.

"Why?" Bartholomew asked.

"Just in case the Tunnel Horrors decided to see what made all of the commotion." Edward explained. What Edward didn't know was what the Tunnel Horrors who heard and felt Isaac's cry had done. Not one of them moved for ten full days as their mindless souls were overloaded by raw emotion.

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