ALL NOVEL Chapter 14: Chapter 14: Farewell
"The priest and his acolytes are outside?" Elias asked
"Yes, they have been here before dawn waiting to take you… we thought you ran" Nina answered, a somber expression on her face
"I see, tell them to give me a few minutes to pack, and I'll be with them"
"S-Say Elias, is it true?" Nina asked, fiddling her thumbs as she stared at her feet
"Is what true?" Elias asked
"I heard Mom and Dad talking, and they said you would be fighting d-demons and wild beasts when you leave"
"Yes? It's an eventuality " Elias was curious as to where Nina was heading with the questions she asked, this was not an interaction that happened in the original Arcane Days.
"I see," Nina said, and then suddenly her expression changed as if she had made up her mind about something, and she turned away from Elias, "I couldn't find you when I came into the room, I never saw you. You ran away" Nina said
For a moment Elias was puzzled by Nina's words, what the hell did she mean by that? And then he realized what she was trying to do.
Elias walked over to Nina, placed a hand on her head, and said, "Nina, I get that you don't want me to be in harm's way, and it's a good thing.
But, what lies ahead of me is my destiny, I was chosen and I choose it too, so I must go"
"B-But aren't you scared? Demons are mean and scary. What if, what if….what if you…die?"
"Haha, I won't die, trust me. I will slay the King of the Nether and return to our farm with riches beyond your imagination, you will be able to build your castle and finally be a princess isn't that what you want?" Nina remained silent for a while
"And one more thing, your big brother is scared of nothing," Elias said, beating his chest proudly
Despite his bold declaration, at heart, Elias was scared. Playing the game and living in the game were two different things, there were no respawns, and his encounter with Ira cemented this reality for him.
Nina turned around and hugged Elias tightly, so tight like he would disappear into the air if her hold on him was just a little bit loose. Elias reciprocated her hug, and the two remained there for a while until they got interrupted by Eleanor's voice screaming for Elias and Nina.
Elias pulled away and looked Nina in the eye, it was obvious that she was desperately holding back her tears "Now go and tell them I'll be with them shortly, okay?" Elias instructed, to which Nina nodded and hurriedly ran out of the room
Elias sighed and began packing the few clothes he had, he did a quick body wash before going out, he was about to embark on a fairly long journey and he didn't want to reek the entire way.
By the time Elias was done and stepped outside, the sun was already fully up, casting a soothing morning glow over everything.
Priest Mathias was in the midst of a conversation with Godfrey and Eleanor, while Nina was conversing with the acolytes about God knows what, but whatever it was, it made the acolytes laugh, even the stubborn and arrogant Anias laughed, even though he was doing a terrible job at hiding it.
Everyone stopped what they were doing immediately when they noticed Elias' presence. He was bathed in the warmth of the golden sun rays, his white hair danced about, courtesy of the morning breeze. He radiated a divine aura that made everyone look at him in awe.
"He is finally here," Mathias spoke first, breaking the silence
Nigel and Dickson immediately ran toward Elias and bent over in a perfect ninety-degree bow
"We greet the chosen one," they said in unison
Elias waved them off walked over to his parents' side, and bowed his head in greeting
"Mom, Dad…"
Godfrey placed his hand on Elias' shoulder and looked at him in the "It's time son. Sooner or later, you would have had to leave home, even without being the child of the light.
So go forth, find your purpose, and fulfill it. Worry not for us, for we will be fine."
"Thank you, Father, for everything. I am truly grateful"
Godfrey nodded, then brought out a leather wrap, the same leather wrap he used to wrap the swords they used for training. He handed it over to Elias
"Take this, I have a feeling you will need it more than me, haha", he pulled in Elias for a hug, "Remember son, in Eldoria, strength is the highest currency.
Don't let anyone walk over you and never fight a battle that you're unsure of victory. Remember the son of who you are Elias Ashdown " Godfrey whispered into Elias' ear, before pulling away
Elias gave Godfrey a nod of acknowledgment, as he took the leather wrap from him. It was now Eleanor's turn to say a few words to Elias.
She adjusted Elias' shirt and fixed his scattered hair, "I know you'll be fine, you're a strong boy and you have a good head on your shoulders. Eldoria is going to be a big change, but just remember to stay true to yourself "
Elias nodded, his gaze dropping to the ground, "I promise I will, Mother"
Eleanor stepped forward and enveloped him in a tight embrace, "Remember, it's okay to be scared and to feel lost sometimes. When that happens, just take a step back and change your perspective" she whispered, her voice thick with emotions
She kissed him on the cheek before withdrawing. There was one person left, Nina, but they had already spoken earlier, so Elias just hugged her, patted her head, and reassured her.
"I'll miss you little sister" He spoke in a soft tone, laced with mixed emotions
Elias' words were the snapping point for Nina, as she burst into tears, she cried uncontrollably for some minutes before Priest Mathia came to interrupt
"I wish my family loved me this much," Nigel said as he wiped a tear from his eyes
"Maybe things would have been different, if I had a stable relationship with my father" Dickson added, tears flowing down his cheeks and the two acolytes hugged each other, sobbing dramatically
"Pull yourselves together, you fools. You're representatives of the church for crying out loud!" Anias scolded, his arm folded and his expression unwavering, but his teary eyes and sniffs betrayed his true feelings
Priest Mathias cleared his throat loudly, and the three acolytes adjusted themselves immediately,
"I'm afraid it is time to leave , we must leave now if we want to arrive at Eldoria by nightfall" He announced
Elias pried Nina off him and bid his parents his final farewells, before walking off with the priest and acolytes.
The Ashdowns watched Elias walk away until they could no longer see his back, Nina was the first to go inside because she cried so much that she burnt her strength and fell asleep, followed by Eleanor who went in to make dinner.
"I wish you the best of luck Son, you're going to need it" Godfrey muttered to himself before walking back into the house