Chapter 84

Eyes of the World (III)

The group speedily made their way out of the Palace, following the same route they took to get inside. They didn’t have to be careful of the traps anymore, however, as they were all deactivated. As such, it took them less than a day to reach the outside and land next to the bridge spanning the sky.

Even if it was their second time trekking it, the awe in their eyes hardly diminished. They still spent the entire journey peeking over the edge and at the tiny world down below. On occasion, the clouds would clear up entirely, letting them take in the sight that they’d have trouble seeing even from a plane outside the Tower.

What stunned them perhaps even more, however, was the sight that welcomed them on the other end of the bridge -- the entire village swelled out of their huts and aligned next to the bridge, welcoming them.

Even if distinctly different, ante-Humans showed human emotions on their faces, ones of respect, admiration, and awe. Their eyes glistened as they inspected the party, cheering exploding out like fireworks as soon as all five landed onto the platform.

Ak'kar raced out of the masses, accompanied by roughly twenty children of the village, and immediately swarmed Emma, Jamal, Diya, and Senna with questions. Seeing that the group was quite receptive, others soon made their way over as well while Cain chuckled at the sight before moving his eyes over to L'ksha who was staring at him meaningfully.

Waving at the group, he moved to the side and followed the ante-Human into the same room the two met in. Before anything was said, he saw the tall figure taking something out of the corner, quickly recognizing the silver-capped gourd as he began to salivate.

“... jyster...” Cain mumbled, swallowing a mouthful of saliva as L’ksha chortled for a moment, pouring two fist-sized bowls full of ice-dyed liquid. Cain reached over, his hands trembling, and picked it up, taking a good whiff. The air itself blew through his lungs and chilled them for the briefest of moments before a sensation of relief and comfort swept through him. “Goddamn...”

“No need to be frugal,” L’ksha said. “I’ve ordered four jugs be set aside for you and your friends.”

“... thanks,” Cain said with a respectful expression, bowing slightly. He knew how long it took to brew just one jug, let alone four. It was likely that the entire tribe had at most six-seven in their reserves altogether.

“You have wholly earned it,” L’ksha said, taking a sip of the liquid, Cain following in his footsteps. It was both chilling and burning, bitter and sweet, soft and hard... as though a hundred tastes coalesced into one just to shock the drinker’s soul. “I had faith in you, human Cain. Faith that you would prevail.”

“Makes one of us,” Cain chuckled, wiping the corner of his lips. “You could have warned me, you know? That the Ruined King would have dragged me away from everyone.”

“... it is called Thief’s Trial for a reason, human Cain,” L’ksha replied with the faintest of smiles. “The rest of us can only help so much.”

“...” Cain chuckled lightly, taking another sip and letting it burn and chill through him.

“You have found good friends, human Cain,” L’ksha said following a short silence. “I hope you stay by their side.”

“That’s the plan,” Cain replied.

“You are our Hero,” L’ksha said, gently lifting his arm and pointing his index finger at Cain. The tip of the finger lit up faintly in milky-silver, a thread blowing out and at Cain, surging directly into his mind. “I hope your journey will be a long one, Hero Cain and that, one day, you may join the Divines of Beyond.”

//Congratulations!

You have been recognized by a Fallen Divine as a Hero!

You have acquired a Talent: Hero(quasi-Divine)

Hero(quasi-Divine): A higher likelihood of obtaining Legendary Quests from the Tower Natives; gains trust easier; a higher chance of ignoring any Mind-related attack; unlocks the Secondary Weapon for the Elementalist Class; extra choices for Awakened Classes. Note: the Talent can be lost if the Hero suffers three consecutive defeats. In that case, the Talent can’t ever be obtained again. For every three consecutive victories against stronger opponents, unlock an extra option of the Talent!

Good luck!//

Cain sighed, glancing at his palm where a sun-shaped, silver-dyed tattoo appeared. A mark of the Superstar... he chuckled inwardly, a bitter feeling swelling in his throat. How many people have spent their entire lives chasing this ghost only to never even get within its orbit? Yet, here he was, less than half a year since the Towers' fall... a Hero. Humanity's first Superstar.

He didn’t know quite what to feel at the moment. Did he deserve it? He didn’t think so, at least. The first Superstar in his previous life was a Reaper who had to kill an Emperor-level field Boss and save the local ante-Human Tribe. All this on his own, heavily under-leveled and outmatched. In comparison, Cain’s ‘heroics’ hardly measured up.

Taking a deep breath, he distilled the feeling of inadequacy. He may not have earned it, but he will, in time. He looked at it more like a sign of his future escapades in the Tower, the potential of what he could achieve in due time, rather than the result of what he had done so far. Things would get harder and he would earn it one day, no matter how far into the future it is.

“Did they get it?” he asked.

“No,” L’ksha replied. “However impressive, they are still ways off, Hero Cain. They are on the right track, though.”

“... thank you,” Cain said, bowing yet again and standing up, L’ksha following right after and pulling four jugs of jyster from the corner, handing them over to Cain gingerly. “I’ll spread the word of this place to other humans. Many should start arriving soon to help you guys with your needs.”

“Thank you,” L’ksha said, smiling lightly. “And may your journey be blessed Divine... Hero Cain.”

Cain stared at the old ante-Human for a moment longer before turning around and leaving. On the outside, the other four were still besieged by the masses, Jamal fervently retelling the story of his own heroics and how he defeated the construct under the admiring gazes of the ante-Human tribesmen. Nearby, Diya and Emma played with a few kids, while Senna showed off her skills with the swords.

Music blared throughout the tiny villages, a mixture of flutes, drums, and harps -- R'asha Music, as the Tower Natives called it. It was festive, relaxing, and in many ways far more reaffirming than just a set of notifications. The others looked like they finally began to accept that their actions had caused a massive change, as an affirmation of another person was far better than just a random, emotionless notification.

Cain didn’t join the festivities, instead walking over to the other side of the platform and sitting down to wait for them, lighting up a cigarette while his eyes veered over toward the countless sword mountains. Four months? No... maybe five before there are enough qualified people on the second floor to trigger the conditions. We should get there a bit earlier, though, and go for the Anthem's Sets. Hopefully, Rick found at least one more promising guy or a gal otherwise the second floor will be an even bigger pain in the ass than usually...

“What you thinkin’ about?” Emma’s voice pulled him out of his stupor as he looked to the side, matching her gaze as she swirled her hair behind the ear, smiling at him gently.

“Mostly about how long has it been since I’ve last seen your ass naked...”

“...” she sighed and rolled her eyes silently, sitting next to him and leaning onto his shoulder. “Three years. For me, at least.”

“Ah... yeah...” Cain mumbled hollowly. “I ignored you... and the next day...”

“... I gave you divorce papers.” she finished.

"Yeah..." he nodded. "I'm really sorry, Em'." he added. "For everything I put you through. You deserved heaven and instead, I gave you the worst of hells."

“You know,” she spoke softly. “That’s all I ever wanted from you, C’. A genuine apology. I’d have forgiven you everything in a heartbeat.”

“Why?” he asked.

“Because it would be a sign that you’ve finally woken up,” she replied. “No matter what you think you put me through... you also gave me the happiest years of my life, you know? Very few people get to marry their childhood heroes, C’.”

“... I know we keep dancin’ around it,” he said after a brief silence between the two. “But I want us to give it another shot, Em’. Or, well, at least I’m hoping you’ll give me another shot.”

“Ah, yes, I’m flirting with you because I don’t want to get back together,” she chuckled. “Can you believe that? Girls and their stupid games, ain’t that right?”

“--I know you said it sarcastically--”

“If you want to see me naked within the next year, don’t finish that sentence.” she interrupted.

“...” his lips curled up in a smile as he looked sideways while Emma pulled her head back. Their gazes locked, faces slowly inching closer together in the soft, wind-woven silence. Both closed their eyes as their lips pressed together, Cain reaching out and putting his hand onto her cheek while she wrapped hers around his neck.

It was somewhat awkward, both realized, as they pulled their lips apart, clasping their foreheads together as they chuckled.

“I’ve gotten rusty...” she mumbled.

“Really? All I’ve smelled was some booze...”

“Aah, you never let any lame joke get by you, do you?”

“Wouldn’t be me if I did.”

“Yeah,” she said, pushing closer again. “It really wouldn’t.”

“...”

“Yo, get a room,” a few moments later, their session was abruptly interrupted by Senna’s annoyed voice. Cain glanced to the side and saw her flushed cheeks as she struggled to maintain a ‘frustrated’ expression, with Diya looking at the floor and Jamal wiping the tears from his eyes as he clapped.

“Finally... finally, mom and dad are back together...” he said.

“Bite me.” Cain flipped him off as he stood up. Emma merely chuckled and shook her head as she stretched, looking down at the descending sword. “Well, no more interruptions,” he said as the group slowly began to descend under the waving arms and glistening eyes of the ante-Human tribe. “Let’s go back home.”