Chapter 254

Weight of the Crown

Cain spent the next seven days largely in daze, still thinking deeply about the Ring. Part of him remained bawling over the stats while the other part wondered just exactly who sent him this ‘gift’. It had to have been someone with the authority to override the Tower’s nerfs and even the ‘Overseers’, since the Ring was leagues above the already-nuked weapon of his.

As such, he was in the dark over the week’s happenings-- namely Anna, Sera, and Izirdul finding their homes, with Taima, Elypso, and Lek deciding to move to the very top of the City and live there, mostly because the forge there was of the highest quality. Furthermore, Ernie returned as well from a personal excursion, informing Emma and others he would continue to stay inside the city, deciding to follow Taima and Lek and move in with them.

By now, the hubbub of the insane XP bonuses have spread like wildfire, both within and without the Tower. There was yet another grand rush, with the influx of tens of thousands of new souls in L.A.’s Tower, prompting yet another wave of death and desolation.

It was in those midsts that Cain and the group stepped out of the City of Mirrors and onto the lake, departing. Taima, Lek, Anna, Izirdul, Sera, Elypso, Ernie, and even the City Lord all came to escort them, asking to ‘visit frequently’. While others promised, Cain merely smiled and walked away.

The group departed for the First Floor and the Tower’s exit, chattering away. While Cain could use the Dimensional Talisman, only he would be able to teleport to the entrance. As such, he chose to walk with others.

“First? First, I’mma sleep for a whole goddamn-ass week!” Jamal exclaimed. “Dunno about you farts, but sleeping here is like there’s pins and needles poking me in the ass.”

“I’ll run myself a grand bath,” Emma joined in with a dreamy expression. “And just... drift off. Possibly even die due to relaxation. Aah...”

“Find someone to screw. What?” Daniel scoffed at their gazes. “Spew all the ‘holier-than-thou’ garbage you want, the first thing you all will do is have a massive wank-off. Well, except those two. I imagine the entire fuckin’ building will shake.”

“Young blood speaks truth,” Sigmund added. “There’s a nice whorehouse southeast of the Tower. If you lot need me, I’ll be there for the next six months.”

“...”

“...”

“Khm, Kramer, what about you?” Emma asked, breaking the awkward atmosphere.

“I was thinking of... starting a family,” Kramer’s answer caused the group to pause abruptly as everyone looked at him strangely, including Cain.

“Start... a family?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, smiling bitterly at their reactions. “I told you already that my girlfriend proposed it once before. I kinda dismissed it before but... I dunno, Spending days here, risking my life almost every time I fight, makes you wonder. I don’t wanna leave this world without at least leaving a part of myself behind. So, I figured, instead of chopping off my arm and gifting it to a museum, I may as well have a kid. It’s actually less bloody.”

“Tsk, fucker. You could have started off with that,” Jamal grumbled. “Now you made the rest of us look like immature shits.”

“No, no, that was you,” Emma corrected. “’cause you are immature shits. Congratulations,” she turned toward Kramer and smiled gently. “I’m sure you’re gonna make a... passable dad. I mean, if Cain can do it, so can you.”

“...” Cain coughed lowly, somewhat angry at catching strays without having uttered a word.

“What about you, Yuki? You’re being awfully quiet,” Emma shifted her attention after a brief cackle.

“I... I’ll go back home, for a while,” Yuki replied. “There’s... khm... there’s someone there.”

“Oooo~~” teasing exclamations caused Cain to look at the group strangely, wondering whether he was in a pack of high schoolers... since, well, they truly did behave like that.

“Bring ‘er to meet us, first,” Jamal said, wrapping his arm around the young man’s shoulder. “We must approve! If she doesn’t meet our standards, she ain’t good enough!”

“Yes, yes,” Sigmund joined in. “Not just anyone can blue-ball our grand priest who keeps our dog-asses alive!”

Laughter rang out freely amidst the group as they left the second floor and moved toward the exit, exchanging between them the countless dreams and plans in the process. Though they drew countless stray, odd gazes, especially so once they made their way through the first floor, they hardly cared. Furthermore, due to the fact that Senna repeatedly pulsated her Mana, nobody approached them, realizing they’d be plastered against the floor before they had a chance to even say a single word.

“I know you’re angry,” Cain said, walking up to her after she scared off yet another group-- one that was actually debating on approaching them over an autograph. “But I hardly think that group of kids wanted to rob us dry.”

“...” she glared at him for a moment, remaining silent.

“... aah,” Cain sighed, chuckling, as he took out an item from his inventory. “Here.” Senna’s eyes widened when she saw what was on top of his palm-- the Dimensional Talisman!

“This...”

“Take it,” he handed it over casually. “I’ve literally no plans on entering the Tower for at least a few years so it’s wasted on me. You can, you know, go in for some training and such activities.”

“...”

“Count it as your birthday present,” Cain chuckled.

“... thank you.” Senna mumbled lowly, looking away, her cheeks reddened slightly.

“Alright, I think that afforded me at least one more hour per week of daddy-daughter time, no?”

“Ugh, why do you always have to ruin everything?!!” Senna tossed the words angrily at him before storming off and joining the rest of the group, with Cain remaining in the back.

Starting at them as they walked, nonchalantly laughing at Daniel’s and Jamal’s “race off”, Cain sighed, his mind drifting back to the ‘conversation’ he had with the Divine. It’s not worth it, huh? He mumbled inwardly, his gaze dulling. He definitely looked forward to leaving this place the most and wanted to stay out of it for the longest time. It wasn’t strange, though.

For everyone, the Towers were still novel. The fact that they suddenly grew embroidered in magic was still exhilarating and almost fever-dream like. There was yet hope, even amidst the desolate reality that was beginning to seep in.

For him... it was different. He was old; perhaps not in body, but he was in mind. He was tired, beyond tired of all of it; he knew... he’d realized it by now, he should have taken a break. No matter how late he’d have joined, he would have never been ‘too late’. He would have caught up and shot past all others without any issues. But he rushed it, jumped back into the inferno that nearly destroyed him completely. No... it did destroy him.

Just because the time got rewound doesn’t mean that who he was did. Deep inside, he was still that same monster that was cursed out thousands of times. And rather than sitting still for a while, unwinding his mental state that was barely beginning to reconcile the reality, he tossed himself back into this place.

Luckily, he lorded over it; few things existed that could, and did, retaliate this early on. And yet, within this scope, he’d already touched upon the things he couldn’t even dream of the last time around. He’d discovered things beyond his capacity to understand-- or even his very willingness.

Near, within, and without the Tower’s exit, he saw a sea of people, young, old, men, women, everyone... it didn’t matter. All of them, to one extent or another, bore some dreams in regards to the Tower. Cain, at that moment, realized that... he didn’t. He didn’t have any dreams in regards to the Tower, not truly. All he wanted from it was the power to protect those he loved. Whether he reigned over it, whether he just faded into obscurity, the hollow promises of strength and recent insinuations of the kingdom weren’t tempting him.

He stepped out into the sun’s warm embrace. Rick was there, with everyone, waving toward them. He saw Lana, her young, blossoming face widening into a beaming smile. Nothing within the Tower, he knew, would ever measure up. And yet... all the same... he knew that he can’t remain that indifferent. Unlike him, Emma, Senna, Jamal, everyone here, all of them did have dreams when it came to the Tower. Unlike him, they weren’t scarred beyond reproach; even the harrowing losses they suffered were still within the human’s capacity to endure and smile and move on.

And for them, he’d have to keep moving forward, heralding. He knew very well how they saw him and what they felt, staring at his back. It wasn’t just them. In a way, he did become a herald for all of mankind. He very early on proved that the Tower was possible to conquer, and he’d done it twice now. While that saved many lives that would be lost in the years to come... he knew he also cost many, many lives that wholly believed they’d, too, become heroes.

He glanced back at the Tower for a moment, knowing this place had never birthed a hero. All it did... was break the already-existing ones. For that is what the hell does -- it breaks good men and spurs the evil ones. He’d become that evil once before, one doused in the gasoline of anger, hatred, and, worst of all, apathy. And scars of that age are still visible, evident, dignified crowns of his sins.

“Daddy!!” and yet, the disillusioned apathy was vanished with a single word of a cheery, young voice. Lana tossed herself into his embrace and wrapped her tiny arms around his neck tightly, as though afraid he’d just turn around and walk back inside the Tower.

“Well, well, isn’t it the most beautiful girl in the whole world right here?” Cain smiled gently and teased.

“He he~~”

“So, tell me princess, did you miss me?”

“I did!”

“How much?”

“Tons! Tons and tons!”

“Ooh, that’s a lot of tons! But, I missed you even more, you know?”

“Nuh-uh!”

“A-ha! I missed you megatons!”

“Really?! Yaay~~”

“Ha ha, let’s go, let’s go. Look at how jealous mom looks...” Cain bid the Tower a silent goodbye, the weight of the crown put upon his head by others dispersing by the weightless arms and the bell-like laughter of a child. In his mind, once again, all was tranquil. All was silent. All was forever.

END OF BOOK II

LEGEND OF THE TIME THIEF