Chapter 57

Wil wandered the halls of his family estate, a simple trick of his mana allowed him to remain unseen by the servants and guards. He was feeling nostalgic, something that didn’t happen to him all too often. He was rarely homesick, he never pined for ‘the good old days’. He had accepted that life moved on, sometimes taking away the things that were important to him.

He stopped in his old room, but he couldn’t recapture the connection he once had with this place. It had been years since he had last slept here, time had taken any lingering feelings he had for the estate. With the exception of his mother’s garden, nothing here interested him anymore.

Traveling through the estate like a ghost, or a spirit, he arrived in Markus’s room. Kathryn and his brother were discussing something inconsequential when he suddenly ‘appeared’, dropping the magic that allowed him to remain unseen.

“Wil, you’re back!” Kathryn exclaimed, standing up from her chair and rushing to the young man. He appeared uninjured, but she was worried that he carried wounds that were hidden from her eyes. She stopped before she reached him, instantly recognizing the changes in her brother-in-law.

As a cleric of Secundus, she was closer to her god than most, even once having been in her divine presence. The feeling Wil gave her, of Divinity and Otherworldliness, was identical to the Sun Goddess.

“I’m back.” Wil stated simply, nodding his head to Kathryn, before turning to his brother. Markus stood as well, looking over the changes in his brother, before speaking.

“So, what Serena said was the truth. You really have ascended.” Markus said, his voice tinged with awe, and small amount of regret. His emotions were complicated. He was both proud and envious, angry with what Wil had been through, but happy he had come through his trials.

“Hmm.” Wil confirmed, nodding at the statement. “It’s why I’m here. I don’t have long, the others have granted me some time to get my affairs in order, before I have to return. There are more…rules…than I had expected.” Wil said, shaking his head at the irony that a god would be more restricted than a mortal.

“Kathryn, I wanted to let you know that Secundus is incredibly proud of what you accomplished during the Night. She’ll likely tell you that herself when you next communicate. But I wanted to add my own sentiments. We would never have survived without you, and I wanted you to have this.” Wil said, holding out an object.

Letting it slip slightly from his fingers, it dangled by a chain. It was a necklace, his symbol, the silver disc representing his Moon prominent on both sides.

“This…I’m faithful to Secundus, Wil. I can’t accept this.” She said, shaking her head and making no effort to take the item.

“Secundus has already agreed to my giving it to you. The rules are going to be more strict, going forward. Clerics of the Twins will not be able to draw on their power during the Night. Only through the White Moon will you be able to access your full strength. Take it, with mine, and Secundus’s, blessing.” Wil said, shaking the necklace a bit so it caught the light.

Hesitating for a moment, Kathryn finally took the necklace, weighing it in her hand, before placing it over her head. It hung from around her neck, joining the perfect symbol of Secundus, complimenting it perfectly. Wil nodded in satisfaction.

“Markus.” Wil stated, turning away from the cleric, and looking at his brother. They had been through a lot, but their relationship had grown stronger since Aachen. Another thing he owed to that city.

“I won’t accept any gifts, Wil. We’re family, I know that you’ll be watching over us. That will be enough for me.” Markus replied, holding up a hand to forestall his brother. Wil nodded at his words, reluctantly accepting that he wouldn’t be able to force the issue, as he had done with Greaves.

“Tabitha?” Wil asked instead.

“She’s in the Capital, imprisoned once more. The Emperor will be overseeing her trial, and subsequent execution. I appreciate you sending her back, although you could have saved us the trouble and simply killed her.” Markus bluntly stated. Their sister had raged from her cell, screaming obscenities, and calling for her master. But with her mana gone, she was easy to contain now.

“Tabitha deserves her punishment, but I didn’t want to be the one to deliver it. Better a quick trial, and a quicker death by the Empire.” Wil said, looking away. His divine vision pierced through the walls of the manor, crossing the distance, and finding his sister, imprisoned, unable to hurt anyone.

Shrugging off his dark thoughts, Wil turned away from the direction of his imprisoned sister, already ridding her from his mind.

Taking a long look at his brother and his wife, he gave them a final nod, before turning and walking to the open doorway. Kathryn was about to call out to him, to ask if he would be back, when he faded from sight, already on to his final destination.

He found Serena in his father’s study, reading through a spell book. Wil recognized it as one of the Evocation texts that Amara had sent her while they were still in the Wilds. He watched silently from the doorway, a smile on his face while his daughter read.

His daughter. It was still foreign for him to call her that, but it just felt so right to speak her new title.

“If you want to practice any of those spells, there’s a training ground in the rear of the estate.” Wil called out. Serena’s head shot up, her book forgotten. Tossing it onto the table, she ran into him, throwing her arms around his torso. If she noticed anything off about his appearance, or mana, she didn’t show it.

“Wil! You’re back!” The young girl squealed. He hugged her in return, squeezing her gently.

He was about to reply when he heard the sound of several others approaching. From behind him, he heard his name being called, loud exclamations before his friends slammed into him. The first was Mara, smiling widely as she threw her arms around both him and Serena.

Standing in the doorway, Astrid paused for a moment, tears running down her face, before she joined them. Releasing the others, he gave her a hug, before wiping the tears from her cheeks.

The last to join the group was Quentin, who he shared a smile with, before hugging her as well.

“It’s good to see you all.” Wil said simply, his voice heavy with emotions. Compared to everything else, what came next would be the hardest.

Serena may not have commented on his appearance, but Astrid, Mara and Quentin knew him better than anyone. They instantly felt the transformation, his ascendance to Divinity. It was a like a gap, a chasm that separated Mortals from the Immortal.

He spent some time with them, discussing their experiences during the Night. He spared them the details of his battles, of how far he had fallen, before rising once more. The hours ticked by, and he could feel his time limit quickly approaching.

“Where are we going to live? Mara told me that Aachen was destroyed again. Will we stay here with Uncle Markus?” Serena asked, leaning against Wil’s arm.

“About that…Aachen had been rebuilt, better than ever. There’s a place for you there, a home.” Wil stated, before drawing a deep breath, a frown appearing on his face. The next part was what he had been dreading. Quentin, always more aware of Wil’s thoughts than even him sometimes, knew what came next.

“You’re not staying with us, are you.” She spoke. It wasn’t a question, she already knew the answer. Everyone in the room felt a stifling silence, as Wil blew out the breath he had been holding.

“No. I’m not.” Next to him, Serena looked stricken. The person she was closest to in the world was leaving her behind.

“There was a price to pay, to protect you. I need to guard the Night as the White Moon. There are more restrictions on me than you could imagine. I would stay if I could, but…I can’t be selfish, even if I wanted to be.” Wil said, looking into his daughters’ eyes, wishing she could understand. Maybe some small part of his knowledge was passed on, because she stopped crying, giving him a smile and a hug as she understood.

“Mara, I was hoping you would look after her? Aachen will be the safest place in the world, I’ve ensured that.” Wil asked. Mara immediately nodded, giving Serena a tight hug.

“Wil, are we never going to see you again?” Astrid asked, upset.

“Of course you will.” Wil said firmly. “I’ll always be there when you need me.”