368 Chapter 368: Before departure 1

"Did Derik do this?" Linda fought hard to hold back her tears. Even after everything they had done to Derik, this was the last thing she expected to see. She assumed he would just watch John die but the reverse was the case.

"I could have sworn those were my final moments… At that time, I couldn't hear anything, only darkness surrounded me and all I could see was Derik facing off against something in black hooded attire and two pairs of angelic black wings… I couldn't tell what they were saying to each other but the next thing I saw was Derik, dragging that thing into some sort of portal… No matter how I look at it… I just know he saved me from death… I just don't know what to say" John swallowed hard while also trying to fight back the tears threatening to overflow. The last thing he expected was Derik who tried to kill them alongside the former king Robert of Gyro to protect him.

"You don't have to say anything… all you have to do now is relax and live out the rest of your life, bearing in mind that I bear no ill intentions towards you and Linda"

Derik's voice echoed all over the room and right in front of the bed, a spatial gate appeared and Derik stepped out of it. His eye was fixed on John and even without been told he could sense the strong life aura emanating from his father's body. Even if he had driven away from the angel of death, all he could do with his death magic was keep John alive but he couldn't heal and even go as far as to elongate the man's life span.

"Cyrus? No… even Cyrus is not this strong yet… it has to be Samael… Thank you" Derik whispered. Leaving John and Linda confused since they couldn't understand what he was saying and who he was speaking to.

"Don't thank me just yet…You owe me, one kid!" Samael's voice rang in Derik's ears, forcing him to break a smile before busting out pearls of laughter for close to ten seconds.

...............….

It's been long Derik laughed that hard and even now his jaws hurt because of it. Sitting on a wooden chair, next to the wooden round table, Derik slowly sipped the hot green tea offered to him by his sister and to his greatest surprise, he didn't derive any joy from it.

Not taste, nothing at all.

At this moment, Derik realized he had gone for years now without feeding and he was still perfectly fine. He couldn't tell if this was also one of the benefits one acquires as a god candidate but he didn't really like this.

"Say whatever you wish to say, because this may be the last time we will speak… You will never get this chance again" Derik's voice was stern, telling those two he wasn't joking. And this made them wonder.

Where was he going?

"Why? Where are you going? Did something bad happen or are there bad people chasing big bro away?" Linda mustered up enough courage to ask while holding her breath.

Looking at Derik now, Linda and John could barely recognize him. While Linda and John had brown hair, Derik's hair was jet black with green stripes crossing across it. His complexion was pale, making his skin color a bit lighter but even then he still looked gorgeous instead of intimidating. His eyes were like two balls of darkish green flames dancing recklessly within the darkness giving Derik a more dangerous yet it still felt appealing to them. For some reason, they felt like falling on their knees and worshiping this person who they once called brother and son.

"No! no! no! You have got it all wrong… Your brother is the strongest mortal alive… No one can threaten me now… But these things are a bit more complicated than you think… The road to attaining true strength is even more intense than we all thought… There are just some unwritten laws I cannot fight against…. I am left with no choice but to follow them… For your sake and the sake of everyone in this empire I fought so hard to create and protect, I must leave after my next breakthrough… But you don't have to worry, I will be watching over you all from above" Derik said while slowly patting his sister's head with a passionate smile. 

For some reason, he felt both happy and sad, all at once! Derik was the reason their mother died and since then he and Linda had never been on good terms since he never let go of the past and kept blaming him for her mother's death at the hands of the cruel nobles. Images of the past flowed through his mind, reminding him of how she treated him with contempt, not giving a damn about him. Hearing the same person call him big bro for the first time in like, forever was enough to move his heart and stir up some emotions.

"Does it have to be you… Does it always have to be you protecting everyone? Always putting your life at risk to keep these people who despise you safe… I have watched from afar and seen the way these people look at you… I have always given into my anger, and I keep wondering why do you even bother with these people… why risk your life for such an ungrateful set of bastards who can't see the light even when it's right in front of them" John said with trembling hands.

Hearing this, Derik silently got on his feet and walked towards the door. He opened it and only then did he look back with a strange smile on his face.

"I once promised I will keep everyone safe, get rid of the magical beasts, and let everyone live a life without constant fear… This promise I also made to you… I got rid of the magic beasts, and so far I have been protecting everyone… I did not choose to take up this role because I wanted to… I just have to… I have lost a lot in the past and I'm not willing to lose anything to anyone anymore… WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE ME? It's because your son has become the strongest man alive… Instead of trembling in anger, you should rejoice… Your descendant has surpass the realm of mortals and will soon become god!"