Chapter 496 - Epilogue (1)

After the end of the battle, and after returning to their world, Zaos and Drannor didn't lose their weapons… even though it was evident that the goddess of the world opened the portal back home to them, she didn't feel like taking back the weapons. Zaos didn't like that. It felt like something might happen again since both weapons sealed the demon god… it would be better if the weapons vanished, and thus, no one would be able to revive him.

While they were covering from the battle on the northern base, the others worked to bring back all the previous followers of the demon god to the base as well, but not as prisoners. During a week, everyone worked to make a reunion with the leaders of their tribes, and they noticed that his descendants were a lot less violent than before. In the same way, the soldiers and mercenaries didn't feel an inexplicable hate toward them. Since Dalyor was there, the negotiations went as smoothly as possible… 

Elisius' descendants caused trouble to the world over and over again, but only because of his influence over the world and because of the mistakes done in the past and the fear they invoked on others. It was time to put behind those pages of history… so, Dalyor invented them to live in the central area of the kingdom. According to the registers, they lived there a long time ago. Naturally, they didn't like the idea since it seemed like a trap. However, after intervening and talking with someone he knew ten years ago, Zaos convinced them. 

That someone was Cailu… he was the new leader of many tribes, and while he tried to cause trouble to Zaos ten years ago, it was time to let bygones be bygones. Besides, most of them knew that the soldiers already had all the advantages. If they wanted to exterminate all the descendants of the magic tribe, they could have done it on the battlefield.

Zaos thought that things would be awkward for a while between Drannor and Milliendra. However, since Drannor was always all smiles when she was around, and he didn't have to hide anything from her, he didn't seem that scary… They spent a lot of time together, and Dalyor also stayed with them and enjoyed that light in their lives. Zaos had accepted from the very beginning that he wasn't her father. He raised her like a daughter. Still, his goal of returning her to her real family wasn't something that he didn't forget. That being said, Aleni looked a bit troubled.

"Weren't you prepared for that?" Zaos asked.

"I thought I was… but I guess I wasn't… I will miss the old days," Aleni said. "While she still keeps calling me Mommy, something feels different…"

"I know what you are missing…" Zaos said. "Once we return to the capital, you will feel better."

Dealing with the aftermath of the war took three weeks, and by that time, the strength of those who were wounded had been restored. Zaos even had time to visit Tyra… his first student was now a mother of five and was already pregnant with the sixth… It seemed like she and her husband were like rabbits. Nevertheless, Tyra was sincere enough to say that he hated him for disappearing without saying anything, and after the rumors she had heard, she hated him even more, but once the truth of the matter was revealed, she felt relieved instead of troubled. After saying goodbye to her commander Ruvyn and Captain Elius, Zaos departed with his mercenary army back to the capital of the Sairus kingdom. That was something that happened a lot in the past. Still, it didn't happen in the last forty years for some reason… and that was some celebrations after important victories. The mercenaries had been invited as guests to participate. Still, it was hard to imagine if so many people would fit in the capital. 

Nevertheless, the trip to the capital lasted for three weeks since they didn't have horses and carriages for everyone. However, Zaos and the others reached it after two weeks. That extra week would be enough to prepare for the celebration… While Dalyor had invited Zaos and Aleni to have a room in the castle, they decided to rent a room in a random inn. Zaos had a new home… back in the mercenaries' country, and he didn't want to impose on his father's house either. Zaos couldn't tell why, but it felt like it was almost determined that he wouldn't get along with his father… both of them were two sets of their own values and ideals, and they couldn't compromise. Still, at least Laiex wasn't looking at him with stern eyes any longer. After resting for a full day, Zaos and Aleni headed toward the castle, and for the first time… they visited Ameria's grave.

"Ah… so this is what you had in mind," Aleni said while showing a complicated smile.

"Let's give her our reports… and tell her that Milliendra is finally free from the curse of the demon god," Zaos said.

Zaos had done that several times in the past, but Aleni couldn't see the point. She was the type who believed that the feelings of the living couldn't reach the dead. While that was rather normal since Zaos never heard of people visiting graves often in that world, he still felt comfortable doing that.

After seeing Zaos reporting several events of Milliendra's life, Aleni began to understand why Zaos was doing that… it was a bit of a way to make himself recall certain events that felt nostalgic. It was also a way to make sure that they wouldn't be forgotten for many years… Once Zaos finished his report, Aleni joined him and told her what happened to Milliendra when Zaos was traveling outside their base… while Zaos had heard of those things, it still felt nice hearing that when Aleni was trying to talk as if she was really talking with Ameria. In the end, they spent the whole day on the grave… 

The next day, Zaos visited his old home to talk with his mother once more, and a weird thought crossed his head… still, he forgot about it when Aleni suddenly asked about something.

"How is your left arm?" Aleni asked.

"It is the same as usual. I can control it if I use mana, but feeling anything through it is impossible," Zaos said. "Well, it is not like I am going to need it in the future… if that were to become a problem, I can just resume my research and create a magic glove that will help with that."

Zaos did some tests, and apparently, his sword granted him an infinite supply of mana, so he could use his left arm with no problem. Still, the issue wouldn't be truly solved… Zaos thought that such a thing would trouble Aleni more, but it didn't. For the next few days, Zaos had no idea what to do… he wanted to give Dalyor, Drannor, and Milliendra some space in order to let them get used to their new reality. So, it seemed like the next few days would be pretty boring… However, some noise individuals appeared and then dragged them out from their room and led them to the nearest tavern. They were Cohnal, Melisse, Nyana, Erean, Edea, Noemi, and Halamar. They began to drink like there was no tomorrow.

"It is time, Captain," Cohnal said after he drank his fifth glass.

"How many times do I have to say that I am not…" Zaos said and then sighed when he noticed that no one was listening to him. "Time for what?"

"Tell us what happened when you two crossed that portal!" Cohnal raised his voice. "That battle… It is something that everyone needs to hear about! After all, it ended thousands of years of conflict in our world."

"Even if I were to tell you, you wouldn't believe me…" Zaos said.

Zaos wasn't the type to drink a lot. He always wanted to keep his guard up, but he didn't want to kill the good mood in the tavern since many people wanted to hear what happened, including Aleni. After a long sigh… Zaos decided to tell them what had happened. Even though most of the people there were dead drunk, they still listened in silence to what Zaos had told them. In the end, they were left speechless… Those who were close to Zaos could imagine him doing all that, but the others weren't so sure. After being bothered for quite a while by Cohnal, Zaos cast Thunder Armor on him, and he confirmed that there was a spell that could increase human's speed to a fearsome level without hurting them. Once that happened, those who heard the story began to pass down across the capital.

As if he hadn't troubled Zaos enough, Cohnal appeared and dragged Zaos and Aleni to many taverns across the capital and made him tell the same story several times during the next few days… Zaos wondered how much he could repeat the cycle of drinking like a pig, feel like dying thanks to the hangover and then go drinking on the very same day. Fortunately, the day of the celebration came, and that cycle had to stop. At first, the capital citizens frowned when they saw the descendants of the magic race and the mercenaries walking around like tourists. Still, they eventually got used to it when some important figures began to walk around with them.

All important figures from all parts of the world had been invited to the celebration, so that day, the capital was as crowded as never before. While he and Aleni were heading toward the castle, Zaos wondered from where Dalyor would take the money to pay for everything, considering that a lot of resources had been spent over the years due to the wars. Still, that kind of thing was necessary to calm down the masses and make the soldiers relax.

It had been a while since Zaos had participated in any type of high-class party, and while the idea of using formal clothes seemed pretty annoying, Zaos realized that he couldn't lose the chance to see Aleni in dress… she was a practical woman, so she disliked stiff clothes as well. Still, it had been worth the hassle to look for clothes when Aleni asked him to pick a dress for her. While it was simple, Zaos found a white one that was perfect on Aleni since she was tall and slim.

"Come to think of it, I never had the chance to dance in those parties," Zaos said.

"Don't even start, Zaos…" Aleni said.

Zaos laughed, and when they arrived at the castle, Zaos found Milliendra hiding behind Drannor in a yellow dress after greeting some people. She looked really cute, but she didn't like the type of clothes either… in the end, people began to dance when some instruments started to be played. While Aleni resisted at first, she ended up accepting Zaos' offer. Neither of them was pretty good at that, but they managed to dance for a while without making any glaring mistakes.

Zaos thought that Dalyor would give some speeches and then congratulate some soldiers. Still, given that some descendants of the magic tribes were there, that wasn't a good idea. Instead of celebrating their victory, it was more like everyone was celebrating a turning point in the history of the world, where some people didn't have to hate each other because of a complicated past. In the end, the celebrations lasted for five days… but after getting wasted so many times and waking up while facing strange ceilings, some people began to miss their homes. It was also time for Zaos and Aleni to depart; they had the other kids to look after back on their new base, after all.

While they were packing their things, Zaos and Aleni wondered how Aleni would deal with their departure… while it wasn't something definitive, she was a kid who grew up seeing either Zaos or Aleni guarding her. They thought that they would have to go to the castle, but Milliendra and all of their friends showed up at the inn.

"You guys…" Zaos said, visibly surprised.

"Captain is the type of man who hates goodbyes, after all," Cohnal shrugged. "If we didn't show up like this, you probably would just leave without saying anything."

"Well, I can't deny that," Zaos said. "After all, I will probably show up more than a few times every year here. I am the king of the mercenaries now, and I have to consider the growth and economy of that country."

"Let's drink again like before, Captain," Malisse said. "It was fun."

"I will come to visit you as well, brother," Nyana said. "I hope that won't bother you."

"I will be waiting to sell more of your own magic books," Merkin said.

"It would be nice if you could give some lessons in the magic school," Edea said.

"Take care, kid, and don't be a stranger," Elius said.

Noemi, Hallamar, Erean, Brien, even Cailu said some parting words to Zaos. They lived all across the globe, so meeting them would be difficult… still, Zaos wasn't planning to make a throne for himself and sit on it for the rest of his life. He was planning to travel the world again, this time, as a tourist.

"We may have had our disagreements… but you are someone who far surpassed me and gained the title of a hero by your own merits," Laiex said and then offered a handshake. "For that… you have my respect and admiration."

"... Thank you," Zaos said and accepted the handshake. "If you weren't so strict, I probably wouldn't have reached my current level..we disagree on many points, but we still follow the paths that we deemed right."

"I caused you many troubles without realizing my shortcomings and letting my own fears control my actions in order to avoid them," Dalyor said. "Despite that, you still protected Milliendra and saved this world… you will always be welcome here, Zaos."

"That will be helpful," Zaos said. "Let's be commercial partners and forget the past."

Drannor crossed his arms and wondered what he should say now. A lot of things happened between them, becoming friends, rivals, enemies… and then allies that fought together to save the world. It felt like that there was no need to say anything, but Drannor felt like Zaos needed to hear a few things from him after shouldering everything he did. Still, before he could come up with anything, Zaos raised his right fist and waited for Drannor to do the same and then greet each other. Zaos felt the same. There was no need to say anything.

After their fists collided slightly, Milliendra stepped forward and then hugged Zaos and Aleni's legs. She didn't want to cry, but she was having a hard time controlling her tears… Milliendra also knew that it wasn't a definitive farewell, but she felt like crying for many reasons. Because now she knew everything and that Zaos and Aleni protected her from everything and loved her above anything else, even though they weren't blood-related.

"Be good, Millie," Zaos bent his knee and then hugged and kissed her forehead.

"We will bring the other kids to play with you the next time we come, " Aleni did the same and then patted her head. "So look forward to it."

"I will," Milliendra said with a smile on her face and with her eyes filled with tears.

The group followed Zaos, Aleni, and all the other mercenaries until they reached the western gate of the capital, and they waved their arms when they crossed it. Zaos and his group did the same while smiling from ear to ear… it felt great coming and leaving a place while leaving the doors open and without worrying about enemies. Zaos finally realized that he had fulfilled his mission in that world, now he could be happy without worrying about anything else....