Chapter 17 - Betrayal, The return [1]

"The same disaster yet again, black flames engulfing my home, my town, Jessica, everyone, father Ashford, where are you? The heat, it burns, my heart, it throbs, please send h-hel…AHHHH." *Huff, Puff,* With sweat dripping like flower petals after heavy rainfall, Staxius, at last, awoke from his deep slumber that lasted an eternity. With the light emanating from the room too bright, our hero squinted his eyes in an attempt to make head or tails about what happened. There she was, Undrar, the bringer of death, so beautiful yet deadly, how can one be so perfect he wondered.

Time-pass was fifteen days, the death element was fully awakened, his chest felt heavy, a hefty burden to bear, the change was imminent. Staxius could no longer feel dark arts, the artificial magical element, instead, it combined. Confused as well as excited, he shouted.

"UNDRAR,"

The scream was misinterpreted as a cry for help, the bringer of death instantly got into her battle stance, her wings grew bigger, horns appeared, her aura intensified tenfold. She truly was a demi-god.

"Young master, get behind me right this instant, we are under attack." She backed herself against the still half-awake Staxius, with her back practically inches away, *Foo,*

"Explosion," The once darkish brown door, turned to dust, her reaction was unexpected to say the least.

"Calm down Undrar, we aren't under attack," He whispered softly with his arms wrapped around her neck as if she gave him a piggyback.

*Gulp,* "S-Staxius… w-what are y-you doing," Her cheeks flushed, having someone practically hugging her from the behind was a new and awkward experience. She didn't know what to do nor say, her mind went blank."

"Hey, your body feels a little tight, why not let me help you ease the painnn…" He prolonged the last syllable just so that she would freak even more.

"W-what d-do you m-mean," *Gulp,* Her ever beating heart began to speed up, her body temperature shot up as well, she was being manhandled by a boy.

Having seen her suffered enough, Staxius added the cherry on top by biting her right ear a little

then stepped away. The instant her brain recognized what happened, she jumped. Her body was a wreck, not even another sorcerer could have done so much damage using magic or pure combat. In a span of three minutes, our hero practically brought a demi-god to her knees with only his talent of breaking someone's mind and to exploit said weakness.

Swiftly and loudly breathing, Undrar fell onto her knees, her strength felt somehow lacking,

"Come on get up, I was only messing around, seeing that despite you being a godly entity you still had feelings truly made my heart glisten. I promise I won't do it again," He held out a helping hand and smiled with no ulterior motives, the mini-coma he slept through changed him as a person.

With a smile of her own, she accepted his help and got up,

"Thanks for practically defeating me without lifting a finger," She pouted.

"Don't be that way, you had such a lonely and sad expression on your face I could not help it, someone as pretty as you deserves to smile more. I'm sure that, that smile of yours which sparkles a thousand flames, fiercer than any gem would enlighten this sad world. You're like the light to my abyss. All I want is to reach out and touch that flame, however, fate has bound us to never meet,"

He spoke, poetically and flirtatiously.

"Cut it out with all the flattery master, stealing my heart isn't such an easy feat you know," She smirked

"Wonderful," He laughed.

"Seriously though, thanks for watching over me, I appreciate it." He added

"Tis part of my job, no need to threat over such details, I'd watch over you till death do us part," She pulled out her tongue.

"That's going too far, we aren't getting married just yet," He facepalmed. Ashamed, her already flushed cheeks began to boil, Staxius did a U-turn with the conversation and sent her into a loop.

"…" She hid behind her own hands.

"Come on, I was only kidding, no need to be embarrassed, the lady who stole my heart, I shall wait for thy even if death do us part, I shan't leave till I've received the unrequited love I deserve,"

"Delay as long as you may, my flare shall soon be quenched, if thou wishes for my heart, thou needeth prove your worthiness." She replied.

"How cruel must thy be to ask for one such as myself to proveth my vigor?"

"Vigor you shan't prove as thou are a lesser soul compared to I whom am a demi-god."

"…" With a long silence, the conversation stopped, they both stared at each other with earnest.

"Undrar, I think playtime is over for today, I need to head home, can you kindly guide me there?"

"Very well young master, however, do you know how long you've been here in the hall of rebirth?"

"Four days I guess."

"Fifteen days," she added

"FIFTEEN DAYS?" He snapped.

"You heard me correctly, you've been gone from your world for one and a half year now."

"Is my body still alive though?" He asked, worried.

"Without a doubt, you may leave at any time you want, master." She smiled.

"…" Staxius wanted to ask something however, his traitorous mouth didn't wish to speak.

"If you have something to say then go ahead, I'm here at your disposal."

"After I'm gone, what is going to happen with you?"

"Probably nothing, I'll go back to sleep I guess, my job in protecting you and making you meet the death reaper is over." Her expression was one of someone who didn't want to leave, Staxius instantly picked up on it.

"Undrar, I have a favor to ask."

"Speak your mind,"

"Why not come with me to my world, it's messy, filled with disasters and hatred, finding peace there is only but an illusion. Nevertheless, I'll be happy for you to be my friend, as an individual I like you a lot, our personalities click, you know full well how vile of a human I am, yet, you put up and even give me the taste of my own medicine. If it isn't much to ask, why not come along with me on my final journey before I become the true god of death," He smiled.

"…"She averted her gaze and stared at the ground as guilt became to overtake her.

"Sigh, no matter, I'm sorry if I've offended you in any way, I shall take my leave," He left disappointed.

"WAIT," She shouted.

"I'm not that great of a person, I don't understand other people very well, I'm really only fit for combat. You think too highly of me, in a social setting or anything related to that I'm just a burden, I can't talk my way into someone's good graces, in the end, even being a demi-god, I only bring death and suffering." Ashamed her gaze grew less vivid; tears began to form.

"Great person? Don't make me laugh, I'm the worse of the worst, I hate it but its who I am, It's a shame to see that you only see me as someone who would do anything for an advantage, my purpose in bringing you to my world could not be any simpler, I just want a friend who will never betray me."

"Are you s-sure…"

Without replying, stood in front of the portal, Staxius held out his hand as if waiting for someone, the moment he took a step forward, Undrar joined him.

"Welcome home big brother, or should I say, Duke Julius Garnet," Autumn stood with a massive golden door behind her, everything changed since the day Staxius disappeared. Julius turned into someone who only desired power, all in hopes of clearing his best friend's name. Autumn Garnet finally forgot about the guy named Staxius, she sunk herself so much into her studies that she's now considered the best student throughout all of Claireville academies.

Five months ago, Sophie Mirabelle, married into the Clyfford family. Hearing that news, Julius was so enraged that he overthrew Sophie's status as a duchess and lowered her rank to S-rank. With their pride on the line, the Clyfford family asked for a duel with each family's prosperity as a reward, seeing that Julius was now the head of the Garnet family, he accepted. The duel ended with him as the victor, a demon-possessed him, that was the gossip which reached the castle.

After countless negotiations, Julius settled on taking half of Sophie Mirabelle's fortune and legally erase the Mirabelle name from Staxius's name as well as clear his name as a traitor to the crown, left without a cause to fight, Julius continued his studies and made a fortune thus becoming the youngest self-made Duke in the history. Even though the name Staxius Haggard was cleared, Princess Gallienne didn't take that lightly, her vengeful nature took the charge and falsified Staxius's name and made him into something worse than a traitor, a s.e.x-crazed fiend who forced his way onto her. To that end, she bore a child from Piers, the young girl was named Elise.

With the news of Princess Gallienne's virtue being defiled by her fiancé, the king schemed to put all the blame onto a dead man, Staxius. In the end, despite Elise being their legitimate child, the young couple abandoned her after four months, she was placed onto a small boat and sent into the wild river.

"Thanks, Autumn, I hope your studies have been going well?" Julius formally asked as he entered the ex-Mirabelle home.

"Yes, brother you seem tired, why not rest?"

"Time stops for no one, my dear little sister. Emily, come here this instant."