Chapter 405

It was almost noon when Amanda stopped her lessons. After the kids left the building, she noticed Leon and Hector's presence. Although she was feeling quite awkward, Amanda came to say hi since she recognized Leon... as the mysterious figure that appeared a few days prior.

"Hey... you look more like a human now," Amanda said. "Sorry about the other day..."

"Don't be," Leon said. "Your actions were only justified."

"... We do really have some physical similarities," Amanda rubbed her chin. "Your hair and eyes... Although I feel that obviously had a brother and parents... I don't remember a single thing about them. I'm sorry to say this bluntly."

"No problem," Leon smiled. "You are alive and well, and that is the only thing that matters."

"Thank you for your understanding," Amanda said.

Things got really awkward about that, Leon didn't know what to say or ask, and Amanda clearly had no interest in the stranger that claimed to be her brother. That was the price of those who lived long lives had to pay... Amanda lived so much, cried so much, laughed so much and fought so much that those emotions lost their heaviness after so much time. Although that was his little sister, at the same it wasn't... it couldn't be helped, it was like to compare a forty-five years old woman with the child she was when she was only a toddler.

Without photographs, videos, or even paints, there was no way someone could keep on their memories the face or voice of someone for nine centuries... it was absolutely impossible. Noticing that Leon hoped a bit too much for a happy reunion, he started to feel like a fool.

"Well, you look tired, so I won't take any more of your time," Leon said.

"Yes, excuse me," Amanda smiled and then left.

Leon waited and observed Amanda while she left the building... something was very off, and he was only a small part of the equation.

"Did something happen between you two?" Leon asked.

"...We got divorced two hundred years ago," Hector answered.

"I see..." Leon said.

Leon recognized once more that nothing could beat time... time can beat everything, even the human's emotions that many thought that it was very powerful.

"...Let's finish this," Leon said after a long sigh. "Take me to where Maya is."

"Why?" Hector asked, showing cautiousness in his eyes.

"I just want to talk with her for a while," Leon said. "After talking with her, Sasha, Betty and Sarah, I promise that won't bother you guys anymore."

"... All right," Hector said.

If Amanda couldn't remember Leon, the chances of Maya recalling any memories of when she was only one or two years old were very dim. Still, that was necessary.

Leon and Hector found Maya keeping the hippogryphs away from a purple crystal. It looked like a group of soldiers used that crystal and are currently hunting in another world. Much to Leon's surprise, Maya was the only one guarding the crystal, but it looked like she was more than enough. Leon saw several hippogryphs dead nearby, and he also arrived on time to see her in action.

Maya was like tactical missile while she was flying, Leon barely could follow her with his eyes. One moment, a Hippogryph was flying, and then in the other, it would be falling, headless. Maya's weapon of choice was a green sword, and Leon could feel wind magic been emanated from it.

"Dad! And our... visitor." Maya ran toward Hector but slowed down when she saw Leon. "What are you two doing here?"

"Just walking around and breathing some fresh air," Hector smiled. "Is everything fine around here? Did you find any mutants today?"

"No, everything is calm as ever," Maya smiled.

Although Leon wanted to chat with Maya, he didn't feel like after that initial exchange of glances. Maya didn't like strangers... most likely because the people that were used as human bombs in the past. Besides, Leon decided to stop disturbing the conversation between daughter and father.

On that same day, Leon visited Sarah, Sasha, and Betty. All of them were amidst the crowd when Leon invaded the city, so they looked at him with stern and cautious eyes. It wasn't that surprising since they were quite pretty, but all of them were married and had children... Betty was the leader of a family that had members of six generations.

"Well, this is it," Leon said. "Sorry for having bothered you."

"It was nothing, you can come to visit us anytime," Hector said.

"If my goal is to harass the leader of the city and make him watch me all day long while he keeps himself ready to attack, then I will do that." Leon smiled.

Hector smiled nervously; his acting skills could use some work. He wasn't just the leader of the city because he was popular, but probably because he was the strongest. Regardless, Leon headed to the crystal that would lead him back to Earth. However, he stopped to observe that world... that was Amanda and Maya's new home. It was evident that they had no reason or wished to return to Earth. More importantly, it looked like they finally found peace there. Although they still had to fight against monsters, it wasn't like the hellish life they lived just like Leon in those five years... They rebuilt human society there, and now hunting monsters was like working and studying.

"They became ordinary people again... they can use mana and do things humans couldn't do before. But they are no longer soldiers and warriors... there was no way someone could keep themselves fighting a war for many years. They will only recover their edge when this world reaches the next stage of assimilation."

It was a pity, but Leon will never find his family and friends, not the ones he was forced to leave eight years ago... while that was true for Leon, it was also true that he became a relic of a past they couldn't bring themselves to remember.