Chapter 452 Erika's Father Last Moments

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The next morning, we all gathered at Erika's home. I had told everyone what happened yesterday by now, and they were all surprised of such events. Apparently they were rather excited to see the "new" Erika, although I kept telling them that aside from the color of her eyes there wasn't anything really "new" about her.

They all lack the ability to see through material objects unlike my Vampiric Eyes, and also lack the ability to sense the streams of energy unless they really concentrate, something they only do in battle. So for them, Erika will look just the same.

It only looked very different to me because I was able to see through the essence within her two eyes and her body and spirit orb, and of course, her soul. Her soul also undergone some sort of evolution. It was already incredibly strong, but now it has become even stronger.

​ "I am excited to meet Erika!" Chris said. "I wonder if she'll get all cocky now that she got her new body and all…"

"I doubt it, Erika's a good girl." Said Erdrich.

"Are you implying I am not?" Asked Elizabeth.

"Wha…? Of course not…!" Erdrich tried to calm down Elizabeth.

"Well, here we are." I knocked the door.

Knock, knock.

We waited for a bit, but someone came to open the door, but not someone we expected.

It was Erika's dolls.

"Huh? Erika's dolls opened the door?" Wondered Eric.

"Where's Erika? Is she okay?" Wondered Erdrich.

The dolls couldn't talk, but they pointed at the stairs, telling us to move upstairs, and they were pushing us from behind, as if asking us to hurry.

"Something's going on here…" Chris said.

"Yeah, this isn't normal, Erika always opens the door…" Eric said.

"Let's go."

I led the group as we reached the second floor.

And then we found Erika crying in front of her father's bed.

Her father was still alive, but I could see he had barely any Ki within his body.

He was dying.

"Erika… Your friends… are here." He murmured with a weak voice, he looked incredibly pale.

"Everyone…" Erika looked back. "Please help papa! He's… he can't move and he's all pale!"

Everyone ran towards her, surrounding her father. Just as I imagined, nobody really saw many changes in her appearance aside from the color of her eyes. She was wearing a simple white dress, barefoot.

"We could probably use healing magic, right?" Asked Eric.

"Blake?" Elizabeth asked.

"…You can try all you want, but there's a certain point where healing magic can't do much." I told the two of them. "Even if we try… We won't really get any results anymore. Since I meet Erika's father for the first time that I used my Ki to enhance his vitality. His actual life would had ended way earlier… I've done everything I could, but sadly, this… this is it."

Although it sounded cold, I couldn't really sugarcoat them the truth anymore. Erika's father was dying and might not even be in this world in a few more hours. Healing won't do anything anymore. The only thing that could help would be the ability to rejuvenate a body, but such power can only be truly conceived with very high tiered magic, probably Tier 6 and beyond.

"So you've been helping papa all this time? Why didn't you tell me?!" Erika asked.

"It wouldn't had made a difference…" I sighed.

"Blake!" Erika angrily cried, hitting my chest.

"Erika…" Her father called her, as Erika looked behind her. "Don't fight with Blake over it, it is my fault… I overexerted my own limits… yesterday."

"Why?! You didn't had to push yourself so hard…" Erika began sobbing. "I don't want… I don't want to lose you…"

Her old father smiled, caressing Erika's face, the warmth of her body contrasted with his cold hands.

"I had to do it for you… I am so happy you're alive…" He sighed.

"Sniff… Papa… Don't die… Don't leave me alone…" Erika continued sobbing.

Her father smiled, as tears began flowing from his eyes.

"I don't want to die either… I want to see you grow up… I want… to see you become a beautiful woman…" Her father cried. "I want to see with my eyes how far you will go…"

Erika's father continued having difficulties speaking, however, he mustered the strength to continue talking anyways.

"I'm sorry… For everything… I could never have been the father you deserved, my little princess…" Her father cried. "I just… had to do this for me… I poured everything I had… Everything…"

"You were not a bad father…" Erika sobbed. "You're my only father… You did everything you could, I grew up with you, and you taught me everything, and even always repaired my body with patience… You never reprimanded me either…"

"A good father reprimands their children, but I simply… I couldn't do it." He sighed. "I… Ungh… Erika… You're… you look so much like your mother when she was younger. A living image of her."

"Like mom…?" Erika wondered.

"She… she's probably still alive, right? Please, try to find her…" Her father said. "Tell her that I am sorry for everything… T-Tell her that… You're alive."

"I will… I will find her…" Erika sniffed.

"I… I… I love you, dear…" Her father sighed. "And… you're not alone without me. You've got everyone here… These kids, they're all your family… You will never be alone… never."

Erika's eyes opened, as she looked at her father's eyes, the light from them was slowly fading away.

"Papa… Wait…"

"Live… Live a long… life…"

"No, no! Wait! Papa!"

I walked at the side of Erika as I looked at her father.

"I'll take care of her, I promise."

"Thank… you."

With those two words, her father stopped breathing. It felt as if his body should had long ago died, but through the last bits of Mana within his Spirit Orb, he was forcing his own body to continue living.

His heart stopped beating, his blood suddenly stopped flowing, his essence dissipated, and his soul emerged from within his body. I was the only one able to see it.

He hugged his daughter with everything he had, and then he glanced at me before departing.

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