1370 Are You willing To Pay The Price?[Part 2]
“Stop spouting nonsense old man.” Chloee scoffed after she managed to regain her composure. “We already know this. Will already has a plan to unite the entire world for this battle. Isn’t that right, Will?”
William blinked. “I do?”
“This is the part where you will just nod and say yes,” Chloee complained as she poked WIlliam’s cheeks. “Don’t make me look bad in front of this old fogey.”
William could only smile bitterly as he listened to Chloee’s complaint. The Half-Elf knew that lying to a God was impossible, so he didn’t dare say that he already had everything under control.
After his talk with Cathy, the Virtuous Lady of Hope gave him hints about what to do after he returned to Hestia. Visiting the God of Familiars was only one of them.
Two years.
This was the amount of time remaining before the Army of Destruction came knocking on their door with full force.
In those two years, William must meet with all the rulers of the Central, Southern, Western (Gunnar Federation), Eastern (Silvermoon Continent), and Northern (Demon Realm) Continents, and tell them of the upcoming threat.
The Half-Elf was certain that none of them was going to believe him. Even so, he must find a way to make them believe, so that all the forces of Hestia could unite under one banner, and fight with everything they had against the Army of Destruction.
“Your, Excellency, I can understand what you are trying to say, but for now, let’s discuss the main reason why I came here,” William said as he covered Chloee’s lips because he could tell that the little familiar was about to spout off a litany of profane words, condemning the old man for wasting their time.
“Can you please tell me how the other half of my soul could be restored?” William inquired.
“I can tell you how, but I don’t know if it will work,” the God of Familiars answered. “This is the first time that something like this has happened, so there is no precedent. Even so, we won’t know until we try, right?”
The God of Familiars didn’t want to give William false hope. He truly didn’t know if it was possible to restore the other half of William’s soul, and resurrect the two familiars that had died.
“Come with me,” the God of Familiars ordered as he opened a golden portal beside him. “Let’s go to the Graveyard of Familiars.”
Will nodded and stood up from his seat. However, just before he could walk towards the portal, Maple and Cinnamon grabbed hold of his hands.
“We’re coming with you,” Maple stated.
“Cinnamon wants to see!” Cinnamon raised her free hand as a way to insist that she must go.
William smiled as he looked at the two little girls, whose cheeks were still stained with food sauces.
He used his water and wind magic to clean the faint traces on their cheeks before taking them inside the golden portal where the God of Familiars was waiting.
Celeste was only a few steps away because she also wanted to see the Graveyard of Familiars.
Chloee, and Claire, on the other hand, had solemn expressions on their faces. Part of them were scared to see what lay on the other side, while the other half was feeling hopeful that something good would happen once they entered the portal.
Contrary to what they expected, the Graveyard of Familiars wasn’t a gloomy place like those cemeteries in horror films.
It was a land of perpetual sunshine, and the place was incredibly beautiful. Trees, flowers, short bridges, and small brooks could be seen all around them.
After walking for ten minutes, they arrived at a small shrine, where two crystals were placed on an altar.
William bit his lip and his eyes moistened when he saw two familiar faces, whose eyes were closed in a peaceful sleep inside the two crystals.
They were none other than the red-headed teenager’s familiars, Elliot and Conan.
His two best friends who had sacrificed their lives in order to help him survive against a God, whose desire for conquest and chaos was second to none.
“They were born because you used your soul as the catalyst for their birth,” the God of Familiars said softly. “Because of this, they were stronger than ordinary familiars. You and them shared the same root, and because of that, they didn’t hesitate to face death fearlessly.”
The God of Familiars sighed in his heart as he looked at the two familiars, who seemed to have been frozen in time.
“You ask me if there is a chance for you to recover your soul then the answer is yes,” the God of Familiars stated. “But, if you ask me if there is a chance for you to resurrect them after you’ve recovered your soul, the answer is no.”
The old man faced William and looked at him with all the seriousness that he could muster.
“William, you need to make a choice,” the God of Familiars gestured at the two crystals on the altar. “If you want your souls back, all you need to do is smash those crystals. Once Elliot’s and Conan’s bodies are destroyed, your soul will naturally return to you.”
The God of Familiars moved to the side and placed both of his hands behind his back. “Once a familiar dies, they can revive an infinite number of times, as long as their summoner is alive. But, this is only true on the condition that they do not unleash their full power, breaking the vessel in which their souls are kept.
“Just like a broken jar of water, no matter how much water you pour inside it, all of its contents would disappear in time. When the last drop of water falls, their time in the mortal realm comes to an end.
“Their souls then appear here in the Graveyard of the Familiars, as their final resting place. So, tell me, Dark Prince, are you willing to pay the price for your soul to become whole again?”
William’s lips were pressed firmly together.
He had no intention of desecrating the bodies of Elliot and Conan who did everything in their power to protect him.
If he were to really smash the crystals, and destroy their bodies in order to regain the other half of his soul, he was very certain that he would lose more than whatever he would gain after doing such a bastardly act.
An act that would make him lose what he held sacred, and make him no different from Felix, who threw away his pride, and dignity, for the sake of gaining the power of Darkness.
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