RotDG Chapter 60: Catch Up

There was a lot I had to catch Vorth up on. After all, it had been six months since we last saw each other. Well, technically it had been about ten years. But for most of those ten years, the both of us were dead. And in death, time seemed to take both an eternity to pass and an instant to happen, almost like a dream. Besides, there was nothing either of us could have accomplished while dead.

So, practically-speaking, from my perspective, it had been six months since I last saw him, and from his perspective, it had only been a few hours. And so, I filled him in on what I had done during those six months.

We were now in the middle of a small clearing in the middle of the forest, protected by a simple silencing spell that prevented anyone nearby from eavesdropping on us. I could no longer see the city of Albus. And that was why I felt like I was able to speak freely… well, freely-enough.

Silencing spells weren’t infallible. Some divination or scrying spells were able to peer through them. However, I was adept enough at spellcasting that I was certain I could detect if someone was trying to break through my silencing spell to overhear what I was saying.

Of course, I couldn’t be too certain, especially considering my weakened state…

But even still, I felt comfortable enough to fill in Vorth with most of the details of what had transpired since I woke up as Eli. For example, I told him about my encounter with the Blood Swords, detailing everything from my time at the orphanage to the mystery of both the Avatars of Death and the Artifacts of Death.

“Interesting…” Vorth mused, kneeling with both legs before me and a hand on the chin-like edge of his helmet. “And have you encountered any of these Avatars of Death?”

“Nope,” I said as I shook my head. “And I’d rather not encounter them anytime soon. I’ve heard they’re quite dangerous, capable of taking down even Inquisitors.”

Vorth’s blue and gold flaming eyes flickered when he heard that. He leant forward excitedly as he placed his hands on the ground before me. 

“That’s all the more reason why we should seek them out!” Drawing back, he flexed an arm— even though his metallic arm couldn’t actually be flexed. “I wish to test my mettle against these powerful beings.”

I pursed my lips as I stared at my summon. I had forgotten just how much of a… battle-junkie he was. He always welcomed a challenge— even if the challenge was seemingly impossible for him to overcome.

In my past life, he had once challenged Duma the Goblin King to a duel. Even though Vorth had been a mere archdemon— one that was roughly Ruby Rank in strength at the time— while Duma the Orc King had been an Emerald Rank at the cusp of reaching Diamond Rank. It was a battle which Vorth certainly couldn’t win, but he still proposed the duel anyway.

And as expected, he lost the battle. The only reason he survived was because I had been there to bail him out and save his life. But right now, considering my circumstances, that was not a possibility if he ever bit off more than he could chew.

“I’m pretty sure that at our current strength, we’ll both die. So let’s not do that.” I spoke firmly to my summon— like I was talking to a child.

In response, he crossed his arms and pouted. Well, he didn’t have a face, so he couldn’t actually pout. But I imagined that he was trying his hardest to pout.

“...fine. But once I’m an archspirit, I’m going to fight an Avatar of Death, and you can’t stop me!”

“Right, right.” I rubbed my temples.

And although I sounded like I was tired of him, I was grinning. Because it was nice to see that even after death, Vorth hadn’t changed. He was still the same almost child-like and playful battle-junkie as he always was.

Vorth straightened, taking on a more serious demeanor now as he wondered aloud. “These Avatars and Artifacts of Death… do you think their sudden appearance could be related to your reincarnation process?” 

“That’s what I’m thinking, too,” I said as I looked down at the palm of my hand. I summoned my Lesser Death Dagger from my Dimensional Storage Unit, inspecting it for a moment. “Unfortunately, this is the only Artifact of Death I’ve acquired so far, and after studying it, I haven’t been able to come to a concrete conclusion— because it’s too weak.”

“That’s why we have to find one of these Avatars of Death!” Vorth excitedly spoke up.

I sighed as I let the dagger vanish from my hand into my ring. “Vorth…”

He just harrumphed in response.

“But yeah, it’s too much of a coincidence for there to be no connection between these Avatars and Artifacts of Death and my altered reincarnation,” I said as I placed a hand on my chest. “It seems like this whole thing has had a lot of unintended side effects, huh? I mean, a part of Eli’s soul merged with mine too…”

Vorth froze when he heard that. “The boy’s soul… merged with yours?”

“Oh, right, did I forget to mention that?” I scratched the back of my head as I shrugged. “Yeah, I’m not sure how it works, but even my Status reflects this, showing his name alongside mine.”

Vorth tilted his head at that. “...does that mean you’re not actually my master now?”

I rolled my eyes back at him, and he chuckled.

“Hey, that’s a valid question,” he said.

“No, it’s not,” I scoffed, before I continued catching him up.

Once I was finished regaling him about my time in Velmond, I told him about how I chose to become a [Healer] to enroll into the Holy Academy— alongside everything that happened since I left Velmond.

“From Death God to [Healer], this is truly quite the ironic turn of events, don’t you agree?” Vorth pointed out, his tone of voice almost like he was trying to mask a grin, even if he didn’t have a face.

“That’s right.” I nodded at him as I raised my hand, briefly casting a healing spell as a demonstration. “See?”

“As expected from my master.” Vorth gave me an impressed look, before pausing. “But isn’t it suspicious that you, a [Healer], was capable of defeating a greater spirit?”

I waved a hand dismissively. “It’s a little bit suspicious. But… most of my teachers think I’m the next [Hero], and I don’t really care what my classmates think of me. So it’s fine.”

“Oh.” Vorth lowered his head when he heard that. “So Aria the Lady of Light is dead. That is unfortunate to hear. I quite liked her, even if she was oftentimes our enemy.”

“No, she’s not dead.” I wagged a finger to my summon. “Just like I planned, I spared her life, which should have thrown off the cycle of fate. But, for whatever reason, she’s no longer a [Hero], and the next [Hero] has already been chosen.”

The spectral sentinel crossed his arms seriously. “That is relieving to hear, but it seems that subverting fate is not going to be that easy. However, that is to be expected. Especially with him still being out there…”

I raised a brow when I heard that. Even though Vorth did not utter his name, I knew exactly who was being talked about— the memories of the purple-skinned man flooded back into my mind, before I quickly dismissed it.

Shaking his head, my summon continued. “And if he gets to the next [Hero] first, we’ll be in trouble. So we’ll have to find them before he does and make an ally out of them.”

“Oh, that’s not going to be a problem,” I said, giving a reassuring nod. “Since I’m pretty sure I already know who the next [Hero] is supposed to be.”

“And who might they be?” Vorth’s flaming eyes flickered, peering into me curiously.

“Hannah,” I answered simply.

The greater spirit paused. “That girl from the orphanage?”

“Mhm.”

“The first friend you made after waking up as Eli?”

“And, also technically my sister, yeah.”

“You can’t be serious right?” If Vorth had a jaw, I was sure it would be wide open right now. Instead, he could only stare at me in disbelief. “What are the chances of that?”

“It is quite fortuitous, isn’t it? It’s almost like luck is on my side for once… like destiny finally isn’t going against me…” 

It was quite the coincidence. I did wonder if there was a deeper reason behind my good fortune. However, I couldn’t come up with any plausible explanation, so I just accepted it. Although, my summon was still skeptical, pressing the matter even further.

“But are you certain this Hannah truly is the [Hero]?” Vorth asked with uncertainty. “The chances of both the reincarnation of the Death God and the successor of the [Hero] coming from the same village— let alone the same orphanage— seems highly improbable.”

“Well, I’m not certain she is the next [Hero]. But based on what the Luna Gez Sect told me—” I started.

And Vorth piped up, “You mean that child-killing sect of [Nuns] who threatened your life?” 

“The child-threatening sect of [Nuns], actually,” I corrected him with a grin, before I continued. “Based on the information they provided me, I believe that there is a very high chance that Hannah is the next [Hero].”

“I’m not sure how much I trust the validity of their information, considering they just assumed you were the next [Hero], before they threatened to kill you if you weren’t…” Vorth trailed off.

“You’re really hung up on that point, huh?”

“How can I not? They threatened your life, master. As your most faithful servant, that is not something I can just ignore.” 

“Fair. Well, you’ll have to try to pretend it didn’t happen, since they’re my allies for now.”

“I will do my best, master.”

“...that does not instill a lot of confidence in me,” I sighed.

And if my summon had a mouth, I knew he’d be grinning right now.

“Anyway, that’s basically it about what has happened to me since we last saw each other,” I said as I leant back, looking up at the now night sky. “What about you?” 

I knew not much had happened from his perspective since, again, it was only a few hours for him. But I still would like to know how the war played out— and how he eventually died, alongside with my other three summons.

Vorth folded his arms across his chest as he mulled over my question. “There is not much to say. It was a losing battle as we thought. And the four of us— Kharvax, Velyss, and Zerith— we all fought valiantly to hold off the enemy until the very end. Unfortunately, I was the first to perish, so I do not know how my brothers and sister succumbed to their fate.”

“Wait, you were the first to die?” I asked, taken aback by that. 

Vorth was the strongest of my four Great Demon Generals— and each of them had been equal to a Diamond Rank in strength during the final battle of the War of Fates. The fact that he was the first to have been defeated took me by complete surprise, since I would’ve thought he’d be the last one standing.

“But how?” I pressed him further.

Vorth averted his gaze as he answered me, “I spotted Zander Clay the Grandmaster of the Templars in the middle of the battlefield, and when I sallied forth to avenge you for all the torment he has put you through… Aria the Lady of Light intercepted me.”

He spoke sheepishly, lowering his head. My eyes flickered when I heard that.

“Ah.”

“And, unfortunately, master, I am not as amazing or powerful as you. So, I…” Vorth trailed off, hanging his head dejectedly.

I walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder. “There, there. You tried your best, and that’s what matters the most. Let’s change subjects, alright?”

Vorth made a sniffing sound. “T-thank you, master.”

“Well, for now, let’s just focus on our task at hand, alright?” I said as I drew back from the spectral sentinel.

“Of course, master—” Vorth started, before pausing. His head snapped back in the direction of the city of Albus. He spoke urgently as I raised a brow. “Master, someone’s coming.”

I narrowed my eyes as I peered deep into the thicket of trees, seeing a shadowy silhouette trying to hide behind a bush a few dozen feet away from me. I nodded at Vorth as I stepped forward.

“I’ll handle this, just stay quiet, but be prepared to fight at my signal,” I said right as I dismissed the silencing spell surrounding us.

My summon made a metallic sound in affirmation as he stood behind me. And I stepped forward, calling out into the forest.

“Who goes there? We know you’re out there!”

There was a pause. For a moment, nothing happened. But then I heard the rustling of bushes, followed by a soft set of footsteps making its approach towards me. My eyes went wide as I saw who it was stepping out into the clearing.

“...Myrla? What are you doing here?”

In response, the young girl crossed her arms and harrumphed.

“I should be the one asking you that question!”