In Stephen's eyes, time moved in slow motion. The pain jolted through his body for a moment, then turned into a gentle warmth. The Sunlight Rysen shimmered in the reflection of his eyes; his gaze into it was meaningful in the brief moments of life he had left.
"It's the end... I ultimately failed, huh? I always thought life was unfair ever since that day. The unavoidable grip that tightened around my throat was the despair that bound me. If my fate was supposed to collapse like this, then so be it."
In the meager fragments of his life that he held onto, he managed to catch a glimpse of Harold from the corner of his eye.
"I just wish I could've had my life differently. To have a brighter future. A future where I could happily live my life with Miranda."
Harold planted his feet on the floor upon landing. The Sunlight Rysen dissipated from his blade, and his King's Will deactivated. Meanwhile, Stephen collapsed on the floor, passing away.
Then, Harold felt a surge of pain before crumpling. "Agh! I-I can't move my body! It hurts so bad!" Konge fluttered on top of his head as Harold's body trembled in unbearable pain. "I told ya', activating King's Will only strengthened your muscles to move through the pain, not heal it." He pecked Harold's forehead to antagonize him on the floor. Harold wanted to swat Konge away, but he was physically unable to move. "K-Konge, stop it! It hurts super bad right now!" Konge continued to peck him in response to his pleas. "Konge, stop!"
The petty pecking ensued under his pleas, and while Konge enjoyed his pain, Stephen woke up in a faraway place. He sat up, observing his unfamiliar surroundings. What he felt was not shock at reawakening from his passing, but peace. Looking around him, it was an endless valley of lilies. "Where-" Tiny footsteps suddenly cut his confusion short. Turning his head beside him, he saw her. Stephen's eyes widened, and tears immediately welled up. "You are...!"
She bent over him with a gentle smile. "You've been through a lot, Stephen." Stephen couldn't respond. He had so many things to say, so many things to ask, and in the end, he could only break down in tears.
Then, she leaned down and pressed a kiss on his lips. "Now come on, let's go." Taking his hand, she pulled him up and began to drag him far into the valley of lilies. Her tail wrapped around his wrist as she clasped his hand. Even when they traveled to somewhere that wasn't fully known, it was a warm and gentle place.
"Stephen, I love you."
"I love you too, Miranda."
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Harold woke up from his small nap. And, to his abrupt awakening, he woke Konge, who had been asleep, perched on top of Harold's head. "Dang it, my body still hurts a ton even after I took a nap." Harold felt pain throughout his body with every movement. In his current state, he'd rather sleep again than move around. Then, looking over at Stephen's corpse, he sighed.
He pushed through the pain, standing up and began dragging his corpse over to the Ovanee Tree. "Harold, I thought you said you were in pain?" Konge questioned, watching him struggle to drag the body over. Wincing as he treaded over to the tree, he chuckled. "Yeah, I am. Greatly in pain."
After setting Stephen's corpse near the tree, he began digging a hole right next to the unmarked grave using his Artifact's Divine Light. As he dug out a hole, Konge questioned him again. "Why are you trying so hard to bury that crazy man? Just leave him and get out of this place."
Settling Stephen's corpse into the hole, he began to bury the body by shoving the dirt back into the hole using his feet. "Stephen Lyhorn was a crazy man who did unforgivable things. He was truly a monster. Even then, I felt that he was a broken man. I don't know what happened to push him to where he was now, but in that fight, I saw genuine sorrow on his face. I sound like an idiot, and I am, it's just I can't help doing something like this for someone." Harold glanced over at the unmarked grave. "And besides, in that battle, he made sure not to have this grave damaged. He must really care about whoever was buried here."
Finally, burying the corpse fully, Harold plopped back onto the ground again with a sigh of exhaustion. "That took more work than I expected. I'm glad that's over with." He turned his head to face the city. "I wonder if Mina made it out safely."
Konge perched back onto his head. "That girl's stronger than she looks. She definitely made it out safe."
"You're right. She's one tough cookie after all." Harold's body relaxed as he took a deep sigh. "Konge, I have a question about my Artifact."
"Yes?"
"You said it was some legendary Artifact, right?"
"Yeah, it's one that changed the world and is passed down generations."
"I'm wondering how my mother managed to steal it then. It had to have been secured tightly since it's a legendary Artifact. My mom was a normal adventurer, so I'm wondering how she could've nabbed it and delivered it all the way to me."
Konge let out an amused chuckle at his wonder. "You should be even more amazed that she got it all the way to you and the Artifact awakening in your hands. That was the most shocking part for me. Still, the more I observe you, the more I feel like it chose you."
"It chose me?"
Konge aimed his feathers at Harold's face, making Harold's eyes aim inwards as he stared at his wing. "All Artifacts have a type of will. You've seen this in the soulbinding process for Artifacts. For example, Sorrow develops an ego when soulbound with Mina. That's because their souls are a perfect match. In your case, your soul with Grand Radiance isn't matching, but the Artifact directly chose you. Maybe it's because you have the qualities of a true king."
"A king? I-I don't know about that. Didn't you say it only activates when it's a time of crisis?"
He slapped Harold with his feathers. "And that mindset is what nearly got ya' killed in your battle just now! A true king is what you awakened amidst that battle. Your resolve. It's true, it only activated because something's going on, but it came to you so easily that it felt like it went to seek you itself."
"Wanted to seek me..." Harold held his hand in front of his face, making a tight fist. "That's it, I've decided. I'm going to search for my mother!" Harold sat up with a heap of motivation bursting through him. Quickly, he shot back down, his body twitching in agonizing pain. "Nnngh... y-you said the Yula Kingdom is on the other side of the world, right? Let's go there then, my mom is somewhere there." Harold spoke, trying his best to brush off the pain he had just experienced.
"That was our original plan anyway, Harold. I'm just wondering why you're so motivated to do it now."
"I wanted to find my mom and ask her so many things. And seeing how things are moving so fast now, I think it's the best time to start my adventure to find her. I know my father wanted me to finish school, but knowing my mom went out of her way to show a sign of life to me, I'm going to find her!"
"The journey to the Lydias continent will be far and grueling, but I'm sure it will be a great experience. Besides, since we cannot contact the angels, we have to go directly to the Grand Cathedral in the Yula Kingdom. That's where we can have a direct connection to the gods instead of using a heavenly link."
Harold's body shuddered from a gust of wind breezing against his body. The pain was intense and almost unbearable. "Before we move, can I rest here real quick? My body is in pain..."
Konge began pecking Harold's forehead. "That's because you pushed your body through your injuries, you dumbass!"