Apocalypse Healer - Path of Death-Chapter 43B2 .1 - The Flow

“But I am glad you are not alone,” Fortress said, but his strong voice sounded more like a whisper as the words resounded. The Patron God’s silhouette was dissipating. “You can always ask others for help, Prime Champion. Ask–...”

Torb could not hear what Fortress said. The mountain range collapsed, and Fortress disappeared.

It felt like an eternity had passed, but not much time could have gone by as his eyes shot wide open. He jumped to his feet, his head flicking left and right.

“Fortress!?” he exclaimed, but there was no one. Torb was in his office, alone.

Did I fall asleep? he asked himself, his hair standing on end.

Was it just a dream? Possible. But it felt so real.

Torb shuddered, his eyes drifting to the window, unraveling the flourishing plaza of the Dwarven Sanctuary. It was already close to evening, but the city was still bustling with activity.

“Someone is coming,” he muttered. “An… old enemy…”

Something had to be done, Torb thought, holding tightly onto every word Fortress had said to him.

“I won’t disappoint you, Fortress!” he declared, sending a silent prayer to his Patron as he walked out of the office with a determined gait.

It was time to reinforce the Sanctuary. A great fight awaited them.

***

Dwarven Sanctuary: Familia building…

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Melach pressed his hands firmly against the massive crystal and closed his eyes. He sent a wave of mana into the crystals, using his family’s decrypted code. The crystal pulsated, sending waves that felt like electric currents through his hands.

One. Two. Three…

Melach tapped his feet impatiently when nobody responded after what felt like an eternity. But it could have been only a few seconds when a weary yet familiar voice reverberated through his mind.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Head Butler Eronian of the Ystera Household speaking. How may I help you?”

“It’s me,” Melach muttered, failing to control his voice. He trembled, unsure of what awaited him.

“Young Master?! Is that really you?” the head butler exclaimed. “H-how have you been, Young Master?”

Melach hesitated for a moment. What was he supposed to say? He was alive, had made friends with a dwarf—now Fortress’ Prime Champion—and with humans whose behavior suggested the Nightar Tree had stripped them of their sanity. But he and his friends were strong. They had survived various catastrophes, allowing them to surpass their limits.

“I… am fine—alive,” Melach answered with a smile.

“That’s all that mattered. Yes. Being alive—being fine—is all that matters. I am grateful to hear your voice again, Young Master,” Eronian said, sounding like he was on the verge of tears. “Should I report to your family at once, or do you wish me to tell them something?”

“I call upon the Mirror of Truth to disclose my Feats as the youngest heir of the Ystera Household. The Will of Ystra shall apprise my achievements, marking them in the Scroll of Melach Ystera,” Melach said composedly, his voice void of emotions.

There was silence for a moment, but it felt like the silence stretched forever as Head Butler Eronian didn’t answer. A rumbling filled his head suddenly, and the head butler excused himself.

Silence filled his mind, and anxiety settled in his chest.

“Melach! Are you well? Why did you not call us earlier? There was no need to ignore us this long—not after everything we heard about the Earthen Union!” The stern voice of his mother echoed in his mind, making him flinch. Still, he smiled.

"You foolish child. Who cares about tradition when your life is in peril? You should have returned when the Earthen Union awakened prematurely. We did not prepare you for this!" Another familiar voice—his sister—rang out. She sounded angry, but Melach knew this all too well. She was worried, maybe even afraid. For his well-being.

Melach smiled, listening to the ramblings of his mother and sister, but his lips twitched when footsteps echoed through his mind. At last, a third voice, hoarse and void of emotion, rang out.

"You survived. Good. The Mirror of Truth has been prepared. The Ritual shall begin," the man—none other than his father—said neutrally. "Prove your worth as a Child of Ystra."

Melach heard his mother and sister grumble, but their voices were mere whispers compared to his father’s commanding tone. He swallowed and circulated mana through his wildly palpitating heart. At last, Melach shared everything there was to know about his journey in the newly integrated world, starting from the day he arrived.

He heard the echo of his voice, but that was all. Silence stretched far and deep as his quiet voice overshadowed everything. Melach could not tell how much time had passed, but his throat was parched, and his lips were cracked once his story concluded. His part of the Ritual had been completed, yet nothing happened on the other side. Melach waited in silence, nibbling on his brittle lips as no one uttered a word.

Suddenly, Melach heard the gasps of several people, probably his mother and sister, but they did not say anything.

At last, his father’s voice rang out again. "The Ritual has concluded. The Will of Ystra has heard you. Your achievements have been marked. Congratulations."

Congratulations? Was that it? Melach wondered, his tension giving way to confusion.

"We knew you would make it," his father said suddenly, with a trace of—was that pride?—in his voice. "News of the Earthen Union has reached us, and so has Arc’s destruction. Many young ones succumbed to the barrage of incidents occurring in the Earthen Union, and we could not be certain you would make it. I—we—are glad you made it out alive."

Tears welled in his eyes as he listened to his father. This wasn’t a dream, was it? His father… he had just praised him, right?

Melach suppressed a sob, determined not to lose his father’s approval mere seconds after earning it.

"The Ancestor spoke about you," Melach’s mother suddenly said, sniffling. She sobbed bitterly as her words resounded in his head. "Her words were cryptic; some sounded as if you were mortally wounded, while others made us worry—made us wonder if you were still alive. She mentioned a fool, death, destruction, and a cynical healer. We didn’t understand anything, and there was nothing we could do about it… Nothing but to wait…"

The Ancestor? Melach’s hair stood on end. Was the Ancestor watching?! No. In the first place… how did she know him? Melach was certain the Ancestor wouldn’t know about his existence.

"The System rejected my attempts at crossing over, or I would have come to fetch you, brother!!" his sister declared, cursing the System.

Hearing the head butler and his mother reprimand his sister brought a smile to Melach’s lips. It felt like nothing had changed since he had left.

"Don’t be foolish," he chuckled, knowing deep down his sister was dead serious. But it was a good thing she didn’t come to the Earthen Union. She was strong, but the System would have sealed most of her power. By stepping into the Earthen Union at the start of integration, Melach and the others could start anew. Their growth was fast, and it was only a matter of time before they would return to their former peak.

But it was different for latecomers, especially for beings like his sister.

"Your Scroll has been updated. The Will of Ystra has spoken," his father interrupted suddenly.