"ERIC, NO—!!!"
As Adonis stretched out his hand, the moment he saw that Eric had been stabbed by the Dragon General, he felt a dangerous crackle around the boy.
Then—
~BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!~
—An overwhelming explosion surged through the area, covering all of Eric's immediate vicinity.
The blast stopped short before reaching the positions of Clark, Alicia, Billy, Trisha, and Justin. Instead, it ascended high into the heavens—like a blazing pillar.
The inferno swirled around and within each other—almost like a torrent of unstoppable power.
"E-Eric…" As Adonis witnessed this, the roaring heat reflecting in his eyes, he had a dazed expression on his face.
He felt instantly ashamed of this thought, but the first thing that came to his mind once he saw the blazing display of power was awe, rather than sorrow.
'To think… he had this much power… so much potential.'
Not all Mages had an equal allocation of latent Mana within them. This pool of dormant Mana was varied in quality and quantity; theorized to be based on the potential of a person.
As such, various Mages harness their respective pools by casting Forced Magic Activation, yet their output would be varied from one another.
Based on what Adonis was seeing alone, Eric could have very well reached the S-Tier as a Mage.
But… all of that was in the realm of memory.
Once the awe wore off, the only thing Adonis felt at that point was grief.
Tears flowed down his eyes as he watched the burning pillar of flames slowly die out, reducing to mere vestiges of sparks and miniature explosions.
"I'm sorry, Eric…" He was reminded by Eric's warnings.
"… I'm so sorry!"
If it wasn't for his hubris, his obsessive desire with saving everyone, then perhaps this wouldn't have happened.
'W-why…? Why did you have to die?'
More tears flowed down Adonis' eyes as he descended and knelt on the ground.
Why did people have to die around him? Why was he constantly protected, even now that he had the power and means to protect others?
'I thought… things would be different this time. I thought, after everything—all those sacrifices—there would be no more…'
He had amassed so much power. He had the knowledge of the future. He had worked so hard to make sure he would be able to protect everyone this time.
—To make sure nobody that he cared about died.
Yet… this was the reward for all his efforts.
"E-Eric… Eric…" More sobs echoed from him as he shuddered with cold stiffness.
This was the battlefield. He could not afford to mourn the dead just yet. He should have known that by now.
Adonis had seen countless wars, and he personally witnessed the deaths of many comrades who fought alongside him. This sort of thing was not meant to move him in the slightest.
But, when he remembered the times he spent with Eric—
those moments when they talked, whether about Magic, Dungeons, or Adventurers—he could not help but feel an overwhelming weight paralyze him.
He could not move an inch.
"I have so many dreams, you know? But after finally arriving here, in this City, I've decided to make a much more concrete goal!" Adonis remembered what Eric told him when they were alone in the Adventurers City.
Every single word echoed in his mind, taking the form of guilt that shackled him.
"I want to explore all the 9 Great Dungeons of the world. We already conquered the Royal Dungeon, so once the war is over… I'll return here and explore the one in this city. After that, there'll be just 7 left."
Adonis remembered the wide smile that Eric made as he talked about those dreams of his; how he craved adventure and desired to advance in Magic.
"I want all of us to do it together, you know? Kind of like some sort of Hero Party…"
They kept coming, overlapping with one another—words that Adonis had smiled and nodded at, promising their fulfillment.
"Then, when we retire… I'll return to the Alliance and become the next Grand Mage."
As Lucielle's disciple in the previous timeline, Adonis had felt a little skeptical about those words. Lucielle indeed seemed unimpressive by Otherworlder standards, but she was considered the greatest Human Mage of all time for a reason.
Succeeding her was by no means a feat just anyone could achieve.
But, after seeing Eric's glorious eruption, Adonis realized that those words—at least, the intention behind them—was no mere joke.
Eric… he had the potential to do it.
He could have surpassed Lucielle and become the greatest Grand Mage in human history.
'But now… all of that is gone.' There was no longer any more tear left in his moist eyes as he stared at the charred crater that oozed smoke and tiny fragments of burnt ash.
'I couldn't do it. I couldn't do it like you, Rey… Lucielle…'
Just as his best friend and master did for him, he thought he could help everyone around him. He became a Hero to save the world, but also prevent the tragedy that would befall his friends.
So why…?
"Why can't I get this right?!" He screamed.
"Why…?"
**********
Adonis felt his mind breaking as he recollected the past—or rather, a future that once was.
He remembered the faces of his two surviving comrades; Rey and Lucielle.
"Don't look so gloomy, my friend. We're going to change everything!" Those were the words he was told to by Rey.
When he heard them back then, there was a certain comfort it gave him.
Seeing his friend give such a heartwarming smile, filled with confidence and encouragement—like a hero—Adonis felt saved.
But… those words were soon followed by chaos.
~BOOOOOOOM!!!~
The distant explosions began to get closer to the Chamber of the Ancients, signaling the imminent approach of the enemies.
"They've caught wind of us, damnit! Looks like the others weren't able to hold them off for too long…"
The pained tone that Lucielle used to utter those words made it clear what the fates of their comrades were.
… What their own fates would be.
Adonis, trembling and cowering in a corner, did the only thing he could do at moments like this.
He gazed upon the face of his only friend—Rey Skylar.
"Looks like I have no choice…" He brandished his blade, revealing his heroic form as he stepped away from the rest.
"The both of you should stay here and complete the Magic."
As Adonis watched him leave, his hand powerlessly raised to stop him, he watched as Rey stopped in his tracks and turned his head backwards to stare at him.
The confident, heroic smile was yet to fade away.
Something glowed deep within Rey's eyes that resonated inside Adonis. They were the same age, yet they seemed miles apart.
"Take care of yourself." Rey said with a smile, nodding slowly before casting a quick glance at Lucielle.
"You too, babe."
"You take care of yourself too. I'll be joining you soon enough." She responded with a short laugh, her eyes still focused on the task at hand.
"Haha! I look forward to that!"
Back then, Adonis did not know what they meant by those words. But… he was eventually going to find out.
—The fact that the Ancient Magic could only accept one person.
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Thanks for reading!
Well… I guess you all saw this coming too. For those who didn't, it's a good thing!
Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Adonis remains one of my Top 3 characters, and seeing him suffer like this is therapeutic for me… I think.
