The old man seemed to calm down as he lowered his hand and nodded readily, "Okay…please bring them here…"
Damien immediately rushed out, leaving behind jet black traces of lighting as he arrived before a sleeping Reva and Irene.
He removed the barrier and used his ethereal energy to lift both the beds as he flew up and descended before the cottage where the old man seemed to be impatiently waiting outside, looking up at the sky.
He gestured with his hand to bring them inside and eagerly waited to see the ones lying on the beds.
Damien placed the bed one by one into a room and stepped aside to let the old man see for himself.
The moment the old man saw the two women lying on the beds, his expression faltered as his eyes began to tear up with a nostalgic look, especially when he looked at Irene.
"I-It's really her…" The old man mumbled in a tone of disbelief as if he wanted to make sure this was not a dream but seeing how injured Irene seemed, he felt a stabbing sensation in his heart and frantically asked Damien as he reached the ground, "Is she alright??"
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})"Yes. She did sustain serious injuries, but her condition is in a stabilized state. I have fed her a Rank 7 Profound Healing Pill. She will surely wake up healthy," Damien said in a reassuring tone.
The old man could only nod helplessly since he didn't have the ability to check himself other than just checking her pulse, which seemed stable, as Damien said, even if it was on the lower end.
However, when he turned his head to look at Reva, his lips pressed together as they quivered as he slowly got up and walked towards Reva and crouched beside her, "M-My granddaughter…she has her mother's features…" Tears trickled down his pale cheeks as he mumbled with a melancholic expression. He wanted to caress his granddaughter's head but withdrew his hand, thinking about the things of the past and how he failed her by not being there for her.
Damien saw that this old man was acting as if he had never seen Reva before, at least not for a very long while. But he could sense the intense grief and sadness in his voice when he mentioned his daughter or Reva's mother.
He couldn't help but feel pity for the old man and sad for Reva as well. It seemed as if her mother was a good woman who died unfairly because of Ruthren. This only made him even more regretful that he was still not yet strong enough to bring down Ruthren despite the elemental advantage.
Otherwise, he could have helped bring some solace to Reva by now. Still, he couldn't help but wonder why Reva's grandfather never stayed with the Forsaken or why he was hiding on this island all alone. Why did Irene never mention him to Reva?
It was quite obvious that this old man missed his granddaughter and even his own wife. He felt that the relationship between these two might be complicated, just like between Reva and Irene.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})After a few minutes, the old man wiped his tears and asked in a gentle voice, "Young man…you said your name was Damien…right?"
"Damien Godwin…yes."
"Who are you exactly…I have never heard of any Godwin Family, or maybe I have just been out of touch with today's world…" The old man said as he slowly got up and looked at Damien.
"No, I actually put the name Godwin myself as it is the only hint I have about my true family," Damien said with a sigh.
"I see…" The old man understood that Damien's past was complicated, and then he said, "Since you introduced yourself before, it is only right you know who I am as well. My name is Elor Ziria."
"Elor…You…You are the ninth descendant of the Zirian Emperor!" Damien had learned some Zirian history from Reva here and there whenever he talked with her, and so he remembered this name. But he had no idea that this man was her grandfather as well and the Forsaken leader's husband, though it did make sense.
But how could a man of such notable status stay so low-key and hidden without anyone even mentioning him, including the Forsaken people?
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})Elor ruefully chuckled as he said, "Haa…there is no point in those things. I have long since lost all that status, all because I tried to speak the truth. But forget it….and tell me who hurt these two?" This is something the old man has been meaning to ask since the start, even though he could already guess it.
Damien wondered what this 'truth' he was talking about, but he decided to answer him first, "It was Ruthren…He and his imperial army attacked us and took us by surprise. We barely managed to escape with the skin of our teeth."
Elor gnashed his teeth as he muttered coldly, "That monster…he isn't satisfied with taking my daughter's life, but now he wants to destroy my wife and granddaughter as well. If only I had my cultivation, I would have crushed every single bone of his myself."
Even if Elor lost his cultivation, Damien could feel the intense killing intent emanating from his eyes as he spoke about Ruthren, though he also shared the same sentiments.
"What about the others? Where did the rest of my people go?" Elor asked with a narrowed gaze.
"We were able to save the ones in the base we were coming from but as for the rest…I think we lost them…" Damien said in a regretful tone since he knew that the fail-safe would destroy all Forsaken bases at the same time. And with Reva's help, he was barely able to stop the main base from exploding.
Elor's expression became a bit devastated, but his feet remained firm on the ground as he took a deep breath and asked, "How…How did that happen? Ruthren wouldn't attack all the bases at the same time, especially if he planned on taking on the main base."
Damien shook his head, "He didn't. Yohr indirectly did it…or the so-called Azure King of the Frosty Seas you all were worshiping. He betrayed your people and even hurt Reva."
"Yohr? That bastard of a god finally showed his true colors??" Elor asked with gritted teeth, taking Damien by surprise since he felt as if Elor already knew about Yohr's true motives!