There was total silence in the cottage as not only Irene and Reva but even Damien had astonished expressions as they looked at a younger-looking Elor, sitting up on the bed, inspecting himself with a look of disbelief.
He no longer looked like an old man on his deathbed but a man around in his fifties. His face no longer was filled with wrinkles, and his muscles and skin weren't sagging anymore.
In fact, his body was now brimming with vigor and power, and even the three could feel the immense power flowing through his body.
"Grandfather…how…how are you feeling?" Reva asked as she slowly got up and sat on the bed. Even though she knew he couldn't be more healthy now, she wanted to hear from him how he was feeling.
Irene also leaned in as she held his hand and looked at him with an overwhelmed smile, wondering if this was a dream to see him so healthy and, most of all, see him with his cultivation regained.
Elor was in a state of disbelief and shock since the last thing he expected was a miracle like this to happen where he somehow regains his cultivation. It was his hopeless wish for all these centuries that he could at least get his cultivation back for a short while and help his people.
However, upon hearing Reva's voice and feeling Irene holding his hand, he slowly looked up at them with a tight-lipped smile as he nodded, "I am back, Irene…Reva…"
Irene suddenly broke down into tears, though this time it was from happiness and relief.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})She then slowly turned to look at Damien and said in a soft voice, "Damien…you have saved us again and again, bringing about miracles every single time…and I have no idea how to show you my gratitude…so accept this old woman's bow," Saying so, Irene was about to touch Damien's legs and bow before him. She was so overwhelmed she wasn't able to even form coherent thoughts, and all she felt was immense gratitude for this young man.
Damien became flustered as he quickly grabbed her hands and raised her up, "Senior, please don't…It is embarrassing and not right if you do something like that…After all, Reva is your granddaughter, and it is my duty and pleasure to look after her family as well," Damien said in a gentle voice, making Irene nod while realizing that it was really not right.
"Then…let me apologize for not treating you like family so far…I have been through a lot in my life, and that is why I don't really trust people that easily, especially after what Yohr did to us. But now, I am no longer concerned about your background, Damien. You love Reva and Reva loves you. That is all that matters to me from now on. If you haven't married Reva yet, both of your hearts are already one. So you are already a part of our family. You can call me grandma if that is okay with you," Irene said with a soft smile as she patted Damien's head while silently blessing him.
"Sure…Grandma…I am happy to be a part of this family as well…" Damien said with a sincere smile, making Irene, Reva, and Elor smile warmly.
Reva was most happy since it seemed like Irene finally had no concerns about Damien's identity and now fully trusted him.
Elor couldn't feel happier since not only did his future look bright, but he was able to witness his family getting rebuilt again with a new member.
"Since we are a family now, this old man won't say thank you since in a family we don't use words to express our gratitude, but we show it through our love and actions. As a family, it is understood that we must all stand together and look after each other. So, Damien…we will always stand and fight beside you even if it means we might die. It doesn't have to be only against our fight with the Xeton Kingdom, it could be anything. We will always be there for you," Elor said with a firm, sincere gaze as he smiled at Damien.
Damien nodded with a smile as the four nodded at each other.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Elor's expression then became contemplative as he asked, "Damien…I know you were probably able to remove the seal since you inherited some of Yohr's powers, but how were you able to recover my cultivation as well?"
Reva and Irene also looked at Damien, eager to know the reason as well. What they just witnessed was supposed to be impossible. A crippled cultivator regaining his old cultivation, especially stronger than he ever was in the past, was nothing short of a miracle.
By now, Damien realized the reason why the Cursed Seal still remained on Elor since he couldn't think of any other reason, "It is probably because your cultivation was never really gone in the first place."
"Eh??" Elor had a baffled expression, the same as Irene and Reva, who looked at each other with puzzled expressions.
"Damien…what do you mean by that? How is that possible? My grandfather was really crippled all these centuries, and we all inspected him as well," Reva voiced her confusion, though she knew Damien wouldn't say anything without good reason.
Irene also nodded slowly, "Yes. I witnessed Elor getting crippled by Yohr right before my eyes…Afterward, there was not even a single strand of ethereal energy in his body, and his body had started to age as any ordinary human as well. Only this powerful amulet was able to keep him alive all along."
Irene was the one taking care of Elor for all these centuries, and if Elor's cultivation never truly left him, then wouldn't she be the first to know?
"It's true the amulet did extend his life, but the reason I think Yohr was going around placing Cursed Seals on these 'traitors' was that he was planning to siphon their cultivation for himself after their deaths!" Damien mused with a narrowed gaze.
