Sylvester stayed seated, looking at Pope Axel's disfigured face. He pondered whether he could muster hatred for the man, but when he put himself in Pope Axel's shoes, he found he couldn't. If some supreme god was controlling him and making him do things, Sylvester wondered if he could have accomplished as much as Pope Axel had.
'We both aimed for freedom; our paths made us enemies.' Sylvester thought and wearily covered Pope's face with his cape. 'May you find comfort in whatever realm lies beyond the living.'
"Max!" Felix came in, rushing and limping on one side. "I saw that flashing light again!"
Sylvester glanced to his side. His body ached like never before as he forced himself to stay awake by sheer willpower. "Felix… The Pope is dead… but keep his body safe. He deserves a proper funeral, with the respect owed to him. He didn't come to the city to kill anyone… he came here to die."
Felix stared at the lifeless body covered by Sylvester's golden cape. He had hatred towards the man for all the torture he had faced because of him. But at the same time, after learning that the Pope was also a mere pawn, he didn't know what to feel. He still hated him, of course, but somehow also respected him. "Where are you going? You're all bloodied up."
"Ugh!" Sylvester grunted as he picked himself up with the help of King Highland's sword. The Darksaber that he had plunged into his own stomach was still there. The blade was protruding out of his back. However, he didn't take it out, fearing blood loss. "I can't fall… yet… I'm going down to find Mum."
Using the sword as a makeshift walking stick, he marched. "Chonky, eat the Pope's staff and mitre, and follow me."
Miraj quickly flew down, scooped the staff and mitre, and followed Sylvester. "Maxy, is Popo not bad?"
"He was, and he wasn't," Sylvester replied. "People don't come in a single shade, Chonky… Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone has their own demons to fight."
Sylvester dragged himself toward the lower floors. He didn't know how much time had passed, but he didn't notice any soldiers around, giving him hope that he didn't have to fight anymore since he had no energy left.
'Is this the end of the war for the throne?' He wondered if he could take the Pope's throne. If he could, it would solve at least some of his worries. 'What's behind that door that I agreed to enter?'
A million things swirled in his weary mind. His eyes were almost completely shut, but his body moved on its own, going down the stairs toward the basement where the treasury was. His feet throbbed, yet he felt no sensation in them. His stomach contracted painfully. Extreme solarium and blood loss plagued him.
But somehow, he made it to the tenth underground level. To his panicked heart, he found the magically sealed gate open, and it led into a long, colossal hallway that ended at the doors of the treasury.
"No, no, no…" His closing eyes jolted open, and he rushed forward in panic. But the moment he reached the doors and gazed inside, he was met with a corridor filled with the bloodied corpses of Inquisitors and soldiers from the Holy Army that served the Pope. There were countless of them, forming small hills everywhere. Not an inch of marble flooring was visible as the dead bodies covered every bit of it.
Sylvester, without caring about the carnage, hastily walked over them. His mind panicked, and his body exhausted—all sorts of worst-case scenarios formed in his mind. Losing Xavia would mean a colossal failure of everything, as that was even worse than the Blood Contract.
"Mum!" Sylvester called for her.
He walked the distance in haste, but when he arrived near the end, he noticed the massive golden doors that led into the treasury were still wholly shut. However, in front of the doors was a large heap of dead bodies. Atop this pile knelt a man, sitting with the help of a sword, impaled into the back of one of the dead.
"Sir Dolorem!" Sylvester shouted with every ounce of strength and threw his sword away. He ran normally, stepping and crawling on the bodies, and reached Sir Dolorem. "Old man… don't you dare die on me too!"
Weakly, Sir Dolorem's head moved and looked up, "S-Sylvester… I was… on time… this time…"
Sylvester quickly checked his vitals. He was covered in blood, there were wounds all over his body, a sword was stuck in his thigh, a dagger was stuck in his shoulder, and his longsword seemed cracked as well. The armor on his body had chipped in some places, and there were multiple deep wounds on his head, some reaching down to his skull.
"Pope Axel is defeated, old man… This is over…" Sylvester hugged him tightly and felt his vitals gradually fading away. "But you can't leave me now… not when I'm about to become the Pope…"
'How many did he fight and win against,' Sylvester wondered. The bodies littered in the entire corridor and the hill underneath him numbered in thousands. Sir Dolorem was the only surviving man.
"AURORA!" Sylvester bellowed as loud as he could, amplified by air magic.
"I didn't fail this time…" Sir Dolorem seemed dazed, his eyes nearly shut. His head fell on Sylvester's shoulder, and his mouth repeated the same words. "I… kept my… word… protected…"
"Thank you… Just rest now." Sylvester desperately tried to heal him, but he didn't have much solarium either. He knew Sir Dolorem was talking about being unable to save his wife and son; he knew Sir Dolorem didn't want to fail again. "You've done enough…"
"My son…" Sir Dolorem murmured, his body going limp.
"Aurora!" Sylvester shouted again.
Just then, as if thunder had erupted there, Aurora appeared at full speed, her breath ragged and short. She landed beside Sylvester and saw his body impaled with the Darksaber, and gasped. "You're going to die, Sylvester… Com—"
"Take Sir Dolorem… I can manage." Sylvester ordered her. "If he dies… I'll refuse the throne! If you want me as Pope, keep him alive!"
Aurora looked at Sir Dolorem and nervously picked him up on her back. "Don't say dumb things like that—You've already won! Nothing will happen to this old man—he's faced worse in his life!"
Aurora wasted no time and departed just as swiftly as she had arrived, like lightning. Her footsteps even ignited the corpses, but the flames soon subsided.
Frustrated, Sylvester crawled toward the doors of the treasury and threw his palm on it. The magic reacted to him, and the Elder Runes he had placed opened on their own, unlocking the hidden mechanism that sealed the doors shut. Nobody below the rank of Grand Wizard could break and enter the treasury without facing the wrath of the Elder Runes.
"C-Chonky." Sylvester stuttered. "I'm l-losing myself… Help m-me move."
Sylvester had to make sure of everything with his own eyes. Until he had seen Xavia, he couldn't fully believe that killing Pope Axel and agreeing to the Blood Contract were the right choices.
"Stay strong." Miraj quickly approached Sylvester's armor's collar and grabbed it before flapping his wings vigorously to drag Sylvester forward. The armor was very heavy for Miraj's little wings, but he didn't falter and pushed on. Sylvester also used his feet to propel himself as soon as the doors started to open, and an opening came into his sight.
"Mum!" Sylvester uttered in a low voice.
"Big mum! He's heavy!" Miraj shouted louder and dragged Sylvester inside. "Help him!"
Thud!
"O! Sorry!" Miraj mistakenly slipped, and Sylvester fell right on his face, breaking his nose, his body having gone that weak.
While lying on the treasury's floor, Sylvester looked around to find Xavia. "We won… Mum! Come out… Ashra!"
"Hiss!" Ashra abruptly emerged from a massive pile of gold coins, her head sticking out carefully and checking her surroundings. But once she saw Sylvester, she opened her jaw wide and allowed Xavia to come out.
"Sylvester!" Xavia cried and ran toward him, swimming through the pile of gold coins, panicked and rushed. "You're…"
Without a word, she immediately checked his body. Her eyes teared up once she noticed both the loss of blood and solarium. A sword was also stuck in his stomach. "You're… barely alive…"
Sylvester smiled. His mouth oozed out some blood, making his teeth seem red. "S-Sir Dolorem…"
Xavia began using healing magic on him immediately, tears uncontrollably falling from her eyes. "I tried to make him stop, but he refused and fought. I said I would surrender myself—but he still refused… said his vows will never break… that he will never let his family die again… I'm sorry, Max… I couldn't do anything."
Seeing Sylvester's silence, Miraj explained, "Dol-Dol is alright. Aurawra took him… but please save Maxy, Big Mum."
Xavia took a steadying breath and stood up to pull the sword out of Sylvester's stomach. Not acting like a mother but as a healer, she professionally worked. "Bite your teeth!"
"Aaa!" Xavia used some strength and pulled the sword back in the same trajectory it went in, so no other organs or tissues were ruptured. She pulled it out in a quick, single motion and rushed to seal the wounds with healing magic. "Mum will save you, Max… Don't worry."
All his life, Sylvester had said those words to Xavia. But that time, when he heard them, he felt comforted, and it warmed his heart. His will to live, which was losing its light, once again started to reignite.
Xavia finished sealing his wounds, being a high-ranking Bright Mother with years of specialized experience as a healer. "You've lost so much Solarium…"
"I got many crystals." Miraj quickly chirped and vomited the sacks full of potions and crystals.
Xavia couldn't see Miraj, nor was she accustomed to listening to him, but hearing his worried voice was heartwarming, knowing there was always someone by Sylvester's side who cherished him and cared for him.
"This is more than enough!" Xavia used the Solarium Crystals to save herself from exhaustion, as Sylvester was a Grand Wizard. To heal him, she needed a lot of energy. The blood replenishment was also challenging, but she tried her best.
Thud!
However, just as Xavia tried to heal Sylvester's face, his head fell on her shoulder, and his body lost all strength. Finally, his hands rose and hugged her tightly, and his eyes turned moist. Of course, it hurt like hell; the pain was unbearable—but seeing her safe, he could finally feel at ease.
After pushing himself for so long, putting his body through all sorts of deadly tests—he allowed his mind to have some rest.
Xavia's heart ached to see him so hurt, and embraced him back. She slowly healed him while caressing his hair; something he always found soothing when tense.
"Sleep now—You did well, my son… you've won, and did what was achievable by none."
_________________
[A/N: Just this one tonight. I need to pack my stuff. As this gorilla is moving out to live alone.]
Thank you for reading. Gifts and GT votes are highly appreciated.
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