The Arcane Guardians Chapter 82: Chapter 76: Bygone Sins

Read chapter 82 of The Arcane Guardians by Mercynarie on NovelPedia.

“Guh!” The two men tumbled along the cold, metallic floor as a huge bang came from behind them. Felix skidded to a halt, his bruises screaming with agony. Titus, on the other hand, somehow managed to use the momentum from the fall to land elegantly like a gymnast gunning for a perfect score. Panting like an obese dog, Felix pushed himself off the ground gingerly, careful not to hurt himself further. Pink flickered in his eyes as he bio-kinetically removed any internal bleeding going on in his body. “Oof, I think I bit my lip.” The man wiped away a small trail of blood from his mouth. “I’m not kissing it better,” Titus replied without a pause, still staring at the yawning darkness behind the surreal-looking hole in the air. Thankfully, the void seemed content to consume Fausta’s domain and wasn’t inclined to enter this universe. Felix walked up beside the man, gazing at the ethereal shade as well. “Can you close it?” Titus asked absentmindedly. “You break it, you bought it.” Felix shrugged. “I’m not quite a reality warper yet.” “Now what?” “Now we find Orpheus and go home. Where is he, by the way?” “Don’t know. Orpheus left on his own and Marcia disappeared into thin air.” “ What? ” Felix swung around violently. “What do you mean, ‘don’t know’? How did you lose them? Didn’t I tell you guys to stick together?” “Give me a break, Pagonis.” Titus rolled his eyes. “That lady’s psychic gas thing fiddled with my brain too. None of us got off the hook.” “Well, she’s trapped in her domain now, so Orpheus and Marcia should reappear.” Felix folded his arms. “Why haven’t they?” “About that… I’ve been meaning to tell you something.” Felix raised an eyebrow. “Grand Necromancer Orpheus Caesar… there’s something odd about him.” His heart skipped a beat. He’d thought he was the only one who noticed, but Orpheus had been saying some strange things ever since they met. It was almost as though he was hiding something big. “When Lord Felix Pagonis seized power in my world, Caesar had always been his right-hand man. Their romantic relationship was pretty much an open secret, so nobody questioned their deeds,” Titus said. “But one day, Caesar left his position. And a few days later, he was seen walking into the Grand Archives. Nobody ever saw him again.” “Maybe he just had a falling out with Dictator Pagonis,” Felix suggested. “That’s what we all thought. And we assumed he died since he never did show his face again in public,” Titus continued. “It made things easier because he had the power to bring back an incomplete version of the dead. Without him around, we could break into Pagonis’ palace easily.” “What do you mean, ‘bring back an incomplete version of the dead’?” “He was powerful enough to halt a soul’s progression into the afterlife and restore a shade of their existence, but at their full power. We’ve seen him open those golden doors to bring back the souls of soldiers.” Felix clenched his jaw. It couldn’t be… “But I digress,” Titus interrupted his silent musings. “Point is, Caesar was long presumed dead. It wasn’t only until you appeared that he showed his face once more. The question is, why now? And where has he been all this while?” “What are you trying to say?” “I’m trying to say we should keep our guard up,” Titus said grimly. “It may not be a simple coincidence that he reappeared when you did. There may be a causality, and we don’t know what his true intentions are.” “Hey.” The two men swung around. Orpheus stepped out of the shadows, wearing a stray smile on his face. His staff hit the ground firmly with every step he took. He kept his hand out, allowing the Summer Solstice to gyrate slowly above his open palm. “Orpheus! Thank the gods you’re alright.” Felix flashed a wide smile. “Oh, I was so afraid you got hurt.” “Far from it,” Orpheus replied, gesturing to the book in Felix’s hand. “I see you’ve managed to retrieve the Winter Solstice.” Felix faltered and unconsciously gripped his tome. “Give it to me.” “Slow down there, Orpheus,”