The Arcane Guardians Chapter 75: Chapter 69: Innocent Suffering

Read chapter 75 of The Arcane Guardians by Mercynarie on NovelPedia.

Felix panted heavily as the small hand let go of his wrist. He fell to the ground, sweat staining his brow as though he was the main character in that memory instead. Marcia looked at him as emotions flashed across her face like train carriages through a dark subway. Shock. Fear. Regret. Shame. “You saw everything, didn’t you?” Marcia whispered. “I didn’t mean to put down the mind block like that. I… I’m sorry.” Felix nodded wordlessly, letting the silence swallow them whole. It was then he realised that the commotion from outside the cave had also ceased, which hopefully meant that Titus had destroyed the remaining monsters. “It should’ve been me.” Felix moved closer, holding his sister’s hand gently. “I should’ve died. Not my parents. Not my brother. Not father. They were all innocent. I deserved to die,” Marcia shook her head. “But that’s a mercy I was rightfully denied. Living with this… guilt forever; that is my penance. I know how hard it is to wean off the addiction to these spellcrafts, but it numbs the pain. It’s a small respite, but it’s worth it.” “We have to move on,” Felix muttered. “You need an antidote, not an anaesthetic.” “I don’t deserve either.” His sister smiled wryly. “My life is fucked, this I already know. But it comforts me to know that there are worlds where you are alive and well. Worlds where I never made those mistakes.” You don’t believe that. Felix bowed his head slightly to hide the flickering pink in his eyes. But I can fix this… I should fix… I— “Ah, so that’s where you went.” The siblings looked up at the same time. Titus was standing at the entrance of the hole Felix made when he crashed through the cave, partially blocking the sunlight from streaming in. There were a few dents and scratches on his armour, but the man himself looked largely unscathed. “Thought you’d wandered off and gotten yourself killed by one of those demons. Apparently not,” he said with mock disappointment in his voice. “But that saves me the trouble of dealing with one more monster. So, not entirely bad news, I suppose.” Orpheus walked into the cave as well. “You’re safe, thank the gods,” he said. “The portal is sealed and all the monsters have been dealt with as well. The people are safe for now.” “Except for the fact that more than half of us have been slaughtered,” Titus said bitterly, before turning to Felix. “But I suppose I have to thank you for helping out. You’re an okay guy in my books.” “So I’m not dangerous now?” “You’ll always be dangerous, Pagonis. But I could use a little danger on my side.” Titus smiled slightly. “You’re clearly different from our world’s version of you. Perhaps it’s because you never experienced the things he did.” Marcia groaned loudly. “Oh come on, just admit that you can trust us now.” Titus prepared to walk back into his cave but turned his body back halfway after a few steps. “We still have lots of wounded people. Our healers could use your help, Felix.” ~ ~ ~ After a few hours of experiencing what it feels like to be a Cleric in a warzone, Felix finally lightened the healers’ burden enough for them to take over completely. Fortunately, they had trusted him enough to let him help. The nervousness on their faces was still obvious, as though he would suddenly snap and slaughter everyone in the room. Felix did his best to ignore them. All that mattered was saving as many lives as he could. Their perception of him was not his responsibility. The inside of the cave was largely intact, save for a few destroyed staircases. The brave men and women of this underground colony had done a good job luring their invaders out into the open to minimise casualties, albeit at the cost of their own lives. Families quietly mourned the deaths of their loved ones while others avoided the emotional pain by throwing themselves into the reconstruction of damaged areas. Felix took a different path away from the people. It was all too familiar to him. And the worst part? This was how it all started in his wor