CH642

“-So anyway, to make a long story short, after figuring out how to make souls and using them to help me stage a jailbreak that ended up with me accidentally breaking everyone else out too, I saw what I thought was the trapped space spirit, broke him out, and convinced him to help save the rest of us while I connected to them and shoved over a bunch of mana too, landing me in my present state. My soul still hurts, I really don’t think they’re supposed to be doing that either, but…”

He trailed off as he noticed the looks he was getting with the rest of them only changing their focus once the life spirit Vividus left his side and tried to throw herself at the space spirit, who until that point had remained in silence.

The only reason she failed was the other spirits grabbing hold of her to keep her back, but that didn’t stop her from cursing him out.

“All of this! All this time, this entire galaxy’s been going to hell, all because you just had to go exploring! Are you happy! Did you get what you fucking wanted out of it!”

“I’m sorry.”

Its first words since coming to the world came out so small, but Vividus accepted none of it.

“Sorry? You think sorry can ever cover that? We lost our home, all of us left wandering through the void you love so fucking much with the few we could save until we were told about this place and now we find out you’re the reason behind it! How did you let it get to that point?”

“I tried not to,” It said in agony. “Back when I was just caged, I tried to direct them to worlds that hadn’t developed intelligence yet, but…”

“But then that just made their god stronger by giving them easy targets to colonize,” She told him mockingly. “Of course it did, you short-sighted idiot! And then what? It only got more power to use over you until it was picking the destinations itself? What an obvious outcome, and despite all of that, you still selfishly chose to live.”

“Vividus,” Salinoth began in a warning voice, only for her to turn her anger to him.

“What? You think I’m wrong? That every star in the sky wouldn’t have been better off if they hadn’t just made the choice to end themself?”

“I had to do it to protect the other space spirits,” It tried weakly, getting a sneer for its efforts.

“Not worth it. With everything that’s taken place because of your kind’s wanderlust, uncountable deaths have happened, and worst of all, to your own kin. You should have had the strength of will to sacrifice yourself and them and spared the universe some agony.”

It looked like others were going to try to speak up to that but none of them were able to, Vividus didn’t wait, instead turning and vanishing in an instant as the rest stood in the silence her absence left, none knowing what to say until Ben stood up, dusting himself off before he spoke.

“Okay, what’s done is done so unless anyone has more yelling they want to do, we’re going to look at the positives instead. The world has a new great spirit, that’s a plus, along with all of the space spirits. Speaking of, let’s get them freed.”

The space spirit released their cages when he said it but only seemed to retreat further into itself from there, quietly watching from the side as Ben did what he needed to, overfilling his soul and breaking the cages one by one as the air slowly filled with the imprisoned spirits, each hesitantly making their way out after so long to fly around their great one and the others there, showing just how many were trapped in each tiny container.

In an instant, the spirit population of the world had at least doubled. For those around who could see them, the sky itself was being covered as they slowly spread out, though nothing more as they waited there, betraying the very nature that got them trapped in the first place by refusing to go out farther.

Abrus was the first to speak up once it was done, looking between them all before sighing. “Alright, it seems like we still have a lot to talk about. Ben, Thera, you both go in and rest, we’ll… Well, you both go in and rest.”

There was sure to be a lot for the great spirits to say given what had happened and what they now knew and Ben was happy to take Abrus up on the offer. After everything he’d been through, he wanted the break. He wanted rest.

Thera seemed to want it just as badly but it was obvious she was fighting with herself as she grappled with her desire versus her sense of responsibility, with the latter winning out despite herself, leaving her to lean in to kiss him while she also apologized.

“I ran out of the hospital as soon as I felt you and people are going to be dying while I wait here, I need to go back.”

It obviously wasn’t what she wanted to do, but what she needed to and Ben understood, placing a gentle hand on her cheek.

“Go, I’ll still be here whenever you finish up for the day.”

“You better. If you manage to disappear again I’m going to have a breakdown.”

“Not to worry, a real bed is exactly what the doctor ordered and I need to pop up to see Myriad anyway since he hasn’t seemed to have noticed the return of his wonderful apostle.”

He kissed her one more time before she started going back and waited until she was no longer in sight to get up.

“Do you need some help getting there, Ben?” Abrus asked him in obvious worry. “I could send for someone-”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m back to full health, minus whatever’s happening with my very sore soul and that’s more something that’ll heal in a matter of time, hopefully at least, but either way I’ll manage for now.”

He gave a small nod to the others before going in, being polite to the passing staff without running into Pelenia by the time he made it to Thera’s old room and went inside.

Sitting among her possessions was the miniature gate to Stonewall, offering him the chance to get to his real home, but Ben didn’t take it. How could he when there was a bed directly in front of him, practically calling his name? So instead he laid down, closed his eyes, and let his mind drift up to the realm of his god to the gloomy atmosphere it contained.

In it, Myriad, Helori, and Nare were all there, deep in their work like he so often saw them to the point that none noticed him arrive but the mood was undeniably dark. Myriad wasn’t floating, instead collapsed to the ground like he did any time Ben drove him to despair, while Nare and Helori both looked depressed. He was so much more used to the crafting god giving off a gentle amusement while the goddess usually showed her curiosity at best and neutrality at worst, not the heavy feelings that were flooding the space in a way that was making it hard to speak up.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

He couldn’t just not say anything though, not after so long, so he cleared his throat, feeling their attention dart to him as he finally spoke.

“Hey guys, it’s been a while. Guess who’s still alive?”

He didn’t get an answer. What he did get was his god, flying at him like an unpleasantly angular cannon and knocking him to the ground, sounding like he was weeping even without the eyes to do it.

“Ben! You’re alive! Oh, thank goodness you’re alive! You were taken and then I couldn’t feel you and I assumed the worst and then-”