Free Web NovelChapter 16: Chapter 16: Bring Him Back
Claude heard it, loud and clear. Such bold words. He wanted to turn and ask the man in question, and he tried to, turning his neck toward Amon, but his lips didn’t have the nerve to ask.
So he just sat there, his hands together in prayer with the man who had taught him the ways of God, the same man who had brought salvation to him. The man who had saved the world countless times.
Lord, have mercy on the one who angered the guardian, the destroyer of worlds. Lord, I beg thee, have mercy... on me.
Claude thought, a thought he could never say out loud.
On the other hand, Amon’s eyes were closed. But a buzz woke him from his thoughts, and he slowly opened his eyes.
[Error: Time dilation detected]
[Error: Time dilation detected]
[Error: Time dilation detected]
[Error: Time dilation detected]
Amon scoffed and simply swiped away the notifications.
"Claude, I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, as I have returned not t—" he said, but stopped. When he turned, all he saw was a man soaked in sweat.
"Claude..." he called. "Bud..."
"Huh.... Oh yeah." He slowly replied, his throat dry and parched. "Ye... yeah, I’m okay."
Amon had known his words would scare his disciple a little, but he hadn’t known they would drench him in utter fear. Were his words really that threatening? All he had said was that he would change, and that he would change the world with him.
"You know what, take your time to digest it. And here I was, about to share my whole damn plan with you." He said, giving Claude some space.
He walked toward the balcony, the honking noise ringing in his ears. He looked around, seeing how much humanity had progressed. Humanity. The children of his blood brother, Adam.
He had a fleeting thought of asking for his help, but no. He didn’t want to drag him into this. This was his mission, and he would do it alone. He looked down at the road.
"Humanity will no longer have strings, like I did. I will break the chains for you all, so you could never face what I had faced."
He gazed at the sky, the sky where he once lived, where he once waged war with the beings who had called themselves gods. He waved his hand, a key appearing in it, an intricate, jewel-like key.
"But I need help, so I will open the gates which I locked." He said. That was the reason he had come here. To a city where bloodlust was staring right at him.
"System, use SS+ skill, Wide Reconnaissance."
[SS+ Skill: Wide Reconnaissance Activated]
[Scanning... the whole of New York City.]
[Hostile Entities Detected]
[12...]
The numbers kept climbing, crossing the tens, then gradually the hundreds, and finally reaching the thousand mark.
[Scanning complete.]
[1,995 Hostile entities detected]
[Listing names... (5 Hours)]
[Divinity used: -876]
"Hmm, here I thought there would be more. Maybe they are taking me lightly." He said with a smile. "Good..."
[Error: Time dilation detected]
[Error: Time dilation detected]
Amon simply swiped away the notifications. Annoying as they were, he put them on mute. His eyes settled on the five-hour wait for the list. Yes, the SS+ skill also provided names, a worthy skill he had been rewarded during the Great Holy War.
But it had used more divinity than he had expected, meaning there were entities far stronger than they appeared in this city. Quality over quantity. He felt slightly impressed with heaven and hell.
As he was lost in thought, he felt a palm on his shoulder. It was Claude, back on his feet.
"You okay now?" Amon asked.
"Yeah, well. So it’s true, huh? You’re really going to do it." Claude said, looking more composed than before, though the sweat was still there.
"Hmm, it depends. The more the resistance, the more the damage. You already know, numbstick. Heaven and hell have grown complacent. Things need to change, and we have the power to make them."
Claude gulped but nodded. "I am at your service, you know that. So where to? I don’t think you came all this way just because you missed your disciple."
Amon smiled, rubbing his dark hair. "Smartass as always. Yes, you are right. I came here because of... this." He said, the crystal key appearing in his hand again.
Claude saw it. His face turned white once more. "Is that...?"
"Yes."
"So you’re going to use it?"
"Yes."
Claude gulped. "Are you... sure?"
"Yes." Amon answered.
"Damn, that’s why you need me, huh. To the Vatican then." he muttered.
"Lead the way, numbstick."
In the Himalayas.
It had been days, weeks maybe, but he hadn’t come back. They waited, placing more and more alcohol near the fire every day, every night, the jars piling up against the high rising flames.
The old man, Pasang, watched everything from a distance. His eyes more vacant than the day before. He looked at his stick, Amon’s blood still there, dried out, but still there. He had never in his whole life seen the man bleed. He had watched him take down biblical beasts and creatures of the mountains without a single scratch.
But for some reason, with his weak hands and his lean stick, he had made him bleed. He had always wanted to find Amon’s weakness, but he found out the worst possible way.
He told me when I was young, when Nyima was only a child. His only weakness. His love.
"And I abused it. Shame on me." He said, his blurry eyes growing moist. He looked up at the night sky. "I’m sorry, Nyima. Your pathetic father is pathetic till the end."
Tong! Tong!
The entrance bell rang, drawing everyone’s attention. Pasang too looked past the many men and women, a golden glimpse coming into view. His heart raced all of a sudden.
"Amo—"
He paused, as his hope died out. It wasn’t Amon, but his own son. Cheering, carrying a giant yeti on his back. Pasang stood up, his back still groaning in pain, but he walked toward him nonetheless.
"Son." He called. "You came back."
But Cheering simply walked past him, his now golden eyes not even sparing him a glance.
"Everyone." Cheering shouted. "Feast up!" He said with a smile.
Everyone smiled, though only some cheered. They had all thought the two were gone after the tragic event. But by some miracle, Cheering, the man everyone had believed dead, had come back with unbelievable strength, like that of the guardian, sharing his golden traits.
They didn’t know what had happened, and no one dared to ask, because the Cheering who returned was not the Cheering they had known. He smiled, yes. He protected them all, yes. But the anger and grief were still there.
Cheering sighed as he gazed at the alcohol piling up near the fire, his smile slightly fading. Everyone thanked him, but he only had the strength left to offer a lofty smile and a wave before walking to his room. His hand reached for the door handle.
"Cheering!" Saiyang called.
Cheering simply ignored him, opening the door.
"We found out!" He said. "We found out where the guardian went."
Cheering froze for a couple of seconds, then slowly turned to his friend. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I kind of helped him set up his emails and all that, so I have his address saved. A notification came through for his booked tickets."
A sudden light flamed in Cheering’s eyes. In a single millisecond, he appeared before Saiyang, startling him.
"Where?" He asked.
"Am... America." Saiyang replied. "New York, specifically."
"I should—" Cheering said, but paused, biting down hard. He wanted to go right then and there, meet him at whatever cost, but his eyes drifted back to the dead yeti.
He knew what could happen if he left. It was dangerous here, even more so now that the village had lost Amon’s scent and aura. The many beasts that hadn’t dared to sniff near the village were now coming to claim the area.
"Go." A voice echoed.
Cheering turned toward it. It was his father.
"What do you mean, go? Do you want to die, old man?" he muttered, his tone showing not a trace of respect.
Pasang ignored it, walking toward him. "Don’t worry about the village. Call this number, take the money from my savings account, and just... go."
"Old man, what are—"
"We will move to the lower city. I already have the votes. There is enough housing for all of us there."
Cheering paused. All these years, he had wanted to convince his father and the village to move, and every time he had been told no. His long dream, to earn enough for the village to settle into proper society, a real society.
"What made you change your mind?"
"You think I’m just a dumb old man. I know a crisis when I see one. This village is finished, even if you stayed." He said, turning to the pile of alcohol. "So do as I say and go."
He held out the phone, the one with all the contacts and bank details needed.
Cheering paused, then slowly reached for it and took it. "Are you really sure?"
The old man only nodded, and so did the people around them. Everyone was watching Cheering, smiling toward him. Every gaze telling him one thing and one thing only.
Go. Bring him back.
Cheering slipped the phone into his pocket and nodded back. It seemed everything had been planned from the very start. He didn’t know when, but he could only smile, a small one, a real one.
"Okay, Dad." he finally said. "I will bring him back."
