Free Web NovelChapter 313: Ch 313: Memory of Death
"Shuu, your body has started to break down. It is not possible to bear the burden of your powers. You need to start releasing your power regularly, or your body won’t hold up."
Kaiden pointed this out with a serious expression. Shuu wanted to tune him out and pretend he had not heard him speak, but...
How could he ignore Kaiden when he looked so serious? It felt like Shuu was doing something wrong.
So he turned to look at Kaiden and instantly tried to flash him a reassuring smile.
"Don’t worry about me. I am doing what I can to stay alive. And also, the one who should be careful is you. Aren’t you fighting the other gods’ forces alone? I want to hurry up and join you."
Shuu explained as he tried to force himself up. But the pain made him lie back down.
"I don’t think you are in a condition to even stand up. You should go to sleep and recover. We will see what you can do once you are able to move again."
Kaiden explained, and Shuu sighed before lying back down. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
It felt unfair to be forced to stay inside while Kaiden fought in the war. But Shuu’s body had stopped cooperating with him since the previous week.
Not only was he unable to get up properly, but he also had a hard time concentrating on anything.
He was in no condition to fight.
Kaiden had kidnapped a medic from one of the gods to check on him, and the medic had trembled as it delivered the news that Shuu was experiencing "rejection syndrome."
His body had too much power and was trying to expel some of it. But since he did not want to hurt anyone, it had started to hurt him instead.
The only solution the doctor had was for Shuu to channel his power into something that could keep him stable. But Shuu could not even think of a single thing he wanted to direct his power toward.
Even the world he and Kaiden were on belonged to the goddess, and he wanted nothing to do with her.
So he decided to suggest to Kaiden that they should create a new world he could nourish. That way, Shuu could satisfy his instincts and also get rid of the excess energy.
He was about to fall asleep when he heard a faint whisper. It was an unfamiliar voice, but it was so earnest that Shuu could not help but pay attention to it.
"Oh divine one! Please help us. We have been nothing but your loyal servants, doing as we have been asked so far. Please do not abandon us and leave us to die. Our lands are dry and our children are hungry. Please, bestow your miracle upon us."
The priest bowed and spoke earnestly.
He was so earnest that his prayer even broke through the haze Shuu was under and reached him.
It had been ages since Shuu had granted a miracle to these people, and he longed to see how they were doing.
So despite Kaiden’s warning to stay inside, Shuu decided to take a look outside and see how this world was doing.
The world...was dying. That was the only explanation Shuu had for how it felt. All the crops had died, and there was no fresh air left.
Most of the population had died, and those who remained were barely clinging to life.
The priest who prayed to Shuu was very young, barely ten years old. And yet, he was desperate enough to make his voice heard.
The poor thing was about to die at any moment, and yet he was determined to pray to Shuu and save everyone else.
His courage touched Shuu, and he wanted to help the child. So he approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I will help you. You are someone worth saving. Will you become my priest instead of serving the goddess? That way, I will be able to protect you properly."
Shuu asked, doubting the child would be able to hear him. But the boy surprised him by looking directly at him and nodding.
"Of course. I will dedicate my life to you, my lord. You just have to command, and all I have—and all I can have—will be yours."
That felt like a huge responsibility Shuu was not ready to bear. He immediately tried to refuse, but the boy seemed just as determined not to take his words back.
In the end, Shuu sighed and poured his power into the child, making him a divine vessel.
"Our fates are intertwined. You will not live if I die, and you won’t be able to escape any punishment that comes for me either. This will be your last chance to walk away. Now, the choice is yours."
Shuu made everything clear, but the boy remained resolute.
"I will still surrender everything to you. I, Caelis, will become your priest and dedicate my life to you from now on."
The boy took a solemn vow, and Shuu felt both sorry and elated at the same time. He finally had his first priest.
’I cannot wait to tell Kaiden about this. I bet he will be happy to see my first priest as well.’
Shuu extended his hand to Caelis and, at the same time, used his power to restore the world.
Plants began to grow, and people began to recover. Caelis watched everything with wide eyes.
"Now that this is done, shall we go?"
Shuu asked, and the boy nodded before placing his hand in Shuu’s. Together, they headed toward the main temple where Shuu rested.
Shuu was happy with Caelis’s presence, but the same could not be said for Kaiden. He took one look at the boy and immediately frowned.
"Throw this brat back to where he belongs. I don’t like the way he is looking at me."
Kaiden muttered, only to get smacked by Shuu.
"Be nice to Caelis. He’s just a child who did nothing wrong. There is no need to be so rude to him."
Caelis looked innocently at Kaiden while clutching Shuu’s arm. Their eyes met before Kaiden sighed and backed down.
"Fine, do what you want. But I will not be nice to this kid, no matter what. Don’t even try to make me sympathize with him."
Kaiden stormed off, muttering about the intruder stealing Shuu’s time. Shuu ignored him and focused on taking care of Caelis.
Things remained peaceful for a while, and the world began to heal...until Shuu felt his power starting to slip away.
It was barely noticeable at first, but then it intensified. By the time he realized what was happening, he had lost control of his power, and it began to consume him.
"Shuu, are you alright? Can you hear me? Hey—answer me..."
Kaiden asked when he found Shuu unconscious. But when Shuu woke, he had no memory of what had happened.
This continued for some time before Kaiden had enough.
"I cannot take this anymore. I am going to find out what is wrong with you."
Kaiden muttered before reaching for Shuu’s power. But the moment he touched him, he was repelled. The power lashed out and began to devour him as well.
"Don’t come near me. I don’t know what is wrong with me, but it’s too dangerous for others to be around me. I..."
Shuu felt guilty for involving Kaiden, but Kaiden remained determined.
He grabbed Shuu’s hand and pulled him closer.
"Let me see properly—Shuu, you...your power has started to devour you. Why didn’t you say anything until now?"
Kaiden demanded, shocked. Shuu sighed.
"I didn’t realize how bad it had gotten until now. But I am fine—"
"You are not fine. Don’t joke about being fine. I need to cut off this corruption before it spreads any further..."
Unfortunately, the corruption had already reached Shuu’s core, and there was no way to separate it from him without risking his life.
Kaiden did not want Shuu to worry, so he hesitated.
"What...? Is something wrong with me?"
Shuu asked quietly, and Kaiden immediately shook his head.
"It’s not like that. You are perfectly fine and—"
"There is no need to hide things from me. I can tell my condition is far from fine. Just tell me the truth—how bad is it? Do I need to be killed?"
"No!"
Kaiden shouted, shocked that Shuu would even suggest such a thing. But Shuu remained calm, saying nothing as he simply nodded.
"I see. Please tell me if you need to kill me. I will accept that fate with grace."
"Stop saying that. You are not going to die! I won’t let you die. I would rather...I will find a way to save you."
Kaiden promised before he rushed out of the room. Shuu sighed as he looked at his partner leaving with a blank look on his face.
"I won’t mind dying if it’s by your hand. I had a fulfilling life...Ah, but it might be a problem for Caelis if I were to die."
