Requiem Of A Failed Hero

Come morning, Raith sat on the large branches of the giant tree. Each branch seemed to be on an endless stride to the sky, they enveloped each other and at the end of each one of them, several other branches sprawled out with whitish-blue leaves around them.

Spending the night in the embrace of the dryad was warm, contrary to what Raith thought it would be. It was comforting. He had a lot of things on his mind and had the entire night to sort the thoughts in his mind here and there.

The most important thing that bugged his mind was the issue regarding Felfhiem. Deep inside him, Raith knew Absalom was right.

He had become distracted.

Carried away by several things, activities. It wasn't like he was enjoying it all and didn't want to go save Volmak. He owed Volmak his life, that man is suffering right now because he chose to protect him.

Raith felt hurt that Absalom spoke like he didn't care at all.

But what hurt him more was the fact that most of what Absalom said was almost truthful. He was very carried away and scarily… he was already getting comfortable.

A subtle feeling to just forget about everything on that side was beginning to settle into his mind.

He shook his head, shaking off the tiny colorful birds that had nestled on his head in just a few minutes of sitting up. He then stood up and looked around.

The atmosphere around the tree had changed, not just the tree. Even the sky was filled with flocks of birds of their species. It wasn't like this last night.

Raith felt a different kind of joy enter his heart as he admired how lively everything had become. He wondered after a few seconds…

'Was this how the creator of the world felt when he created everything?.'

There was no answer to that question of his. Right now… there were a lot more important things to worry about than how the creator of the world felt when he created the world.

Raith took a step forward and dived into the depths of the tree. He landed on his feet, crouching a little to absorb the force of impact. Then he stood up and walked into the intertwined roots of the tree and soon reached the ice palace.

He was shocked to see everything back to the way it was when he first entered. There were white gorillas like the one Andre managed to tame yesterday.

Up front, at the end of the hall, he laid his eyes on the person he had come to find. Slyvia was thoroughly cleaning the frozen throne seat.

Raith's step became reluctant, he struggled to believe what he was seeing. First of all, he wondered how the gorillas were here on cleaning duties. How the pillars were restored, the cracked floors back to one piece, but what bothered him more than all of this was why the mighty dragon was cleaning her throne seat. That too by herself.

The scene was out of place.

"What is this? You're cleaning."

Slyvia stopped and looked behind her where the tall black-haired, blue-red heterochromia-eyed guy was standing, looking at her with his eyes squinting to draw thin lines of suspicion on his face.

"Ah! About that… she does that all the time."

Maria appeared out of thin air with her fingers raised. She turned to Raith, her eyes were literally dancing in glee. She looked exhausted but her voice was still full of vigor. Like she didn't mind doing whatever she was doing for eternity.

"Master, you're awake!"

She said, her lips curving from ear to ear. Her smile almost reflected the golden warmth of the new sun, it made her even more beautiful than she usually is.

"Yes, I am awake… why… no, first what do you mean by she does that all the time?"

Tugged by the urge to ask what the good occasion was, why she was looking so happy, what she was doing that made her look so exhausted. But that would cut the flow of his thoughts, right now he was more concerned about Slyvia. Does she have a defect, like a personality defect or something?

Seeing Raith's concern, Maria responded lightheartedly. Waving her hand as if waving the concern off Raith's face she said:

"It's really nothing. Ever since she started living here, she has done the cleaning by herself. Although she instructs the monsters once in a while a lot of times she does all the cleaning of her lair herself."

Now, that was very shocking to hear. She does have a personality defect. If not, why would a dragon be concerned about cleaning?

Raith shook his head in pity.

Catching a glimpse of that, Slyvia turned her head around in revolt.

"What? Why did you do that?"

Raith's eyes sank into an even deeper well of pity, his brows drifting upwards.

"Are you mad?! Why are you making that face at me?!!!" She screamed.

Raith stayed silent, his eyes almost squirming out tears for her. She was a dragon a very powerful dragon, to think she would be one that would be obsessed with cleaning. Of all things, it had to be cleaned.

Perhaps it was because he grew up as a nobleman's son, Raith viewed cleaning and laundry to be the lowest of the low, something that was meant for maids. He had never had to do his own laundry.

When he was sent away from home, at some point, he had to learn how to do it. But it was only for a short while. Since reaching Korea, he had never done laundry or cleaned. Oh hell, he doesn't even know what happens to his clothes after he pulls them.

Slyvia glared at him with scornful eyes. It was irritating to be looked down on by this pervert because of things she considered a hobby.

It wasn't her fault. This was one of the few things that reminded her of her longtime human friend. The ruler she served before meeting Raith.

Not that she ever intended on telling or showing anyone that side of her. She dripped the clothes she was using to wipe the seat and angrily brisked past Raith.

"Master!"

Maria pouted her mouth and frowned at him.

Raith, having no idea what went wrong lifted his hands a little and shrugged his shoulders. He truly had no idea what he had done wrong.

It was a personality defect to him. What else do you call a dragon that cleans?

With all the pride she has and the way she talks to him.

'Nah, it has to be'

Raith nodded his head.

Maria shook her head after looking at him for a couple of seconds. It's not like she knew exactly what went wrong but she at the very least wasn't as insensitive as he was.

"By the way Maria, what happened? Why are you looking so tired."

"I am helping the people gather wood."

"Wood?"

"Yes, I used my power to grow a forest of woods that can be used to build."

"That is…"

Raith was short of words. He smiled and patted her head.

"Thank you"

Maria's smile grew wider with her face reddening and she responded:

"Master, I have you to think. Thank you for choosing to come to this place and not giving up on it. Because of you, this place will be teeming with life again."

"Again?"

"Ah, forgive me, I should get my words right." She laughed sheepishly as she spoke.

"Alright master, I have to go."

Then she disappeared.

Raith was left with the gorillas that were making minor repairs here and there.

'I wonder if they will attack me?'

No matter how much he bugged them from afar, they paid no attention to him and just continued to do whatever he was doing.

Raith soon gave up and walked out of the palace, belatedly remembering that he had come to see Slyvia about something.

-sigh

His shoulders heaved as he let out a sigh thinking about how he would have to start looking for her again.

'I should probably start by asking Draear.'

—

China.

"There's an emergency ma'am!"

A man in a black suit and shades ran inside the large room of an old woman who was just getting ready. She wore a black suit with a turtle neck inner shirt, her hair was grey but packed to the back. Her face was filled with wrinkles on all sides but that didn't stop her subtle beauty from being seen, a catalyst to this beauty was her violet eyes.

She turned to the man that just entered.

"What is wrong?"

"He… he… he… he… won't wake up!"

He managed to speak despite being out of breath.

"What do you mean? Are you talking about Rizo?!"

The pitch of her voice slowly rose, as did her brows.

"Yes ma'am. His personal assistant called. He had tried everything possible, but he won't wake up."

"Gilly."

"Yes mama"

A lady behind her responded. Even the man who entered didn't notice her there until she responded to the woman's gentle call.

Was she never there or she lacked presence?

His eyes stayed on her for a few more seconds, she had a white sclera with no eyeballs. That was a weird person, was she blind?

"Follow him and inspect what is going on. I have to appear at the summit before going anywhere. If that thing does not work. Then reach out to me."

"Yes mama"

She bowed her head slightly and worked forward, donned a black Chinese V-necked dress. Her hair was plaited which was unusual for a lady of Chinese origin.

Everything about her was strange but the man managed not to get distracted by his thoughts and quickly ran forward, leading her out of the woman's suite.

Any small mistake could cost him his life, the lady behind him after all was the infamous shadow of the flying Empress.