Way of the Knights

Chapter 859: Leaving

—

To say that this was a life-changing experience would be the greatest understatement there is yet. 

What they just witnessed was something so incredible and out of this world. It was a downright miracle if they were being honest. 

Their previous world…

That one small plateau, barely hanging into its form, nary a trace of life, had experienced rebirth thanks to Raven. 

Comparing what it's like before and after Raven's interference would just be unfair. 

And this is all just from seeing it from a distance…

Stepping foot onto the world itself is a completely difference experience. 

Seeing the vibrant colors filled with so much vitality was inexplicable. Feeling the gentle gusts of wind caressing their skin made them feel like they're riding on clouds. Breathing the fresh air made them feel alive and invigorated. The crystal clear sounds of water streams and the moisture in the air was satiating. 

Everyone was feeling such a rush of euphoria, a high that they don't want to come down from. 

These goes especially well for the older folks. They kissed the fertile soil and sang praises for Raven in their minds. Living in a world like this is a such an enormous blessing by itself, add the fact that they'll be protected for a very long time was enough for them to cry rivers of tears due to how much gratitude their hearts felt. 

Everyone felt surreal. Especially Yelena herself.

She still couldn't believe that her wishes came true. She hasn't stopped crying ever since stepping foot onto their new world, the Little Paradise. She couldn't even begin to explain just how much gratitude she felt for Raven granting her absurd wishes. 

Yelena was so distracted that they still hasn't noticed that her parents hand been hugging her all this while, whispering their relief and gratitude for their child being this brave to wish for this miracle. 

"M-mom, Dad. I'm…I'm not dreaming aren't I? This is real right? All of this is real right?" 

"Oh, child. Yes. You are not dreaming." Her mother said emotionally, "None of this is a dream. It's all real. It's all very real. Oh my goodness, you child." 

"It feels unreal I know. We too feel the same, but this is real Yelena. You made this happen. Thank you child. Honestly." Her father said, crying tears of joy too. 

Yelena still couldn't believe it just yet. But everything around her seems real so little by little, she's accepting it. 

Now, she could feel the gazes of the people around her. They expressed their silent words of gratitude through it. Looking at her fondly while they admire the new world they lived in. 

Yelena could even see someone covering themselves with soil while sobbing, it was a strange sight but who was her to judge? 

She took several steps forward, away from her parent's embrace. She looked on her feet and felt how tender the soil was beneath her. Even with her heavily calloused feet, she can feel the softness and wetness of the ground. She didn't even mind that her foot was getting dirty. 

Yelena took her time, she walked until she reached the edge of the stream. She knelt down and procured a drinking vessel. She was about to dip the thing into the stream but she hesitated once she saw how dirty it was. Biting her lips, she went through her stuff, trying to see if there's anything else she could use, preferably, something that is not as dirty as that vessel. 

She then felt a presence beside her. She looked up and saw Lenna smiling down on her while handing her a cleaner drinking vessel. 

"You can use this instead." 

Yelena hesitated but in the end she took it. She dipped the drinking vessel into the stream of water, being very careful to not get her hands wet since her hand was dirty too. She filled the vessel halfway through before taking it back. 

She looked at Lenna and saw her nodding gently at her. Yelena then placed the opening close to her mouth and parted her lips. 

Yelena couldn't help but tear up once more when the fresh and clean water poured down her throat. It has been so long since she tasted clean water that she almost forgot how it tasted like. Her tiny frame shivered as felt the rush of clean water reinvigorating her body. It was surreal really. 

Yelena couldn't bring herself to stop. She didn't know clean water tasted this good. She ended up emptying the vessel in one go. Normally, she would conserve that water. The amount just now was enough to last her for weeks but she ended up drinking everything on one sitting. 

"…"

She put down the vessel and looked at the stream of water. There's still so much in here, enough to last them for lifetimes. 

A wave of gratitude filled her heart once more upon seeing this immense blessing. 

"…thank you for bringing M'Lord here." Yelena said softly, passing the clean vessel back to Lenna's hands. 

"Don't mention it. I didn't do much to begin with." Lenna said while basking at their peaceful environment, "I was only doing my end of the bargain. I wasn't expecting this to happen as well. If anything, he's right. You deserve our gratitude, for making this all happen." 

"…I still can't believe that this is real." Yelena whispered after a brief silence. "I…I never thought that I'd see something like this ever again, not to mention experience it." 

"Me too. I never thought that this would happen either." 

"…my father can have a farm once again." Yelena beamed upon realizing this. "He loved tending to his farm and his gardens you know. He also knows how to build proper houses back in the day. Mom's a good cook. I'm sure she can't wait to cook for us again. She also knows how to make clothes, I'm sure she can find the materials here to do that again." 

"More importantly…we don't have to leave this place again." Yelena continued, "The expeditions can stop. Everything we need is here and so long as we're careful, this can last us forever. We could have peace and security. Everyone could be happy, content and satisfied. It's truly a dream come true."

Yelena's eyes sparkled as she said this. The way she beamed with positivity was infectious, even Lenna caught it as well. 

That's right. Everything they needed to live is within their reach. There's no need for them to go on dangerous expeditions anymore, they could just stay here and live peacefully. They're also under Raven's protection for 100,000 years – which is a very long time. 

Enough time for them to re-populate this area and prepare themselves to protect their home. 

"All thanks to you." Lenna stated, "Seriously, Yelena. Thank you for making this happen."  action

Yelena shook her hear and said: "I only wished for it to happen, it's M'Lord who made it all possible. From now on, I'll devote my life in worshipping him. I know it won't do much but I want to do this much to thank him for making this all happen." 

"I'm sure everyone will agree with you on that." 

—

Raven left already. 

He didn't stay at the Little Paradise any longer than necessary since there's things for him to do. He only took them back to their new home and returned to his shuttle to leave. 

Raven didn't regret using a small fragment of chaos to restore that world. It's not like he lost so much anyways, he just have to wait for a month and he'll re-coup his losses. 

This was something that Raven discovered once he broke through. Once a month, he will produce a fragment-or as he now calls it, a wisp of Chaos by nature. 

Being the Divine Knight of Chaos granted him the ability to generate and nurture Chaos through his heart. If anyone could see what Raven hear looks like now, they'll be shocked to find out that there's a pool of liquefied Chaos Element in there surrounded with little wisps of it too. 

Raven also gained the ability to use this resource as he sees fit. Which expanded his repertoire greatly. 

Now, for more important matters. 

Geezer…

Raven's actually having a headache because of that old man. 

Geezer's taken by the Abyssals as prisoner. That's far from good. The old man told him that he's trapped in a place that he can't possibly leave. Back then, Raven thought that he's talking about some place outside of the Divine Realm. He didn't expect that he had been captured by his mortal enemies. 

To make things worse, Raven doesn't have a clue if Geezer's still alive. 

There are somethings that doesn't match though. 

Yelena told him that Geezer was caught a decade ago. Raven remembered that Geezer was already trapped even before that. Yelena didn't lie to him to it's possibly Geezer who did. 

It's either he was on the run from them or he managed to escape. Either way, the Abyssals seems to be inclined on taking him as a prisoner so there's a possibility that he's still alive. As for why they wanted to catch him instead of killing him, Raven doesn't have a clue but one thing's for sure. 

He had to do something….