Chapter 257
CHAPTER 257
HISTORY OF THE SWORD
Lino sighed audibly, feeling rather bad after seeing Eos bleed out from her eyes . He"d expected her to defend with her Will far more than she did, having forgotten that Ella had defiantly trampled over it just a few minutes prior . There was no turning back now, though, so he heaved Eos up over his arm and threw her onto Grim, flying over toward Eggor and Ella .
"Where"s Hannah?" Ella asked .
"We parted after exiting the Realm," Lino said . "Said she had to report to her Elders . So . . . keep her from spilling her guts out?" Lino added, pointing at now pa.s.sed out Eos .
"That"s the plan . " Ella smiled .
" . . . " it was only now that Lino noticed the faint bulge over Ella"s stomach, his eyes quickly turning into saucers . "I--I--- I"m gonna be a Big Brother---ugh, f.u.c.k," he gagged for a moment, his conversation with Umbra flas.h.i.+ng through his mind . "No, f.u.c.k that noise . No . "
" . . . glad to see you"re happy for us . " Eggor grumbled .
"No, not that . Of course I"m happy!" having recovered quickly he exclaimed, leaping over and hugging both widely . "That kid"s one lucky son of a b.i.t.c.h! Or a daughter, you know? Whichever!"
"What"s important is that I"m still a b.i.t.c.h, huh?" Ella smirked .
"Well, you are pregnant . " Lino winked . "I"m fairly certain he didn"t breathe that kid into you . Congrats guys," his expression mellowed, smile turning warm . "I don"t know anyone else more deserving of it . . . and I certainly don"t know a luckier kid than yours . "
" . . . yeah, seeing how you turned out," Ella said . "We"re kind of terrified, actually . "
"Oh, don"t worry about it," Lino said . "This one"s not on you . By the time you go to me, I was already beyond f.u.c.ked . By the way, if it"s a boy, leave the lady talk to me . "
"Yeah, I"m definitely gonna turn my son into a wh.o.r.e," Eggor groaned . "Because that"s the sort of an upstanding person the world just lacks . "
"Hey, hey, who said anything about turning him into a wh.o.r.e?" Lino frowned, putting on an expression of genuine hurt . "I mean, I know you s.n.a.t.c.hed her, but let"s face it big man -- you and women? You don"t make sense . Me, on the other hand? I get the ladies . "
"Heh, you really think that?" Eggor chuckled .
"Ah, however much I hate to admit it, he"s right honey," Ella glanced at Eggor and smiled apologetically . "You are just a walking bubble of awkward when it comes to other women . Remember that one time you tried to show me up by flirting with that tavern hostess?"
" . . . . . " Eggor"s cheeks suddenly flushed red as he turned away .
"That"s a story I f.u.c.king need to hear!" Lino exclaimed .
"And you won"t," Ella chuckled, turning back toward him . "What"s your plan with her, anyway?"
"As I said, I get the ladies . "
"I have no clue how Hannah tolerates you . "
"Neither do I . " Lino shrugged . "Right, big news . Met the last living t.i.tan, the guy killed himself and gave me his heart . So, that"s a story . "
" . . . I"m not even gonna ask . . . " Ella sighed, shaking her head . "Be careful around Eos . " she suddenly warned . "While interacting with her Will, I"d come to know she"s turned quite . . . manipulative . But, then again, it is you . You and manipulation are practically married to one another . "
"Hey! That hurt! How dare you call me manipulative?!" Lino exclaimed .
"What? That farewell speech of yours during the lunch was just an expression of good will?" Ella smirked .
" . . . yeah, fair enough . It"s nice to see you"ve listened, for a change . " Lino smirked back .
"Listened? No, of course we haven"t . " she chuckled .
" . . . ah . So that"s what this unpleasant feeling in my Soul was . " Lino sighed . "Really? Isn"t my life talisman enough?"
"When you stop doing stupid and reckless things, it will be . "
" . . . so never, huh?"
"Yeah, never . " Eggor joined in after recovering . "I"ll come with you and help set up the Entrapment Formation for Eos . Honey, go and rest . That can"t have been a walk-in-the-park for the baby . "
" . . . you really think I"d let anything happen to our child?" Ella suddenly frowned . "Huh . So that"s how it is, ha? Alright . Go and set up your Entrapment Formation . And then accidentally trap yourself . Or don"t . I don"t care . "
" . . . yikes . " Lino sucked in a cold breath as he saw Ella vanish while Eggor"s face turned pale . "You aren"t gonna recover from that one quickly . "
" . . . it"s the pregnancy," Eggor was quick to complain as they mounted Grim . "She"s determined to go through with it naturally, so she"s affected by it like all h.e.l.l . Just the other day, in the span of five minutes, she went from bats.h.i.+t-insane-throwing-plates-at-me to crying-in-the-corner . "
" . . . yeah . I really didn"t need to know that . " Lino commented .
"And I really didn"t need to share that . " Eggor coughed lowly, agreeing . "Anyway, you alright?"
"Alright?" Lino turned around and faced Eggor, with Eos pa.s.sed out in-between them . "Yeah, it"s been a while since we last saw you . "
"Oh, I see . You"re training on how to be a dad . " Lino chuckled while Eggor grumbled dismissively . "Hey, I get it, okay? And thanks for asking, but I"ve been great!"
" . . . I haven"t said anything to her," after a few moments of silence between the two, Eggor spoke out in a heavy voice . "But I"m really worried, Lino . "
"About what?" Lino asked, dropping the joker act .
" . . . about Ella, about our kid, about you . . . about everything . . . " he sighed heavily . "The world . . . it ain"t right . And, I know, I know, it"s never been right . But it"s different this time . Has Ella ever told you why she and I left and settled in the Umbra Kingdom?"
" . . . uh, not explicitly," Lino scratched his head . "But, I"ve pieced a few things together . Something to do with a Disciple betrayal, banishment and such . . . "
" . . . against my better judgment, it"s probably time you heard the actual story," Eggor said, taking a deep breath . "Her Grandfather was the Patriarch of the Clan at the time, and her banishment was planned ever since her sixth birthday . "
" . . . huh?!" Lino exclaimed .
"It was the day they learned she had whatever-immortal-soul," Eggor said . "Well, while everyone flaunted it to the world, her Grandfather had entirely different idea on her future . About a month before she was banished, he found me stranded in a random cave in the middle of nowhere where I was drinking my sorrows away . "
" . . . "
"One of the strongest and wisest men in the entire world," Eggor said, smiling bitterly . "Burst out into tears in front of me like a child . . . and bowed to me, Lino . He thanked me over and over, for helping Ella discover herself . He then spent hours apologizing, offering his life in return for my forgiveness . . . "
" . . . why do I have a feeling Ella doesn"t know this story?" Lino chimed in .
"Ha ha ha, no, she knows," Eggor said . "I"ve told her a long time ago . Anyway, in spite of his incessant begging, I was still angry . Mad . Broken . Bottomed out, really . I was unwilling . "
" . . . "
" . . . but, the b.a.s.t.a.r.d kept on pus.h.i.+ng . " Eggor chuckled . "He stayed with me for nearly a week, talking so much I swear to G.o.d he"d spoken every single word of the Common Tongue . In the end, I gave in . I decided to hear her out . He then told me his insane plan, all devised to ensure Ella left the Holy Continent entirely, crippled . "
" . . . why?" Lino frowned .
" . . . because of you . " Eggor suddenly smiled, startling Lino .
"Me?" Lino exclaimed softly .
"Well, not explicitly you . He just mentioned that the Warring Era is breathing its last breaths . . . and that the person who"ll end it will be an Empyrean . "
" . . . and that"s the part you never told her . " Lino suddenly exclaimed .
" . . . he he, what, can"t a man have a secret or two he keeps from his better half?"
"Hey, I keep no secrets from Hannah!"
"Sure you don"t buddy . Sure you don"t . "
" . . . khm, so, why did he think that?" Lino asked as the two routed to a nearby mountain range and found an isolated flatland surrounded by thick woods on all ends before landing .
" . . . honestly? I don"t know . " Eggor said, sighing . "He just told me that Ella would be instrumental, and that if she stayed there . . . she would wind up dead, at best . He also told me that war after war would soon break out, compounded in the end by the Realm Wars, and the Wars of Creation or Origin Wars -- whatever the h.e.l.l that is . "
"Are you sure he"s strong enough to know this?" Will"s robotic voice startled Eggor who fumbled back and fell off Grim, cursing lowly .
" . . . give a man some warning, dude . " Eggor cursed . "You think he ain"t?"
" . . . it doesn"t matter . "
"Yea, I"m strong enough or whatever . Speak old man!" Lino quickly spoke out as he realized that his Soul was back in his body .
" . . . yeah," Eggor looked at him dubiously for a moment but continued . "As I said, he never really explained anything to me . . . just listed things out . He told me that, if she ever met an Empyrean, it would be my job to, you know, rekindle the flames of cultivation inside of her . Turns out, I didn"t really have to do that . "
" . . . there"s a weird spin to this story," Lino suddenly grumbled, feeling a headache come onto him . "And I"m sure the b.a.s.t.a.r.d"s gonna share it one day . . . but by G.o.d, if I don"t go mad by then, I"d at least have gone insane . "
" . . . Ella"s finally strong enough to tangle in the world"s affairs, at least the surface ones," Eggor said . "But . . . "
" . . . don"t worry about it," Lino suddenly smiled, patting Eggor"s back . "I"ll talk to her . "
"Heh, you think you can convince her?" Eggor chuckled bitterly .
"Well, I did convince Hannah to have s.e.x with me . " Lino said . "How hard can it be to convince a woman who already loves me to just stay still and raise her kid proper?"
" . . . attaboy . . . " Eggor, begrudgingly, sighed out as he saw the glimmer of expectation glistening inside Lino"s eyes .
"Don"t ask me why, but I have a feeling her grandfather was a Descender . " Lino"s lips suddenly curled up in a smile as he stroked his beard . "Oh my . There certainly is a spin to this story . I really wish I could delay the whole Eos business and go and have some fun . "
" . . . what?" Eggor asked, confused .
"Old man," Lino mumbled lowly, his smile turning into a grin . "Or should I call you Grampa? Geesh, you better spoil me rotten old man . "
Meanwhile, within the small, inconspicuous-looking lake, old, balded man"s eyebrows were currently twitching, while two younger-looking men standing next to him were shaking, trying to hold back their laughter .