The Nameless Heir-Chapter 65: Goodbye

Once again, he floated into nothingness.

But he remembered this feeling—the familiar, empty sensation he had felt before.

Right then, the darkness around him began to shift, shaping into solid ground.

Before he knew it, he was standing in the middle of an empty battlefield—silent and cold, the air thick and gloomy. It carried the weight of something he couldn’t name.

Standing there was the old man.

The same man he had seen when he picked up his father’s sword.

The same man who had appeared when he fought Chiron, the ferryman.

And now, he knew who that man was.

Kael took a deep breath and walked toward him.

As he stepped closer, he noticed there were others standing behind the old man. Their faces were blurry, yet each one carried a weight that stirred something deep inside him—a feeling of recognition.

It was cold and silent, like ghosts returning to the place they once called home.

"Long time no see, old man. How you been?" Kael asked, offering a small, tired smile—as if speaking to a part of himself he had forgotten long ago.

The old man smiled back.

"You did well, Kael."

Kael stared at him for a moment, then lowered his head. His shoulders dropped. The smile faded from his lips. He closed his eyes—and the weight of everything finally hit him.

The silence around him cracked.

His shoulders trembled. His breath caught midway.

He began to sob—quiet, ragged. Like the sound had been buried somewhere deep and long forgotten.

"I don’t feel human anymore," he muttered. His voice barely held together. "I feel like a monster."

The words just sat there. Lingering. Hanging in the air like smoke—slow to fade, heavy with something even he couldn’t name.

"It’s like... my humanity’s slipping away," he whispered. "Like there’s something inside me—waiting. Waiting to be let out." freeweɓnovel~cѳm

His hands uncurled slowly in front of him—like they weren’t even his.

"At first, I was doing it to help..."

His fists clenched at his sides.

"But somewhere along the way... I started enjoying it. I wanted the fight to last longer. I wanted to see what they were capable of."

He paused, placing a hand on his heart.

"Sometimes it feels like these emotions aren’t even mine... it feels like I’m carrying the pieces of many lives. Their voices. Their pain. The weight of people I barely remember—but somehow still feel."

His voice dropped lower.

"Tell me... who am I?"

He looked up, eyes dark and hollow.

"Am I the son of an abandoned god?"

He stood there—trembling, silent.

Then a voice cut through the mist.

"You were a hero," said the first, gripping a torn banner, eyes full of fire.

Another stepped forward.

"You were a warrior," he said, steel still clinging to his breath.

A third emerged.

"You were a leader," his voice steady—like thunder before the storm.

Then came the last.

A crown of shadows on his brow.

A calm, commanding gaze.

"You were a king," he said. "A great king."

The old man stepped forward and pulled him into a quiet embrace.

His voice was soft. Certain.

"And you," he whispered, "were the one who defeated the first Demon King... and saved thr world many times."

Then the old man placed a hand on Kael’s head.

In an instant, the memories returned—rushing in like a tidal wave. Visions. Emotions. Faces he had forgotten. Names that once mattered. He remembered everything—how he died, who he was, and who they all were.

Like something buried deep had finally risen to the surface.

When it was over, his knees gave out. He dropped to the ground, trembling.

The old man watched in silence, a deep, quiet sadness resting behind his eyes.

"Our job is done, Kael. Now we must leave. It’s your turn to carry everything—our pain, our burdens, our sorrows."

He smiled faintly.

"You can do what we failed to do."

He tapped Kael gently on the forehead.

One by one, the figures behind him smiled, then faded into smoke.

Kael watched them fade.

A strange stillness settled over him.

For the first time, he knew—deep down—what needed to be done.

He exhaled softly.

"Thank you," he said, barely above a whisper.

He lay on Liz’s lap beneath the quiet night sky. Her hand rested gently on his forehead. It was warm against his skin. She was trembling a little.

Kael didn’t move. He didn’t want to. Her touch was soft, and it made him feel calm. Safe. Like he could stay in this moment forever.

He thought about keeping his eyes closed—just for a little longer.

Then he opened them slowly.

She didn’t say a word.

She just held him.

Kael blinked up at her, vision blurred. His voice was rough, barely there.

"Hey there, sunshine."

Then, quietly—too quietly—she whispered, "I thought I lost you."

The words cracked at the edges, and so did she. Her shoulders shook. She couldn’t look at him—not without breaking apart.

"Don’t be silly, sunshine. You know I can’t die yet," he said. "If I die, who’s going to protect you?"

Her eyes filled with tears, but nothing came out—not a word.

She just pulled him closer, arms tight, like she was scared he’d vanish if she let go.

Her hand stayed on his face. It was warm. Comforting.

They remained like that in silence.

Beside them, Caius and Aria sat on the ground. Quiet. Watching. Saying nothing.

Then Aria broke the silence.

Her voice shook. It was barely a whisper, like she didn’t want to upset anyone.

"Kael... what was that form? What were those things?"

Kael sat up, slow and tense. His eyes hardened—cold, but steady.

"I created them," he muttered. "They came from human desire."

They stared at him—frozen.

Caius blinked.

"What do you mean?"

Kael slowly scanned their surroundings. The field was quiet now, still haunted by smoke and ruin. He rose to his feet.

The night air chilled around him.

"Come out... Sins."

A ripple passed through the ground.

Then shadows broke apart like glass—seven figures rising from the void beneath him.

Wrath. Greed. Lust. Gluttony. Envy. Sloth. Pride.

Even the ones who had once possessed Liz and Caius stepped forward, standing now as sentinels beside their master.

Caius took a sharp step back. Liz’s eyes widened, lips parting slightly—but no sound came out.

Kael’s tone remained calm. Almost too calm.

"I told you... no one would touch you guys," he said casually, but there was weight behind it. "If any of you are in danger, they’ll come out. They’ll kill anyone who tries to hurt you."

He wasn’t smiling.

His face was stone.

His presence, suffocating.

Aria’s lips trembled as her eyes met Kael’s.

And just like that—like a wound reopening—the same crushing weight she’d felt before came rushing back.

Cold. Heavy. Ancient. Like something old and watching had looked straight through her.

Crushing.

Like something far older than him was staring through his eyes.

Something monstrous and forgotten that made her heart race and her breath catch in her throat.

And then, just as suddenly, he raised one hand.

The Sins faded—melting back into smoke.

They slithered into his shadow like they’d never existed.

Kael stood tall once more, voice quiet and resolute.

"Time to go home."

Liz hesitated.

"Did we... kill all the heroes?"

He glanced down, jaw tightening.

"We killed three," he muttered, voice low—like it tasted bitter.

"Demon Lord killed three."

His eyes narrowed, distant.

"And I let one of them go... He was probably the weakest of the group."

A pause hung in the air—cold and quiet.

Like the weight behind his words carried power.

No one spoke until Aria finally broke the silence again.

"Then... do you know where the rift is?" she asked.

"Yes," Kael replied without hesitation. "Let’s get moving."

He turned to Liz, his tone shifting slightly.

"Did you sense any other demigods nearby?"

Liz shook her head.

"No."

He gave a faint nod. He already knew.

He had felt it—the passing of souls through the Underworld.

Not all had survived.

It was a sense he’d learned to hone, like listening through silence.

And when he truly focused... he could feel it.

Especially when a demigod crossed the veil.

They flew in silence over the ruins of the kingdom.

The city lay torn open, its streets split like fractured veins. Smoke still curled from the bones of broken homes. The flames were long dead—but the silence clung to everything like ash.

And the scars it left behind weren’t just in the stone...

They were carved into memory.

Etched into the world itself.

Written now into history—where no one could forget what had happened here.

He hoped they would rebuild.

He hoped they would remember peace.

Below them, people gathered—lifting lanterns into the sky.

Soft glowing lights floated up like fragile prayers.

"The Demon Lord has returned!" someone shouted.

Kael didn’t respond.

He raised one hand. Just once.

Then he kept flying north, eyes set on the dark horizon.

The wind howled past them.

Their shadows stretched over rivers and mountains.

Then, softly, Liz asked,

"Aria... what will you do now that you’re free?"

Aria didn’t answer right away. Her lips parted, then closed again.

Finally, she spoke, voice distant.

"I don’t know. But... I’ll miss you guys."

Caius pouted, his tone falling.

"That’s sad."

"You’ll get over it," Kael said, smirking—just a little.

It wasn’t mocking. Almost... fond.

They flew on.

No words.

Just the rush of wind.

The stars watched silently as they passed through the night.

Finally, they reached the forest.

The same one Kael had once saved Liz in.

Familiar and untouched, it rustled gently—like it remembered him.

They landed softly in a grove, boots crunching over dry leaves.

Kael took the lead. Cyrus padded at his side, quiet and vigilant.

They walked together—Kael’s steps firm, Caius dragging behind.

"How far is it?"

"Are we there yet?"

"I’m hungry."

Kael ignored him.

Then... finally... they arrived.

A clearing opened under the moonlight, and in the center, the rift shimmered. Pale. Ethereal.

Liz stepped forward first. She wrapped Aria in a tight hug.

"Goodbye."

Caius looked away. His lips parted, but no words came out.

He looked away instead, jaw tight, and said nothing.

Kael stepped up last.

He stared at Aria—really stared at her.

"Take care of yourself."

No smile.

No explanation.

Just that.

And then, one by one, they stepped through the rift.

Liz.

Then Caius.

Then Kael.

And the forest was quiet again.

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