**Chapter 24: "The Protector's Legacy"**

The ringing in my ears was the only thing that felt real for a long, long time. Actually, it was the ringing and the ache in every freaking bone in my body. I was kneeling. When the hell did I kneel? Last thing I properly remembered was pouring every ounce of myself into that tear, praying it would hold. Praying it wouldn't all be for nothing. I can definitely say it worked.

Then, slowly, like a muddy stream clearing, sounds started to filter back in. Murmurs. Shuffling. And… yeah, was that… cheering? My vision swam into focus. I was still in the temple, though the raw, chaotic energy that had been suffocating the freaking air was gone, replaced by a kind of shimmering calm.

Lyra was there, standing a few feet away, her sword still in hand, but her posture, which are still scared from this time, has gotten better. Exhaustion clung to her face, and a worried frown creased between her brows as she looked at me. Behind her, a crowd was forming near the entrance to the inner chamber, filling all the space.

Seraphina was right next to me, practically buzzing. "Elias! You... you did it! You actually freaking did it!" She was beaming, and I’m not talking about her normal smile, she was looking so nice.

I blinked, trying to process everything. "Did what?" I rasped, my throat feeling like sandpaper. I couldn't recall for so long, that.

Seraphina laughed, a hysterical edge to it. "You saved the freaking world, that's what! The barrier’s stable. The demonic energy's gone. The, even if I dont know how, you stoped the barrier!”

It all started rushing back in. The power. The pain. The feeling of my soul being stretched to its limit. The First Weaver’s voice in my head. Azazel’s... His what? What the hell had I agreed to? I really need to ask a lot to Seraphina

The crowd started surging forward, a wave of faces, some familiar, most strangers, all looking at me with something like… adoration?

"Elias! Elias!" The chant started, a hesitant murmur that quickly grew into a deafening roar. These people, the same people I had once been so ready to screw over for a quick shot of revenge, were cheering for me.

A farmer, his face grimy but grinning, pushed to the front. "You saved us, mage! From the demons, from those corrupted nobles... We owe you everything!"

I swallowed hard, my stomach doing a little flip-flop. Me? A hero? The guy who summoned a demon to kill his best friend because of a betrayal? It didn't seem possible. The idea that justice was served in such a twisted way felt… wrong, not quite right.

Another voice, this time a woman, strong, and with a scar across her cheek, chimed in. “You’ve given us a future. A chance to rebuild, to make things right.” Yeah after all this maybe there’s hope, so do the others feel

I looked at the faces in the crowd and saw there what I hadn’t, more, seen in them before, hope. But underneath that there's a fear that what comes it all will be gone. And that, every single one of us has being always, no matter what.

And for one second I felt proud, so fucking proud and every single fear seems to be gone a bit by bit, bit by bit. But…I’m not still done, I guess.

I’m not still a hero, that’s for sure.

I swallowed again, trying, even now, even at this peak of gratitude and praise, to quell the cynical voice in my head. "I…I just did what anyone would’ve done," I mumbled, the words feeling hollow.

Seraphina gave my shoulder a playful shove. "Don't be so modest. Not everyone can weave freaking souls, Mr. 'I'm Just a Vengeful Mage'."

Lyra stepped forward, her expression softer than I'd ever seen it. "You gave everything for this kingdom, Elias, from the moment you saw there where people.”

Her words, blunt and sincere, hit me harder than any cheer. I looked back at the crowd, at the faces filled with relief and hope, and a strange sense of resolution settled over me. Maybe I wasn't a hero. Maybe I was still a messed-up guy. But I had done something good. And I’ll keep doing so.

"Alright, alright, enough with the hero worship." Lyra's voice cut through the adoration, though there was a hint of amusement in her tone. "We've got a kingdom to rebuild, and those corrupt nobles aren't going to arrest themselves. Besides," she adds, glancing at me with a smirk. "I'm pretty sure our savior needs a serious bath and about twelve hours of sleep."

The crowd chuckled, the tension breaking a little.

"She's right," Seraphina said, ever the pragmatist. "We need a plan. The barrier's stable, for now, but who knows what kind of mess those nobles left behind?"

As the crowd slowly dispersed, murmuring plans for the future and the best way to celebrate, Lyra, Seraphina and me kept walking, but it was stopped.

"So, what now, Elias?" She faced me so close.

It’s going to happen: my death will come around, if I don’t. So what to give a point of this, only now it’s what comes.

I turned to look at Lyra, at her strong jaw and her weary eyes. My heart skipped a beat. I remembered the day that one of a sudden met the love, and how it has changed all since. But I needed some new words, one more second.

I just can say what will happen.

She deserved the best, far the best, and I never knew if I will stay here.

I hesitated for a moment before answering "I want to help you to do good, I haven’t say it, but it may be okay if you help me on that."

"You still think this is some act of justice?" Lyra asked back,

"I don't know what I think." I confess, not making my mind clear if it’s all worth to do so. "But it's my responsibility now, right? I did all of these, I make sure of it."

Lyra studied me for a long moment, her gaze intense. "Responsibility is a heavy burden, Elias. Are you sure you're ready to carry it?"

I thought of Gareth, of his sacrifice, of his unwavering sense of duty. I thought of Kael, trapped in a twisted game.

"No," I admitted quietly. "I'm not ready. But I have to be. I want to be." After doing.

Lyra said “There’s something about you that says something can and will go as you want.”

I smiled, a genuine, honest-to-god smile. "Then I guess I'll just have to fake it 'til I make it." I can do it.

Seraphina, who had been listening intently, chimed in. "Well, you won't be faking it alone. Someone's got to keep you from blowing up the kingdom with your fancy Soul Weaving." This is my all.

A small piece of me felt bad after what all had gone on, one part of me didn't want to keep her on my damn path, but I knew that only here with me, she would be happy forever. But she deserved only that. She didn’t need to be in my mess.

I said, “Sorry about Kael's, it wasn’t something I wanted, you know that.”

Silence then, “You would give up everything for revenge, is that not for everyone you cared?"

I looked to the sea, that now it was so so calm, like it never had been before and says after a while "I would and can’t change not ever again. That what I am.”

Seraphina stepped forward with a smile of that ones that give hope. She never knows what it’s to loose, she is something so special.

We continued walking. Back to the place we belong, if that’s here for the ones here or not.

As we walked away, I couldn't shake the feeling that things were far from over. We might have stopped the immediate threat, exposed the corrupt nobles, and temporarily stabilized the freaking barrier, but the underlying problems remained. The kingdom was still riddled with poverty and injustice. The knowledge of Soul Weaving, with all its potential for good and evil, was now out in the open. And there was still the matter of my deal with Azazel.

I didn't tell Lyra or Seraphina about the specifics of my arrangement with the demon. I knew they wouldn't approve. But it was something I had to deal with myself. The question was, how?

I glanced down at my wrist, half expecting to see the demonic mark glowing ominously. It was just a faint, faded scar now, a constant reminder of my past mistakes. I touched it tentatively, a shiver running down my spine.

I need to know if is gonna be all okay, but what is that it will never change?

One voice whispers. “Not if there is something else to come."

"Elias?" Lyra's voice broke through my thoughts. "You okay? You look like you're about to face another demon.”

The ones that I still had with the demons.

I plastered on a reassuring smile. "Yeah, just thinking about…taxes."

Lyra raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "Right. Taxes. The bane of every hero's existence."

Seraphina snorted. "I told you, that there is something with the past."

I knew I couldn't hide the truth from them forever. But now wasn't the time. We had more pressing matters to deal with.

As we reached the outskirts of the temple, I noticed a group of people gathered near the entrance, whispering and pointing. They looked nervous, apprehensive.

"What's going on?" I asked, approaching them cautiously.

An older woman, her face etched with worry, stepped forward. "It's the barrier, mage. It might not change the face, but the real face is, not good."

"What do you mean? Seraphina will know."

"The rifts and power are still on the ground... Not as strong as before all."

My stomach dropped. We've had to do something before!

"Show me," I said, my voice suddenly sharp.

The woman led me to a section of the temple wall where the stone seemed to shimmer faintly. A barely perceptible crack ran along the surface, pulsing with a faint, sickly violet light that makes you see nothing.

So there isn’t a change.

But the real question if I want it to.

"It's not as bad as before," the woman said, her voice trembling. "But it's still there. It's still…leaking, and if there, is not going to do well after all.”

I reached out, touching the crack gingerly. A jolt of energy shot up my arm, sending a wave of nausea through me. The crack wasn't just leaking demonic energy; it was resonating with something else, something dark and malevolent.

"What is it?" Lyra asked, her hand instinctively moving to the hilt of her sword.

I frowned, concentrating. "It's more, not power, but that. I feel that has something more to come." But not from demons.

Seraphina, ever the scientist, pulled out a device, from. The device sputtered and flickered. "Definitely residual energy, but it's… different. It's like the connection you have there. And I cant figure out where it comes from.”

Lyra came to my side, she might always need a partner on there.

It just don't seem like now I understand what it means.

Maybe something that the demons says, it’s to.

"What do you think?" I asked her quietly.

Lyra didn't hesitate. "We fix it. Whatever it takes. We can’t let it fall.”

Her unwavering resolve was like a shot of adrenaline. It reminded me why I was doing this in the first place. It wasn't just about saving my own skin; it was about protecting the ones around them. All those here.

I nodded, my determination renewed. "Alright. Let's get to work." I knew not what was coming.

The road is just starting...

As we prepared to examine the crack more closely, I spotted a familiar figure approaching us. It was one of the members of the secret society we had visited a few days. He looked haggard, his clothes torn.

"Mage," he said, his voice hoarse. "I need your help. The rest were gone."

"What happened?" I asked, my hand instinctively reaching for the power of my soul weaving, if I still had it

"They…they took them," said more.

"Took who?" I pushed, my unease growing.

"The other Soul Weavers, they need to tell you, they're gone… and that isn't going to stop."

"Who took them?" I asked, my concern going so high.

The man’s eyes searched everywhere. “They.”

They what? There’s more to be with the dark energy than I may know.

No choice, the time to do is now.

Now I know I can’t do all this by myself, maybe Lyra can do it. And it will be fun too on the ride.

"They?" The word hung in the air, heavy with implication. "Who are 'they'?" I pressed, my gut twisting with anticipation.

The man shook his head, his eyes darting around nervously. "I don't know! We just say they, they can see anything, it’s beyond."

"Tell me everything," I insisted, my voice leaving nowhere.

The man spilled everything he knew, though and there was still a lot to find. A shadowy organization, even more secret with some. They that hunted down Soul Weavers, eliminating them, stealing their knowledge and power. It’s for the demon.

"They want the power you have, mage," the man said. "They want to weave a new world of they one."

I exchanged a glance with Lyra and Seraphina. The pieces were starting to fall into place. The residual demonic energy, the disappearing Soul Weavers, the crack in the barrier… It was all connected.

And that’s why they want so much. The only thing that exists is the power, and control.

“We need to find them," Lyra said, her voice firm. "Before they can cause even more damage."

"Easier said than done," Seraphina pointed out. "“We're talking about very secret ones.”

"Then we get good at this,” I said, determination surging through me.

I looked back at the crack in the barrier. It was a reminder of the darkness we were fighting, the darkness that threatened to consume everything we held dear. But it was also a reminder of the hope that the power of souls can bring: the belief that even in the face of overwhelming odds, we could make a difference.

I turned to Lyra and Seraphina, my expression resolute. "We're going to stop them," I declared. "Whatever it takes."

And as we stepped out of the temple, ready to face whatever tomorrow may bring, a part of it did. Some have asked if all what they were gonna lost and do what they did can turn what every story would be, but this is what makes it good.

And if it will ever happen or not. *Is this true??*

What happens next? Is up.

*Maybe One?*

With one lost tear on the side face.