Chapter 569: Fifty years
Chapter 569: Fifty years
Fifty Years LaterThe afternoon light filtered softly through the lace curtains, casting gentle golden patterns across the quiet bedroom.
Inside the room, a beautiful woman was sleeping but there were many wrinkles on her skin, a clear sign of aging.
Freya turned her eyes and glanced at Brandon, who was sitting by the bed holding her hand.
Even after fifty long years, he looked almost exactly as he had in his twenties, with sharp blue eyes, a youthful face, and a body that showed no signs of age.
A tired but warm smile formed on her lips "Husband..."
Brandon squeezed her hand gently. "I’m here."
He reached for the small glass bottle on the bedside table, filled with a shimmering red liquid, a life-extending elixir he had managed to create using his own blood and rare ingredients gathered over the decades.
"Freya, drink this..." he said quietly, bringing the bottle closer.
Freya glanced at the glowing red liquid and a soft, weary chuckle escaped her lips.
"How long do you think this elixir can hold me, Husband? Another year? Two?"
Brandon’s gaze trembled as he looked at her frail body.
"Don’t worry, Freya..." he whispered. "As long as I can find a way to enter another world, I will surely-"
"Husband..." Freya interrupted gently, lifting her hand to cup his cheek.
"You have to accept the fate. I am already ninety years old. I have lived a long, content life..."
Tears welled in Brandon’s eyes, but he refused to let them fall.
"I was very happy being your wife," Freya uttered in a soft voice, filled with warmth and nostalgia.
"Raising our children... teasing Amelia... watching Selene grow into such a strong woman... sleeping every night in your arms... I wouldn’t trade even a single day of it."
She stroked his cheek with her thumb, smiling faintly despite the exhaustion in her body.
"You gave me everything, Kael. More love than I ever thought possible. Don’t carry guilt when I leave. Promise me that."
Brandon lowered his head, pressing his forehead against the back of her hand.
His shoulders trembled slightly "I don’t want to lose you, Freya."
Freya let out a soft sigh "You won’t lose me. I’ll be watching over you... and our family."
She slowly pulled him closer. Brandon moved onto the bed carefully and lay beside her, wrapping his arms around her fragile body as gently as possible.
Freya rested her head on his chest, listening to the steady heartbeat that had accompanied her for fifty beautiful years.
"Stay with me like this for a while..." she murmured, closing her eyes. "Just like the old days."
Brandon held her tightly, one hand gently stroking her silver hair.
"I’m here. I’ll always be here."
Freya’s breathing grew softer as she drifted in and out of sleep in his arms.
Looking at her peaceful face, Brandon’s gaze trembled.
He had tried everything.
For decades, he had thrown himself into every dangerous tower and ancient ruin across the world, searching desperately for anything that would let him into another world.
But nothing.
There are no known ways to artificially awaken someone like Freya.
But for some reason, his body didn’t age.
Whatever experiments his mother performed on him in that distant future had granted him this eternal youth.
He studied his own blood for years in secret, refining elixir after elixir, pouring every drop of knowledge he possessed into it.
And yet... it was never enough.
The red liquid in the small glass bottle sat untouched on the bedside table.
It could slow the decline, perhaps buy a few more months at most, but it could not stop the inevitable.
Freya stirred weakly in his arms and those familiar warm eyes looked up at him with nothing but love.
"...Kael,"
A faint smile touched her wrinkled lips. "You’re still making that face... even after all these years."
Brandon pressed his forehead gently against hers, "I can’t lose you, Freya."
She let out a tired chuckle, raising a trembling hand to touch his smooth, youthful cheek.
"I love you," he whispered. "I love you so much, Freya."
"I know... I am the luckiest woman in the world... to be loved by you."
---
The gentle sound of waves crashing against the rocks filled the air as the sun hung low in the western sky, painting the sea in gold.
Brandon was sitting on an old wooden bench perched on the rocky outcrop with a fishing rod held loosely in his hands.
Beside him, Selene was sitting with a faint smile on her lips.
She is now a beautiful woman in her early fifties but because she is an awakener, she still has her youth.
Her long blonde hair swayed gently in the sea breeze as she held her own fishing rod with focused determination.
"Got one!" Selene suddenly exclaimed, yanking her rod upward.
A decent-sized silver fish flopped out of the water and landed in her basket.
She flashed a triumphant grin at her father. "That’s seven for me, Papa. You’re falling behind."
Brandon chuckled softly, his eyes never leaving the water. "Seven? I counted eight in my basket."
"Liar!" Selene exclaimed, leaning over to peek. "You only have six! Stop trying to cheat, old man!"
"Who are you calling old man?" Brandon replied with a smile, giving her a light nudge with his elbow. "I’m still younger than you look, young lady."
Selene gasped dramatically "Rude! I aged gracefully, thank you very much. Unlike someone who refuses to grow even a single wrinkle after fifty years."
"You look like you drank the fountain of youth."
The two continued their playful bickering as they fished.
Selene suddenly jerked her rod again. "Ha! Eight now!"
Brandon smirked and, in one smooth motion, pulled up another fish. "Nine."
"Papa!" Selene whined, laughing as she bumped her shoulder against his. "You’re definitely using ether. No fair!"
Brandon finally set his rod down and turned to look at his daughter, his expression softening with deep affection.
Even after all these years, Selene is the only child sticking with them.
It’s not like he hates his other children.
Each of them had grown into remarkable people.
They found their own purpose in life, with some becoming renowned awakened warriors, others scholars, diplomats, or explorers and he let them go with pride, encouraging them to walk their own paths.
But Selene... she always came back.
Selene noticed the change in his gaze and smiled gently, leaning her head against his shoulder for a moment.
"...I’m glad we can still do this," she said quietly. "Just you and me. Like when I was little."
Brandon wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
"Me too, Selene."
She clicked her tongue in annoyance "Tch, my other siblings are such ungrateful idiots. Three of them don’t even visit us anymore."
Brandon let out a soft chuckle, "They’re living their lives, Selene. That’s what I wanted for them. I don’t regret letting them go."
Selene huffed, "Still... they could at least send a letter once in a while. Or visit Mother more often. Especially now that she’s..."
She trailed off, not wanting to darken the peaceful moment.
Instead, she simply nestled closer to him, resting her head comfortably against his shoulder as the sea breeze played with her long hair.
Brandon didn’t say anything for a while.
He simply held her, watching the waves crash against the rocks below while the sun slowly dipped toward the horizon.
"You’ve always been the one who stayed. Thank you, Selene."
She smiled softly without lifting her head "Where else would I go, Papa? This is home."
The two of them sat there together for a long time.
Some bonds are strong enough to withstand the passage of time.
But suddenly Selene’s gaze narrowed and she disappeared.
But suddenly, Selene’s gaze narrowed.
In a blur of motion, she disappeared from the bench and a silver sword materialized in her hand, the very blade Rheanne had once given her father long ago.
SWOOSH!
She reappeared behind them and slashed viciously at the figure standing silently.
CLANK!
The silver blade struck a golden barrier that appeared at the last second.
Sparks of divine energy flew outward as the two forces collided, sending a ripple through the air that made the sea churn violently.
Brandon turned his head calmly, and a soft smile appeared on his lips.
The woman standing there had long, flowing white hair and her sky-blue eyes glowed with gentle power.
She looked exactly as she had the day she ascended... ethereal and breathtakingly beautiful.
Rheanne’s gaze softened with deep love and a hint of playful exasperation as she looked at Selene, who still held her sword in a defensive stance.
"I am seeing you again after so many years," Rheanne muttered, carrying the same gentle tone Brandon remembered so well, "and the first thing you do is attack me with your daughter..."
A quiet chuckle escaped Brandon’s lips and he slowly stood up from the bench.
"...Rheanne."
The single word carried fifty years of longing, guilt, love, and quiet hope.
20demayo