Another world, Celeste

Chapter Twenty Six, pt 3

Rehabilitation centre - Lion Pride enclosure.

"He overdid it."

Lord Sol quietly thought.

Some part of the dome suffer numerous scorch marks; one side of the wall melted to the brink of collapse due to the intense heat as a result of the battle between Roy and the extracted black mana. It's a one-sided fight since the beginning, with Roy predetermined as the winner. Even so, Roy restrains that destructively, fiery power of his within this confined area because Iris and the young king is with us. He knows he couldn't risk the dome collapsing on top of them.

"Roy." Lord Sol calls for his attention. "It's done. You completely disintegrated that black mana from existence."

Roy turns sideways to look at the motionless body of the young king and the fainted figure of Iris on the ground. During the battle, both of them did not miss Iris frantic outburst when she tends to heal the young king all by herself.

Lord Sol reassuringly says, "Iris managed to revive the young king's beating heart. The Lion Pride will live."

Roy unclenches his fist with the elf sage's statement. Lord Sol move to carry Iris in his arms, effortlessly.

"She can't stay here with this heat. I'll carry her out."

The head elf walks out of the half-destroyed dome while carrying the unconscious Iris and then Roy plops down beside the young king with one leg propped up and deeply exhales as if he's releasing an emotion he held back for the longest time.

Memories from long ago resurface; the thick smoke obscuring the blue sky and all one can see is the burning grassland, the neighbouring spirits scurrying and guiding the evacuation path to the defenceless creatures accompanied by the rowdy crackling sound of the engulfing flame deafen by the thundering roar of the young king's predecessor fighting against the overwhelming ambush of tainted monsters. The outnumbered tainted monsters do not discourage his spirit nor the flames can ever wound him but the sight of the king of the Lion Pride at the time fighting fearlessly to protect its kin can never be forgotten. Roy trudges towards the king with the seemingly endless swinging of his sword against the scattered tainted monsters. By the time Roy reach to where the king is and repel the tainted monsters to give the rest of the Lion Pride time to escape, the king succumbs to its wounds infected with black mana. In its dying state, Roy purified the king so that it will die as a Lion Pride. Shortly after that, the lioness which the fallen king fought to protect also perish after giving birth to a frail cub. Roy understood then that the king and the lioness fought and struggled with their lives is to protect the cub. That day, Roy determined to save that frail cub with the excuse of inheriting the will of the king and the lioness to protect when in actuality, he regrets not arriving sooner to the grassland and prevent the tragedy entirely is naive thinking but at least, with the least suffering. The cub who is now the young king, the cub enduring its lone struggle with the pain.

"You and I both are foolishly stubborn to stumble without punching back. I avenged their deaths on your behalf as promised. Sorry it took this long. Live with pride from now on, king," says Roy to the young king sleeping peacefully for the first time in its life.

Right outside of the enclosure, Luna and the keepers notice the Lion Pride pack restlessly gathered at the edge collectively turn their heads towards the boulder. Bane who has not moved from the moment Iris step into the enclosure is moving closer to the side gate. With an elf keen eyesight, Luna sees movement coming down from the boulder. When it is revealed to be the head elf, furthermore, he's carrying an unconscious Iris, Luna hurries over to open the side gate. The first question Luna ask her lord is the status of Iris's condition.