Chương 169: Find a Purpose to Start Living

Felicity and the others' liberation of the slaves had shaken Aqareth. With no organized slave traders left within the city, the most squalid and neglected areas had emptied out. Slave trading had now become rare and was mostly handled by private individuals, but even they operated at night, fearing that the group that had freed the slaves and killed Ravetrisk might target them as well. At the hideout, the sun had set, replaced by a full moon high in the sky.

There were no clouds, and countless stars filled the sky, making the night particularly bright. Felicity stepped out onto the veranda, using a cane for support. Ever since the end of the battle, she had felt a tremendous pain in her bones, a constant, pounding ache. With difficulty, she sat down and gazed at the moon. A short while later, Ethan joined her.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Not great" she replied.

"What's wrong?" he asked, sitting beside her.

"A tremendous pain in my bones".

"I see…it must hurt".

"It hurts…but it's bearable". Ethan lowered his gaze, first toward his missing left arm, then looked back at her.

"I must have seemed strange to you during the battle…but I wasn't myself anymore. After Agnes was kidnapped, I let my anger take complete control of me. It was as if it was moving on its own…I could feel that my blood was different. As if it was pulsing harder…it's strange to describe".

"I never thought a paladin of justice like you was capable of killing so brutally. You surprised me".

"I surprised you? Then I suppose there was something positive about being like that" he said with a laugh. Then he became serious again and looked into her eyes. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Whatever happened…you're the reason I'm still alive. Thank you. I'm in your debt again". Felicity shook her head slightly.

"I don't know how I did it. I don't remember anything. I think it's the power of the Prinz…the one Xia told me about. But I don't understand it at all". Ethan looked at her in surprise.

"Prinz…I've never had the chance to talk to you about your clan".

"What is there to discuss? They're all dead except me".

"When I was commander of the Golden Knights, your bounty appeared quite often. It depicted a little girl, and it was said that she wandered around carrying two swords…you've survived until now despite all the bounty hunters who tried to kill you. It's truly admirable".

"I only did what had to be done. I killed so I wouldn't be killed. It's not admirable, it's simply survival".

"Or it's both". Felicity placed a hand against her chest, over the fabric of her yellow shirt.

"When I thought I was truly dying…my entire life flashed before my eyes. And my final thought was that it had been a pathetic life. And even now that I think about it, that's how it feels. I've done nothing but survive. I don't think I've ever truly lived". Ethan remained silent for a few seconds. Felicity, who had always been cold and very brief with him, was now confessing something deeply important, and she was confessing it to him of all people.

"You can always start now. It's never too late to live". Felicity looked into his eyes.

"And how should I do that?" Ethan sighed.

"By finding a purpose. I found mine. As selfish as it may be, my life revolves around protecting Agnes. And as you've seen, that is both positive and self-destructive. But purposes are what give our lives meaning. You need to find yours".

"A purpose…I don't know what kind of purpose I could have. I don't have any particular ambitions or dreams".

"You could become a stronger swordswoman, travel the world, help those in need, protect someone, or even fall in love with someone".

"Fall in love? I doubt I'm capable of that".

"You think so? I believe you're actually a very passionate woman beneath that stone-faced expression".

"Don't you think you're getting a little too familiar?" Felicity asked, but this time her tone wasn't entirely serious, and a faint smile could be seen on her face. Then she looked up at the full moon.

"Find a purpose…to start living". Not far from there, still in the Southern Lands, Nikos reached the Seer Aelira.

"Human, have you figured out how to stop Xarath?"

"Yes, Seer". She opened her eyes, pleasantly surprised.

"Really? You were faster than I expected. So, what does it involve?" Nikos stroked his mustache and looked at her with a determined expression.

"A magical game".

"A magical game?"

"Yes. I'll need your powers to create it. We'll put his entire philosophy of existence to the test…he thinks life has no meaning? Good. I'll prove that he doesn't truly believe that, and when that happens, he will be sealed".