Chapter 30: Sacrifice

The world around Raiga transformed into a beautiful star-filled sky. There was no wind, no sound, only a soothing calm that nearly brought him to his knees. His entire body ached, and he could no longer maintain his armor, so he dismissed it and returned to his civilian clothes.

“Raiga? Is it over?” Emi’s voice called out from behind him. The adventurer turned around and managed a strained smile.

“Yes. I see you didn’t wait for me to call you. You’ve always been a little reckless, my precious Emi.” Raiga let himself fall onto the strange floor of the chamber. The heart of Olympus was transforming into something else.

“I knew you could win! I knew it! I’m so happy for you!” His precious intellectual threw herself at him in an enormous hug that knocked him flat onto the ground. Emi smiled, her glasses shifting slightly as those beautiful, expressive violet eyes refused to look away from the adventurer.

Raiga blushed.

“Thank you, Emi. Without you, I never could have accomplished something like this. I defeated the gods, and now we’re free from their control. The Heretic’s curse is gone. I can feel it in my soul… But…”

Emi’s expression darkened. Her smile disappeared, and she quickly stood so Raiga would not see the tears threatening to escape.

“No. No, Raiga. Please don’t say what you’re about to say.”

“Even though the gods no longer have power and Discord has spread throughout the world, things aren’t that simple. We can’t just return to the mortal world and expect every problem to solve itself. You know that, don’t you?” Shadows fell across Raiga’s face.

He did not want to accept it, but the world would not become a fair place overnight.

“I know. I know, but why does it have to be this way? Why can’t our story end like a fairy tale?” Emi cried. She removed her glasses so her tears would not stain them, then allowed the bitter drops to fall freely.

They both knew what had to be done.

“The world still needs guidance and support during these difficult times. The war has already progressed too far to stop on its own. Discord will take many generations to truly change things, and deep down, what you and I want is to save the people who are alive today.” The warrior smiled. Bitter tears began running down his own cheeks, and after looking at his beloved Emi, he gave her such a tender embrace that the pain in his battered body nearly made him cry out.

“Yes. I don’t want this outcome either, but the people alive today need to survive so they can carry Discord into future generations. A war of extermination would make that process unbearably painful.” Emi thought about her parents, her former coworkers, and all the people she had known throughout her life. None of them had done anything to deserve such a violent and horrible fate.

“I have this.” Raiga showed her the fragment of divinity the gods had left behind when they disappeared. “I’ll absorb this power and become a Mortal God. I’ll guide the civilized kingdoms toward peace. I’ll stop the coming war, and then I’ll prepare humanity and the other races of Order to stand on their own. I won’t be immortal. I’ll die like everyone else.”

“But if you do that, you’ll never be able to fulfill your dream of living a normal life. You’ll become something greater than a King, a Divine Emperor…” Emi spoke with sadness. Accepting that path meant giving up everything Raiga had wanted so badly.

A peaceful life where no one hated him, where he could easily start a family of his own, plant a beautiful garden filled with roses and lemon trees, raise his children in peace, and have plenty of pets. Raiga longed for ordinary happiness, not the eternal glory of becoming the savior of the world.

“I know, but I have to do it. No one else can save those innocent people from dying in a pointless war. This is my final sacrifice…”

“It’s a terrible sacrifice, my beloved Raiga. Is this really the only way? You’ve already given everything to the world. You pushed your body to its limits and became something beyond human. You left so many things behind, and if you do this, you’ll be placing your entire future in the hands of the world. Hasn’t it been enough? Haven’t you fought enough already?” Emi gave one final plea, hoping somehow she could convince him.

She knew it was useless.

Nothing and no one could change his mind. Even so, she had to try. She needed to get those words off her chest before spending the rest of her life regretting that she had remained silent.

“Well… it’s pretty ironic that I ended up becoming a tragic hero, don’t you think?” Raiga said as tears once again rolled down his bruised cheeks.

He looked so sad and lonely that Emi felt her heart shatter into a thousand pieces.

Raiga raised his left hand, the one holding the fragment of divinity, and without allowing himself to reconsider, pressed it directly against his chest. The remaining power of the gods flowed into him and transformed his very existence. He could feel it himself: the dying divinity merged with his human soul, creating something unique in the entire world…

A Mortal God.

Someone capable of performing miracles while still destined to die of old age like any other living creature on the planet.

His body did not change. His wounds simply healed. There was no enormous transformation, nor did wings burst from his back. Physically, he remained exactly the same. Yet something about him was unmistakably different. The dark aura that had once inspired disgust and fear was replaced by a warm presence capable of soothing the hearts of everyone around him.

Everyone except one particular girl…

“No. You’re not going to be a tragic hero. You’re just going to be a hero!” Emi was still invisible to divine power, but not to Raiga. The young woman threw herself into his arms again. She was not intimidated by his new, warm aura. Instead of retreating, she moved closer. “If you’re going to become the Divine Emperor, then I’ll be your Empress!”

“Huh? W-What are you talking about? I have to save humanity. I-I’ll be the one to end the conflict, and…”

Emi kissed him on the lips.

She silenced every complaint, objection, and argument with a kiss so passionate that Raiga’s heart began pounding inside his chest. His cheeks turned even redder. Emi was able to completely bypass the Mortal God’s divine aura and deal only with the man named Raiga.

“Ah…” the new Mortal God whispered after their trembling lips finally separated.

“Did you forget? I’m invisible to the gods, but your eyes will never stop seeing me. I don’t care if you become a Mortal God or a Legendary Hero. To me, you’ll always be sweet Raiga, my beloved and faithful knight.” Emi continued embracing him, refusing to let go.

And she never would.

She intended to remain beside him until the end of her days. Nothing and no one could ever make her reconsider that decision.

Not even all the divine power in the world.

“B-But your dream… I thought you wanted to become a Scholar, to use your knowledge to help people. If you come with me, I…” Emi silenced him with another kiss. This one was even more passionate than the last, crushing every one of his worries beneath a love so powerful that not even the Divine Avatar could have stopped it.

Silencing Raiga with kisses was quickly becoming one of Emi’s specialties.

“I can fulfill my dream while staying with you. I’m a greedy woman. Sacrifices aren’t really my thing.” She winked at him. “So no. No separation, no tragedies, and no tragic heroes. Your story may have started that way, but it doesn’t have to end that way. Or do you not want to be with me?”

“O-Of course I do! There’s nothing I’d want more than that…” Raiga replied, blushing even more than usual.

“Then it’s settled.” Emi smiled at him, the most beautiful smile she had ever shown in all twenty-eight years of her life. “I’ll be your Empress. Our children will form a dynasty of emperors carrying divine blood until, sooner or later, that divinity fades away and only mortals remain, exactly as things should have always been. Doesn’t that sound like a better ending?”

“I can’t win against you, Emi. You’re always right.” Raiga embraced her, felt the warmth of the woman he loved, and gently caressed her soft hips.

“What did I tell you? I’m the brains, and you’re the muscle. We’re an unbeatable team. Ruling the mortal kingdoms won’t be any different.”

Raiga and Emi joined hands.

Seconds later, the star-filled sky erupted in a silver glow that made them feel lighter than usual. They looked at each other before slowly levitating toward the light.

“Ready to share one more adventure with me?” Raiga lifted her into his arms like a princess as the shining stars gave them their blessing to return to the mortal world.

“Always, my dear Raiga. Just like I said on the day we began this journey together…”

“To adventure!”

The couple disappeared into the heavens, leaving behind a trail of hope that would gradually grow ever brighter.

The echo of a sacrifice avoided, and of a love that overcame every trial through sheer determination.

The Age of Mortals was about to begin…