Astra stumbled out of thin air, her arm wrapped around Lee's shoulder as he acted as her mode of transport, both in assistance walking and in teleporting her to the Blessed City. She winced with every step, holding her hand against her bare stomach as she hopped along with Lee's assistance.

Behind her, the white robed healer shuffled nervously through the portal, waiving his blood covered hands in front of him as he walked through with his eyes clenched shut. His face twisted with fear, before he finally peaked open one of his eyes and let out a sigh of relief at the familiar location.

Once the fear of teleportation had passed, a new fear gripped his heart as he hurriedly scuttled behind Astra, his hands waving around her shoulder as if he was afraid to touch her while he mumbled softly.

"Miss... Miss... Please I'm telling you, you should get some rest. The healing is still fresh, and I still need to take care of your less pressing wounds. Please will you just stop and-"

Astra shook his neurotic hands away, grunting softly as she continued to lean on Lee.

"Have you got any juice left in the tank to finish that healing? No? Well then, maybe you should go rest instead of pestering me. I'm an injured woman you know, who knows what injuries your pestering might cause to flare up.

Besides, I have a gift to collect."

Her grumbled words didn't seem to appease the healer, who let out a dejected and nervous whimper as he bit his lips. He reached out to try to stop her, before pulling his hands away quickly. Although he knew her words were just to make him leave her alone, there was some truth to them.

He had spent all of his energy focusing on healing the fatal wound in her stomach. It was a messy process, as his ability wasn't perfect. Even if his energy wasn't complete there was certain things he simply couldn't heal.

The healer bit his lip again, gnawing at it so much that it began to trickle with blood, as his eyes drifted to Astra's left thigh, specifically the burned stump that it ended in and where her leg used to be... before the Lightbringer burned it off.

As she hopped ever onwards, nothing but Corvus' feathered cloak and the strange black liquid to cover her body, he glanced towards the Death bringer himself who was standing in the distance, unmoving and staring towards their arrival point.

The healer let out another whimper and rushed over to the Death bringer as quickly as his legs could carry him, eventually collapsing at his feet.

"Sir I beg you for your forgiveness. I... I tried to stop her. But when your Omen arrived on the battlefield after news of your victory... she insisted he bring her to you. I swear I did everything in my power to stop her. And... and... And I did even more to save her. But I just couldn't save... everything.

Please sir, if you need to take your wrath out on anyone, take it out on me and me alone. Spare the rest of our people. We were misguided by the false god."

Tentatively, he raised his head, looking up at the shadowy face of Lord Corvus and immediately froze with terror. The Lord was staring down at him, his face hidden behind the shroud but he could feel a terrible wave of anger and misery pouring off of him.

The healer immediately slammed his head into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust and ash, as he grovelled for forgiveness. Not caring how much he dirtied his pristine white robes, or how he looked in front of the cowering like a peasant.

The black robed mortals that still lingered after the death of the Lightbringer looked on with tears in their eyes, their hearts welling with gratitude for their superior. They had never expected someone like him to take a punishment to save their worthless lives.

However as genuine as his pleading was, Seth didn't hear a single word of it. He was still lost in the abyss of his own mind, wondering what he would do next, as he stared endlessly at the scorched earth that the healer was kneeling in. The poor man probably had no idea he was kneeling in and pressing his head into the remains of his old god.

"It's fine. Just... get up. He's not going to do anything. Are you Lord? ....Lord?"

Astra frowned softly as she hopped up next to the healer and urged him to stop with his pleading. Concern knitted on her face as she glanced at where he was staring, before looking up at him again.

She reached forwards, slipping her hand under his hood to turn his head towards her, before flinching slightly at what she felt.

Snatching her sword from Seth's hand, she spun on her heel and took his hand and started hopping her way over to the nearest house, using her sword as a cane. As she moved, she barked an order without a chilling tone in her voice.

"Lee, we need privacy. Now."

The man in question flinched slightly at the order, before nodding softly as he began to usher all of the people away so that no one could interrupt them.

Leading the catatonic Seth into one of the mud hut houses, Astra glanced over his shoulder to check they were alone, before pulling down his hood. She did so slowly and with trembling hands, and when the shadows dispersed to reveal the face underneath, she couldn't help but let out a soft gasp.

"Oh god... What did he do to you?"

Astra sighed softly, tilting her head as she tenderly brushed her blackened finger against the left side of Seth's face. Her fingers dancing over the skin that was twisted and warped, a patch of his face painted the bright red of burned flesh.

It surrounded his left eye, which had turned cloudy and white, as it stared at her blankly. Considering his other eye still had the black sclera that had developed when he mutated, it was a startling and glaring difference.

Where his hair had previously covered had been burned away, even his ear was mangled and reduced down to a stump of twisted flesh on the side of his head.

He stirred at her touch, but it was only his right eye that focused on her. The other turned, out of pure habit, but the cloudy whiteness remained and never focused on the woman that was before him.

"Astra? When... when did you get here? I.. I'm sorry, I couldn't get what you asked for. I killed the bastard for you and cut off his head, but-"

She smiled softly at his solemn face and stupid apology, before silencing the idiot with a kiss. They stayed in each others embrace for a few seconds, kissing deeply and enjoying the joy of life once more, before Seth finally pulled away to breathe.

With a gentle smile on his half mangled face, Seth raised his hand that was clenched in a fist and opened it, showing her a ring that rested in his palm.

"It's not what you asked for, but it's a good gift none the less. I mean... it's not that kind of ring, the type that you give when on one knee. It's only been a few dates, I don't think we are there just yet but..."

Astra silenced his bumbling with another kiss, a shorter one this time. It seemed she had figured out that was an effective method. Not that he minded. In fact he was already considering rambling even more so she had more excuses to silence him.

With a bashful smile, he slid the ring onto her finger. Her middle finger, that was. The other one was staying empty... for now. He held her hand in his, brushing his thumb over her fingers idly.

"But who knows, maybe if you can put up with me for long enough you might get another one. Although if that day comes, you'll be getting it when I'm done on one knee... Holy shit you're leg! What happened to your leg?!"

The serene expression immediately left Seth's face when he finally noticed the empty air beneath Astra's charred thigh. He bent down, his hands grasping for it to take a better look, but Astra stopped him before he could freak out too much.

"It's fine, I'm all right."

"Alright? Alright?! What do you mean you're alright?! You're leg is missing and... oh... You're all right."

The panic on Seth's face slowly melted away, being replaced by a smile that couldn't help but creep onto his lips as Astra laughed softly. Her gentle giggles were the most heavenly melody to his ears.

"That's a terrible joke you know..."

"You're just jealous you can't use it Lefty. Plus at least I'm not mismatched like you. You couldn't get him to do the other side to make you even, could you?"

She gently brushed her fingers against the burned side of Seth's face as she giggled softly, a hint of sadness in her eyes. He winced slightly, catching her hand before she could pull it away.

"What do you think? Am I still handsome enough for you?"

Astra tilted her head at his question, pursing her lips cutely as she held her hand over the side of his face, blocking it from view, then removed it so she could see it again. She did it a few times as she acted like she was thinking deeply about it, before shrugging and letting out a deep sigh.

"Hmm... I suppose I can learn to live with it. But let's be honest, I was always the pretty one between us."

"Oh... Learn to live with it will you? Come here you!"

Outside, Lee cleared his throat awkwardly as he was forced to listen to the chorus of giggles and laughter coming from within the mud hut. Unsurprisingly, they weren't even close to soundproof.

His face was deep red as he listened to them kissing, but when he heard the distinct sound of clothes hitting the ground, he immediately started to storm away.

'I think I can keep the people away from a distance. Yes. A distance... as far away as possible.'

However as the earth trembled softly beneath his feet, he wondered how far he would need to go for that to be possible.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.