Level Up Legacy

The elves stared at their fallen leader with tears in their eyes. Arthur remained standing as the dark elf bled on the arena, his expression unreadable. Tiara stared from the side, looking between Diana and Arthur.

"What benefit would this bring?" asked the princess with unease as she tightened her grasp on the necklace around her neck. "The elves will hate Arthur at this rate."

"Arthur doesn't care about being hated," Diana said with a smile as she stared at the fallen elf. "He cares more about people revealing what's buried in their hearts."

"In their hearts?" Tiara questioned with confusion as she stared at her, and then Diana nodded toward Malrik on the ground. As the princess turned to look at the warrior, she found that he was rising again.

The crowd cried out, with cheers echoing from behind. The sight of their leader rising despite the blood trickling down his body made their blood boil as they began to stomp on the ground in a certain rhythm.

"These people love you," Arthur said with a smile as he stared at the elf, who was glaring at him with blood-stained eyes. "It is a shame that they don't know the reason you refuse my help."

"Janea…" Malrik spat out as he staggered forward, each step leaving a bloody trail on the arena. "Will rise… on its own…"

"You don't care about Janea," Arthur said with a smile. "But you care more about those you have left behind. You are afraid…" Arthur raised a hand, pointing his index finger toward something behind the elf. "You are afraid that my arrival will make others forget about those who sacrificed their lives."

Malrik stopped walking, rooted in his place as he gritted his teeth. Then, a voice echoed from behind him, like the wailing of a ghost. The elf turned around to see numerous figures standing behind him, filling the arena.

"Who…" questioned the elf as he stared at the figures with wide eyes. The black figures wailed as they tried to take form. The crowd cried with alarm as the figures began to take form.

"You look like a mess," said one of the figures toward Malrik as he advanced forward with a smile. "What happened to you, brother?"

"That voice…" Malrik stared at the figure with confusion. Then, he snapped his head toward Arthur, glaring at him with hatred. "What kind of illusion is this?"

"I don't use illusions," Arthur said with a smile. "This is my authority as the King of Wrath. I can summon the wrathful souls who refuse to stop fighting. Your brothers are among them, and this is the last time you can talk to them."

"He is right, brother," said the figure behind him, as Malrik turned again toward him. "It's me, Ralvyn. The King of Wrath has summoned us from the afterlife, giving us one more chance to fight alongside you."

"I'm here too, brother," another figure approached, his hair tied behind his back. "You look like a mess indeed, haha!"

Malrik was silent as blood covered his body. He stared at the figures, turning toward them. Their faces were illusionary, but he could still recognize each one of them. Then, tears streamed down the warrior's face.

"You died because of my recklessness, Kalrin, Ralvyn," Malrik said as he looked at his two brothers. "I can never forgive myself for what I did."

"You were always kind to others, except yourself," Ralvyn said with a smile as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "But we are still here, thanks to him. And the fight won't be over until Janea wins."

"We will be your strength, Malrik," Kalrin said with a grin as he bumped a fist to Malrik's face. The elf cried as the shadow creatures began turning to smoke. The ethereal energy then entered his body.

The crowd was silent as the rest of the figures flew toward their loved ones, crying out their regrets and bidding their farewells. Arthur stood in the epicenter of the storm of souls as he kept summoning them. The elves began crying for their deceased as they managed to tell them goodbye properly.

"A dance of souls," muttered Tiara as she stared at the vortex of departing souls that appeared above their heads. "Is this one of Arthur's abilities?"

"The King of Wrath isn't one to bring destruction," Diana explained as she stared at her fiancé who was spreading his arms. "He is the guide of the lost and unwilling, the man burdened with letting the relentless souls rest."

Tiara was silent as she nodded with tears in her eyes. Before the dance of souls was over, Malrik opened his eyes again and stared at his palms. Then, he turned toward Arthur who was standing in the middle of it.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"Is this what you wanted to do since the beginning?"

"I heard their voices the moment we met," Arthur said with a smile as he lowered his arms. "The souls did not plan on leaving before the fight was over. I am here to end this fight."

"…You were right, Arthur Netherborne. I don't want you to be the savior and my brothers to be the backstory that people would tell. I want their legacies to live forever as the saviors of Janea."

"No legacy lives forever, foolish elf," Arthur said with a mocking smile. "Not even mine. However, their unwillingness to leave is proof that they will never be forgotten. People will remember how Malrik worked with the outsider to end famine, using the strength he obtained from his two brothers."

Malrik was silent, and then turned toward the sky. The vortex of souls was still dancing in the sky, summoned by Arthur as a gift for the people of Janea. His blood-stained face was stoic as he stared at the sky with melancholy.

"You are no outsider anymore," said the elf as he opened his eyes and looked at Arthur. "As you have given my brothers the chance to fight one more time, you are one of us now."