Damned Healer-Chapter 701: Legacy

Niara opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed wasn’t the light, but the silence. It was a heavy, suffocating silence.

The orange glow of the late afternoon sun filtered through the window, painting the walls in a beautiful, warm tone. And yet, when Niara sat up, feeling her body and soul strangely empty, she didn’t feel any warmth at all.

Looking around, she recognized that room. She had shared great moments there with...

Immediately, her heart started racing.

"Darian!"

She whispered his name deep within her soul, searching for that familiar, vibrant connection that had been her anchor for so long. She reached for the resonance, for the bond she shared with him, but...

...that was when she realized the reason for the emptiness she felt.

There was nothing.

Niara clenched the sheets so hard her knuckles turned white. Her memories began to return — space collapsing, the spear of destruction, and Darian’s final words as he forced her into a coma.

She forced herself out of bed. Her legs trembled, her body was completely drained, and even her Bloodline was exhausted. Even so, she walked to the window.

Outside, the Academy grounds were immaculate. The Sky was clear, the air refreshing, and the Laws of the universe felt more stable than ever. It was as if that previous battle had never even happened.

"Mission accomplished..." she whispered, her voice breaking.

It was as if she could hear his voice saying those words in her mind. The universe was, in fact, saved. The Celestial Shadow no longer existed. All the evil that once covered the universe had been purified. He had even left the restoration of all life progressing rapidly.

But as she looked around, she realized the price.

She closed her eyes, expanding her perception across the entire planet, then into the surrounding space. After that, she used her power to sense every living being in the universe.

He wasn’t there.

In fact, no Spiritual Guardian was there.

"Ma’am,"

A voice sounded from behind her. Niara turned quickly, meeting Howlyn’s red, watery eyes, filled with worry.

"Where did everyone go?" she asked flatly.

"They... as soon as Ma’am appeared, they said they felt some kind of call. The Spiritual Sovereigns were the only ones who managed to understand it. They were words coming directly from Heaven’s Will:

The Great Mission of the Spiritual Guardians has finally been fulfilled. This universe no longer needs anyone, and all must return."

Howlyn spoke slowly, staring into Niara’s nearly lifeless eyes. "After that, within minutes, countless bright runes appeared around them, and they started disappearing. Even the Immortals and the Spiritual Sovereigns were taken. Heaven’s Will itself definitely acted directly."

Niara nodded. "Did you see Darian? Did anyone see anything when I appeared?"

Howlyn swallowed hard and bit her lip. Her face twisted slightly, making it clear she was trying to hold that pain inside.

"SPEAK!!" Niara roared.

Howlyn took a deep breath and, her voice shaking, said, "Lady Lucy and Lady Alear, as well as Lord Lucius... the moment Ma’am appeared... they seemed to feel something terrible. They all went pale and were overcome by a strange despair. I only heard them murmur... Darian, something happened."

Niara froze. She already knew. The completely shattered contract within her soul had already confirmed it. But she had thought she was mistaken... just like she had been in the past.

The Spiritual Guardians had fulfilled their purpose, and Heaven’s Will welcomed them back, leaving this universe to its native inhabitants. As for Niara, without Darian, she couldn’t go to that universe.

So...

She was left there alone, with nothing but her memories.

Niara turned and leaned against the window frame, tears finally tracing warm paths down her cheeks. The pain she felt couldn’t be put into words.

The sky was beautiful, the world was safe, and people were no longer in danger.

Her greatest dream, saving that place, had finally been fulfilled. But...

Victory had never felt so much like defeat. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

The price of that peace was everything she loved.

"He... he will come back..."

Her choked voice echoed softly. She was certain Heaven’s Will wouldn’t let him die completely. His Master was also someone terrifying, and Darian trusted her.

"I’ll wait for you, no matter how long it takes."

***

In the Universe of Heaven’s Will.

All the Spiritual Guardians received the message at the celestial altars. They had completed the greatest and main mission of all. That universe had finally been saved.

As a reward, everyone who took part in that battle, including the Immortals, received an absurd amount of Merit Power.

Since all of them already had at least nine rings, that power wouldn’t be used to directly increase their strength; instead, it would serve to bring things from other universes.

It was an extremely generous amount, and they could, for example, bring thousands of Supreme Artifact–level artifacts from other universes.

But... for everyone who received it, there was no joy or celebration at all.

Because through Lucy, Lucius, and Alear, they all understood they had lost the most important thing: the one who guided them, trained them, and gave them everything they had.

From that day on, things for the Spiritual Guardians would change for the first time in history. Heaven’s Will, by bringing them back and delivering those words through the Spiritual Sovereigns, made it clear they would receive a new Main Mission.

Furthermore, it seemed that the rules for the Immortals would change as well. They, who were supposed to be rejected by the Spiritual Guardians’ system, were receiving benefits and even managing to interact with the altars. That had never happened before.

---

On Earth.

In the state of Aeternum Atlantis.

Inside the main building, in the great hall.

Lucius remained silent in a corner. Lucy and Alear stood frozen, tears streaming down in absolute, devastating silence.

Earlier, when Niara appeared on the horizon of that universe, the confirmation hadn’t come through words, but through an icy snap in their souls. As Immortals with sharp perception and bearers of a deep connection with Darian, the three of them felt the exact moment his thread of existence snapped.

There was no room for denial.

Darian was dead.

Leander, Veyle, and Alirio stayed by their side, but their attempts at comfort were useless. How do you comfort someone when the very world around them is a living reminder of the loss?

Every building in Aeternum Atlantis, every breath of life on that planet and in that now peaceful universe, every ounce of power they possessed... all of it carried Darian’s trace.

They looked at their achievements and saw only the price paid for them.

’Why is it always him?’ The bitter thought echoed in all their minds.

Guilt was a slow poison. They had accepted being protected. Accepted following his orders. Meanwhile, Darian challenged the impossible and walked on the edge of madness to guarantee everyone’s future.

They had settled for being nothing more than the beneficiaries of his courage, telling themselves they would just work hard to repay him. But if they had tried to go further...

...if they had become Sovereigns like Alear... maybe the weight wouldn’t have fallen on the shoulders of a single man. After all, every universe was unique, and maybe they could have offered him new cards to play and survive.

"Why didn’t I realize... why did I let..." Lucy murmured, her broken voice echoing through the vast, cold hall.

Suddenly, space rippled. Rhea appeared before them, her eyes fixed on the devastated trio.

"Darian was special," her voice rang out cold, but filled with cutting truth. "He chose this path because he believed you were strong enough to inherit what he built. But it seems he was wrong about your will."

They all looked at her coldly.

She snorted, watching them with disdain.

"Don’t you get it? You’re Immortals now. He fought so you could reach this point. Time isn’t your enemy anymore. But him..."

Alear’s expression shifted sharply. The shock cut Lucy’s crying short.

"His Master..." Alear began, her eyes gaining a new light. "Papa said she was someone capable of negotiating directly with Heaven’s Will."

Lucius’ eyes widened. "We’re Immortals," he said, standing up with his fists clenched.

Lucy wiped her face, her expression softening into fierce, melancholic determination. "Time, for us, is infinite. He wouldn’t leave us behind without a plan. He knows we’re not going anywhere. And as for him, he was sure he wouldn’t be abandoned and would be able to come back one day."

All of them looked completely different now. Darian had already explained that there were many ways for a soul to recover its memories.

Darian wouldn’t be abandoned by his Master, and even in another incarnation, he could ascend again and recover. Death wasn’t a final farewell. He just chose that path to win that difficult fight.

"One day... it doesn’t matter if it takes millennia or eras... he’ll come back. We just have to take care of everything here and wait!" Alear said, full of energy.

The pain didn’t lessen; it had been an abrupt separation and promised to be a long one.

But...

The silence in Aeternum Atlantis changed. It was no longer the silence of the end, but the tense stillness of those preparing for an eternal vigil. The hero had fallen, but his legacy had just decided it would not accept goodbye.