Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 664 - 663 - Burden of the Emperor

Gravis was slow to come back, but he felt a weight on his arm which was already a massive improvement over what he expected.  The last thing he clearly recalled was seeing his son strung up and shouting for him to run before his arms were cut away.

A moment of distraction had cost him any chance of saving his son!  His daughter was safe with his wife but there had been so many with his son he had not seen on the way.  The lack of bodies had disturbed him but then all was gray after that.

As he slowly opened his eyes, he quickly realized the opulent room was not his quarters in the Two Rivers fortress.  It was in the Core Hall.

The weight was his wife, sleeping peacefully on his arm with his daughter right next to her.  He then saw his son nodding off as healthy as could be in the chair looking out on the small realm around the Core Hall.

Tears formed to see his son safe but he was unsure what had happened.  How long had he been out?

"You worried him, fool."  A gruff voice came from the door and he saw the hulking form of Sheena.  She looked like gray hair had spread but her body remained strong.  He frowned at that as she should have several thousand years remaining.  Why was her hair graying?

As if reading his mind, she grasped the massive sword on her back in threat but he only smiled at her.

"Sheena, I suppose you have been quite busy keeping him out of trouble?"  His question seemed to make her frown darkly before she carefully sat on his right side.  The sleeping ones did not stir which made him worry.

"They are exhausted and only just slept.  Your son, while badly injured, was actually easier to heal than you.  He is only at the Star Tier afterall."  Gravis finally noticed 2 empty vials next to his bed.  His eyes narrowed in shock as he recalled long ago when his arm was regrown that 2 vials had remained.

"How long?"  His question made Sheena nod as she then summoned an artifact that looked like a small square that she infused with Qi before she began running it over him.  He waited patiently as he felt the sensation of the artifact scanning him.

It was actually an invention long used by many organizations to examine members but of course it was only used for the well off until Lind took over.

The artifact had a crystal display but Gravis never understood what it showed until Lind Forged a few with simpler results.  It allowed for those with less knowledge to know simply a few things.  It glowed green if all was well or on the mend with no further intervention needed, yellow for poison or curse, and red for lethal injuries or condition.

It allowed for alchemists and elixir masters to really narrow down what was needed quickly.  The more detailed artifacts were required to be on them or their assistants in the field.

The green glow made them both smile.

"You have been out for about a month.  Regrowing your arms was not all that was done to you.  They shattered some of your meridians and cracked your dantian.  They left you on the edge of death but unlike me, your vitality was left intact."  Gravis narrowed his eyes as he looked at her but she pointed at her hair.

"He wasn't sure until now but all of us that survived trying to remove the brands back then sacrificed vitality.  The farther along in cultivation, the more we lost.  Even breaking through did not resolve it."  Gravis felt a fear as he looked at Gail.  She was one of them!  Sheena saw his look but there was nothing to do.

"Gail and Benny should be better as they were at lower realms, but I was at the Sky Realm.  I had forced my breakthrough in that state as had many others.  We are all running out of time it seems."  She did not seem sad but Gravis knew it had to weigh on her.

How many of their friends would die earlier than the rest?

"So what happened?"  Gravis finally asked and Sheena seemed unsure where to begin.  She looked at his family sleeping before she sighed and passed him a jade slip.

"Review it.  Save your questions for after they wake up and can talk to you."  Gravis felt a weight in his chest as he sunk his senses into the slip.  Shock flowed as the words became clear.

Lind had gone so far!  He then was stunned even more as he saw the summary.

[After 3 days, the spontaneous growth and restoration of depleted resources came to a stop.  The storm dispersed and the coups at various places were swiftly brought under control.  The complete collapse of the Forge the Star Sect has left a vacuum many smaller powers will try to fill.  Oddly, no other issues occurred since the new resources are keeping all busy.]

Powers had vanished from the face of their lands and there was hardly a bump?!  Gravis was about to put the slip away when he saw a notation with his name on it.

He flared his aura and the words hidden were revealed.  He then felt all the blood drain from his face.

[Emperor Frey remains unconscious since he was struck by karmic retribution lightning.  His body is difficult to evaluate as his harmonic Qi interferes with all artifacts.  He breathes and is pale but nothing else can be determined.  It is unknown if he is suffering Qi deviation as well due to the interference.]

Gravis wanted to get out of bed as he realized how far Lind had pushed himself.  No wonder Sheena was frowning.  She had failed in her mind to stop the man they owed so much to from hurting himself!

His sudden movement finally woke Gail up who looked at him half awake before she smiled at him then shock flooded her face.

"GRAVIS!"  Tears flew as her voice pierced the sleeping minds of their children and Gravis felt gratitude he could never give enough to Lind.  The man never wanted to be Emperor but he carried the burden seriously.

He made unpopular decisions for the good of all and let the criticisms be voiced.  He never suppressed or denied those opinions but he explained his reasons for those that would hear.

It was only when they crossed his bottomline that he reminded them he was not a politician at all.  He was a cultivator.  He grasped at progress and power just like them all but he chose his own Dao to follow for it.

He was not a greenhouse flower no matter what any thought.

Gravis spent the next few days with his family but he then had a serious talk with Gail about her vitality.  She then admitted that the loss dealt with breaking through while in that old state of cracked dantian and barely working meridians than anything else.

She had lost some but not as much as those that pushed themselves into the Sky Realm.

"Lind told us that we might not live quite as long as others on average but it would hardly make a difference.  If we can get to the Immortal Realm it may not matter at all."  Gravis nodded but he knew the restriction they all lived under.

"I want to see him."  Gail nodded and led him down a few hallways until he saw Lanbao and Keera talking outside the ornate wooden door that marked Lind's quarters.  The pair looked up.  Keera smiled at him, the demoness and he got along but Lanbao looked at him harshly.

He bowed low to her but Gail refused to kneel.

"My husband did nothing wrong but try to save our son!  I am the one that came to Lind!"  Lanbao shifted her azure eyes but unlike Gravis, Gail did not bend.  "I would do it again!  Lind taught me how to stand up and to come to my friends.  He taught us to fight!"

Keera smirked but Lanbao did not flinch.  Still, the flood dragon stood aside as the door was opened from within.

The Emerald Souls were inside.  Gravis felt the pressure from them but then Benny came running out and hugged Gravis hard.

At that moment, he felt like they had gone back in time to the simple town they had made as Gail and he were still discovering their feelings for each other and Benny was always around her.

"Glad to see you up, I am so glad!"  Benny had lost her family long ago but Gail had taken her in and Gravis did later too.  In a way, he was a father figure but he never treated her as less than the fantastic cultivator she was.

"I am feeling ok, how is he?"  They looked at the bed.  The young looking man on the bed seemed so weak.  His pale face and the surging of Qi was easy for all to feel.  His hair was still black with emerald streaks so no obvious signs of Qi deviation were apparent.

"He is the same.  He collapsed in midair and Lady Lanbao brought him back.  She can't get through even with her power."  Gravis realized it was far more serious than he was led to believe if an Immortal could not get through.

Gravis sat at a chair near Lind's left side and took his hand.

"I am here, old friend.  I am whole once more thanks to you.  I hear you did something foolish again.  You were angry, weren't you?"  Gravis would never speak like that normally but the humble Soulmancer he met all those centuries ago stuck with him.

The man had shredded robes and looked disgruntled about something.  He comforted a weeping child but then shortly afterward he had torn up their world like it was nothing.

"You are not allowed to leave us.  I am not asking for the Emperor Frey, I am asking for you, the man, to come back to us."  Gravis patted Lind's shoulder but before he could move, a weak voice spoke up.

"Next time, you tell me your son is in trouble.  Don't go rushing off."  The room became tense as Lanbao seemed to rip space as she moved near him.  His emerald eyes were open but he was not looking at her.

"LORD!"  She called out to him but he weakly waved her off.

"I can't see but that is likely temporary.  If it is not, I will adjust.  I heard you all but could not respond until I had a handle on what was happening to me.  I can't stay awake but no one is responsible for my actions but me.  Get well and take care of yourselves.  I will wake up once more, I promise."  His voice trailed off as he once more went to sleep.

Gravis wept as Benny held on tightly to him with Gail on his otherside.  They all bowed low and thanked the spirits for the small miracles.  Lanbao finally looked at them and seemed to be thinking about something.

"I disagree with how my Lord does things but he is right.  It was his decision.  He would always say he regretted not being able to save that red robe Soulmancer, Lili.  I think he wanted to save someone before it was too late so I will let go of my resentment.  Now, he gave us orders, such as they were, and we have work to do!"  They all bowed and headed out.

The Two Rivers Alliance had many things to take care of so Lind had nothing to worry about when he woke up!