Odyssey of the Blind God

When Nial landed back on the ground, he released his range of perception and [Mana Sense] once again.

He walked back to his father after he had regained his composure.

His mind was calm and he visualized his father, just to notice that he had moved a little bit.

'Was it my outburst or talking about mom?' Nial wondered almost immediately before he disregarded the former.

"Can you eat a little bit? Mom would want you to be healthy. She would definitely blame you if you were to get sick because of her!" He tried to coax his father again and noticed that Miles' fingers moved the moment his wife was mentioned.

Nial continued to speak to his father while mentioning his mother every now and then. Miles made small movements after a while that made Nial sigh in relief. Immediately, he got a fresh plate of food and began talking to his father while urging him to eat bits of the savory food.

This was a big improvement from before, enough for Nial to be satisfied with the progress he had made.

Only then did Nial realize that two familiar Elves had been waiting in front of the house for quite a while. They didn't approach the terrace just because Nial was on it and they respected the time he needed alone with his father.

"Master Crevian, Meryl, please come inside…" Nial said in a voice that was barely loud enough for the two Elves to hear.

They stepped on the terrace carrying a basket of vegetables and something to drink.

The two knew everything that had happened to him, and the secrets he had openly revealed to the Elven not too long ago.

However, neither Master Crevian nor Meryl took his actions to heart and were bothered enough to change their ways.

Nial had suffered enough in the last few weeks and it was obvious that he was unable to get his act together. Otherwise, he wouldn't have caused a 'small' incident that shocked all the Elves, who believed that someone had initiated a large-scale attack on the new human shelter.

The Elves had already imagined the worst and dreaded the annihilation of the entire human shelter as the enormous ball of darkness hadn't stopped enlarging until it dispersed just like that, releasing a young human who fell to the ground with closed eyes. Some Elves wondered if Nial was trying to kill himself but he opened his wings when he was only ten meters above the ground, saving his life.

Master Crevian and Meryl, who had already been on their way to Nial could immediately tell that he had been unable to cope with the emotions that had raged within his body.

Nial's anger and frustration were not enough for them to change their opinion of him. He had himself under control, otherwise, he wouldn't have thought of ascending into the air, where nobody would be hurt, before he released all of his bottled-up emotions at once.

"We brought highly nutritious food and something to drink. The Miracle flower syrup is quite tasty and it can ease one's mind. We often used it in the past, after our wars…and in other situations when…I think you know what I mean." Master Crevian said, fumbling helplessly at the end.

He didn't want to speak about Miles' condition right in front of him and Nial because he felt that this would be rude and not helpful to Miles.

Nial understood Master Crevian's intention and he forced a smile on his lips.

While the other Elves didn't really care about what happened to Nial's family, master, or friends, Master Crevian and Meryl were a bit different.

They had been around his parents, sister, and friends far longer than anyone else. The connection the two Elves had with all of them was much stronger than one might imagine.

It might not be enough to make them cry for days when they heard that Maline had been killed but they had been sad.

Their sympathetic side was clearly noticeable and Nial was genuinely thankful for their behavior.

However, he couldn't help but still feel a little bit down.

His emotions might have been sorted to a certain extent but Nial knew very well that he wouldn't be able to control himself properly in the future. The influence of the dark energy and the Essence Of Darkness was simply too impactful after all the incidents Nial had faced.

Furthermore, Nial had no idea what he was going to do now. Taking care of his father wouldn't be easy even if he made incredible progress today.

Nial was not sure how long his father would need to become the same old person he had been before his mother died. Only then would he finally be able to take care of himself, or so he thought.

"What are you planning to do now? I heard you can accelerate the pace with which you will become stronger by conquering and destroying dungeons. Are you planning to make use of that?" Meryl asked the same question Nial was asking himself.

She was way too nosy but that was exactly what turned her into an interesting being, someone Nial thought of as a close acquaintance.

"I don't know," Nial answered honestly before he added, "What am I supposed to do?"

Even if someone asked him what he would do now, it was not as if he would suddenly receive enlightenment and be able to tell what he would do with his life and future.

"How am I supposed to know what you are going to do? That's your life, and your decision to make!" Meryl answered with an expression that said 'Are you serious?'.

She gave him the most obvious answer and it was only logical. Nial had to figure out what he wanted to do with himself, not follow the wishes of others.

"I cannot leave because of my father, and even if I would want to leave to train or explore the world, I wouldn't even know where to go…" Nial mumbled, sighing in frustration.

"It would be interesting to meet the Draco race but that's not possible… If I would leave the human shelters and the Forest of Life, I would definitely stay on Jundra…and only after I have created some sort of teleportation device that allows me to return home whenever something happens to dad…" Nial spoke in all honesty, not hiding how he felt about leaving his dad alone.

Both Meryl and Master Crevian could tell that Nial wanted to leave as well but only thoughts and concern about his father held him back. It was not as if he could take his depressed, malnourished, and weak father with him to adventure through Jundra.

If his father had been mentally stable and with enough talent to become stronger in a short period of time this wouldn't have been a problem.

However, life is never easy, especially for Nial, whose mind was tormented by the ideas he had but the incapability to actually test them out.

'He only said 'dad', not shelter or Forest of Life. Looks like his priority is still the same as before,' Master Crevian thought with a faint smile on his lips.

Even after everything he had faced, Nial's core was still the same as before. He loved his family and would give his all to protect them.

Right now, only his father was left behind and Nial was willing to stay by his side, even if it would slow down his advancement and growth.

This was a sacrifice not many would make if they were blessed with Nial's terrifying talent and achievements.

By now, Nial should be addicted to the sensation to become stronger and the overwhelming feeling one would feel by being able to dominate powerful opponents.

He was a great Runicier, spent lots of time reading and trying to become a better and more knowledgeable Runicier, and his innate talent in every possible way was far above average.

However, his determination and sense of responsibility are even stronger than his desire to become stronger by all means. And it was exactly those factors that made it extremely hard for Nial to even think about leaving his father in such a state.

But even if Nial was such a great child, it was obvious that he was dreaming about adventuring through Jundra as well.

The human race had never even conquered Jundra in its entirety. They didn't know what they would find on the other continent, or what would have awaited them in the depths of the vast oceans before the first dungeons had emerged.

There were numerous things to see, whether it was dungeons, unique beasts, the scenery on Jundra, or what they could find on other planets.

Nial's life was still long and it would be possible for him to do everything he wanted to at a later point, but he was currently in the prime of his life.

His talent was currently still being honed and the sooner he advanced in the ranks the higher his chance to become a true powerhouse, and existence that could travel through the Universe without any obstructions!

Master Crevian wanted to say something to Nial but he held back when he saw the seriousness in Meryl's expression. Everyone could clearly tell that Nial had to decide what he was going to do.

Idling around would be the worst decision but it was his choice and others couldn't pave a path for him to walk on.

"L-L-leave…" A weak and crackling voice resounded from behind Nial. He turned around in astonishment and bend down to hold his father's trembling hands.

"I…I wi-will be fi-fine…if you…want…travel…fi-find yourself… Maline would want tha-that as well…" Miles' weak voice resounded in Nial's ears and before he knew it, tears began streaming down his cheeks.

"Are you sure, dad? I don't want to leave you if you cannot take care of yourself…" Nial said while he tried to wipe away the tears from his face.

He had many wishes and dreams but it was the most important for him to look after those who were important to him.

Nial knew something his parents had always tried to keep a secret from him. Not even Sabrina knew about this but their parents' secret, and the reason why Nial was so obsessed about protecting his family was this very secret.

"I…can take care of myself…when you come back…we will talk about something…okay?" Miles said, tightly grasping his son's hands.

He knew that his son wanted to make sure that he was fine, but Miles needed some more time to digest the reality. It was not easy for him to accept everything that had happened, and it was only today that he regained his senses to a certain extent.

Miles had no idea how much time had passed since Sabrina left because everything that had happened felt like a blur. He only knew that Nial had continued to tend to him, even though he was frustrated, sad, and hurt just like everyone else.

Miles didn't even know that Nial was in more pain than anyone else.

It was already a wonder that Nial was still sane…or somewhat sane.