Azekiel had made up his mind to remove all his potential weaknesses if that's what it took. Even though he was going to be all alone without Raphael and Lia, he was perfectly fine with it.
Without them, he could only travel faster. Moreover, he wasn't going to have to explain his actions which was further going to save him time. It was best for all of them.
With one stone, he was trying to hit many targets. Once, he was getting some benefits. And secondly, Raphael and Lia were going to get stronger with the old man, which was good for them in the long run. And lastly, this could keep the old man busy, so he didn't interfere with his plans.
After the old man received his final confirmation, he didn't ask again.
A portal opened up before him. "If that's what you want, then so be it. I'll help you this once, but I really hope you don't regret it in the future. At times, being alone can be worse than losing a war..."
He stepped inside the portal. However, even as he entered, the portal didn't close. It was as if the portal was waiting for the others.
Raphael and Lia were still hesitant. They just stood before the portal, looking at the portal before looking back at Azekiel.
Their mind was telling them to move since that's also what Azekiel wanted. However, their legs refused to move.
Even Lia was the same. She was upset at Azekiel because of his past that she got to know, but even then, she wanted to stay with him. After spending all this time together, she had started considering the three of them family.
Even if she fought him or got angry at him, that also happened among family members. That didn't mean she cared any less than she used to do before. She didn't feel right to leave Azekiel all alone here.
"Go. Don't keep the old man waiting. Get stronger, and then come back to help me. I'll be fine until then," Azekiel further insisted, watching the two hesitate. "For now, getting your life back is more important!"
"Moreover, the old man can also help you regain your memories. Go with him!"
Raphael clenched his fist. He was the first one to agree, even though he was also a bit hesitant. He agreed with Azekiel when he said that they needed to be stronger if they wanted to be of help or if they were going to have an important role to play in the tower.
For that, they not only needed their bodies back but also their memories. He looked at Azekiel one last time before taking a step forward.
He didn't say anything; however, his eyes seemed to convey everything he wanted to say.
Lia was taken aback as she watched Raphael enter the portal and disappear.
"You should go as well." Only Lia was left back now, and Azekiel told her to leave as well. Somehow, he wasn't comfortable sending them with the old man, but he didn't let it show.
Watching Lia still not move, he moved. He walked up to Lia.
"What's stopping you?" he asked her, stopping a few feet away from her. "Don't you want your real body and your memories back? I thought you would be more excited at this opportunity."
"I want," Lia answered. Even she knew that she should've been ecstatic about it. However, for some reason, she wasn't. Instead, she felt like she was losing something instead of gaining. She had gotten a bit too comfortable in the small group of theirs, and now that she saw the group breaking, she was uneasy.
Azekiel placed his hand around Lia's back.
"It's not like you're being sent to prison. You're going to a much better place. We'll definitely meet again in the future if that's what you're worried about. Also, the old man is a much better person than I am. Give him an opportunity. You'll like his company a lot more."
As Azekiel brought Lia ahead, she was only one foot away from the Portal. The closer Lia came to the portal, the worse she couldn't. Her heart was very uneasy, but she didn't resist Azekiel's gentle push.
She only turned around suddenly and embraced Azekiel, similar to what he did when the two of them had succeeded in killing Alion. However, that was an excited hug, whereas this was filled with sadness and discontent.
"I still haven't forgiven you. So you better stay safe until I return... You owe me that much," Lia stated. And before Azekiel could answer her, she stepped back, entering the Portal.
The last thing Azekiel saw before she disappeared were her eyes which looked somewhat different. They were more emotional for him.
As soon as Lia entered the portal, Azekiel was the only person who was left behind, watching an empty space before him.
For a moment, he just stood there, wondering if he had made the right decision.
Now he was back to the way he used to be. He was alone again. The only difference was that he was much weaker than he used to be when he was last alone. He didn't even have a fraction of his strength, but he had taken steps to ensure it wasn't the case for long.
His main goal was to get higher and regain his old strength first. That was his main goal for now.
He turned around and went to the portal of the next floor.
"Now that I've gotten rid of everything that was holding me back from showing my real self, it's time to return to my own self."
His eyes never looked as lifeless as they did now as he started returning to his old mindset where making rivers of blood flow was his usual routine to get things done. It didn't matter who became an obstruction in his path; his only solution was killing them first and thinking about the reasons later.
He stepped inside the portal to the next floor as well.
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