Chapter 212: The Path to Rebuild
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The remnants of Zerathos's chilling laughter still echoed in Dabi's mind as he and Loira walked away from the prison cells.
The old halls had reverberated with the grim knowledge of the Ancient Ones' return, but now, outside, the city's battered streets told the story of a battle fought and nearly lost. Celestia, a proud and shining city of golden spires, half of the city lay in ruins.
Rubble and twisted metal, remnants of broken homes, were strewn across the streets.
The smoke of recently extinguished fires lingered in the air, filling their lungs with the taste of burnt ash.
The citizens, broken yet resilient, sifted through the debris, their faces hollow with exhaustion. Though the Voidlords had been repelled, the damage was done.
Despite the toll the battle had taken, there was a sense of movement in the air. Life, though scarred, was returning.
Aldric had already divided the remaining Saints into groups: builders, healers, and scouts. Each group had a task, each essential to the city's survival.
Dabi, not one to stand idly by, joined the efforts with determination.
His hands gripped the familiar energy of his portals, creating swirling vortexes that effortlessly lifted heavy debris stones, beams, metal moving them out of the way, clearing paths where people could walk again.
Citizens watched in awe, their faces filled with a flicker of hope at the sight of his abilities. The youngest children gasped as massive pieces of wreckage vanished into shimmering whirlpools of energy.
Loira, ever graceful, wielded her staff with purpose. She stabilized buildings with precise flicks of her hand, casting radiant barriers and elemental shields to keep structures from collapsing.
Her magic, though powerful, flowed gently, like a nurturing wave that healed the broken city.
She moved from home to home, ensuring the safety of the citizens and fortifying structures that could withstand the next threat.
Her quiet smile as she worked was the only sign that she, too, found strength in the act of rebuilding.
At one point, a young girl approached her, a piece of parchment in hand, asking for help in securing her family's home.
Loira bent down, her eyes softening as she studied the trembling child. "Of course," she said, her voice a soothing balm. "Your home will be safe."
Dabi leaned against a nearby pillar, watching her with admiration. "You're becoming quite the hero, Loira."
Loira glanced up at him, her lips curving into a wry smile. "Someone has to balance out your sarcasm."
He chuckled softly, knowing it was true. But beneath their banter, the truth hung in the air: they were both tired, both carrying the weight of a city that had been shattered—and of a world on the brink of devastation.
As the sun began to dip below the horizon, Dabi made his way to his family's temporary home, the small refuge that Aunt Nazu had managed to secure for Eli and Mira.
The house was modest but warm, filled with the soft murmur of life despite the chaos outside. He had told them to stay put, to wait for him, and now he was here to make sure they were safe.
The door opened before he could knock, and Mira, her face streaked with dirt, dashed forward. Her small arms wrapped around his waist tightly. "Dabi!" she exclaimed, voice choked with emotion. "You're okay!"
Eli, a little younger, stood behind her, his arms folded across his chest. His usual calm demeanor was cracked by the worry he couldn't quite hide. "We were so scared. What happened?"
Aunt Nazu stepped into view, her sharp eyes scanning him for injuries, her lips tight with worry. "You're alive," she muttered, a mixture of relief and exhaustion in her voice. "That's all that matters."
Dabi knelt down to Mira's height, brushing a strand of hair from her face.
"I told you I'd be fine. It'll take more than a Voidlord to stop me."
Mira giggled, but the unease was still evident in her wide eyes. "You promise you'll stay?"
Dabi's heart clenched as he gazed at his younger siblings. He wanted to promise them everything would be fine, but the truth was far darker than he could allow them to see. "I'll always come back," he said, his voice low but sincere.
Aunt Nazu placed a hand on his shoulder, her voice steady. "You've done enough. But now, we need to move forward. The city needs you."
After spending time with his family, Dabi returned to the Council Hall. The Saints had gathered once more, but this time their conversation was less about victory and more about survival.
Aldric, ever the strategist, was at the head of the table, his brow furrowed with concern as he surveyed the group.
"The city is stabilizing," Aldric began, his deep voice carrying the weight of authority, "but the damage is extensive. We've only won a battle.
The war is far from over. Our first priority is ensuring that the city can recover and that we are prepared for what comes next."
Loira stood beside him, her arms crossed, eyes distant as she addressed the group. "The Aetherial core, the one we've relied upon for protection, it is only a part.
I observed it close. It's a broken part ot the main thing. Luckily we got the biggest part. I couldn't indefinitely it before because it's broken. It's been so long that I forgot about it.
The Aetherial core is the real core of a world. I saw it thousand years ago in my world. It hold unimaginable power.
"We need to find it's fragments and fix it."
If we don't fix it soon, Celestia will be exposed to further attacks. And the Ancient Ones..." Her voice trailed off, the unspoken terror of those words lingering in the room.
The room went still, and every Saint present felt the weight of her statement. Calvin, the ever skeptical strategist, leaned forward, his brow raised.
"The core? How do you even begin to fix something so fundamental?"
Loira's voice softened, but the resolution was clear. "We need to find fragments from other destroyed dimensions."
The core fragments are scattered into small dimension gates. We have to go there and find them.
"It's dangerous, and we don't know what we'll face in those realms, but it's the only way to restore Celestia's protection."
Dabi watched as the Saints murmured among themselves, the tension palpable. He crossed his arms, a frown deepening on his face.
"If we're going after fragments, we'll need to reopen the dimensional gates, won't we?"
Raghnall's gaze turned sharp, his expression grim. "You're suggesting we reopen the very gates we fought to close? After what we've seen, the risk is immense."
"I'm not suggesting it," Dabi replied, his voice steady. "I'm stating that it's the only option. The gates are remnants of worlds destroyed long ago. We'll need to search them for the power we need. We have no other choice."
There was silence. Then, Raghnall nodded slowly. "Agreed. We'll prepare. But you're right this will not be an easy task." I trust you Dabi.
(Loira told everything to Dabi before the meeting.)
As the council disbanded and the Saints set their plans into motion, Dabi and Loira stepped outside, their gazes following the line of workers rebuilding the city. Celestia was, in many ways, a reflection of them: battered, broken, but not without hope.
Loira's voice broke the silence. "Do you really think we can find what we need? That we can fix the core?"
Dabi's gaze was fixed ahead, his mind heavy with the gravity of their mission. "I don't know. But we have to try. If we don't, everything we've fought for will be in vain."
Loira looked at him, her face a mixture of resolve and sorrow. "And if we fail?"
He turned to face her, his eyes hard but filled with a quiet determination. "Then we'll fight until we can't anymore. This city, these people, our family and friends they're worth that much."
She smiled faintly, though her eyes held the same fear that gnawed at him. "I think you're right. But we can't do it alone."
"We won't," Dabi said, his voice firm. "We never have."
They stood in silence for a moment longer before turning to leave, knowing that the path ahead would not be easy. But as long as they had each other, they had hope.
The next morning, as the city continued its slow march toward recovery, Dabi and Loira is prepared and waiting outside the camp where Aunt Nazu, Eli, and Mira is saying temporary.
They had spent enough time in the city, and now the time had come to leave and begin their next journey. The road ahead was uncertain, but the urgency was clear.
Aunt Nazu pulled them both into a tight hug, her voice wavering with emotion. "Be safe. And make sure to come back to us."
Mira, with her eyes still brimming with tears, clung to Dabi. "Promise you'll come back?"
He knelt down to her level, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "I promise. We'll be back before you know it."
Eli, who had remained silent, finally spoke, his voice low. "Take care of each other. And don't let anything happen to him sister Loira."
Dabi smiled, touched by his brother's words. "Don't worry. We've got this."
After that they left the city. Few times later they reached their destination, they stepped through the shimmering portal, Dabi took one last look at the city behind them they had called home.
The struggle wasn't over. But as long as they stood together, they would face whatever came next—.
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