1052 A Living Hope

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"Even if you never wanted it this way, the deaths of every soul on this planet are your responsibility. You were a good father, husband, and caring emperor.  But Haedon, those were the very reasons for your downfall." Varian shook his head as the entire Neptune experienced rain.

As a good husband, father, and caring emperor, Haedon couldn't just abandon his family and risk coming to this side. If he did that long ago, he could've slaughtered the human race and snatched the legacy.

If he wasn't as caring about his people as he was, he'd have ordered the abyssals to slaughter humans at any rate, regardless of the cost.

But the Abyss Emperor wanted them to win with minimum casualties. He wanted as few tragedies as possible. He genuinely wanted to see smiles on the faces of his people. That noble aspiration was the cause of his downfall.

"You intended good for your race, but they were wiped out. Zions made your lives hell out of their own paranoia and they weren't even affected." Varian stared at the raining sky of Neptune with narrowed eyes.

The last bits of Abyss Emperor washed down the soil smeared with the blood of the people that died a few days ago.

"What an end to everything and nothing." Varian shook his head and disappeared from the planet.

The war against abyssals was one of the most critical periods in human history. But in the jungle of the universe, it's just a fight between two bugs.

How many would actually care if the human race was wiped out? How many would care now that the Zions wiped out abyssals?

Just like how a single human's life or death was meaningless in the frame of entire humanity, a race's life and death were meaningless under the eye of the cosmos.

With the abyssal treasures hiding the solar system destroyed, the wider world would soon discover humanity.

Awaiting them wouldn't be roses and rainbows. Perhaps the real struggle had only begun.

— — — —

The human empire was in huge turmoil at the death of Emperor-to-be, Julius Xander. Panicking crowds hit the streets and despair filled the planets.

If even such a strong awakener died, then what hope did they have of surviving?

They could die at any moment!

The law and order were about to get out of control and chaos was about to ensue.

It was then that a brilliant light hovered over all the planets of the Human Empire.

Then a man made entirely of aura sat on an illusory chair of light. He appeared in the sky of every planet and was broadcasted on every network.

The man had a familiar face and was quickly recognized by everyone.

"Varian!"

"Why is he here?"

"He went missing ever since Sir Julius ascended!"

Speculation drove people wild but before rumors could fly abound, Varian's voice reached every corner of the planets. "Julius detected early on that the emperor of abyssals was hiding in the solar system, trying to destroy our race."

People paled at the mention of this ruler they never met.

"So, he lured the abyssal by playing the emperor and I waited in hiding to ambush the last abyssal." Varian's aura avatar stared at the sky and sighed deeply.

Then a video began to play.

It showed Julius using the last of his power to save Varian from the clutches of Abyss Emperor and then dying in his hands. Then it fast-forwarded to Varian taking the opportunity and killing the abyssal.

People instantly 'understood' the truth.

"It was a risky job. I insisted on doing it, yet he took it upon himself. He died and helped me kill the Abyssal." Varian's voice carried a hint of appreciation and a hint of regret.

Far from the crowd, Varian continued the speech from his mansion.

"Julius will be remembered as the hero who saved the human race." He clenched his fist and said the words despite his personal ego not liking them. "No matter what our individual strifes were, at the end of the day, we are all in this together."

The people cried for the lost hero and cheered for the hero that remained.

Thanks to his deeds in the war, Varian's popularity was already hitting the ceiling.

With this battle, he became a household name that surpassed even Julius at his peak.

The coronation ceremony would proceed in a week and shortly after, the Emperor would marry his dear lovers.

Oddly enough, the people still went into festive mode. Perhaps they knew the immensity of the danger they'd just survived. That's why they celebrated even harder for the upcoming coronation and prayed that it wouldn't end up like the previous one.

But in the depths of their hearts, people still harbored doubt. So, they ended up living every day as if it was their last.

As they prepared for death they couldn't control, they cherished the life that they could.

Only in these eventual hours did many realize what a miraculous gift being alive truly was.

So, they hoped for life.

Julius reached the legendary power level beyond the Sovereign state and helped take down their biggest enemy, finishing the last abyssal.

With a much younger and insanely talented Varian reaching the same state and even being much stronger than his predecessor, people hoped for the impossible.

They hope despite his young age. They depended on a young man, who still in the academy would've been a second-year cadet, hanging around with his level 5 or 6  peers.

But they still hoped. Because he stood at the apex of the pyramid.

Varian's story or at least, his military exploits was fully released to people. It set off a storm in the social media space.

From the most legendary hero, he turned into a mythical figure of sorts.

Perhaps they were right. His journey from an unawakened to the celestial ranker was less of a legend and more of a myth.

Many people could become living legends by doing things close to impossible. But there were no living myths.

For awakeners, Varian was the existing impossibility.

For the common people, Varian was the living hope.