God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.-Chapter 946: Musings at Twilight.

Night had finally fallen in all its majesty.

Up in the sky, there was an enormous hole in the clouds that spanned the width of the entirety of the City of Zoan.

From it, streaks of silver moonlight poured down.

However, just like in the day, the moon itself was not visible. However, the stars were.

So a rather beautiful, almost otherworldly picture was painted.

Walking down the bustling road, Cain soaked in the atmosphere.

There were demi-humans, regular humans, Hunters, and even contracted beasts or summons walking about freely on the roads.

Valestorm had transformed into a crucible of life.

With the events of the last six months, a lot had changed, not only in the place itself, but in the people as well.

The air bloomed with all sorts of aromas, some more pleasant than others...

But it also smelled of life.

One without fear.

Over the last six months, there had not been another mass casualty. Of course, there was still the occasional incident, but nothing to terrible.

Even better, it seemed like all the Devils were finally, truly gone.

The black scourge that had blotted out the sky was gone.

Those terrible, everlasting nights were gone...

The people could once again, live freely.

It was, in a way... peaceful.

At least for now.

Cain let out a sigh as he continued down.

Something caught his attention.

A rather young couple were walking down the road the opposite way.

Their smiles and laughs made it seem like they were the only ones in their world.

Cain glanced down.

The belly of the woman was slightly swollen...

A wave of mixed feelings suddenly washed over him.

The greatest casualties immediately after the apocalypse were young children and the elderlies.

Not only did children lack he ability to protect themselves, their bodies were also rather weak and couldn’t handle sudden changes to environment and mana.

As such, even more of them died to sickness and sudden illnesses compared to Devil attacks.

As for the old people, it was much of the same. Unless they were relatively fit like Alvi and or fortunate like Alvi, they wouldn’t live for too long.

Cain held his gaze for a moment longer before tearing his eyes away.

’I wonder...’ He thought to himself,

’I wonder if I’ll get one of my own.’

He had never had a real family. Growing up as an orphan, he had no idea what one was supposed to look like.

But he had come to realize he didn’t really hate the idea of one. Of course, it was not something he actively searched for, but who knows...

’With the Devils purged from the city, maybe more people will make families.’

He paused for a moment,

’I guess that’s how the population grows, huh...’

He shook his head at his own bad joke and continued onward.

He was on his way to see Gilead.

Although he could make use of {Spatial Jump} to get there in less than a split second, he wanted to enjoy the atmosphere. So he had decided to walk there instead.

’By the way... I wonder what that guy is up to.’

Almost immediately after the final battle with the Devils, Enoch, the {Golden Steel Herald}, and one of the creatures he had formed a [Body and Soul Contract] with, had asked for approval to remain in the ruins of the city.

Although he had been skeptical, thinking it must have wanted to run away from him, he quickly remembered that it would be impossible. After all, he had the Beastmaster title. With it, forget running away, he could easily summon that guy back whenever he pleased. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel-com

However, he had chosen not to. For various reasons.

One of them being, that the sooner it developed a soul, the sooner his soul would stop being at risk.

’The soul, huh...’

One of the more barely understood aspects of life.

If a creature of steel and magic could grow a soul, did that really make it special?

Were souls some sort of magical thing?

Or were they just another form of energy.

He couldn’t be sure. Such a thing was shrouded in darkness.

Either way, he has tasked the Tinman with clearing out the city of any stragglers for his momentary freedom.

’Seems like I might have to call him back soon though.’

The same went for the Dark Diver. That thing had slunk into the shadows and had been roaming however it liked.

Often times, it tried to even resist his calls.

In a way, it was like a stubborn cat.

’No. It is definitely like a stubborn cat.’

Ignis returned to Gwendolyn to hunt around the shore and sea so they hadn’t had any time to speak.

And he preferred it that way. Especially after that incident.

He had let Ruby go with her. Stunting the growth of the Mutant Bear would not be to his own benefit so it was better that way. Still, he was beginning to miss the terrifying beast.

He had the {Gate of Stars} moved to Valestorm so he wouldn’t have to keep ferrying back and forth. It was better this way as well, as it kept the gate accessible to him at all times, allowing him to use it as he pleased.

Although he hadn’t had much of a use for it lately, it was going to be put to work in the near future.

The bustling, sounds and lights quickly began to fade away as he got closer to his destination.

The Temple of Sands was located in a quite spot away from all the lights and tempo.

Since only Pilgrims usually went in and out during missions, it was mostly quiet around the gates.

The exterior of the temple still looked as regal as ever.

The structure was made from some unknown material. However, the Divine presence that once oozed out of those austere gates was no more.

’A temple without a god isn’t much of a temple, is it...’ Cain thought to himself as he walked up the stairs.

Although he had killed Balangol’s champion, for some reason, the Celestial had yet to recall his blessings from the humans he had granted them to.

Perhaps it was impossible, or the Celestial simply chose not to, he didn’t know...