Broken Earth: Unveiling the Secrets of the Worlds

Heart breaking reunion

Diana and Xerxes had a hard time getting used to each other since none of them had the experience of having a lover before. ‘What do I do? I do not have any experience like this in my previous life and this is all new to me!’ Xerxes exclaims as the two of them walk together in the market as people looks at them and whispers about.

‘Am I doing a good job or not?’ Xerxes stiffens as Diana picks the things that his mother ask them to buy. “We can just do it madam so why did you have to ask the young master to get it?”

BAM!

“Ouch! That hurts!” he cries in pain after Rupert scolds him for questioning the madam’s decision. “Listen here Ramirez, there are things that only madam can do and understand. That is beyond the boundary of our knowledge so its only natural for us to stay silent about it.”           

Xerxes’ mother smiles after seeing the two interact with each other. ‘It’s like I have two other sons.’ She thinks in her head as Xerxes and Diana returns back with all the things that she asked. “That’s everything. Great job!” she praises as Xerxes sat on the chair and lets out a sigh of relief.

“Woo! I did not expect buying necessities is that hard.” He said as he drinks a cup of water. “What are you saying? I was the one who bought it all. You just stand beside me the entire time.” Diana protested that made Xerxes lose face. “Well, - I did-“ his reason to defend himself did not matter since he can’t even come up with one as everyone inside the house laugh at his powerlessness.

(A few years have passed)

“Hoooh! this is our 356th successful expedition, we stick to this land for almost 3 years and yet to venture even deeper.” Ramirez said as he wipes the blood from his blades. “Well, because the land further of that point there has monsters quite different from what we have encountered so far. The demands are high not to mention the prices but the possibility of surviving is almost or not close to zero.” Rupert said as Ramirez turns his head away.

“Trust Rupert, we’ve talked with some influential people that has some strong squad but neither of them are willing to cooperate and venture deep. Though I might not want to do it as well since I am getting married in the next few months so I wouldn’t want to die now would I? I Xerxes said as he finishes of everything they need.

“Let’s wrap things up boys. Let’s go back. We have stayed here for quite some time now and amassed quite a large amount of resources. There is no need to stay here in prolonged amount of time.” He said as his men mobilized and carried everything on their backs and carriages.

Xerxes had created his own group of people to conquer the portal and this is the 2nd year of their cooperation. Xerxes started off with only Ramirez and Rupert, their numbers are god for only a few days of stay inside the portal. With their numbers on the small side, they can only hunt the orcs and goblins, and carry some plants back home.

But now that they are in a number of 20 persons. They can stay inside the portal for months and gather as many as they can back home. With every member adept in the lands beyond the portal, they were able to amass a large amount of resources and things that buyers specifically want which cost a hefty amount of money for each item.

By this time, Xerxes is able to build his own mansion for Diana and him to live on and even opens up business in the market, selling the things that Xerxes found inside the portal.

(Day of the wedding)

Xerxes is waiting anxiously for his bride as people congratulate him, telling him that he is a lucky man to have Diana as a wife. Some tells him to treasure her more now that they are going to be husband and wife. All of the important people in his life were invited and most people are just watching from the outside of the chapel where the wedding will be held.

DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! 

“What is taking Diana so long? The ceremony had already started and yet she is not here?” Ramirez taps his feet impatiently as Rupert tells him off then all of the sudden, his mother who is supposed to help her dress up came running towards him with a sad expression. Xerxes saw Diana walking towards him without a gown and hands him the ring that he gave her as a gift and symbol for their marriage.

“I can’t do it Xerxes, I can’t marry you. I have already fallen for someone else. The time you spent inside the portal, I was lonely and found a guy who was there for me. I came to say goodbye, that way you don’t need to ask me about this anymore.” She says as the heart broken Xerxes holds the ring with his trembling hands while staring at the women he came to love over the years but his love will not be returned to him anymore.

The sky grew darker as the rumbling of lightning surrounds the chapel, the guests slowly left one by one as Rupert and Ramirez send them off. Xerxes is still in shock of what happened stayed staring in the place where he last saw Diana and then fell on his knees in pain.

HIC! HIC! HIC! HIC! HIC! HIC! HIC! HIC!

With all the guests gone, Xerxes cried as the rain sweep everything around them as his mother tries to comfort him and Ramirez clicks his tongue. “Damn it! That woman! How dare she-!” Rupert stops Ramirez before he could swear at her and shook his head. “Don’t try to stop me now! Do you want the master to be miserable just like that? She can’t just leave him like that!”

Rupert tightly grabs Ramirez’ shoulders and felt his agitation far greater than what he is feeling and got surprise how Rupert is able to keep himself in check. “I can understand that you are furious but do you honestly think that the master will want to make her sad? I think not, so let’s stand by and wait for his orders than more on our own and regret it later.”

Xerxes can hear them talking to each other and even got involved in his problems but his intense sadness prevents him from doing what he should have done.

(A few weeks later)

“Poor Xerxes to think that a single even would drastically change the once cheerful young man into a drunkard like he is now.” An old man said as Rupert tries his best to carry Xerxes back to his home. “I heard that he sold everything and wasted it on liquor. Poor Xerxes.” The adults sympathize his current situation as he drowns himself in liquor while Rupert and Ramirez does everything they can to keep Xerxes from trouble.

Their group disbanded due to Xerxes not being able to make any rational decisions because of the intense sadness that he felt that cause them to fail the last 3 expeditions that they had gone to and resulted in the disbandment of their group since all of the had to make a living for themselves.

And then one day, Xerxes sobered after drinking all night. He ventured into the portal bringing with his sword alone. Rupert and Ramirez looks for him and a man comes to their house and tells them that he saw Xerxes enter the portal. “I saw him enter the portal right after I got out.” The man reported as Rupert tries to run immediately but then felt something inside his pocket.

“A letter?” Ramirez tells Xerxes’ mother that they are going after him so they might not come back after some time and was about to run of when Rupert stops him  from going further. “What are you doing? Aren’t we going to get him?” he ask with a confused expression. “He wants us to stay here. He says he is going to look for himself inside the portal.”

Ramirez did not complain any longer and was down because Diana cause their master to be like that. The two then went back into the house and tells the mother about the letter.

The word about Xerxes venturing inside the portal alone with no supplies spread throughout the villages nearby and as time passed. A new word about him surfaced, he helped some newbie hunters when they were in a pinch and some other heroic deeds until the 28th year, he decided to return back to his world where Ramirez and Rupert waiting for him anxiously that they decided to build their house near the portal so that they can see if he ever decides to come out.

“You two got old. How are you?” instead of answering his question, they hugged him tightly and told him that his mother had already passed away a few years ago and that this year is her 6th death anniversary. They immediately visited her grave.

“I’m back mother, I’m sorry for not being there when you needed me.” He said as tears flows down his cheeks and left a rose that can only be found inside the portal the moment they decided to leave, they saw Diana with her family standing in the entrance of the cemetery, she had gone old and her daughter and son are already in close to Xerxes age who did not seem to age inside the portal.

They passed by each other as Diana looks away from him. Not being able to meet his eyes while Xerxes on the other hand did not flinch at the sight of her after a very long time. ‘Screw balance of power. I will start my own technological advancement in this world’ he thinks to himself as Diana stares at his back as they leave the cemetery.

“Mother is everything okay?” her daughter asked as they visit Xerxes’ mother’s grave. “What are we doing here anyway? That old lady is not our relative so why do we have to do something like this every year?” the son asked as Diana sees the rose sitting on the ground beside the grave. ‘You did not change.’ She thinks to herself as she turns back to the entrance of the cemetery but Xerxes was long gone as tears flows to her cheeks in regret.