Book 4 | Agent 34 and the Last Gem

Chapter 82 | Goodbye Gems

Bradford stood at the edge of the volcano, peering down upon the lava boiling in the inside of it.

"You're really just going to destroy a power as great as such?" A familiar voice said to him. He whipped around and spotted Harper, the once crazy woman turned normal, standing behind him, leaning against a rock. "I think you should keep it. The colors fit you, son,"

"You retrieved your memories back as well?" Agent 34 asked, his heart skipping a few beats.

"Mostly. There's a few blank spots here and there. I can't recall your father's face anymore,"

"I'm sorry about that, Mom," he told her. "Braunick must've used them. He stole our memories and used them to power his creations. Memories are the strongest form of energy, according to him,"

He spotted her looking down at her feet, her gaze slowly drifting away. "Do you...do you regret me defeating him?"

"What? No. Braunick was a cruel man and I did not raise him to be such a man. He drove himself to this madness. In fact, I wasn't even there for you in your teenage years. I'm sorry about that, but you should be able to remember why I left now that your memories are returned,"

"You left to kill the snake that bit Dad, right? And you never returned after that?"

"I don't quite remember why I didn't return, but yes," she said. "Your father's whereabouts are unknown. He went insane and turned evil on me before disappearing from this world,"

"But, regarding your question, of course I'm going to be a little sad about it. It's my son. Anybody in this world would be heartbroken if their child died. Even if he was the supreme evil ruler, he was still your brother. I'm proud of you nonetheless."

Bradford stopped, eyes flickering away for a minute. He had to take a minute to stop and think. For a second there, he felt guilt about his brother's downfall before recounting the events leading up to it.

"He deserved it. I gave him a punishment far less than what he deserved. He brought the God of Evil to our realm and nearly had it destroyed if we didn't come in and save the day,"

"He didn't!"

"He totally did,"

"Even I am not ignorant enough to do something like that. That's just plain stupid. How'd he manage to open a portal?"

"Some book he found about the Gods," he explained. "It was destroyed in the castle's collapse,"

"Ah," she said. "Probably the book your father wrote,"

"Wait, what?" Agent 34's heart nearly stopped. "He wrote that cursed book?"

"He wrote a book, not sure if it's that specific one. I never read his work and never cared for it. After his snake bite, he became obsessed with the Gods and their power and him 'ascending' or whatever that meant,"

"That sounds exactly like what Braunick was attempting to do," Bradford told his mother.

"Like father like son," she shrugged. "Oh well. Get on with the show already, destroy those gems,"

Agent 34 kneeled down before the boiling heat and slowly muttered the curse removal spell. Out plopped all of his gems at once into his arms, shining at him under the sunlight. His rainbow armor and everything disappeared, replacing itself with the clothes that the elf had worn under all of his layers of armor he had used throughout the past few years of war.

With one swift movement of his arm, the jewels plopped into the lava, never to return to the surface again. The volcano bubbled a bit before settling and returning back to the previous state as if nothing happened.

"That's it, huh?" Harper said blatantly. "This entire war was started over those things, and you destroyed them just like that?"

"It's for the best," he said, standing up and brushing the dirt off his pants, the first pair that was not covered by a layer of steel since the day he awoke in the desert.

"Come on," his mother said. "Let's go. It's time to celebrate. It's all over, the war is done. The only thing next for you is relaxation,"

"No, I'm not done," Bradford told her. "Renya is never safe. There will always be evil lurking in the corners and it is the Destigems' sworn duty to stop it at all costs. I will not rest until I die,"

"Noble of you, but you will still rest now. You just ended a three year long war that changed the vision of Renya forever, you have to be tired even a little bit,"

"Of course I am," he told her. "but I'm still never gonna get a good night's sleep again after what I've seen and experienced. Renya is in good hands,"