My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger Chapter 1288 - 1289: Even

Iris remained by Damon’s side no matter what he did or how bad he thought he was. There were people who could still love him.

Maybe the greatest thing he had gained over the years was not his vast power or wealth, but the people around him.

How lonely must a person feel to live without anyone? Why choose solitude when you have company? Having just one person who loved you was a great treasure that all the jewels in the world could not compare to.

It only took a lonely person to realize that. Damon watched Ric from the tent as a squirrel and a raven pestered the young boy as if they wanted to cheer him up. Damon smiled.

Evangeline and Abellona were busy.

Evangeline went around healing everyone who was hurt, making their physical pain disappear. Meanwhile, Abellona went around distributing the food Damon had stored in his shadow storage. Wherever she went, she spoke of the future and painted a bright image of a new world in everyone’s minds.

This world would be beautiful. There would be no war, separation, segregation, racism, or classism. Everyone would be equal and have equal opportunities. They would create their own sun and moon, food would be in abundance, and all children would grow up lacking nothing and wanting nothing.

Abellona’s words were like an infection to those who had fallen into despair. They had seen their world die, their continents collide with one another, and their sun pulled toward them. They could no longer trust anything when even the heavens and the earth were merely tools in a divine conflict.

Now, they lived among these ruins.

Abellona listened to all their worries and doubts, placing a hand on her stomach, where she could feel the soft heartbeat of her baby.

"What we had was built by our ancestors. We can rebuild it. We can be better. We will be better."

Damon watched her speak as the people rallied around her. She would make a great ruler, that was for sure. Damon wasn’t sure he could give people this much hope. It wasn’t just the Goddess races who were here. Even the demon kin listened to her words. Abellona was truly shining like the sun.

Even covered in grime, she looked more beautiful than ever.

Damon smiled, then felt a gaze on him. He turned around and looked toward the sky, where a large landmass floated. Looking up, he saw the figure of a man in armor.

The man jumped from the sky and landed like a meteor, shaking the ground and creating a cloud of dust. His arrival caused the people to scatter, running for places to hide, while those who could fight rushed to their battle stations. Knights and spellcasters prepared themselves for an attack. However, when the dust settled, the man stood there calmly.

Seeing who it was, everyone stopped.

"Xander Ravenscroft," someone whispered.

Xander raised his hand and pulled down the floating landmass. When it came down, it revealed a large group of people. Some were injured, while others were in good health, yet all of them looked wary and tired.

"Survivors."

The people began to step down and join the others, including Emilia, who seemed to be in worse shape than ever.

Xander stood across from Damon, who merely looked at him before turning his gaze away.

Damon had expected some kind of reaction from him. Sadly, he got none.

With more people arriving, Evangeline was considerably busier, and so was Abellona.

Damon remained beneath the shade of a tent, with Ric sleeping on his lap. It was hard to tell night from day in this world simply because there was no concept of either. The world was nothing but darkness and the swirling lights of spatial rifts.

A figure’s shadow fell over Damon as he sat there.

"What do you want?" Damon asked coldly.

"You’ve missed your chance to kill me. You won’t be getting another one."

Xander sighed, glaring at Damon before sitting down.

Silence stretched between them for a long time.

"It seems the rest of my family didn’t survive. My mother, father, sister, and grandfather all died during the Great Fall."

"Why are you telling me that? I only killed your brother," Damon replied.

If there was one person he could not forgive, it was Godric Ravenscroft. Damon hated that man so much. The only reason he had given Xander a chance to avenge him was because Xander had been a good friend of his, and because Damon had been confident he would win.

Xander shook his head slowly and scratched it.

"I don’t know... I just started talking without thinking. I should go."

He was about to stand up when Damon spoke.

"If you have something to say, just say it. It’s not like I have anything I want to do anyway."

His expression was cold, but he wasn’t showing any hostility, even though Xander had almost killed him.

Xander glanced at Ric, who was sleeping soundly in Damon’s arms.

"I can’t believe how much he looks like me."

"Yes, that happens when you have children," Damon replied.

"Ranar didn’t look anything like you."

Damon fell silent, thinking about his daughter. He gently stroked Ric’s hair.

"No, she didn’t. She didn’t look anything like me. She was too good for me."

Xander watched as Damon gently stroked Ric’s hair before asking, "Why didn’t you do it?"

"Do what?" Damon asked.

"You had the chance to poison his mind against me, raising him to hate me, but you didn’t. Why?" Xander whispered.

"Why?" Damon repeated. "Why would I...? Why would anyone do that to a child? I grew up around some pretty screwed-up people, and I’d rather not pass that kind of suffering on to another child."

Damon glanced down at Ric.

"He’s just an innocent child. I can’t bring myself to do that to him. Besides, it’s not like I can’t beat you anyway. Seems like a waste of time and resources."

Xander sighed.

"You’ve beaten me, I admit that. Not just on the battlefield, but at life, too. I won’t apologize for what my brother did to your parents, but I also won’t forgive you for what you did to my brother..."

"Good enough for me," Damon said. "Suppose you can say we’re even."