The Bloodline System Chapter 1687 1687: The Wedding
Previously on The Bloodline System...
The assaults halted abruptly in the sky, suspended just inches away from the man's features, as though restrained by some celestial power.
The thugs' eyes bulged in utter horror.
One whispered in a quivering voice.
"Is that…
Is that Alpha-ranked… Endric Oslov?"
Endric's indifferent stare shifted toward them.
With a simple twitch of his fingers, the assaults broke apart into innocuous specks.
He balled his fist briefly, and the hovercar crumpled inward.
It compacted impossibly, folding upon itself repeatedly until the whole thing—motor, frame, armaments included—shrank to a compact alloy ball the size of his fist, which tinkled lightly as it landed in Endric's hand.
Next, the cube plummeted, seized softly by telekinesis.
The thugs were yanked from the sky, hurled rearward like puppets on strings, then suddenly stopped, left dangling powerlessly with limbs flailing.
They recoiled as Endric approached smoothly.
"You took stolen goods," he stated evenly.
"Assaulted authorities. Put innocents at risk."
His gaze sharpened a touch.
"And activated risky portals in controlled skies."
Not a word escaped any of them.
In the distance, the MBO chase vehicles at last arrived.
They decelerated and came to a full halt.
Upon spotting the figure hovering above, the agents reacted swiftly.
Backs snapped straight.
Weapons dropped down.
Palms clapped over hearts.
"Sir—we had no idea you were here in the city."
Endric paid them no attention yet.
He snapped his wrist.
The trio of thugs were thrust ahead, crashing hard at the agents' boots.
"Detain them," Endric ordered.
"And place the cube back in storage."
"Yes, sir!" came the unified reply from several throats.
Only then did Endric face the agents and give a nod.
Before another syllable left his lips—
Beep.
His device glowed to life.
A projection burst forth next to him.
It was Ria.
He crossed his arms, arching a brow.
"Bro," he uttered tonelessly.
"Did you blank on what today is?"
Endric exhaled, pinching his nose.
"You're not planning to skip the wedding, right?"
He peered down at the urban sprawl below, then at Ria again.
"…I'm right here."
Ria narrowed his eyes.
"…Endric."
He offered a subtle grin.
He shoved the final thug completely into the agents' hold, then pivoted back their way.
"Well done," he commended.
And in an instant, he vanished.
Endric reappeared in front of a majestic basilica bathed in gentle amber glow.
The assembled visitors all twisted around simultaneously.
"You nearly blew it. You're turning into a bigger work fiend than your sibling," Aildris called from the front, positioned at the doorway for Endric.
"Well, maybe the fruit doesn't drop too far from the branch," Endric replied with a soft grin as he advanced.
The gentle rays bathed the airborne basilica crafted specially for E.E and Elevora's nuptials. The edifice floated over a vast cloud ocean, anchored by quantum anchors and anti-gravity barriers shaped into graceful, twisting patterns.
Countless attendees gathered—from global dignitaries to MBO leaders to extraterrestrial envoys who journeyed through star systems solely to behold the bond of two champions who fought alongside the cosmos's supreme redeemer.
The vibe buzzed with warmth, energy, and boundless delight.
E.E donned a pristine white outfit that draped fluidly, accented by faint glowing patterns that flickered like warp-space power. Elevora sported a dazzling dress crafted from an uncommon, mirroring material that echoed her presence. As she shifted, trails of gold and violet trailed her like shooting stars.
Endric, Aildris, Sersi, Ria, Falco, Teemee, Glade, Vera, and numerous others occupied the vast hall, chuckling and ribbing E.E, embracing Elevora, reminiscing about past quests as if they were fresh yesterdays.
And yet…
A subtle, hushed pang hid under many grins.
No one dared voice it, but they sensed it.
Gustav ought to have been present.
He ought to have stood by E.E as his top attendant.
He ought to have been jesting with him prior to the rites.
He ought to have been in their midst, smirking lightly, lounging against a column with that weary, wry look he flashed when folks grew sentimental.
But Gustav hadn't shown up in ages.
It came as no shock.
It wasn't even letdown since nobody held it against him.
Actually… they anticipated as much.
For beneath the facade of apathy he frequently displayed, those who knew him deeply grasped the reality:
Gustav experienced feelings more profoundly than any soul.
He just bore them in solitude.
Forever in solitude.
And the scar from losing Angy and his child-to-be... was beyond time's mending.
Not with every moment etched flawlessly in his mind.
Not with his unchanging youth.
Not with his boundless existence.
...
As E.E and Elevora shared their pledges, the basilica exploded in applause. Pyrotechnics blazed across the heavens. Beams whirled in creative bursts. Even the mists underneath shimmered in hues as energy flecks rained from the levitating form.
Post-rite, the group lowered to the gathering deck—a vast oasis of glowing flora with hovering orbs floating overhead.
Aildris squeezed E.E in a bear hug that almost lifted him off the floor.
Endric grinned slyly and passed him a warp device as a bridal present.
Ria poked fun at him nonstop about turning into a "family guy."
Falco let a droplet fall, to his own chagrin.
Elevora chatted with her kin and fellow attendants, beaming with bliss.
And through all the mirth, all the revelry, all the twirling…
There came a point when E.E slipped from the throng, strolling to the platform's rim where a soft breeze caressed his cheeks.
He gazed upward.
Not toward the vapors.
Not toward the bursts.
But toward the heavens...
A subtle melancholy gleamed in his stare.
"…I just hope you're alright," he murmured.
It wasn't a beg.
It wasn't fury.
It wasn't even hope.
It was merely the tone of a fellow addressing his absent kin.
...
...
MEANWHILE, IN A PLACE NO ONE COULD NAME
Through star clusters, past the edges of mapped realms, distant from standard warps or stellar probes, lay a forsaken world.
Its terrain stretched barren, an infinite stretch of dark stone.
Its air hung sparse and chilly, lit solely by far-off stellar gleam.
No greenery.
No liquid.
No existence.
Zero.
Zero except for him.
Atop a jagged peak perched a lone silhouette.
A lengthy crimson coat draped his sturdy frame.
His footwear bore grit from trekking across a lifeless realm.
His tousled fair hair whipped in the frigid stellar gusts.
Gustav perched at the precipice's lip with one leg bent and arms draped loosely.
His left orb shimmered softly, and via it, he viewed the matrimony.
He witnessed E.E beaming.
He witnessed Elevora chuckling.
He witnessed his comrades rejoicing.
He witnessed Earth shining with glee.
He witnessed the realm he rescued advancing onward.
And while observing…
Gustav's mouth lifted in the tiniest, tenderest grin.
"Yeah… I'm fine, E.E."
His words drifted as a mutter into the emptiness.
He tilted back a bit, allowing the stellar breezes to tousle his locks.
"Happy married life, brother."
He shut his lids.
The grin lingered, calm and brief, yet true.
A instant of calm within an endless grief.
For though he wandered solo…
Though the cosmos could never mend his inner void…
Though none could touch him…
He still kept vigil over them.
He forever would.
He served as their hidden sentinel, their wordless deity, their timeless shield.
And deep within his infinite days…
He yearned that someday—far past time's hold—
he could at last discover healing.