Chapter 32: Aftermath.

Everett.

It was a quiet and long walk that took about 3 days, to the nearest inn we could find after leaving the Red Dragon Upper Jaw mountain range. We ran into numerous monsters on our way to the inn but they were quickly handled by El, Leo, and Vicky. I just stood behind them casting any spell that I could with the leftover wand from none other than my now passed little sister. Whenever we took a break to camp I would make a stone tent for only me and cut myself off from everyone else. I wouldn't eat anything that El would make, I wouldn't respond to anything Leo and Kyra would try to tell me, I wouldn't even pay attention to the reports of Anastasius getting better.

When we finally made it to the inn I talked to the keeper, paid our rent, and went directly to my room and slammed the door. I threw all of my equipment to the corner including Kathlyn's wand and sword and just laid down on the bed and curled up. Hell, I couldn't even sleep for fuck sake. Every time I tried to sleep it would be nothing but the scene of Kath getting stabbed by that bastard Akira. If I was just ONE second faster my little sister would probably be alive right now. Maybe if I was just a TINY bit stronger, we would've been able to eliminate all of them instead of just leaving one alive so he can just come back stronger next time. I just had one job, and I failed.

I had just one duty and couldn't even stay true to it. Now I have to live in this so-called world without the one person who made it worth it in the first place. My darling little sister, who was so loving and beautiful, is dead all because of me. Ahhhhh shit. How am I gonna tell the family about this? How am I going to tell my own mother about this? Will she just be distraught? Or will she fall ill once she hears the news? Would it even be the same for father and everyone else? Just FUCK man, why did you have to be so damn useless Everett!

In my hand was Kath's beloved sword that she got when she finally became a Sword Saint. I gripped the handle as hard as I could and chucked it in the corner. I let out a painful cry and that was that for the whole entire night. For the next week it would be nothing but waking up due to a nightmare, looking at the ceiling, not being able to look at the mirror at all because if I did I would only end up breaking the mirror out of disgust for my weakness, thinking about how I could've simply saved her, getting called down to eat and then not go down at all, and so on.

Throughout the week however the only people I had left to try and heal the missing part of my heart would come and stop by. First it was Leo simply checking up on me, I didn't really pay much attention to what he had to say. Next it was Vicky and finally awakened Anastasius, I don't remember anything Vicky said but I do remember Anastasius breaking down in front of me because he thinks that it's his fault for letting her go on even after saying no. After them it was Kyra and Arthur, Kyra tried her best to really cheer me up but it didn't work and Art did nothing but scold me for allowing Kath to die. I think Art punched me, but I don't really remember. I only remember him being held back by Kyra and them leaving my room. That's really all there is for a little catch up I guess.

One thing that I will never EVER be able to forgive myself for is my own inability to be 100% when it really matters. Kathlyn Anemoi Asura, my beloved little sister whom I loved with my heart, I am so so sorry for not being there faster and for not being stronger at the time…

Eleanor.

Today's a new day. Evie hasn't left his room one bit, and he's just been… Overall absent from everything involving No Name. He didn't respond to anything Leo had to say and didn't even do anything about his own friend Anas breaking down in front of him. It's like the one thing that brought me true happiness had died in that battle. Just like how he lost a part of himself.

It was clear that he loved Kathlyn with his whole heart and that he was willing to die for her just like how he would die Kyra and I. Seeing how Kathlyn was the one to take the fall this time however was what truly broke me. I wasn't really close with her like that because that's just how I am, but even though I wasn't close with her, I knew that she was important to Everett so I cared for her too. Now that she's gone things will just be so different. When I heard Everett let out that cry after throwing something at the wall, it broke me.

"GODDAMNIT!"

Leo slammed his fist on a table in the bar section of the inn.

"That idiot prince hasn't left his room at all since we've gotten to the inn! He hasn't even eaten his food!" He yelled in anger.

Anastasius shot a scary glare at Leo, "Calm down now Leo. Let's say that Evie was the one who died instead of… Kathlyn. How would you even react after it?!"

After saying that Anas got up.

"HE HAD TO HOLD HIS DEAD SISTER IN HIS ARMS, AND WITNESS HER LAST MOMENTS-"

"Lower your voice now Anastasius." I said this in my coldest tone yet.

Anas immediately went quiet and had just sat down with his drink in his hand. Leo on the other hand just looked down in regret not realizing the type of situation Evie is in. It's not just those two however that are feeling guilt. Everyone, including me, felt guilty about what had happened. If only I had been faster to hearing Everett's calls for help when he was holding her in his arms…

"There isn't anything else for us to do besides be there for him when he needs us."

Kyra stood up.

"Elly, you do know that could be forever at this point right? He hasn't paid a single bit of attention to us and he hasn't eaten at all whatsoever. We can try our best but there is a limit for everything." She explained.

I was just at a loss of words and just sat down. We all ate dinner and then proceeded to go to our respective rooms except for me. I stayed down at the bar with a few drinks and so before going up to his door. I stood up at the door and knocked. I called out to Evie, only to not get a single response. I knocked again and this time he came and opened the door for me.

"Hello love…" He spoke to me. His voice was scratchy and was soft as fuck.

"Hello Evie. I'm coming in okay?"

I spoke softly and he had let me into his room. His room was a complete mess from top to bottom. There were various marks on the wall from items being thrown, Everett's [Fractured Soul] was stuck in the floor right beside Kath's sword. Her wand was on the desk in one piece at least. All of the other tables in the room were broken through. We sat down on his bed and I decided to take one look at him.

My poor baby is just.. So thin now. I can't stand looking at him like this… It was definitely clear that he hadn't been keeping up with eating or anything. He hasn't even been sleeping since his eyes are just so bloodshot. I decided to finally speak up to him.

"I am really sorry about what you're going through Eve-"

"What do you know about what I'm going through then huh!?" He yelled, "Did you ever have to experience a part of your heart dying right in your arms, pleading for their life saying that they don't want to die!?"

I flinched at the sound of his voice yelling. Hearing him say those things really made my chest ache in pain. I grabbed his hands gently and looked him in the eyes.

"It was about some time ago, but I was on an expedition with someone I truly looked at like an equal. We were fighting against a band of demons and they were harmed to the point of no return, and this was before I was where I'm at now with my healing. They died in my arms and there was nothing I could really do about them." I spoke softly.

After hearing this Everett realized that what he had said was hurtful to me but didn't say anything else.

"I really enjoyed our times with Kathlyn, especially during the first time when you introduced me to everyone in No Name…" I chuckled before continuing and bringing Evie down on the bed. I brought his head close to my breast. "You may be mourning my beloved, but trust me I am also mourning alongside you. Kathlyn was like my little sister too okay? I know times are so rough right now but please Everett."

I paused and whispered in his ear.

"Let me share some of that pain with you." After that he looked up at me with tears falling from his eyes. It was a mixture of anger, relief, and sadness finally coming out at once, "Do whatever you must do to okay dear? I am fine with anything."

As soon as I had said that, he sat up for a quick second before pushing me down onto the bed and kissing me.

Cough cough wink wink, will be continued in a later side story ;), but the next morning.

Everett.

It was the next morning and I was finally able to go to sleep and wake up peacefully for once. My mind isn't plagued with that nightmare for once and I can actually feel something. Besides me is my loving girlfriend Eleanor. I gently ran my fingers through her hair and looked at her body. I really was a little too rough with her that night, but there was nothing else I could really do about it.

I'm still grieving over losing a part of myself but I finally feel like I can function with the aftermath of this happening and so on. I let out a sigh of relief before looking over to the corner where everything is. The sight I was seeing was truly magnificent as it was both my sword and Kath's sword crossed with each other.

Then beside me was a sleeping beauty who had just woken up.

"Evie..?" She said while stretching.

"Goodmorning El."

I had given her a sincere and warm smile. My first one in a while.

AUTHOR NOTES:

Over 2 years since the last time I had written a chapter of Spellcasting Swordsman (well this chapter has been in the vault for a long time... LOL i js forgot to publish it years ago). For those who still remember this fanfic, i js want to say thank you so much for sticking around and i hope to try and get back into updating this fanfic a lot more often. Why? Because i've simply fallen in love with my story once again and fallen back in love with Mushoku Tensei. The writing i had made might be extremely cringe now considering i was still in highschool when i first started writing this, but that hasnt stopped me before! So hopefully within a week or two after publishing this chapter i can give you guys a continuation that is without a doubt worth it. BTW if you couldnt tell this chapter was heavily inspired from LN12 so teehee! Until next time friends.