Greyashe chapter 319 is entitled 'Gods, Angels, and Memories'.  

Previous chapter 318: Everyone's own discourse.

Next chapter 320: You must take that first step.

Summaries page

-Short summary-

Van is reintroduced to his father, introduced to his 'sister' and a 'God'. Through all of this, the farseeing boy is reminded of why he set out in the first place.

-Long summary-

Colin and the stranger stare each other down in pure male powered silent fury. Van and Royce stand aside watching this for a moment before Van (quietly ruing his true pacifistic nature) speaks up and asks his Dad if he can have a moment? Colin looks up from his previous engagement and with a sigh nods to his son, holding up a solitary finger in a ‘wait a moment’ gesture. He then turns to the stranger and pointing at his eyes, then at him, turns away, and joins his son. Van and his father turn to a corner of the cave and the boy hoarsely whispers his need to be filled in regarding this situation sooner rather than later. At least he needs an introduction to understand what’s going on here!

Colin nods and turning from his son he introduces the girl as his ‘sister’ Roysé. He had found her and adopted her as his own. Roysé blushes and asks Colin to be less straightforward. She’s happy and all but she’s still got teenage pride to think of. Colin grins and apologizes to his ‘daughter’, and promises that he won’t slip up again. His jovial mood drops immediately as he turns to the stranger and introduces him as trash in human form. The stranger loudly objects to this, and once again exclaims that as a God he has no reason to take such treatment. Colin crosses his arms and with a self-assured smile states introductions to be finished. Van frowns and asks if that’s really all he has to say? He’s still very confused and would like just a smidgen more elaboration…? Colin handwaves his concerns and tells his son not to be concerned about the little things. Van thinks to himself that finding out his biological father is actually alive and well, and that he has a sister all at once isn’t quite as insignificant as his father would make it seem, and the stranger retorts out loud that being called ‘trash in human shape’ is no small matter either. Colin turns his nose up at the stranger and tells him to leave if he doesn’t like his clever description, and that he’s not welcome here or anywhere near their general vicinity anyway. The stranger declines vehemently and proclaims that he will not leave until he has what he came for--Roysé’s hand in marriage.

Van glances over at his father and then at Roysé. If he was confused before, now he’s just downright lost. So this strange person wants to marry her? That explains how they know each other, but why had his father gotten involved with the two of them? Why is this stranger so persistent? Why……The more questions he comes up with, the more obvious it becomes to the boy that he isn’t going to get anywhere with his father’s lassiez faire outlook. He’d be better off asking the two themselves about everything…but where to start?

Colin flatly tells the stranger to leave. There’s no way he’d allow his ‘daughter’ to marry some nameless trash from some place. The stranger becomes enraged and points out that he’s tried on many occasions to state his name, but he either runs off before he can finish talking or treats him to a serving of violence. It’s not his fault that he doesn’t know his name! Colin goes mining in his ear for wax and admits he also has no real interest in knowing his name since it won’t change his opinion anyway. The stranger is indignant; so why did he make such a big deal about knowing his name in the first place?! Finally he states that as a God he must know and revere his name! While it is true he is only one of the lesser deities right now, soon the name Lazaro Runelight will echo throughout the heavens as a God of great power and prosperity! Colin yawns and Lazaro fumes. He’s asking for a smiting, and one day he’ll be in the position to deliver…!

Roysé turns to Van and apologizes for everything. She knows that he must be quite lost right now, which he agrees to. She comments that she’s not all that sure of how things started between them herself, and why Lazaro seems so interested in her to the point of following she and Colin around, but he seems harmless enough. She adds that she’s always been an only child, so having a brother ‘older’ or otherwise is quite the experience. She asks if it’s okay for her to call him ‘big brother’? Just for the sake of it?

Van can feel himself turning red as he mumbles his consent. Roysé nods and tries it out. She admits it’s strange but she likes the idea of having an older brother and thanks him for accompanying Colin back. The boy can only nod and mumble ‘your welcome’. Lazaro suddenly pops in and asks Roysé if she would like to be his bride? Up until now her ‘old man’ had been the one making her decisions, but he hasn’t heard from her, since he’d be making her his queen and not Colin. Roysé deflects the inquiry instead starting that she really doesn’t know much about him, including the reason why he’s so interested in her in the first place….not that she isn’t flattered.

Lazaro is encouraged by this and putting his foot on a rock, points at her confidently and asks if she’d really like to know why she was chosen to be the goddess to his up and coming kingdom? She nods enthusiastically as Colin turns his hand in a circle indicating that he should wrap it up already. Lazaro glares at him and begins his story, stating that he was chosen by the ones up high themselves. He was once the crown prince of Thundersea, a province to the east of this continent, but everyone there had died almost overnight, apparently from a force that had launched them into battle against one another battles that only concluded when every single person had been killed. He happened to be exiled for an attempt on his younger brother’s life, but because of this he had been fortuitous enough to keep on surviving, even after a war that had wiped out a country! He can only become stronger and more godlike from here on in! Of course a true God needs a kingdom and one he rules his kingdom with! So now his plan is to find a place suitable for him to rule and one suitable for him to rule with.

With a dramatic gesture in Roysé’s direction, he indicates that she is the only one suitable of sitting at his side! He had been there when Colin strolled through a town far away with her weak and tired form on his back! He could tell immediately that she is no mere woman with his finely tuned senses…she has to be from above. This is exactly why she is invaluable to him, and why he had followed Colin relentlessly to gain her hand in marriage! He then asks Roysé again if she will accept and be his goddess?

The girl looks at him weepy eyed and apologizes. She had no idea he had been through so much and now is all alone. Even Colin looks a smidgen remorseful, but quickly sobers up and asks why he’d make his precious daughter cry? Van on the other hand realizes that he had heard this story from Guy and Kani….so this Lazaro guy is the last of those people? Very interesting….but to think he’d believe this is why he is a God is a little bit silly. Though it is a wonder how that whole tragedy had occurred. Could it have been due to the sentients?

Lazaro is taken aback by Roysé’s reaction and tries to calm her down, claiming that losing the chaff that was his old title has only made him stronger, but Colin steps in and reveals (much to Van’s surprise) that she’s spoken for already. His son will be the one to be with Roysé, so Lazaro can just join the rest of his people in the afterlife. Van glares at his father and asks if he’s supposed to be her brother or lover? He can’t do both! He then turns to Lazaro and begins to apologize but the youth has a look of absolute murder in his eyes. This misunderstanding could be the end of the boy if he is not careful, so he decides to change the subject and instead asks about Roysé being from ‘above’? Is he trying to suggest that she’s an angel of some sort?

The girl speaks up herself and confirms this. Van balks and turns to his father for further confirmation, and Colin nods adding that she’s been out of heaven for longer than their complied ages however, so she’s not really a true angel anymore. The boy is totally shocked as he didn’t think beings like angels existed! Somehow the girl notices his shock (despite not being able to see his face), and asks why he’d be surprised? It’s faded considerably, but there is a whisper of angel remanence on him….which is something he’d only have on his body if he was in close contact with an angel who feels safe around him.

She explains that angel remnance is an invisible shield of sorts that an angel emits, which is why they age slower than humans, can heal injuries faster and are generally sturdier. The remanence can be spread to others if the angel feels close to them. It is not something that can accidentally occur so Van must have been friends with an angel at one point. Of course if the angel is separated from the others that benefit from the remanence, then it fades over time. She notes that she’s not entirely sure what happens to non angels who experience remanence, but it seems to keep them from being seriously harmed and effect their good luck. Van refutes this as he doesn’t know any angels, but Roysé asks him to think. He may not have known that someone he traveled with was an angel, but the remanence doesn’t lie. The boy considers this and thinks hard about his past companions. Frieda is a farseer like himself, Guy is undisputedly human, and Kani wouldn’t have been hurt so badly by Candle if she were angelic…right? So then who would he have known that might have been an angel but not have told…

Claire.

His memories of her flood his consciousness and sweep him away in an overwhelming wave of nostalgia. Come to think of it, she had been an amnesiac when he met her…so she could have very well been an angel. She always seemed to recover from injuries quickly, and while he and his friends had been hurt from time to time, it was never too serious to stop them. Could she have been protecting him without even knowing it? Roysé feels his face and smiles knowingly, stating that he remembers the angel he met now right? She asks if the boy could describe her? Maybe it’s someone she knows? She addresses him as ‘big brother’ in a kind and gentle voice that soothes the boy’s broken soul. Van finds himself becoming calm for the first time in what feels like ages, and he describes her long black hair and golden eyes, her haughty nature and anything else he can remember. Roysé thinks about this for a moment and nods with a smile that she knows this angel…not personally but she was well known for her frankness even up above. She was an angel that had gone to the deus himself when she had a problem with his policies, which was unheard of for an angel who isn’t a member of the choir. The deus had found this so amusing that he personally referred to her as ‘the most precious one’. So she had been sent to earth some time ago…?

Colin steps in and adds that she should be like this ‘precious one’ and make her debut outside of this cave. That’s what he had been building up her physical and mental strength for this whole time after all. She can’t keep hiding from her enemies for the rest of her very long life can she? Roysé shirks back and shakes her head. She’s not afraid for herself, but for his sake. If that person finds out she’s with others he’d do anything in his power to hurt them….Lazaro demands that Colin stop pushing the girl to do things she doesn’t want to do, and the farseer asks if he intends to marry her and rule this cave? Lazaro reflects on this and with a big grin asks if she would please leave the cave for her future husband’s sake? Roysé flatly says no to him, and Colin once again shows him the door by means of shoving him toward the cave’s mouth. Van understands now why his father had been protecting the girl and immediately feels guilty that he had assumed that he is the only one with problems. Both Roysé and Lazaro had been through more than what he had, and they’re still making do the best they can. He too then would have to gather himself and move on from here….He then realizes that this may have been the reason his father had brought him here…to meet those who aren’t letting the world get them down…to give him inspiration….as a father should.

He allows himself a small smile and then asks his ‘sister’ if she can tell him more about Claire before she had become his friend? He feels like somewhere in these tales of old that a new reason for him to keep going will be born. Roysé closes her eyes in thought for a moment and nods with a smile of her own telling her ‘brother’ that it would be no problem. She begins to tell Van of angelic life as Colin tries to push Lazaro outside despite his loud protests.

Meanwhile in a forest far away upon a pile of leaves, Claire awakens and stretches her arms and then folds her fingers behind her head and lies back to stretch her legs. She’s still getting used to the whole flying thing, and how much it tires her out. As much as she’d like to continue to sleep, there is still much to be done this morning. She looks upward at the trees and then around her general vicinity and says good morning and thank you to the animals that had watched over her as she slept. She then stands upright and activates her wings, hovering over the forest and spying a town in the distance. The angel then takes off in the direction of the town at breakneck speed, leaving leaves and rustling in her wake.