The World's most Overpowered Side-Character

Chapter 154: Homesickness.

"Goddess Dr'ul!" A young woman exclaimed excitedly pointing and lowering her head when Dr'ul descended and stood staring upward after regarding her with a smile, it was rare for Dr'ul to show herself, over the five years since the Arkadian Apocalypse she had only revealed herself once in the aftermath, but they all remembered her; golden armour and hair that burned like fire.

"Who is that with her?"

"Other gods came as well, is something happening?" A former soldier of the demon subjugation army asked, slowly approaching, but the closer he drew the faster he began moving until he had broken into a full sprint halting epically and falling at Sol's feet.

For the sake of not drawing too much attention, Sol had worn casual clothes, but this man seeing a ghost had recognised him as easily as a n imprinted child would their parent.

"Y-you..." The man lowered his head and said no more, and for a few seconds, everyone observing went silent, until another older woman spoke up.

"Are those not the heroes Ikaris and Dina who disappeared five years ago?" The old woman asked, and upon saying so with a loud exclaim, the streets began to fill rapidly, stalls and taverns, small inns and civilian households, everyone began pouring into the streets and surrounding them.

"I expected this would happen." Dr'ul scratched her cheek with an apologetic smile at them and then raised her hand causing the noise from their excitement to almost go mute. "She would have asked the crowd to disperse, but Dina was basically tackled by someone she recognised was once a child from the queen's palace, causing her to laugh out and hug the girl, ruffling her hair.

"This is so weird." Sol stared at the girl, and Dina and then looked through the crowd recognising many familiar faces, some drastically different from the people he knew them to be and others who seemed to have barely changed. "It's really been five years..."

The crowd thickened, causing Arla to draw closer to him, while Ikaris who still had reservations about being so close to people did the same, leaving most of the attention on Dina who seemed to naturally just break into cheerful conversations from those who were shocked and others who were welcoming her back.

"Make way, make way!" Someone came pushing through the crowds, and on his sides were armoured soldiers helping to part the crowds coming from the direction of the palace which they had landed relatively close to.

"Oh!" Dina raised her right hand staring at the pulsing crest on her forearm the same as Ikaris did, and Sol with a small smile took a step back and disappeared from sight just as Eris was escorted with an elfling child in her hand toward them, her hair was almost as tall as Ikaris's, and she seemed to have kept herself in rather good shape too.

"Hah~" the healer stopped short of them and stared, while the baby in her clutches began crying. "You returned, she stumbled forward causing Dina to use a rather simple [flash] speed spell and reach her, resting one hand under the child and her other hand on Eris's shoulder, helping her to remain upright. "You're real?" Eris asked.

"Hi there, healer hero." Dina smiled at her, raising her finger and fixing Eris's glasses that had gone slightly crooked.

"Long time no see."

***

"You really did it..." Dina walked through the gates of the small palace they had seen when descending, escorted by close to a dozen soldiers, most of whom she recognised from the now abolished army.

"Hm?" Eris glanced back at her, and Dina scratched her cheek.

"You made a life here, you're a mom too, it's a bit of a shock for me."

"It has been five years since the war, with everyone deciding to stay here on D'ol, closer to the gods there's been nothing but peace, I had time to settle down," She raised her left hand showing them a ring. "Get married." She smiled as a maid opened the door for them. "Start a family."

"Who did you marry?" Ikaris asked, and the healer slowed down a little, slumping and then perking up again as they were led to a large lounge room.

"It isn't important anymore, he passed away in a construction accident last year after I got pregnant." She turned and stopped, looking at them again. "We were only married for two years.

Dina, Arla, and Ikaris exchanged glances at each other at the news, feeling bad for her who had started living her dream and lost someone important so soon.

"Tell me." Eris gestured to the seats then had stopped next to while a maid they recognised from the queen's guard approached and carefully took the child from her. "What happened on the other side, I can't imagine it was peaceful spending that many years in demon territory."

"Well," Ikaris sat first, and on her queue the other two sat at her sides daintily. "The universe we found ourselves in abides by a different set of rules, the chronology is very exaggerated."

"Meaning?" Eris leaned her head, watching her maids shuffle around in preparation to bring her honoured guests beverages.

"Five years passed here, but for myself and Master Vestic it was only a week and a day, and for Dina and alady Ikaris, it has been closer to two weeks." Arla spoke up, and upon saying so she watched the horror slowly creep up on Eris's face as she looked at Dina again with her mouth agape.

"During that time... We never had the luxury of mourning, or getting over what we went through, it might feel like a dream to you, but for us, the war only ended a few hours ago." Dina added, and Ikaris nodded in agreement.

"You all look drastically different, though!" Eris stared at them, "you three, seem to glow, as if you have been through enough torment to raise your mana to god-like levels, not to mention Sol, I couldn't even sense him at all!" She made gestures with her hands. "What happened to you?"

And so, thee three went through recollection, filling in the blanks for each other as they went over their arrivals, imprisonment, and the subsequent rescue of the gods that had been captive on H?l, to Sol's awakening into the Godslayer, Ikaris's evolution into a being closer to the beginning, Arla's evolution into a Grand Elf and Dina's becoming a Demigod orbas the system had phrased it, Apex.

By the time they finished their debrief it was well into the late of night, and the four of them were seated on the balcony of her palace staring up at a flourishing Arkadia.

"So Sol went on to become the strongest, ever..."

"Indeed." Ikaris smiled, sighing while Arla had her head rested against her shoulder, visibly tired.

"You didn't explain those though." Eris leaned and pointed to her neck, alerting them that she had noticed the sigils which looked just like Ikaris's. "Those are supposed to be slave crests right, how come all three of you have them now?" She questioned after realising that they deliberately left that out of their explanations.

"Eris has become a nosy old lady." Sol appeared from the sky before them, slowly descending with his hands in his pockets.

"Sol!" Eris stood upon seeing him, grabbing on to the rails and staring in disbelief. "Where did you run off to?"

"I spent the day paying my respects." He answered her without hesitation.

"First, I did not want to, I ran away from the grief, but after everything that's happened, I know now it's also a part of who I am, I can't turn my back on the dead, so I gave them the respect they deserved, all those whom I didn't know, those I did, those I called friends, everyone." He explained, taking a seat after Ikaris had readily stood and gestured for him to sit and then quickly taken the space between his legs.

"As for what you asked earlier," Sol spread his arms, and without any further incentive, both Arla and Dina sat and placed their hands in his, regarding him as he was their god, while Ikaris smiled at her, causing all their sigils to illuminate. "They are all mine, body and soul." He declared.

"Well, shit..." Eris chuckled, too amused to laugh and too shocked to react in any other way. "And you're all okay with this?" She asked.

"Absolutely." Dina answered first. "He is my master and I his slave, I would have it no other way." She stared at Eris's jaws slightly slacken.

"Agreed, I am the happiest at his side than I have ever been elsewhere, this is where I will always belong, I have long surrendered myself to Master Vestic." Arla answered as well.

"Need I even say a word?" Ikaris chimed in, and Eris's laws snapped shut.

"No need, I am fully aware of your worship and adoration for him." She stared at Sol, and for a brief moment wondered if she would be among them had she been honest five years ago, but then quickly dismissed the thought as she thought of her late husband and their child.

"There is a lot to unpack still, before we go." Sol sat forward and rested his hands on Ikaris's hips. "We might end up staying longer than we intended to.

"Go?" Eris asked him.

"Yes, I like it here, what with the total peace, it is perfect, but I've also grown homesick." Sol admitted, and Ikaris nodded while Arla and Dina looked at them.

"You're going back to Atla?"

"No, not yet." Ikaris corrected.

"Earth."