Chapter 41 - Reason to Fight [3]
Where did it all go wrong?
—Tap… Tap… Tap…
“Haaah…. Haaah… Haaah—Kggh…!”
—BOOM!!!
The ground shook violently, and the world I knew changed profoundly.
Something was coming; I could feel it—a presence that defied explanation.
As intense fear crept over me, I stopped trying to stall for time and ran as far away as I could, distancing myself from the source of that ominous feeling.
“Ugh… where am I…?” Camila said, her bloodied hands brushing against my cheeks.
I ignored her and kept running, desperate to escape.
“Aria? Is that you...?” Camila called my name, her voice fragile and barely audible.
“Shh… It’s… it’s okay now. You’re safe with me,” I whispered, offering hollow reassurances, hiding the bitter truth of our situation.
We had done everything we could, but the plan had failed. Eldians swarmed the teleportation room, and their numbers were beyond my capabilities.
Unknown to us, we had made enough noise to attract their attention, and then it happened.
—A Siren managed to infiltrate and called out to the others.
“Oh… really… then that’s good…” she said, hugging me tightly from behind.
—Tap… Tap… Tap…
In this long hallway, the only sound I could hear was the echoes of my footsteps.
This deafening silence filled me with anxiety, suffocating me in despair.
If Camila doesn’t receive treatment in the next ten minutes... she’ll die here, bleeding in my arms.
I was at my limit too—the only thing I could do was drag my feet to keep moving.
We’re at our wits’ end. I don’t even know how I'm still standing.
The feeling of despair… I thought I had gotten used to it. In moments like these, I wonder how Noah would handle this situation.
I clenched my teeth in frustration. Just mentioning his name fills me with bitterness as I recall the tragedy that happened that day.
The day he died in front of me haunted me endlessly, and my guilt overwhelmed me because of how pathetic I was.
So, I tried to improve myself and smile through the pain.
I thought I was doing better.
I thought I was getting stronger.
I thought... I had changed.
...
So, why…? Why…?!
—Why is someone dying in front of me again?!
“Hey… can I ask you something?” Camila whispered in my ear, breaking the tension.
The ringing in my ears faded away, and only her voice echoed in the empty hallway.
“…What is it?” I responded.
...
...
...
This small moment felt like an eternity, as we waited for one another to say something, just to confirm that we were still alive.
Aria Cyth, someone who desperately wants to find a place to belong, to experience what freedom feels like.
Camila Historia, someone who was misunderstood, whose true intentions were to be with everyone she loves—only to end up in ruination.
The two of us were broken, flawed humans.
“Will you forgive me?” She muttered.
...
...
...
Like a clock ticking, my heart sank as I listened to her soft, fragile words.
It felt as though she was hallucinating.
The person she was speaking to wasn't the Aria Cyth I had been since my return, but rather Kuro Historia.
If we had communicated better, maybe we would have been closer siblings.
If she had reasoned with me, we both might have been much happier.
Camila hugged me tighter until her lips brushed against my ear.
She uttered two words, filled with so much emotion that I could feel their weight.
Their sorrowful past and her cruel present lingered in the air—a plea trapped in her chest that resounded softly:
“I’m sorry.”
...
...
...
'Haha... how cruel can it get at this point?' I laughed emotionlessly, taken aback by her words.
—BOOOM!!!
At that moment, a deafening explosion erupted behind us—it was finally time.
When the Siren called for the others, the Pylon distorted the space around us, and chaos ensued.
With every step, I clutched my stomach, trying to stop the bleeding.
As expected, fighting the Eldians alone was too much for me; I barely lasted ten minutes.
If Camila hadn’t suddenly blown up the roof, I would have been dead if I had continued fighting.
When I saw Camila, she was battered and bruised, bleeding everywhere.
Given her condition, she must have confronted the Eldians and survived.
—Tap... tap... tap...
With slow, tired footsteps, I glanced around and entered what appeared to be a white hall, so bright that it seemed like an otherworldly gateway to the unknown.
Floating structures, beautiful records, and antique artifacts you’d only see in a museum surrounded us.
In this hall was where graduates would enter; where the final ceremony would take place to celebrate students for all the hardships they had endured.
The only colour present besides white was red—the blood we have lost to get here.
—Kachick…!
To ensure I could at least defend myself, I opened my bag and checked for any additional bullets. Judging by how light it felt against my back, I knew it was no good.
“Six bullets against this…?” I glanced back and saw it—a scene straight from the depths of hell.
Tens, hundreds, even thousands of Eldias were chasing after us. It was only a matter of time until we were crushed to death.
—Thud!
“Gah…!” I fell to the ground, my legs no longer working.
Carrying Camila was the last nail in the coffin, and all my strength had seeped away from exhaustion.
Because I fell, the two of us crashed on the floor, completely depleted of any strength or energy to move.
“Dammit…” I placed my arm over my eyes, unable to bear the thought of confronting this grim situation.
Once I do... I would lose all hope and fall into despair. It was clear there was no way out of this.
“…Have I ever been happy until now?” I told myself.
If I saw my own reflection, I would be ashamed of the pathetic display I was putting on.
In my past life, I wasn't anyone special.
My parents left for reasons I didn't know, forcing me to become independent at a young age and never learn how to rely on others.
From then on, I made no friends and worked part-time jobs, isolating myself in writing—a hobby where I truly felt I had a purpose.
Even in this second life, I graduated from high school again, only to be alone once more.
It was a never-ending cycle that I couldn't break free from, and all I could do was remain inside it, drowning in solitude.
...
...
...
But once I was pulled out by those who trusted me, something changed.
I met Noah and Camila, two people who accepted me for who I was, even though our relationship often involved a lot of bickering.
Because of my stubbornness, the two of them ended up dying in front of me, all because I chose to change.
If I called Noah out for being too concerned about his obsession with his curse, then wasn’t I doing the same?
Is it that hard to achieve my dream—to find a place to belong?
“What can I even do at this point?” I lifted my left hand and slammed it against the ground.
The floor was so weak that I couldn’t even hear it make a sound.
—Tinkle Tinkle…!
“Huh…?” Suddenly, an unfamiliar sound echoed when I hit the floor.
“What was that sound…?” I asked myself, looking around to see where it was coming from.
My eyes landed on Camila, who was lying on the floor beside me, unconscious.
“This is…” In the gauntlet I made for her, two stones rolled on the floor. It made me realize something.
Runes, Ichor, and the Exitium stones... I seem to have an addiction to shiny rocks, don't I?
“The teleportation runes...” I looked at Camila, my face stained with despair, yet... I couldn’t help but smile.
I felt a surge of happiness, knowing that she risked everything to obtain these two runes, happy that she didn’t betray me.
“Haha… you’re amazing, Camellia.” Her true name slipped out of my mouth.
At this point, I don’t care anymore.
The blue markings engraved on the rune felt mystical, and a little note hung from it, written in a handwriting I recognized well for its beauty.
Even if we have the runes, we still need to go to the teleportation circle for the exact coordinates, and its activation time is too long.
I sat down as slowly as possible to avoid reopening my wounds and began reading the note.
“Please come back safely, we're all waiting… for you… huh?”
—Drip… Drip…!
“Are these… tears?” Tears began to drip down my face; the reflection from the rune allowed me to see myself clearly.
I looked like a young girl on the verge of breaking down.
I may have lived long enough to be in my forties, but I sometimes forget that, at this moment, I was just a small, helpless child.
“Ah… goddammit, I look horrible.” I pressed the letter deep against my chest. Even though it wasn’t meant for me, I held onto it as if it were the most precious thing in the world.
If we had loved each other like siblings...
My dream of having a place to belong would've been within my reach after all.
—Slide...
“Mmpgh…!” I bit down on my glove to remove it from my left arm, revealing the markings left by the Exitium stone and the Ichor.
Let's do it again.
One last chance before I regret it.
If I could set things right, I wouldn’t hesitate to use everything I had.
If Camila shone so brightly that I felt mesmerized, then I would do the same to take hold of what she left for me.
As I said before… if I were to lose all my limbs, I would embrace the Ichor, accepting what was engraved deep inside me, even if I turn into a monster.
“I won’t give up just yet…!” I gripped the two runes with my arms.
—Vooom…!
I absorbed as much mana as I could from my surroundings: Camila's gauntlets, Libera, and the ammo I loaded.
I used everything to set down my final trump card—a card that could potentially kill me due to its strict conditions.
Under my fading breath, my eyes glistened, and the unusual pupils etched into my irises sharpened.
I could feel my humanity dwindling as I exhausted all the mana left in my body.
Just as I replaced my leg with the Ichor, it took over, bringing me one step closer to losing my humanity.
With one final war cry, I shouted my last resort—prepared to sacrifice everything once more to save one person.
“COPY!!!” I shouted, using the same ability I used to escape Aleph.
—Ding…!
A golden light emerged from my left hand and absorbed the teleportation rune at the cost of a tremendous amount of mana.
“G-GAAAAAH!” I screamed in pain. It hurt so much, unlike the time I had used Copy with the Exitium stone.
The mana I had was nowhere near sufficient, so the spell drew from my life force.
The pain was so intense that I couldn’t think straight.
As my body parts began to fade away due to the severe cost, I started to feel a strange sensation, as if something foreign inside me was taking control.
My black, lustrous hair turned white, and my arms turned into gold, as if I had lost my skin entirely.
I knew it.
Absorbing the Ichor and the Exitium Stone wasn't a good thing after all.
“Hmmgh…! Ghk… H-Haaah…!” I struggled to breathe, fighting to stay conscious.
This was my last chance to redeem myself and return alive.
—DUN! DUN! DUN! DUN! DUN!
The heavy footsteps behind me shook, signalling the Eldians inevitable arrival.
The sensations all over my body felt like they weren't mine, but I moved anyway.
“Come on…!” I clenched the modified rune tightly in my hand and crawled toward Camila.
—Crank!
To trudge faster, I placed the rune in my mouth until I reached her.
Thankfully, she was still breathing, so I hugged her tightly, desperate to make this work.
“○○□■■○○●!!!” the Eldians howled in unison, and the space around us shifted now that they knew our location.
Fifteen seconds, all I need are fifteen seconds to make this right.
—Vooom…
An unfamiliar blue and golden glow formed around us; it was the teleportation rune activating.
Although we need specific coordinates to teleport to a particular location, if I used the Ichor to enhance it, maybe it could work better with this.
We were in an area without a mana circle, so the best I could do was try to transport us to a place with a memory using mana control.
However, this was extremely risky—dying from suffocation due to incorrect coordinates wasn’t uncommon, which is why teleportation circles exist.
As I shuffled through my thoughts, I tried to think where I should go, one that's far outside the Pylon’s territory, but still relatively close.
I knew many locations; after all, I had written this novel.
But what do they really look like? Is it still safe after six years?
Then, a thought struck me: the memories I had received from Camila while using the Knowledge Cube.
The origin of Camila's choker was the Azure Blossom Tree.
It was a tree with blue petals that I cherished.
Both vivid in Camila’s and my memories, the image became clear, and I saw a young sapling in a local area...
I know where to go now.
—Vooom…!
Five seconds left until fate decides whether we live or die.
—Cling!
“Camellia…” I murmured her name and brushed her hair gently.
She lay there, breathing peacefully, trusting that I would take care of everything else.
While I was here, suffering from immense pain, she was sleeping soundly, which was quite annoying.
“After all we have been through, this has been the worst, hasn’t it? For both of us.”
“○●□♤○●!!!”
Three seconds left.
Amidst the fading shrieks of the Eldians, their voices dimmed as they drifted in silence.
Maybe it was because my eyes were blurry, but I could at least sense that they were so close. I wouldn't be surprised if I lost an arm before we teleported out of here.
“Honestly… how bothersome.”
One second left.
—DING…! DING…! DING…!
Time, as I knew it, felt like it had stopped.
The resounding chime of a bell reverberated through the hall, its deep tones signifying that the graduation ceremony was nearing its end.
The immaculate white walls, adorned with simple decorations, resonated with the unspoken weight of our collective journey.
—Ding!!!
The blue glow shone brightly, and the effects of Ichor must’ve taken effect, making the rune more effective by fivefold.
I don’t know what happened after this, but for now… I want to close my eyes and rest.
If I have to give my thoughts about this whole trip...
This was the worst graduation ceremony ever.
—Vwoop!
…
…
…
—Chirp Chirp!
‘Urgh…?’ I slowly opened my eyes; they were still blurry, but my vision improved over time.
I felt the trees gently sway in the wind, birds chirping peacefully, and the sunlight warmed my skin.
…How pretty, I thought. It was the only thing I could think of at that moment.
—Over… here…
An unfamiliar voice resonated from a distance; it wasn’t the terrifying screeches of an Eldian coming for our blood, but a gentle voice.
—Someone... call... help…!
I couldn’t say a word because of how badly I was injured; the same went for Camila.
Together, we lay shoulder to shoulder behind a somewhat familiar tree.
Its base was so thick that I wouldn’t have believed the tree I planted could grow so large in such a short amount of time, but I didn’t dwell on the small details and enjoyed the present moment.
Closing my eyes, my consciousness faded into the distance as I held Camila’s hand tightly.
It was still warm… I thought.
So please…
Please don’t die.
[Act 1 End]
