Chapter 4
~ Request ~
"What makes you think I'll come with you?" he said quietly, breaking the tense silence.
"Because-" Even as the words tumbled out of her mouth, she knew the falseness in them, but it was too late to stop. "-you are a human that will do anything to keep one that you deeply care about protected."
He closed his eyes, as if he saw something in the folds of his mind that was too painful. Tightening his hold on his crutches, Chung left the room with a sorrowful chuckle that told her he knew that that had been the long, long past of before.
Eve stood up from her grey office chair, pushing it away from the desk. She gave a drawn-out sigh and reached for the porcelain teacup sitting near her equipment, taking a sip of the now-cold black tea inside. "Oberon," she said, "is Ophelia able to attend?"
The servant inclined his head to the side, as if he were listening for some unheard sound. Then he shook "No" and resumed his respectful bow at her feet.
Another tired sigh from the Empress. "I see. We have to be on our way. The quicker we put Seiker at ease, the better. Now, Oberon, if you may."
He raised to stare at her with invisible eyes and nodded.
As intricate as her Nasod Empress clothes were, they were not woven in mind of being waterproof. All along the way to the cove, Eve was slipping in unseen puddles of water and simply drenching herself in the filthy, salty liquid. She vowed that the next time she added on to her dress she would have this option in mind.
There was also the choice of gliding. However, she had to be cautious. Gliding required the constant usage of her drones, which would leave her open for attacks. As much as she trusted Oberon to fend off for her, he was quite incomplete without Ophelia to scout the area out.
She slipped ankle-deep into another pool of water.
Her servant, however, had no trouble with this. He was nimbly avoiding anything that would thoroughly douse his pristine shoes, which made her think about remaking the whole of her body, not just her missing hand.
Why there would be anything alive along the strip of sand at the coast here, she did not comprehend. But the way such resolveless, weak organisms worked was that they would obey anyone that was stronger than them; if a superior sent them out here to guard, then they would guard.
Guard what, she didn't think.
It began to sprinkle; rain blew into her eyes, dotting her white clothing with dark speckles. It could not possibly get worse, she thought. Eve would be ordering a warm, lathering bath when she returned.
The cold seeped into her, the clinging wetness causing her sleeves to plaster to her arms. It was beginning to cause her numbness, like she was experiencing stinging pain but also-
She touched her handless arm with the tips of her fingers; they came away stained in dark red.
"Oberon," she said, her voice steady. But her mind was not; it was whirring, clicking, wondering how she got damaged without her knowledge. Without her notice, through all of her enhanced technology and sensors. "Keep close watch. Do not advance." They were very close to the entrance of the cove-another captive?
The main problem she had to focus on right now was how to detect when the assaults were going to happen. Where were they coming from? Thin air was not a possibility, even with the magics in Elrios. Teleportation was not a viable option; it did not work on long distances. She would have spotted the attacker.
A splotch of crimson blossomed on the ground. Her leg crumpled beneath her, her hand shooting out to balance herself on the wet sand. Instead of the gravelly surface she expected to meet, Eve met...nothing?!
She rolled away, her braided buns of silver untying themselves. Her hand had sunk into emptiness, but she saw it. Her flitting eyes caught the glimpse of the being rising out of the shadows, golden beady eye never leaving hers.
Shadow creatures.
How could she not think of this?!
Eve glared at the sky, hoping for the downpour to stop, lest she skid on the slippery surface to death. "Oberon!"
He whipped his blade out and sliced diagonally down at the shadow creature. It dissipated into the air, leaving black crumbles behind. "Perhaps," she murmured to herself, "I should have kept Ophelia by my side. Her electricity would have proved useful in this El-forsaken water."
A gear clicked into place. Was Chung's lost sight due to the shadow creatures severing the rods and cones in the back of his retina?
Oberon flourished his sword and was about to unsummon it when Eve swung her hand out to the side. "Halt."
He froze and, if he had facial expressions, they would be morphed into confusion and puzzlement right now. But he did as he was ordered and kept his weapon out.
Pitter patter, went the rain. Drip drop.
A seething wave of black circled the pair, all looking on with depthless yellow eyes. Already she could feel her strength begin to drain as the darkness leaked into the atmosphere around them.
Remy worriedly gave a series of clicks and sparking of circuits, while Moby already transformed into a spear. She closed her eyes and sighed. "How troublesome. Oberon, Genocide Ripper!"
He gladly complied, dashing into the fray.
Chung sat on the edge of his bed, clutching at the sheets frustratedly. He really could do nothing about his situation, and even if he had went with her, he would've been useless anyways. He probably would've just been a nuisance to Eve, someone who got in the way.
He grumbled and glanced up at where the ceiling most likely was, leaning back on his hands. His one foot brushed the squeaky clean tile floor, and the bed creaked as he did so.
Someone knocked on his room door. "Come in," he called out softly. His voice used to have been louder, more furious and valiant.
Nothing but a shadow, like the ones dancing in the corners of his mind.
Those steps, like they were absolutely sure where they were going. "Elsword? What're you here for?"
"Haha, you can already tell who I am just by walking in. Nice." He heard him close the door and sit down on the mattress behind him. Elsword leaned on the Deadly Chaser's back, careful not to put too much weight on his spine.
Chung muttered, "Is this about me not going with Eve?"
"No."
"Is this about me not taking a shower?"
"No."
"Is this about Aisha?"
"N-No!" He could almost hear the beet-redness that his friend was probably expressing right now.
"Then... What is it about?"
"Nothing. I can't just sit with you?"
"..." He had no answer for that. By now, he expected that everyone that came near him needed something from him, because there was no company in that cave. There was only a food chain and pain and tears and burning.
"Hey..." Elsword started hesitantly. "Chung, do you wish you weren't alive?"
The question startled him. It was something he hadn't asked himself yet; did he really want to live? He had no sight, no stable footing, no guns to point at and nothing he could protect, not even his own life. Did he want to die?
A faint memory came floating to him out of the blind darkness that covered his eyes. He thought the creatures in the cave had deprived him of his past, but apparently he was still capable of retrieving it.
It was Hamel. He was looking down from a high spot on a cliff over the ruins of Hamel, watching as white pieces of the grand city fall into the ocean after being pounded by wave after wave.
A purple storm swirled above the whole land, a thin tendril of smoke connecting sky and ground. He watched as demons poured constantly out of it, invading his once-beautiful, pure, lively home.
He unconsciously gripped his Silver Shooters into a vice-like hold, his face molding into barely-contained rage. It had simmered down over the journeys that he had experienced with the group, but gazing upon this scene again...it roared to life. A deep, aching tug started from within his chest.
Someone approached him from the side. He almost reached out to point his gun at them, but silver hair caught his attention and he relaxed. "Hey, Eve."
"Hello, Chung."
"...Are we ready to go?"
She held her dress down, the rough winds playing with them. "No. We are waiting for our Deadly Chaser who is currently having melancholy thoughts about his hometown."
He laughed, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. "Haha, sorry about that. Let's not keep them waiting and go!"
He was turning around, about to leave, about to set off onto another journey, when she grabbed him by the wrist. "Stay."
For whatever reason, his heart skipped a beat and he faced her. Her neck had to strain as she looked up at him, and him down at her. He used to think that all her golden eyes contained was just data, knowledge, and screening processes, but he knew better now. There were emotions, as much as she denied them, such as happiness, sadness, and anger. And, looking into them now, he saw something she most likely hadn't wanted him to see.
'What, is she WORRIED about me?' Just the thought of him made him smile, and she pouted. "Whatever are you thinking about?"
"Nothing. So. What'd you need?"
"I have a proposal."
"What, are you going to marry me?" He busted out laughing; really, talking to Eve was one of his favorite things to do, not only because she was so interesting, but because they had the exact same topics in mind, and because they could understand each other.
"N-No. Do not jump to conclusions. Proposal also means to offer, not just ask someone to marry them." She huffed, exasperated. She knew that HE knew exactly what she had meant. "If... If..."
"If?" he echoed.
"When..."
"When?" he said. The Nasod usually wasn't like this, and this was precisely why he was waiting it out.
"Pardon. There is no if. There is a when. When all the demons have been abolished, I wish... Forgive me. I mean-"
"Eve." The way he said her name was absolutely serious. "You're stuttering."
"I am not!" she protested. "Do not interrupt me, I am still speaking!" Downright defiant, he thought affectionately. "Allow me to do that once more. When all the demons have been abolished from this land, I inquire... Where will you go?"
"Probably... Stay here and try to rebuild Hamel. But honestly, I don't know what I can rebuild this city out of. It's going to be practically impossible."
"Then... You could perhaps stay in Altera?" Her voice squeaked and she whispered the last words, the volume dwindling down to nothing. But he was the Deadly Chaser, and he heard it nonetheless.
"Of course. If there isn't anywhere else I can go, of course I'll stay in Altera with you."
"That reassures me. Thank you, Chung." She smiled, but for some reason, he couldn't see her eyes.
"No problem." He returned the smile and said, "We should go now!"
His breathing stopped. Eve used to call me Chung? But... She calls me Seiker now, doesn't she...?
"Dude, Chung, you okay there? I'm sorry I asked that, that was stupid of me. Damn it, sorry, really-"
"I'm fine." For the first time in quite a while, he was fixated on something other than his dismal condition. For the first time in a while, he was thinking about something else that wasn't about him. "Of course I want to live. Just because I'm like this doesn't mean I can't do anything."
"I'm glad you said that." The relief was evident in his voice. Chung wanted to grin, but his face was filled with scratches and it would hurt if he did.
"Sorry. Was I depressed before?"
"Pretty much. I-Ophelia?!"
He heard something soft land on his room's floor; it sounded like a pair of boots. A ruffling of clothes later, indeed, announced the appearance of the maid.
"Master Chung.
"I believe my mistress is in dire danger, but,
"I am in a horrible condition and I cannot help her in this state.
"I am aware that you cannot see and that you have lost one foot,
"But you are currently the only one I can reach as of now. Elsword would be useless in the rain.
"She is being overwhelmed by a sudden wave of demons.
"Oberon has sent me the distress signal. He will not be able to hold for long.
"If you believe you can help my mistress, I will take you where she is. My systems are breaking but I should be able to do one more teleport before I shut down."
Yes. I have realized that I haven't updated in a VERY LONG TIME. I realize I have been a horrible idiot in thinking my stories were horrible and that they weren't worth to continue. I was an idiot for not putting my readers first, and for letting all my work drop like a stone. And I've been an idiot for not realizing that there were people WAITING FOR MY UPDATES. I am so sorry-actually, sorry doesn't even begin to start with how much I'm blaming myself right now. Exactly.
I'm going to start writing again on this account (indeed, I've been writing somewhere else, haha!). For your information, I am one of the duo collaboration authors under the account name Fuyukai Desu. I have a mass update everywhere right now, just give me a little more time...! FORGOTTEN WILL ALSO BE PICKED UP AGAIN, I SWEAR IT ON MY HEART. I'M A SUCKY AUTHOR BUT I WILL DO MY BEST FOR MY READERS AND BEING LAZY IS NOT AN EXCUSE FOR ME!
