Hello everyone! No the last chapter was not the last one in case you were wondering. HOWEVER, I won't be updating starting after this update until the end of the first to second week of June. The reason for this is because my schedule has become extremely packed and so much stress! Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!
The corridor was dark and things were hard to make out in the pitch black. There seemed to be a gloomy atmosphere lingering above and all around encasing whoever walked into the hallway. Footsteps could be heard from outside the empty room. A knock came upon the door.
"Eve?" The Elf's soft voice resonated in the darkness.
No answer.
She then held onto the cold doorknob and slowly turned it. As the door opened, Rena saw that the window in front was open with a gentle breeze blowing through. She scanned the room and saw that Eve wasn't there. Her attention turned towards a white piece of paper struggling to break free from the book that weighed it down. Rena walked toward the desk and picked up the piece of paper.
The Elf read the note and a slight panic of fear came over her. The note stated that Eve would be back in a few days. But why was it that the Elf didn't notice when she left? Rena walked over to the open window and stared at the glistening stars for a while with the note blowing in her grip.
She turned around and saw two drones sitting against the wall. Rena quickly ran up to them and picked the white one up. She turned it around and saw that a part of the white drone's piece was opened and something was missing. She looked around and walked back to the desk to look for something that resembled the missing piece. A voice came from behind.
"Rena?"
The Elf turned around staring at the person in front of her. Under the moonlit room, her eyes glinted a dark green shade.
"Where's Eve?" Elsword scanned the room with the Queen in no sight.
"Elsword.." The Elf paused for a moment and took a breath. "She left us a note." Rena handed the note to Elsword.
"It also seems like she left her drones here also." Rena pointed towards the drones that were seated against the wall.
Elsword looked over and then he read the note only to look towards the ground. Moments passed by until someone from the kitchen yelled.
"Hey guys! Did you get Eve yet?! I'm starving already!" The voice belonged to Aisha.
In a low voice, Elsword turned around, "We're going to give them this note and see how they react. My first choice was to run after her but that's pretty dumb since I wouldn't know where exactly she is. Let's just talk to the group about this." The Knight walked out of the room and towards the kitchen.
Rena turned towards the window again and took a deep breath. She took one last look at the naked sky before closing the window and locked it in place then covered the windows with the pale blue curtains.
She walked out of Eve's empty room and closed the door.
The sky was dark and clear. There weren't that many stars out in Altera but Add and Eve were making their way back to Dicey Sky Road in order to reach Feita. It was a long journey to Hamel which could take them a week or so.
As they were walking side by side, Eve seemed to be tired. Her body looked like it was drooping every minute that passed by. Add looked over and asked if she was okay.
"I am fine." And she kept on walking.
Add suddenly went in front and blocked her path. "You don't look like you can keep up much longer."
He then proceeded to kneel on his knees with his back turned to the Queen.
The Queen stared at him.
"What are you doing Add?"
"What does it look like I'm doing?"
"It looks like you are kneeling down."
Add sighed softly. He turned his head slightly to the side enough for him to glance at Eve.
"Get on my back, I'll carry you."
Eve stood there reluctant and surprised that Add would ever ask her that.
After a moment of silence, Add broke it off.
"We don't have all day. Just get on already."
Eve slowly paced herself to Add's back and she placed her hand on his shoulder. She was still hesitant to let him carry her.
Add on the other hand couldn't wait any longer so he stood up - making Eve fall onto his back. The Queen wrapped her arms around his neck not wanting to fall when he stood up.
"That took you long enough." Add shifted his arms to wrap around Eve's thighs to hold onto her.
Eve slightly freaked out.
"Don't worry I won't do anything. I just need to hold onto you so you don't fall."
Eve couldn't talk. She stayed quiet because of her embarrassment of having someone carry her rather than walking on her own. She laid her head on Add's shoulder and closed her eyes drifting off into a dream.
Eve was standing on a grassy hillside. And in the distance, was a small white house with a red roof. She seemed to notice that she's seen this image before. In another dream? Possibly. She looked around until a gust of wind blew and she closed her eyes.
After she reopened them, she found a little boy kneeling in front of her crying. His face was covered by his small trembling hands. His hair was tinted black from smoke. Eve looked for the house again and saw that it was engulfed in flames.
Just for a second, her breath held itself. The aroma of burnt wood embraced around Eve and the young boy. The Queen placed the palm of her hands on top of the boy's and with a soft voice,
"It is okay. You will be fine."
Her voice seemed to have soothed the boy. His hands stopped trembling and his crying subsided to small and gentle sniffles.
The little boy looked up. His lavender eyes were watery and red from all the crying.
"Miss.." his voice trailed off and he looked back to the burning house.
"Is something wrong?" Eve asked in worry.
"...My family is in that house but it's too late now.." The little boy turned back to Eve with his head hung low.
Eve looked at the house and saw two dark silhouettes emerge from the doorway. She couldn't make out who or what it was. But something told her they were bad news. The first thing that came to her mind was getting this boy out from harm. She stood up and held out her hand for the little boy.
"Come on, we have to hurry."
The little boy stared at Eve's hand and he slowly reached out for her hand.
"Where are we going Miss?"
"Somewhere that is safe for you."
Eve held onto his tiny hand. She knew he was scared because he started trembling. The Queen calculated there was no way to get anywhere if he was too scared to go. She picked him up and held onto him as she ran further and further away from the house. Eve knew she couldn't look back because if she did, everything would end there. The silhouettes that were coming after her would catch her then.
After running for what seemed like hours, Eve tripped and she fell over but turned herself so she would hit the ground. The boy fell ontop of her. Eve was panting heavily, she was running out of breath and the smoke filled atmosphere wasn't making it any better. Her consciousness went in and out.
The little boy rolled out of Eve's arms and he got on his knees and crawled up to the collapsed Queen.
"Miss? Are you okay?" He placed his hands on her arm. "Don't leave me alone. I don't want to be alone anymore!" His childlike eyes started to water and Eve felt tiny warm drops on her face.
She strained to open her eyes and when she did - the Queen found herself on the ground and a familiar face hovered over hers.
"Welcome back. You looked like you were having a nightmare so I stopped here."
Eve turned her head side to side to make heads and tails of where she was. She then remembered that Add had carried her and they were on their way to Feita to get back to Hamel.
"Add.." Her voice was softer than usual and it took Add back by surprise.
He looked away and cleared his throat. "Hm?"
"I had a dream.. about a little boy that looked like you. And in that dream.. he was crying, his house was in flames and his family was gone. But there were two shadows.. people maybe, but I could not see them. However I did have a feeling that I should not interact with them. I ran and ran with the little boy until I could not keep up anymore. I was exhausted and I collapsed. But before I woke up, the little boy told me to not leave him alone. And I did not want to leave him alone."
Eve looked to the side, her eyelids semi-closed.
Add looked back to Eve with a slightly shocked expression.
Eve continued to talk,
"His eyes looked so sad and lonely. I wondered why he looked that way and I wished there was somehow a way that I could help him. But looking at him tugs something in my chest and it bothers me somehow. Did he really not have anyone?"
The Queen looked directly at the Esper. Her amber eyes seemed to have pierced through Add's lavender eyes. Add couldn't or rather didn't talk. He sat there in one place looking to the side as if he was searching for something he had forgotten long ago.
Eve sat up and suddenly made Add lay down on her lap. She placed her hand on Add's white hair. The Queen felt the same sensation as when the little boy was trembling in her dream but instead of the little boy - it was a grown up Add.
"Add.. it is okay for you to cry. Just because you are always indifferent to everything does not mean you have to hide your emotions in front of me."
Eve felt her waist getting wrapped by Add's arms and his face pressed against her stomach. Add clenched his teeth and a stream of tear went down his left cheek. Eve felt something wet against her clothing but she didn't mind.
Eve continued to leave her hand on Add's head and she looked around. The next gate was Feita. The Queen closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh. Eve knew it was a trip down memory lane since after all; it was the same place where she had encountered Add about three years ago.
Haha~ Welp, that concludes chapter twelve! And no this is not the last chapter D:! See you guys next month!
