Chapter 370: Fufilling a last wish
Bloodlust flowed thick in the air even the cold presence of the abyss doing nothing to suppress the intent clouding the group of humans as they marched.
Leading this group, Jack, Elaine and Brandon stood before the noticeably smaller group, now looking haggard and exhausted, carrying a sharper air than previously.
The three leaders really did as they said and didn’t lend a helping hand to the soldiers even when things got fatal, the evolvers either pushed against their limits or forfeited their lives.
And now those that could keep up were still within the realm of the living and those that couldn’t... well it was an inevitable end either way.
Jack walked forward a bit, staring at the juncture that marked the starter point of the core region, the atmosphere noticeably darker on the other end, they could just imagine how much more oppressive the abyssal force would be on that side, the debuff would definitely get worse the moment they crossed the line...
"I bet defileds wouldn’t be as scarce over there..." Brandon commented, going over to lean on a nearby tree.
The other two nodded grimly in agreement...
Jack turned back to the others and ordered, "Alright get as much rest as you can, as this might be the last moment of reprieve you will be getting for a long time."
At his words the soldiers noticeably eased the tension of their stance, loosening a bit, their bodies going slack with exhaustion, perspiration pooling from their pores.
The group quickly formed a makeshift camp, pulling out supplies from their inventories, getting ready to make use of this brief moment of reprieve.
While the soldiers relaxed and tried to recuperate, Jack was left to supervise them while Brandon and Elaine disappeared into the distance to patrol the area to clear any possible threat that could take advantage of the moment.
And due to the absence of defiled and charmed beasts, the two were done with their duties pretty quickly, but instead of joining the others when done, they chose to linger in the surroundings for some reason.
Elaine sat on a branch, her bright winter blue hair sprawling down her shoulders, as her dainty feet swung back and forth, a faint melody ringing in the air while she hummed in the silence of the grey woods.
Suddenly she stopped, sensing a presence heading her way, before relaxing on recognizing it to be Brandon’s...
But that made her puzzled. What was he looking for over here? Did he find something or was there a problem in which he needed her help? She thought worriedly but still chose to calmly await his arrival.
With a light gust a figure appeared right beside her standing almost weightlessly upon the branch on which she sat.
Her head turned towards Brandon, "Is anything the matter?" she asked worriedly.
Brandon was wearing a calm expression, one that met her gaze and gave her a faint smile, "No, actually I... I just didn’t want to sit alone."
Elaine went stiff at his words. This... this was definitely a side of Brandon she had never seen before, a vulnerable side?
"Have a seat then." Blushing faintly, she offered a space right beside her.
Brandon nodded appreciatively, and took a seat, for a moment the two just sat in silence, enjoying the peace and the cool of the wind.
Though the everlasting blight of corruption remained gnawing at their souls, the two still had the capacity to resist for as long as possible...
Suddenly Brandon sighed, breaking the silence. "What do you think comes after death?" he asked, coming from nowhere, leaving Elaine a bit startled.
But that merely lasted for a second before the question settled in her mind, and she gave a reply faster than Brandon expected... "Nothing..."
Brandon glanced at her in surprise really not expecting such a fast reply, staring into her eyes for a few seconds he recalled she herself was also a victim of death... to think he forgot.
He sighed, looking away, he blurted out of nowhere, "I died."
And Elaine’s expression went frozen, before furrowing into a frown as she tried to recall when that ever happened, but she couldn’t just recall witnessing or hearing of such a scenario, but somehow she believed him automatically.
She remained silent, deciding to lend a listening ear this time, as she stared at the man she was in love with.
Brandon let out a shaky breath, closing his eyes for a moment before continuing, "I died, at least I thought I did and I thought it was all over, I would have never gotten to see you nor the others ever again."
Elaine listened in silence, her hand reaching for his as she felt the fear in his voice. This really was a side of him she had never seen before, and seeing the darkness in his eyes she understood that he truly had faced the darkness of death.
A fate she had once experienced even if it was just a momentary state, the feel of the void of nothingness was real, she more than anyone understood how terrifying it was.
Brandon finally turned towards Elaine, "You know the moment my consciousness knew the end was coming, I was filled with regret, of all my accomplishments I felt the loss..." he suddenly paused, looking straight into Elaine’s eyes, making her nervous, before continuing.
"It drove me mad that I would never get to see you again, that I might never get the chance to hold you and express my truth."
Brandon’s words came out of nowhere, leaving Elaine in shock, her face going stiff, his hand under hers suddenly rising to take hold, her mind going blank.
She couldn’t believe this was happening, she didn’t even expect this to ever happen, but it was!
This wasn’t a dream, was it? If it was, she wouldn’t wish for it to ever end...
Staring her in the eyes, Brandon wasn’t the type to shy away, he had promised himself he would take the chance if he had one, and now it was here.
He might have been confused about his feelings, but that experience made everything clear, "Elaine, I think I’m in love with you..."
Everything went silent, the crickets the wind, the whole zone was irrelevant at the moment, nothing seemed to matter except the two sitting on the tree branch at the moment staring into the eyes of one another.
Elaine’s eyes widened, her heartbeat quickened... she was in absolute shock, and that lasted for only a second before a rush of heat crawled up her cheeks, her eyes averted away from his gaze shyly.
’I-I can’t believe he said that...’