Chapter 392 - 384. A Wake-Up Call
Dheera had no idea why she began to cry.
Was it because she was scared? Or was it because she felt ashamed? Perhaps both.
She was ashamed of talking big about going to the Deathzone, even whining to be chosen. She was ashamed that even with all of her training, she couldn’t do anything. She was ashamed, especially, because she made her Captain sigh.
But there was also another feeling that triggered her tear duck. It was sadness. Because then she realized that Zein had been battling with that kind of place for years before coming here. She remembered the scary, spiky aura that Zein had the first time they met; how vigilant those blue eyes were, how sharp his speaking tone was, and how nonchalant he was to the matter of death.
It was his daily life; walking with the pressure weighing his body, breathing the heavily toxic air, seeing creatures most grotesque.
She realized fully then, that the unfazed nature of her Captain wasn’t crafted. It was forced onto him by the circumstances. Because he must. Because it was the only way to survive. To tune out everything, to be numb, so the mental corrosion wouldn’t affect his mind.
And it was just so heartbreaking for her young mind, who had only known the comfort of the higher zones.
Her tears lasted for a while, and Zein kept patting her back to calm her down. Dheera’s cry also triggered the others who were rather sensitive, and there was suddenly a feast of cries in the lounge outside the simulation chamber--although none was louder than the girl clinging to Zein.
"... ’m sorry," Dheera whispered between sobs.
"Why are you sorry?"
Dheera tried to quell her sobbing, chest trembling as she took a deep breath. She looked up at the calm blue eyes that were gazing at the dispirited guides. "You m-must be disappointed, Captain..."