Chapter 124: Record…..
Lilia and Zethan sat inside the car as it zoomed off. Lilia stared silently out the window, lost deep in thought. She had been like that for some time now, and Zethan was starting to get worried.
At first, he had chosen to give her space, thinking she just needed time to process everything. But now, he wasn’t so sure. It wasn’t just silence — it was the kind that weighed heavily in the air. She wasn’t teasing, talking, or even making a sound. Just... quiet. And that scared him more than anything.
This time, it was Zethan who moved first. Usually, it was Lilia who reached out to him, but now it was him moving toward her. He slid closer, sitting side by side with her, and gently placed his hand over her lap, entwining their fingers together. Lilia said nothing, only softly rubbing her thumb over his palm, a small, soothing gesture as if that would help ground her to reality.
After a long moment, she quietly turned to him.
"Zethan," she whispered, "do you think it’s better to die with only three people who truly care about you... or to die with the whole world watching, even if 99% of them don’t really care?"
Zethan was silent. He didn’t know how to answer. He had never thought about it — immortality made such things seem distant, irrelevant.
Instead of speaking, he simply listened, nodding in response so she could say what was on her heart.
"If I were to die," Lilia said softly, "I wouldn’t want crowds. Five people... or even one, as long as that person or people care. That is what matters. Because I know even if it is a hundred, most of them wouldn’t really care."
Zethan said nothing, only holding her hand a little tighter. Lilia gently lifted her head from his shoulder, her voice calm but edged with something deeper.
"It’s strange," she murmured. "For some reason, the annoyance I feel is even stronger than the pain."
Zethan just listened, tracing gentle circles on her palm with his fingertips.