Tower of Paradise

—Where did Caria go? —Arceus suddenly asked, blinking as he scrutinized the surroundings with his attentive eyes.

—Could it be that she's inside one of the houses? —I suggested, although I didn't believe in that possibility myself. I shook my head, dismissing my own suggestion. Thinking like that would be too naive, and we both knew it.

Arceus remained silent. He reflected on the question for a long time, but in the end, his face darkened once more.

—Did you forget my warning?

I wanted to open my mouth to say something, but I was instantly left speechless. I pouted and lowered my gaze. In the end, I stubbornly nodded and didn't say a word to refute.

At first, the undead appeared from beneath the ground, but it was impossible to know where the next ones would come from. That's why Arceus had warned us, and told us to rest in open places where we could see any threat coming instead of entering the houses.

—I'll investigate. —I declared, turning to begin the search.

—Don't go too far —Arceus warned me, getting up—. I'll look for her too.

I traveled through half the village, checking every corner I could think of, calling her name repeatedly. But as expected, I got no response. A bad feeling settled in my stomach, heavy as lead.

When I returned to the huge rock we had chosen as our meeting point, Arceus was already there, his furrowed brow revealing that his efforts had been as fruitless as mine.

—Did you find her? —He asked me, although the answer was clear on my face. I shook my head, confirming his fears.

—No, I didn't find her.

—Hah... —Arceus sighed with resignation, lowering his head while rubbing his temples.

—Did she really escape? —I murmured, more to myself than to him. Frankly, I didn't understand.

—If she's not in the village, I guess so.

—Why would she...?

Caria's absence meant that the number of zombies we would have to deal with would increase. If Arceus and I died because she wasn't there to help us, she would automatically be summoned back to the village. And then she would have to face the zombies alone, not as part of a group of three. Hadn't she thought about that?

—Since she was quite injured, she was probably afraid of dying.

Arceus's logic was correct. The wounds Caria had suffered would take at least a week to heal, even considering she was an E-grade Ascendant. If deadly claws were looming over you and you were injured, it wasn't strange to feel the panic of imminent death.

—Even though she'll end up here if we die?

I stroked my forearm, again... I had been betrayed. The feeling I felt in my chest never felt good.

—I guess she thought we could handle it between us.

There was a big difference between three people and two. I bit my lips at his words.

It was what I called self-rationalization. Human selfishness always began with the same thought: "Only I matter," but that didn't change the fact that she had fled, leaving us to our fate.

—Hahh... What are we going to do?

I clasped my hands in an involuntary gesture of vulnerability that I hated to show.

—What do you mean? —Arceus leaned his body against the rock while his gaze was lost in the darkness surrounding us—. Since we are fewer, it means we have to kill more zombies.

—Hey, this is not the time to be so relaxed. —I glared at him, irritated by his apparent indifference.

—Is worrying going to change anything? —he replied, shrugging—. We'd be better off if we relaxed.

I felt frustration taking over me. I narrowed my eyes in what I hoped was a threatening look, though I suspected my puffy cheeks and slight pout didn't exactly convey the intimidation I intended.

This bastard! What does he think I am?! Could it be that in his eyes I'm just a statue?

Finally, I gave up and sat down beside him. I closed my eyes and tried to enjoy the night sounds of nature, seeking some peace.

—All right. I'll... take the first watch. —I offered, resigning myself to our situation.

In the darkness, Arceus tilted his head, listening to my words with a distant look that I couldn't interpret.

I sat in silence, absorbed in the endless symphony of nocturnal insects that seemed to hypnotize me with their melody. But painful memories weren't something I could control, and soon my mind began to wander into dark territories.

My thoughts became slow and confused, reflected in my lost gaze as voices from the past echoed in my head.

—Tch tch. You're still at the initial level of that skill, huh? Your sister mastered it when she was your age.

—Our Gramont family finally has a successor for the Sword Emperor! Miss Alice Gramont is by far the greatest genius of contemporary times.

—Compared to her, her sister is...

—Shhh. She's an illegitimate daughter. She is humble by birth.

I pulled my legs up, hugging my knees against my chest as if I could protect myself from those memories. In the darkness, I felt my face showing all the sadness I normally hid behind a mask of indifference.

Words hurt... If people knew that words can destroy dreams, relationships, self-esteem, they would have a filter before speaking...

I perceived a change in the atmosphere around me, almost as if the entire world had suddenly frozen and the only things that remained intact were me and my painful memories. Time, obviously, didn't stop, but my perception of the world did, and as long as I was able to identify that feeling, I could always maintain a radar around me.

Arceus was watching, motionless and, as always, a bit distant. With his golden hair with reddish tones at the tips and his clear skin, he looked like an alabaster statue carved by a divine artist.

—Hey. Can I ask you a question? —I said softly, almost afraid to interrupt the stillness of the night.

—Sure. —He replied, looking at me and shrugging with that casual indifference that so disconcerted me.

Would it be too personal?

I wondered, hesitating for a moment.

—Arceus... are you afraid?

I finally asked, in a tone that made it clear I wasn't joking. From his slightly tilted face, I knew he didn't understand the origin of my question. The brute had never taken off his mask.

—Of the mission? —He seemed to try to understand the basis of my interrogation. I wondered if he had grasped that my question reflected my own emotions.

—Yes.

—No. Are you?

When he responded, my left eye began to be painted with a blue light.