Infinite Classes in the Apocalypse

Chapter 68: Eve’s Game

When his consciousness slowly returned, Damon was met with a dull ache pulsing behind his eyes. He grimaced as his eyelids flickered open, pushing against the pain that felt like a weight pressing into his skull, his stomach twisting uncomfortably.

Mana Backlash.

Despite having experienced it before, it was far from manageable.

’How long was I out...?’

His gaze swept the room until he spotted a small mechanical clock mounted on one of the walls.

’08:37.’

His eyes snapped wide.

’It’s morning already?!’

He sprang to his feet against the exhaustion clawing at his body. Eve was supposed to return for an answer, and he had to be there when it happened.

Without wasting a second, he moved toward the door, only pausing a step away from it when he suddenly remembered Kitsune’s restoration process.

His head whipped around, and his breath caught.

She was levitating roughly thirty centimetres above the bed, floating like a statue, completely still, save for the pale blue mana particles dancing slowly around her.

He thought at first he was hallucinating from the backlash, blaming the disorientation still gnawing at him, but as he blinked a couple of times, the image remained. After confirming it was real, he watched her for a moment longer before turning back to the door and leaving.

Central Station was extremely busy that morning.

Countless people were rushing through the station, some heading out for missions while others were simply heading out for a breath of fresh air or to scavenge some items they desired.

Damon’s simple walk turned out to be quite a headache as he had to navigate between the heavy foot traffic before he finally arrived.

After a quick knock, he entered to see Ivy already sitting inside, sipping on some hot beverage, coffee judging by the smell.

"Morning," she said, her eyes meeting his. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, you could say that," Damon mumbled in response as he took a seat at the table.

"Where’s Victor?" he asked as he leaned back against the chair.

"I don’t know. But I’m sure he’ll be here. He never misses any meetings."

They sat in silence for a few more minutes, Damon recovering from the mana backlash while Ivy finished her coffee, before a knock hit the wooden door.

A man with brown hair, Darryl, swung the door open, allowing a familiar figure to enter.

Eve’s heels clicked sharply against the floor as she entered, her red lips curving into a smile as her gaze landed on Damon.

"I guess they weren’t lying... what a pleasant surprise~" she mused before walking up to Damon and sitting on the table right beside him.

Ivy frowned as she watched her, a flicker of annoyance flashing across her face.

"Eve," Damon began, "Are you here to return what you stole?"

He knew that wasn’t what she was for, but in the moment, he couldn’t help but at least imply the return of his relic.

"Hmm? And what might that be? Your heart?" Her voice purred across the room.

"You can’t have it back," she added with a soft whisper.

But before she could continue her antics, Ivy spoke up. "We have an answer."

Only now did Eve turn to look at Ivy for the first time, only to look back at Damon a moment after.

"Is that so?"

"It is," Damon replied.

"Then...?"

"We’ll allow your group to join us," Ivy spoke before Damon had a chance to, or rather, before giving him a chance to. "We will remain in command and allow your leader to have a seat at the table as well as have a vote in decision-making. If you’re not here in twenty-five days, we will leave without you."

"Good," Eve said, sliding off the edge of the table and rising to her feet.

"I’ll go deliver the message," she said to Ivy before lowering her gaze to Damon.

"Walk me out?" She asked with a smile of someone plotting something. "I’m not sure I can find my way out," she said in a damsel-in-distress type of tone.

Damon took a quick glance at Ivy, who was visibly irritated by Eve, before turning back toward her. Although he felt it was best to deliver the answer alongside Ivy, who was the official leader of the central station, he knew he could try to pry more information from Eve on his own.

"Let’s go," he said, rising to his feet.

Eve’s smile widened as he stood, quickly locking her arm with his.

Damon’s jaw tightened slightly, but he allowed the physical contact for now.

Before they reached the door, she took a quick glance at Ivy, waving her free hand before disappearing behind the closed door.

The mug Ivy had been holding shattered the moment they left, and a dark expression settled over her face.

***

"What are you doing here, Eve?" Damon asked as they walked through the Central Station.

"What else? I came here to offer a proposal."

"I never took you for a team player."

"Just assuring my survival, that’s all. Enough with the boring staff. Haven’t you missed me?"

"Missed what? You stealing from me?"

"You know what I meant," she replied before leaning slightly closer toward him. "I picked this dress just for our reunion."

Damon let out an exhausted sigh.

Getting any information out of her was simply impossible.

Then, just as they reached outside of the station, the two of them stopped.

Damon’s expression darkened as he spoke.

"I don’t know what your plan is, but if you or your group try anything weird, I won’t hesitate to kill every single one of you."

Eve tilted her head slightly, her short black hair brushing against her face as she took a slow step toward him.

"Scary," she whispered, her red lips curving up into a smile. "Just how I like it~"

Her arms raised and hooked around his neck, but before she could continue her teasing, Damon cut her off.

"I’ll see you around, Eve."

She lingered for a moment before replying.

"I’ll give you the pleasure to."

Then, she simply unhooked her arms and began to walk away.

Damon watched her leave toward her motorcycle, parked a dozen meters from the station, and ride off before turning back to the station.

’Time to gather my group,’ he thought, but before he could take a single step, he saw someone approaching from a distance.

His eyes narrowed slightly as the figure came into focus.

"...Victor?"

The man limped forward, one uneven step at a time. His clothes were torn in several places, darkened with blood, and fresh cuts lined his arms and face.

Damon’s expression hardened as he stepped toward him.

"What happened?"

Victor didn’t answer immediately.

He stopped a few feet away, his breathing uneven, his gaze unfocused for just a second too long.

Then, he finally spoke.

"I... I just killed someone."