Infinite Classes in the Apocalypse

Chapter 99: Quick Escape & A Moment of Rest

Damon’s eyes widened at the sight above them.

The moon appeared to be falling slowly toward them, but he knew better than to trust that optical illusion. Its size made it seem as if it were barely moving, but upon a closer look, he could see how it covered a dozen inches of the sky with each second.

Damon moved fast, taking a quick step toward Nyla and grabbing her by the waist. The second he pulled her in, he activated his domain and took both of them away from the impending crash.

But the escape wasn’t so simple. Despite avoiding the initial crash of the moon against the dark sea, a different question rose... what are they going to do next?

Nyla blinked a couple of times, surprised by not only the falling moon or the sudden change of environment into the castle made of black ice, but also Damon’s grip on her waist, which she liked a little too much.

"What just happened?" she finally asked, her eyes moving across the black ice walls of the castle with the cautious wonder of someone who still wasn’t entirely sure of their cognition.

"The moon was falling," Damon replied simply. "So we left."

"Right." She murmured in response, her memories were still in disarray, but she slowly began to remember their first escape into Damon’s domain.

"We’ll avoid the initial crash here..." Damon began to explain, but he paused mid-explanation, not sure about the second part of it. "...Then we will get back out there and close the rift."

Nyla opened her mouth to speak, then closed it, apparently deciding that follow-up questions could wait or simply weren’t necessary.

Damon let out an exhausted exhale as he pressed his hand against his temple. The adrenaline was already gone from his body, and his stamina was also nearing its end. His legs felt like they had been chained to a sinking ship, barely moving at his command.

He was tired, deeply and thoroughly tired.

"We should get some rest", he said, already moving to lie on the cold floor of the castle.

Nyla nodded without argument and moved with him. The two couldn’t break the physical contact, so Damon’s grip on her hand was his number one priority. If it broke for even a second, the girl would be crushed under the moon.

But quickly, a small problem presented itself. Moving or simply sitting while holding her hand was quite simple, but keeping his grip on her while sleeping was a completely different story.

"...You have to keep holding me," she said, the words came a little more flustered than she wanted them to.

"Yes." He replied.

She nodded, feeling her face turn slightly warm despite the cold air around them.

Damon was first to settle down, lying flat on the cold floor, though with his exhaustion, it might as well have been the softest mattress in the world. He could already feel his eyes closing, ready to rest.

Nyla moved on top of him, her head landing just below his collarbone.

The slow beat of his heart and the warmth of his body quickly eased the racing thoughts in her head.

At the same time, Damon’s eyes were already shut. His arm moved across the girl’s waist, hugging her body toward him and making sure she didn’t slip away, and teleport back to the rift as he felt his eyes grow too heavy to lift.

Nyla, on the other hand, despite her own exhaustion, was very much awake.

She stared at the far wall, acutely aware of his arm around her, the steady rhythm of his beating heart, and the fact that she was pressed against him in a way that made her mind spiral with ideas she tried hard not to think about in that situation.

She shifted slightly, prompting herself up on her arms as she looked up at his face.

His eyes were closed, his expression smoothed out into something almost peaceful.

Nyla looked back at the wall for a second.

She’d been thinking about saying something for a while now. It wasn’t a new thought, but after being faced with the absolute danger of the upside-down tree and the mind control, she finally realised that she should stop waiting and start acting.

"Damon," she said quietly.

She lingered in silence for a couple of moments, waiting for him to reply, but none came. She repeated his name again, then again slightly louder until she realised...

’He’s asleep.’

Her head dropped back to his chest, her resolve shattered, and yet, she didn’t feel despair. She felt almost happy that she didn’t have to tell him in this situation.

Her lips curved into a smile as she fell asleep into a slow rhythm of his beating heart.

***

When Damon woke up, he saw Nyla already awake, sitting, not laying, on top of him.

"You’re awake," he said, his eyes trailing to her position on top of his body.

"Yeah... I couldn’t sleep"

Damon nodded.

He felt the same. The hunger gnawing at his body was impossible to ignore. If he didn’t eat anything soon, his body might start to shut down.

He took a moment to think.

Time passed slower in the domain, but after sleeping for hours, he felt like the moon should’ve fallen by now. The more pressing question was what happened when it did?

Of course, he had no reply to that question, only a faint hope that whatever happened, it wouldn’t kill them in an instant.

"We should get going," Damon said, his expression flat.

"You mean...?" Nyla’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"Yes."

"..."

The girl moved slowly up from his lap and onto her feet. Damon’s hand caught the girl’s leg at the last second as she moved without thinking, almost breaking the physical connection.

He quickly got up, his hand brushing across her body from necessity of keeping her in the domain until he finally got up high enough to grab her hand.

"You ready?" he asked.

Nyla nodded, her face had a shade of pink it normally didn’t carry, and in that moment, the two of them vanished from the castle.