novelraw CHAPTER 149 - stay with them
CHAPTER 149 - stay with them
Two days later.
Knock, knock.
— You may come in, Hikiri replied.
When the door opened, Aconé entered the room.
Hikiri felt conflicted when he saw him. Since their return to the ship, he could clearly tell that something was wrong with Aconé.
Aconé asked him:
— So… has Tony come back to himself?
— No, he’s still sleeping. But every day I check if he’s breathing. And judging by his condition, it seems he’s found a way to heal himself… a way I could really use as well.
Hikiri said, referring to the wound in his lower abdomen.
For a week now, he had been relying on bandages and wind to keep his organs from spilling out of his body.
— But why don’t you use water? Last time, you regenerated with it.
Aconé pointed out.
— For that, I need to be calm, and above all, I need to surround myself in a bubble of water. After that, yes, my wounds would start to heal.
But right now, my mind is stuck between constantly controlling the wind and the fear of seeing my intestines slide down my legs.
So at the moment, I’m anything but calm.
Hikiri replied.
— I see.
Aconé said.
He turned toward the door, but was stopped by Hikiri’s voice.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
— What’s going on with you, Aconé? Or would you prefer I call you century-old senior?
They both let out a small laugh, and Aconé said:
— You know… killing Rezu brought me nothing.
Seeing how Simone is changing, I know that if she had killed him, she might have jumped for joy after eliminating someone like him.
But for me… nothing. Absolutely no satisfaction.
Even when I saw his body cut in two and burned, there was only emptiness… almost pity.
I don’t question what he did. If I had to kill someone like him again, I would.
But it wouldn’t be with a smile on my face.
I still enjoy fighting, but knowing a person’s actions changes the way you fight them.
For me, it wasn’t a fight—it was a necessity.
But in no way am I going to launch myself into some kind of world purification project or whatever.
It was really easier when I fought without all these problems…
Aconé finished, leaving the room.
Well… each of us evolves. That’s life.
I may not have a goal, but at least I have friends…
So I’m sorry, Aconé, but those are answers you’ll have to find on your own.
Hikiri thought to himself.
………
At the same time, in the ship’s kitchen.
Darlius walked in and ran into Zulo, Julius, and Dahlia.
It took him a moment to recognize them, then he remembered:
— Ah, right… you’re the ones who stayed unconscious throughout the entire fight. Though even if you had been awake, those two would have crushed us anyway.
Suddenly, he noticed them staring at him.
Raising his hands as a sign of surrender, he said:
— So, what are you going to do next?
Dahlia was the first to speak:
— I want to stay with Simone.
Surprised, Darlius asked her why.
— Because we both have the earth affinity card, and I think we could help each other. And anyway, we already get along well.
— Really? But I’ve never seen you talk together.
Darlius pointed out, in a questioning tone.
— That’s because we talk in her room.
Dahlia replied.
— Listen, I know Simone seems to be the leader, and I never wanted to be one, and I still don’t.
But that won’t stop me from keeping an eye on anyone who tries to take advantage of us.
So I’ll go along with her if it’s genuine. And if it’s not, you’ll have to leave as soon as we reach solid ground.
And to remove any bad ideas from your head: I’m rank eight, and four other members of the group are too. You wouldn’t stand a chance.
— Well, Darlius has changed too… He’s grown a spine.
Tony commented, listening in.
Zulo and Julius then said they wanted to stay with them as well.
Both of them were rank six, and with the destruction of two cities in the two clans,
it wouldn’t be inappropriate to think that the number of battles and deaths would increase.
— Alright, I agree to let you stay.
Honestly… we left the base with eight people, and we’ll be returning with more than ten.
Hearing him speak, Tony suddenly thought of Lucien, who had left them to go… somewhere unknown.
Maybe he’s dead.
That would be a tragic possibility… but I just hope he’s doing well.
But a small detail struck him.
In the prison, there were seventeen of them, but four were actually Liara’s spies.
That meant there should be twelve prison members left, excluding Kurdes.
Yet Tony was certain that only eleven of the prison’s voices were present.
………
At the same time.
In a luxurious room, a girl was curled up, pressed against the wall.
— It’s a shame they forgot you… or maybe they abandoned you, judging you useless.
What do you think, Dunia?
As she questioned her in a calm yet oppressively heavy tone, Liara smiled.