novelraw Chapter 667: Where Aunt Mary Went
Chapter 667: Where Aunt Mary Went
[Sentry Post... Such a nostalgic place.]
[Almost nothing has changed in all these years. I wonder if he's still here?]
[I should be going. This place is no different from Belfast.]
[After resupplying, I plan to head further west to Star Town. That was once our home, too.]
The brief letter silently revealed Aunt Mary's thoughts and plans.
Star Town was west of Sugard Mountain, just over twenty-five kilometers from Khimfast.
"It will be dark soon. We should leave tomorrow morning," Anna said, gazing out the window where the streets were sinking into twilight, and a lurking darkness seemed eager to break free.
They began to search the inn for a place to spend the night. Anna discovered an attic that, fortunately, had not been ransacked. Besides an oil lamp and a few candles, some bedding was piled in a corner—someone had once slept right on the floor here.
Before darkness completely swallowed the world outside, Anna brought up some planks and boarded the windows. She released her restrained vengeful spirit aura, a warning to any approaching anomalies.
The low, cramped attic provided an inexplicable sense of security. At least, Selika Daler stopped trembling, and her heartbeat was no longer so pronounced.Lu Li set down the lamp and sat nearby.
Anna opened some cans of food, handing one to Lu Li. After a pause, she opened another and passed it to Selika Daler.
"Thank you..." Selika Daler accepted the food awkwardly.
The savory, if not particularly rich, aroma of meat hit her nose, making her swallow. She stole a glance at Lu Li, and seeing that he wasn't paying attention, she grabbed a piece of meat and shoved it into her mouth.
"Ngh—" Selika Daler cried out softly, clutching her aching cheek.
The bandage, already damp with broth, slowly began to soak through with blood.
"Try to chew less," Lu Li advised.
The wound was in an awkward place, and given the poor conditions, it could take months to heal.
"Alright."
Selika Daler nodded, slowing her chewing slightly, but she still ate quickly.
After dinner, Lu Li gave the bedding on the floor to Selika Daler, who needed the rest.
It was impractical to light a fire for warmth in the attic, but thankfully, the cold wind remained outside, and it was tolerable within.
Time passed, and Lu Li, leaning against a low cabinet, gradually drifted off to sleep. But Selika Daler, who should have been sleeping, quietly got up.
She gazed at Lu Li's sleeping face, her heartbeat growing loud and uncontrollable once more. She reached out, her hand gently touching his face.
A portion of the vengeful spirit's aura that enveloped the attic separated and coiled around Selika Daler.
Reluctantly pulling her hand back, she moved away from her spot, her shadow stretching long in the lamplight.
"I didn't think you'd be jealous of yourself," Selika Daler said quietly to Anna, regaining control of her body.
"It was your body touching him," Anna replied coldly.
The projection still hovered near Selika Daler; had she tried anything else, Anna would have possessed her instantly.
"But you were the one in control. Your choice of him is a good one... Fair, kind, willing to help strangers who've survived. It's incredible that qualities like that still exist after the Catastrophe..."
Before, she had never believed Anna's stories, not until she became part of them herself.
Sensing the chill in the air, Selika Daler smirked. "Fine, I won't talk about him."
Anna gave a slight nod, but her gaze suddenly shot to the boarded-up window.
Through a crack between the planks, a crimson, hate-filled eye was peering into the attic.
The next moment, the eye vanished, and a muffled tearing sound came from outside.
Anna withdrew her unseen hand and looked at Selika Daler again.
Selika Daler guessed what had happened outside and said with a touch of envy, "According to the script, you'll reach Star Town for the third letter tomorrow, and then on to Khimfast, to Aunt Mary's house, for the final one."
"Then, as promised, I'll let you go."
"Thank you."
Selika Daler touched her wounded cheek. The pain was sharp, but it couldn't extinguish the hope blooming within her.
Temporarily freed from Anna's control, Selika Daler lay down on the bedding again. She had been preparing for this day for several nights, and the half-day spent under Anna's control had exhausted her. Now, she needed to rest.
Anna's aura protected the two of them in the attic.
Though strange sounds still echoed from downstairs and the street outside, nothing approached the attic.
Selika Daler had no doubt about the dangers that lurked in the fog-shrouded darkness. Without Anna, the swarming anomalies would have devoured her in an instant.
As they would have Lu Li.
Noble qualities were like a lighthouse, guiding lost ships through the darkness, but they were fragile and ultimately worthless.
...
The next morning, Lu Li awoke to the cool air.
Anna was removing the planks from the windows. The fog had just lifted, and a thin haze shrouded the deserted streets below.
Selika Daler opened her eyes soon after. She must have woken up earlier, as she rose quickly from the bedding without so much as a stretch.
Once it grew light outside, they left the attic and set out for Star Town.
Star Town, like most settlements on the Allen Peninsula, had been almost completely abandoned by residents fleeing to Khimfast, and signs of looting and chaos were everywhere.
However, due to its proximity to Khimfast, travelers occasionally passed through, along with a few residents who had refused to abandon their homes.
The latter were easy to spot. People were usually hiding in the houses with boarded-up windows and heavy curtains drawn on the second floor.
After wandering through the town for half an hour, Anna was the first to spot Aunt Mary's mark.
It was on the second floor of an inn again, a dust-covered letter resting on the windowsill.
[It's still there, but it's not the same as it used to be.]
[But I still feel a sense of nostalgia...]
[My supplies are nearly gone. I've searched the whole town and found nothing but memories.]
[I think I should return to Khimfast and stay there. Even if disaster strikes, I will be buried along with the city.]
[Anna, Lu Li, I hope you never see this letter. If you do, forgive me for making you chase my trail.]
"Khimfast... Aunt Mary went back there?"
Anna lowered her gaze.
The entire trail led to Khimfast.
Besides, that was where Selika Daler was headed as well.
...
Khimfast.
On the outskirts of the Capital of Arts, a palisade of tree trunks, stripped of their branches, stretched to the horizon.
Though primitive, it was the fastest way to erect a wall capable of encircling the entire city.
As they neared Khimfast, Anna drifted to the ground, suppressing her aura completely. No one, save for a few suspicious figures in black cloaks, would have guessed she was a vengeful spirit.
Soon after, however, the unexpected happened: Selika Daler stumbled.
Blood began to seep from her jaw again, her palms were scraped raw on the rough road, and she had badly injured her leg.
Anna said the injury was serious—Selika Daler couldn't walk on her own. She would have to be carried.