Escape - Chapter 15.1
Chapter 15.1
It was a relief that Luce hadn’t followed. He wanted to, but Adeline had insisted, worried about his trauma. Woo Yune might not notice, but Luce would definitely sense something was wrong.
Fear gripped Adeline. Logic seemed to have abandoned her. ‘Where did it all go wrong? Am I dreaming? Maybe I’m still lying on the bathroom floor, unconscious after hearing about Damian…’
“They seem to be dwindling!” Woo Yune shouted excitedly from a few steps behind. The number of serpents had definitely decreased. Adeline had heard the Serpent’s Lair was larger than any district, so they probably weren’t all dead, just staying hidden.
“Woo Yune, when do quests usually end?”
“Well, they usually end when certain conditions are met… Since this one’s about the birth of the Serpent Lord, I guess it’ll end when we kill it?”
The Serpent Lord. The unsettling concept made Adeline frown. She’d never considered the Serpiente having a master. ‘Is it like a boss in a game? Does that mean we have to go inside the lair?’
As the serpents thinned out, Adeline switched weapons. The flamethrower was gone, replaced by her familiar rifle.
Bang, bang. With each precise headshot, Adeline thought of Damian. She remembered practicing target shooting with him. ‘If only he were here now… I wouldn’t feel this exhausted weakness. Just his presence would be enough to make me feel safe.’ Damian was that kind of presence for her, and for all their comrades.
‘Damian, where are you…?’
“…?”
Thud!
In that instant, the rifle slipped from Adeline’s grasp. Her pupils dilated, the echoing gunshots ceased, and a sudden silence fell over the corridor.
“No…”
“Uh, sis?” Woo Yune stared at her in alarm, thinking Adeline had been injured when she’d abruptly stopped firing.
But she wasn’t. Adeline just looked shocked, her mouth agape, staring at the entrance with disbelief.
Woo Yune’s eyes widened, following Adeline’s gaze to the figure standing at the entrance.
A man. A tall, handsome man.
“…Damian.” Adeline finally murmured, as if to herself.
Before Woo Yune could ask about the name, Adeline was already moving, walking at first, then breaking into a run.
Without hesitation, she threw her arms around the man.
Woo Yune gaped. Watching Adeline tremble and sob, a chill ran down her spine. The raw grief in Adeline’s cries would have moved even a stranger.
The shock prevented Woo Yune from voicing the questions that should have been forming.
‘How could any human come out of District 12? Why hasn’t the quest ended?’
***
Adeline wept like a child. Her heart ached, her breath caught in her throat. ‘Oh, I’ve been holding back all this time.’ With that realization, tears streamed down her face.
Perhaps it was fear. Despite the hope she’d clung to, the nightmare of that day had left a chilling mark.
“I thought you were dead, you idiot…” she mumbled, tightening her embrace. His broad chest, his familiar scent—everything was the same. Now that she knew he was alive, nothing else mattered. Whether this was a game or reality, District 13 or 12, even if she were told to believe in some unknown god, she would. She’d been wrong. She’d thought her dream was above ground, but it wasn’t. Her dream was right here, right now, in front of her.
“…Damian?”
Something was wrong. Damian didn’t answer. He didn’t hug her back.
A feeling of unease crept in as Adeline lifted her head. She froze. Damian’s face, looking down at her, was expressionless.
“Damian.”
He slowly repeated her words. “Damian.”
As if he were uttering the word for the first time.
A shiver ran down Adeline’s spine. She frowned at his intense stare. Something was off. And…
“Damian? Why are your eyes like that?”
Damian’s eyes had always been as black as his hair. Now, they were a bright, almost unnatural gold, like golden lenses. They were captivating, yet chilling, reminiscent of the Serpiente.
He tilted his head. “Say more.” His voice was flat, devoid of emotion.
Adeline stared at him, a sense of foreboding washing over her. She instinctively stepped back, her voice sharp. “What are you doing? If this is a joke, stop it. I’m going to get really angry.”
He didn’t answer, but looked down at her feet, then smiled. “Why are you running away?”
The tears stopped. That chilling smile told her everything. He wasn’t Damian. Or maybe he was, but not right now…
“Who are you?”
“Damian.”
12 smiled. He liked the woman in front of him. She was the most appealing thing he’d seen since waking up.
“You called me that.”
“…No, no. I was mistaken. You’re not Damian.”
The woman looked confused. A flicker of anger flashed in her tear-filled eyes. 12 liked the name she’d given him.
“Uh, sis, are you okay…?”
His gaze shifted to the human girl beside the woman, who was looking back and forth between them.
