Escape - Chapter 36.2
Chapter 36.2
The basis of the world she lived in was nothing more than deceptively alluring sensations. Truth was so ephemeral. Conversely, fallacy was eternal.
Then perhaps this standard could be applied.
A world became real when its creations possessed free will.
Stories were filled with characters at the mercy of fate and narrative.
If she could defy her predetermined fate through her own will, then her life would finally transform into reality.
As Adeline lost herself in thought, the ocean gradually calmed. The creatures disappeared, leaving only the pulse of the vast waters. Lying back against a scale, she mused that this must be what it felt like to return to her mother’s womb.
Another long moment passed. Once, and then again. Time flowed endlessly like the waves. It had definitely been dark outside, but at some point, shafts of light pierced the surface, shimmering and dancing. After watching the play of light for a long time, Adeline finally spoke.
“Damian.”
As expected, there was no answer to the name she called out. Nevertheless, she continued, her voice soft but clear, her words swallowed by the vastness of the water.
“Thank you for saving me, again and again.”
She had a feeling he was listening.
“Even if I hate the Serpiente, I don’t hate you. No, I couldn’t hate you. You’re still human, after all.”
Swish.
The water rippled, caressing her face. Perhaps the distorting water muffled even the sound of the waves.
Despite being in the deep, vast ocean, she felt strangely like she was in a fishbowl.
***
TIME : 05:52/09/17/2040
District 12 (Commonly known as the Serpiente’s Lair) Arrival
It felt like half a day had passed before they reached their destination.
District 12, now a massive cave with a vast coastline, had become a hub of activity, teeming with players. A couple of people coming and going wouldn’t even be noticed.
Thanks to this, the two of them were able to blend into the throngs of dripping figures. The only distinguishing feature was their matching uniforms. However, the real reason they were attracting attention was something else entirely.
“I guess it would be okay if you were a little less handsome after being reborn…” Adeline muttered, looking up at Damian as he shook the water from his hair. She noticed a few people sitting by the water’s edge glancing their way.
He seemed unaware, but he was quite striking. His ebony hair, darker than the blackest night, his ruggedly handsome features, and above all, his uncommonly tall stature.
“Is this really the Serpent’s Lair? Where did all the Serpiente go?” Adeline asked, looking around. The transformed landscape was vastly different from what she remembered.
The once-infinite space being submerged in water made a tremendous difference. He splashed water on his face and answered curtly.
“Into the ocean.”
“Oh.”
She’d been hoping they were gone for good, so she was a little disappointed. Of course, he would be sympathetic to the Serpiente now. He wouldn’t have killed them all. Just then, she caught sight of his sharp profile as he coolly surveyed the crowd.
The elegant line of his nose and jaw beneath long, narrow eyes. The prominent Adam’s apple bobbing slowly beneath. One woman who caught his eye flushed crimson. Unfortunately, his gaze held a different kind of hunger altogether.
Appetite. The realization hit her like a jolt.
“Damian.”
She took his hand, pressing it firmly. He flinched, then slowly lowered his gaze.
Could it be that on the beach, he’d also…
“Are you hungry?”
The question was unnecessary. From the moment humans came into range, he’d been on the verge of losing control.
But even the premonition of a rampage vanished the moment he saw Adeline’s pale face. His indifferent gaze fell upon her full, trembling lips.
The sight of her soft, pink lips sparked another kind of hunger. He wanted to touch them, to devour their delicate flesh with violent passion. His unfocused eyes drifted downwards. He gave a short laugh.
“If I’m hungry? Are you going to cut off your arm for me?”
“If it will make you feel better.”
Her immediate, calm reply gave him pause.
“You said I could eat on the beach. As long as you promise not to kill anyone afterwards, I don’t mind.”
His expression shifted, becoming strangely unreadable. He stared down at her with icy eyes before turning away, shaking his wet hair.
“I won’t kill anyone.”
Hiss, hiss.
As they moved, the sounds of serpentine moans and screams echoed endlessly around them.
Come on, let’s go and kill them all. Revel in the joy of slaughter.
His abandoned family, the ones he’d cast aside, pleaded desperately for revenge. Damian felt the familiar hunger rising within him again. The urge to claw at his skin, to burst his veins. The unique pleasure derived from brutal murder.
Yet, Damian casually crushed the rising impulse.
A child craving affection quickly learns how to attract attention. He instinctively knew he had to act like Damian, not like 12.
If he wanted to prevent the woman from showing even a flicker of fear. If he wanted her to stop crying and entertain him.
Not yet.
He couldn’t go back until he understood why her offer to sacrifice herself for him filled him with such rage.
Of course, there was a premonition he couldn’t escape, no matter how much he tried to ignore it.
He would return to this place someday.
Like a wave that could never leave the ocean, no matter how many times it embraced the shore.
And when he returned, he would return as crashing foam, broken and shattered.
