Chapter 203: The Aftermath of the Unexpected

"Oho, this brat finally got it…

...even I can't do that."

From Charlotte's perceptive eyes that could see even with nothing but darkness, it was as if Van's hands were almost disappearing from sight. Leaving a tiny afterimage that overlapped with one another as it vibrated at an incredible speed.

Charlotte could not help but let out awes of exasperation as she looked at Van's hands. She already knew that Van's speed was not simple, and this just confirmed it. Charlotte's AGI was already in 4 digits, but even she was not capable of it. It was just… impossible to do. And even if she was capable of it, she was sure that she would damage her own body.

But for Van… It was as if it was something natural…

...as if he was moving in his own time, separate from the rest of the world. As soon as the thought entered Charlotte's mind, she could not help but gulp. If it was something like that, then Van would truly become… a monster even stronger than her in the future.

"What..."

Charlotte's thoughts were then disrupted by Van's slightly sedated voice.

Van already placed his hands on the ground to try if his digging would be more effective now that his hand was vibrating at an insane speed. But as soon as his hand made contact with it, he stopped. 

It wasn't because it wasn't effective, rather, it because Van did not even feel anything come in contact with his hand, it was as if he just placed his hand in the calmest of waters, with the dirt just giving way for his hand and moving aside.

"Fu…" Van could not help but breathe out as he looked at his hands, seeing if it was still there.

"Stop dilly-dallying, boy," Charlotte said, "Get us out of here."

"...Alright," Van nodded as he once again went into superspeed, focusing more on his hands, "Let's go," Van muttered as he burrowed his hands, drilling into a 45-degree angle and crawling upwards.

He was still careful, of course, as he remembered what Charlotte said-- there might be someone else buried with them. But as a minute passed, there wasn't any sign of life. Van wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not.

"Miss Charlotte, are you following--"

"Yes, continue."

Van stopped and went out of his superspeed for a second to confirm if Charlotte was still behind him, and as soon as he heard her voice, he continued.

He dug and he dug, until finally…

...there was light.

It wasn't much, but that was a good thing. That would mean that it was still night, and not much time had passed since they were buried. Van let out a deep breath as the last of the dirt that was drowning them was pushed to the side before completely going out of superspeed.

"We've made it, Miss Charlotte," Van looked down towards Charlotte.

"Good work, boy," Charlotte raised her thumb, "What do you see out there?"

"I see…" Van muttered before poking his head out of the hole he made, "...nothing."

"..."

Van then slowly pushed himself out of the hole, his eyes scanning the horizon as he did so. He was used to the Deadzone not having anything… but this was just… completely empty.

"Anyone!?" Van shouted, but alas, the only one that answered was Charlotte.

"What do you mean nothing!?" Charlotte raised her voice as she shot out of the hole, instantly flying through the air. She scanned the area from above… and Van was right. There was nothing to be seen for miles.

No… there was something, a huge crater… a huge crater that spanned almost a kilometer, filled with nothing but rubble.

Charlotte then closed her eyes, feeling the air rushing through her as she descended towards the ground. But before her feet made contact with it, she pointed her finger towards a certain direction.

"I…

...hear someone breathing there!"

Van quickly went into superspeed, not even waiting for Charlotte to land on the ground as he rushed towards where she was pointing to. "Anyone!?" Van screamed, "Harvey!? Latanya!? Miss Nisha!?"

Van's eyes and feet moved without pause, focused on trying to find his friends.

"Victoria!? Beatrice!? Mister Gil!?"

Van continued to shout, hoping to hear one of his friends reply to him. They were already together. Just a few moments ago, they were already together. Just… why?

Why did something like this happen? Van then started rubbing his eyes, maybe he was in one of his dream sequences. But no matter how much he pinches or slaps himself, there was no sign of him waking up.

This was real… his friends are somewhere underneath all these earth and rubble. As soon as Van thought of that, he unconsciously activated his [Air Step], careful not to put any weight on the ground.

"Van, right here!"

"!!!"

Van quickly turned his head around, but alas, it was only Charlotte. But as he saw her pointing to the ground, Van once again rushed towards her direction.

"Someone is buried here?" Van said as he looked at the rubble. Van was going to ask why Charlotte just didn't push the debris away, but he quickly remembered the reason why not.

"Hm. The breaths are getting weaker by the second," Charlotte said as she slowly backed away and made way for Van, "Hurry up, but be careful not to push too much, you might hurt whoever is down there.

"A… alright."

Although Charlotte seemed calm, she was already trying her best to stop her legs from trembling and fidgeting. She was restless, how could she not? 

Victoria, Edward, and Paris. Her whole family was in the New Wall when the huge comet dropped from the skies. There was a possibility for Edward and Victoria to survive…

...but her daughter-in-law?

Charlotte was prepared for the worst.

Both Charlotte and Van let out a deep breath, both hoping that it was a familiar face they find. And hoping to whoever it was…

...It was still not too late.