Chapter 90: Loss and Prayers

Chapter 90: Loss and Prayers

“Astrid!” Leena shouted.

She broke free of her restraints and dashed forward. Leena wrapped her arms around Astrid’s shoulders.

The warmth that was expelled from Leena’s body sent a cosy feeling into her body. It was a feeling that she would never forget, and one that she would always long for.

Astrid placed her hands on Leena’s back.

“We will need a burial,” Astrid said and took a step back.

Her gaze landed onto the two dead Wayfarers. They were only first years, dead before they were even able to make their mark on the world.

The more fragile first and second years didn’t bother resisting against the restraints. Their gazes were locked to the dead bodies as tears fell down the sides of their faces.

Astrid could see that some had given up, yet others seemed to have bolstered up a strong resolve for the future. She wasn’t sure what to say. Would she be able to convince them not to give up, that it would become easier and there would be no more loss? Because that would be a lie.

“Astrid, your eyes,” Leena whispered.

Astrid could feel Leena’s stare, her pupils moved, looking at the details within her eye.

Astrid quickly covered her face and connected to the matter around her eyes. She could feel their peculiarity, like something within was dancing. With a thought, it was if she was placating it, the strange feeling disappeared and the matter returned to normal.

“Is it gone?” Astrid asked.

Leena nodded with a heaviness that told Astrid that she was concerned.

Astrid clasped her hands around Leena’s. She connected to the restraints and removed them with a yank of psychic energy.

Then she wandered over to the deceased Wayfarers alongside Leena. Josh scrambled to his feet and joined them, alongside Mina, Nick, and Gloria.

Mina crouched to the floor, and gently removed the Wayfaring badge from the young man's chest. Tears fell from the corner of her eyes, and dampened the hem of her shirt's collar as she mumbled the name on the badge.

Jeremy Booker. Astrid glanced at the name.

Josh was the one to remove the other. A young woman by the name of Lore Wilks.

Astrid steeled herself and clashed her fist sideways against her chest. She followed it by slamming her feet together and peered up into the deep ocean above the bubble layer. It was the common salute of a Wayfarer, but it also doubled as a send off for the deceased in battle. It was a sign of respect for the fallen.

While the others grieved, Astrid wandered to Prince's body. He had to have something that was worth scouring his mangled body.

Astrid gazed at the scraps that were left from her dark matter explosion and spotted a dull metal ring within the scarlet pool. She brought it into her hands with Psychokinesis.

It looked like two ropes interlocked with each other as the spiraled around in a circle, forming the ring that was attached to Prince's hand.

Epic Dexterity Class Ring - Level 125 - Spiraling Serpent Ring: Activate to increase speed by a large amount for ten seconds.

| 55 added Dexterity.

| 35 added Constitution.

| 30 added Strength. Follow current novels at novelhall.com)

Epic grade at level 125, that must cost an absolute fortune. Astrid was stunned, she couldn't imagine how much Prince had paid to obtain such an item.

It must have been what he used to increase his speed, along with his corrupted body, that is. Astrid thought.

“We’ll bury them here,” Josh said.

He grabbed a handful of dirt and watched it sift through his hands with a sigh. His hands trembled, then struck the ground with his fist.

She stomped on the ground and a small hole was blasted into the ground from the sheer force. She propelled herself forward and hurtled past the trees. In only a mere moment, she caught up with the dexterity user Tony.

She passed him as the stench of blood grew closer by the second. After a few minutes, she broke past the dense tree line and gazed at the bloodied chaos.

Blood and body pieces were scattered around the forest floor as if they had been shoved through a high powered cutting machine. She looked in aghast as intestines hung from the branches up above, dangling in the breeze.

Anger surged up within her, she wanted to release it but the culprit was already dead.

“No...” Tony stumbled forward as his eyes trembled from body to body.

Astrid’s mind twitched and she bolted to a secluded area just behind a few tree’s that was out of line of sight. Behind a thick tree, a budding red light emerged.

She dashed toward it and slid across the floor to halt her momentum. Laying down in a pool of blood was Calum, the leader of the second years. A wide gash had gouged out a deep layer of skin on his chest. Any deeper, and Astrid had no doubt he would have instantly died.

She immediately took out a higher tiered potion, and without waiting poured it into his mouth. His lips were cold to the touch, and the red surrounding his heart was waning. With the rest, she splashed it onto his chest.

Tony fell to his knees as he gently grabbed hold of his shoulders.

The red liquid fell down his throat, then as if it had a mind of its own, spread around his entire body. Astrid watched as a faint red mana followed the routes of his veins. After a couple minutes, the previous dying heart started to show life once more.

Calum’s ashen face budded with a hint of rose, it was a sign he was recovering.

He peeled open his eyes and blinked repeatedly. A splutter left his mouth as a thick blood clot was ejected from his throat.

“The others,” Calum said in a hoarse voice.

“They’re dead,” Astrid said without hesitation.

Calum’s mouth opened and closed repeatedly, as if he wanted to say something, but no words escaped.

“It all happened so–” Calum stopped. He buried his face into his knees. His shoulders trembled, then his fingernails dug into the flesh of his legs.

“I ran,” Calum sobbed. “I left them to face those monsters on their own. What kind of leader am I?”

“Not a good one,” Astrid said as a matter of fact.

He looked up, his hazy eyes gazed at her.

“Astrid.” Tony glared.

“Are you going to give up then?” Astrid asked. “Are you going to disgrace their lives by giving up?”

Tony clenched Astrid’s collar. “Astrid, what the hell are you saying?” His cheeks turned red, and his chest violently rose.

“Tony, i–it’s okay,” Calum wiped the tears from his face. He tried to move, but he groaned in pain. “Can you help me up?”

“Calum...” Tony hoisted him to his feet.

Calum shifted around, and hobbled past the tree with the help of Tony’s support.

He gazed at the carnage throughout the forest and his body threatened to give up, yet his eyes remained. They moved from body to body, as if he was engraving every last inch of the battlefield onto his mind.

Tears streamed down his face, yet he remained steadfast. He refused to look away. He refused to run once more.

“Are they all dead?” Calum turned to Astrid. His eyes were bloodshot.

“I killed all of them,” Astrid repeated. “None remain.”

“Fucking pirates,” Calum spat. “They must have more of them out there somewhere.”

Astrid nodded.

“Then, Astrid,” Calum continued, “help me erase them from this world.”