Chapter 156 [Blood Of Fallen] [12]

Chapter 156 [Blood Of Fallen] [12]

The stars in the night twinkled above, a glorious blur in the dead dark sky.

A moon with a greenish hue illuminated the concrete bridge we walked on.

Snowflakes fell from the sky, covering the pathway and making a soft crunching sound under our feet.

Daphne led the way, with students following behind her.

A few meters ahead, a bridge led toward a distant point where a tall, imposing tower stood.

This dark tower, with a flat top extending outwardly from its structure below, was firmly placed in the middle of the bridge and rose high into the sky, supporting the entire weight of the bridge.

A sound filtered through the area, a distant, constant hissing, like an angry cat. It grew louder as we approached the bridge.

A waterfall, huge and roaring, flowed from below on the left side of the bridge, its sound drowning out all other noise.

"Do you guys think Lumina is flat?"

My head snapped to my right as Oliver mumbled.

"It's not?" Chubby frowned, walking beside me and looking at him as well.

"It is," Oliver nodded furiously.

"Then how do you explain the moon moving around us?" Chubby asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"I mean, I heard it from my mother once," Oliver replied, shrugging in response. "She might be wrong, though."

"..."

I silently listened to their conversation while glancing behind me.

We were at the back; Christina and Olesia, with Willis in her hands, walked behind us.

Ashlyn and Aaliyah were walking in front, talking about something.

Almost every other second, Aaliyah glanced back to look at Oliver.

"....."

Lucky bastard.

"You didn't tell me Willis got a new mama," Oliver jabbed, glancing back at them.

"He's just playing around," I replied, turning my head to look at them having a conversation.

'...Why is she here though?'

I wondered, glancing at Olesia, who was still wearing the same black dress and dark eyeliner.

But my gaze shifted towards Christina, who had an old bamboo umbrella in her hand, shielding her from the snow.

Her eyes met mine, and she smiled softly, waving at me.

I shook my head glancing around at the soldiers from the empire standing on the sides for our protection.

"Hey, only an hour left for your birthday," Oliver commented with a grin, showing me the time on his phone. "You'll can finally become a coupl—"

"Shut up," I growled, slapping his chest.

"Ow, my titties." He groaned in pain, rubbing his chest.

"Chubby, are you free after this?" I asked, glancing at him.

"Why do you ask?" He shot back in confusion.

"You promised to take us to your home, remember?" I asked with a bright smile.

Oliver also chimed in with the same smile as me, "Me too, bro."

"Why do you want to visit my home so badly?" He asked, frowning.

"To see your parents," I replied, looking at him.

"Especially your mothe—" I nudged Oliver with my elbow as he corrected himself, "Ahem, I mean your father."

"I'll see about that," he replied, visibly suspicious about our behavior.

"Sure, man," Oliver replied, not forcing him, as he walked a little faster, grabbing Keegan.

"What are you doing!?" Keegan roared, glaring at him as Oliver wrapped his arm around him, slowing him down.

"Chill, man, I just wanted to talk," Oliver smiled, patting his chest.

"What?" Keegan spat, clearly annoyed as Oliver dragged him back to our pace.

"What are you going to gift Az?" Oliver asked, pointing at me. "It's his birthday, remember?"

"Are you going to stop me?" I asked without looking back, "...princess?"

She walked closer, sitting on the concrete roof and glancing at me, "...I've never tried it."

Extending her hand, she snatched the bottle before taking a big gulp. Her face contorted as she groaned, "Argh... How do you even drink this hard stuff?"

"By mixing it with water," I replied, snatching the bottle back.

"So... You patched things up with Christina?" she asked, her pristine eyes looking at the moon.

"...I don't know."

"...She deserves better," she mumbled as I took a glass and some water, "...At least a better version of you who isn't a jerk."

"...Who cares about your opinion?" I grumbled, making a nice mix for myself.

"Yeah, like I am some random girl without any power or authority."

"Glad you know your worth."

"....Remember when she used to wipe your snot with her dress in the winter?" she commented with a chuckle, just to get on my nerves.

"Don't remind me of that," I grimaced as I brought the glass close, but once again, she snatched it from me.

"Now it's better," she mumbled, gulping it down while I glared at her.

"What do you want?" I asked, gazing at the moon like her.

I know her since we were small children.

....She wouldn't have approached me without a reason.

"....'That woman' called me yesterday," she mumbled, curling up her body.

"Why are you telling me tha—"

"Because I don't have anyone else to share it with," she interjected sharply, glaring at me.

"...I was just so stupid to share it with you, of all the people in this cursed world." She whispered.

"...What did she say?" I sighed, rubbing my temples as I asked, my voice soft.

"....She wants to see me," she replied, her voice brittle, picking up the whiskey bottle and gulping it down. "...One last time."

"....."

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath as I asked, "And your reply?"

"....I couldn't reply," she mumbled, her voice a little choked, but she stayed strong. "...How could that woman just abandon me and then ask to see her again?"

"Maybe she genuinely wants to see yo—"

"Here you go again," she snarled, glaring at me. "Taking her side like she's making some fucking sacrifice."

"..."

She isn't.

She's living her own life without caring about you...

I held back my words as I kept on looking at the moon.

Grabbing her knees in anxiety, she mumbled, "...All this 'see you one last time' shit is just so she can satisfy her own selfish desires."

"....."

...I still had no words to coax her anxiety; in the first place, I don't deserve to comfort her.

....Not after what I did to her.

"Say something," she grumbled softly, slapping my arm.

I glanced at her face, her white hair fluttering around.

"Aria," I finally mumbled.

"Don't call me that."

Looking up at the sky, I asked tiredly, ".... Are you really going to die?"

I got no reply, just silence. She just quietly stood and walked away.

"Hmm?"

I turned to look at her, but my gaze abruptly fell on hundreds of small spiders crawling on the floor coming out of nowhere.

They all stopped between me and her before their bodies started to inflate, a spark of fire coursing through them.

"Shit."

BOOOOM!!!