Chapter 41: A Brother
Alex was not aware of how long he had slept but when he finally came around, he realized that things had somewhat gone bad after his absence.
He opened his eyes and glanced around, he was currently inside his room.
Bewildered, he tried to get up but felt a sharp pain at the same spot where Elizabeth had injured him — This of course made him remember everything that happened before he passed out so he forced himself up, despite the pain and made to leave.
But just then, the door opened and Peter walked in carrying a bowel with warm water and a towel inside.
Seeing his friend awake, Peter was extremely happy and rushed to hug him.
"Alex, finally you decided to wake up. Can you not do this again?" He fake-cried as he hugged Alex.
"Let me go," Alex whispered, trying to break free from Peter’s assault but he couldn’t. ’Why am I weak? Or is it that Peter has become stronger than me?’
"I can’t let you go, who knows if you’ll die this time around," Peter grunted, hugging him more tighter than before.
"Damn it, man!" Alex grunted. "You’re increasing the pain, I might really die in your hands if you don’t let me go now!"
Immediately, Peter let go. "Sorry about that," he said with an apologetic look on his face. "But it’s great to have you back."
Alex gazed at him, Peter looked very concerned about him and it made him glad but that was not really the case.
"Where is she?" He asked him. "Elizabeth, where is she?"
Peter’s expression darkened at Alex’s question. He placed the bowl of warm water on the bedside table and let out a sigh, rubbing the back of his head.
"She’s... missing," Peter admitted reluctantly. "Or rather, she’s out there causing chaos, and no one has been able to stop her."
Alex narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"
Peter hesitated, then pulled out his phone, quickly scrolling through something before handing it over to Alex. "See for yourself."
Alex took the phone and immediately saw a news article with bold red headlines:
Mysterious Killer on the Loose – Over Ten Dead in Three Days!
Beneath the headline was a grainy surveillance image. Though blurry, Alex recognized the familiar strands of white-blond hair and the glowing ice-blue eyes.
It was Elizabeth.
He clenched his jaw as he read further. The article detailed multiple incidents of people being slaughtered in the dead of night. Bodies torn apart, some half-eaten. Blood frozen into grotesque sculptures at crime scenes. It wasn’t just murder—it was carnage.
"She’s completely lost it," Alex muttered under his breath, gripping the phone so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Peter sat down beside him. "Yeah... I don’t know what happened after she ran off, but she’s not the same anymore. The entire hero organization is after her now. If they find her, they won’t hesitate to kill her."
Alex remained silent, his mind racing. Elizabeth was strong, stronger than most people knew. If she had truly given in to her urges, then stopping her would be a nightmare.
"Do you know where she is now?" he asked.
Peter shook his head. "No one does. She’s always one step ahead. But if she keeps going at this rate, it’s only a matter of time before she gets caught."
Alex exhaled sharply and swung his legs over the bed, ignoring the pain shooting through his body. "Then we have to find her before they do."
Peter stared at him, dumbfounded. "We? You just woke up from a near-death experience, and now you wanna go after the literal flesh-eating, ice-wielding Elizabeth?"
Alex stood up despite the pain, his resolve unwavering. "Yes. Because if we don’t, she’ll be dead before we even get the chance to ask why she’s doing this."
Peter groaned, running a hand down his face. "You’re insane."
"Maybe," Alex admitted. "But so is she."
There was a moment of silence before Peter sighed in defeat. "Fine. But if we die, I’m haunting you in the afterlife."
Alex managed a smirk. "Deal."
Peter carried the bowl again. "But before then, I need to get you cleaned up," he said, soaking the towel inside the bowel of warm water.
Alex looked at him and the water and then hissed. "I am not crippled, you know it. I can help myself."
"I have been the one cleaning you for the past one month," Peter said and Alex glanced at him in shock.
"One month?" He asked and Peter shook his head. "Do you mean I have been unconscious for a whole month?" He couldn’t just believe his ears.
One of his powers were regeneration, his wounds should have healed a long time ago but why hasn’t it healed yet?
Seeing the frown on his face, Peter stepped in. "You know, you used all your strength during that battle, and not only that, you also brought her back to life. It affected you greatly and that is why you are still so weak."
Alex fell silent. He knew this was undoubtedly the case but he didn’t expect it to be this bad. Since his passing out, Elizabeth had destroyed so many lives, making her a target to the whole country... How was he going to find her now and save her?
"You should not worry about Elizabeth now and focus on recovering your strength back, I think it’ll be the best thing for you to do now," Peter advised him.
Hearing what Peter said, Alex turned around to see his friend looking worried.
"You," he mumbled. "Why are you still here... By my side?"
Peter looked dumbfounded as he gazed at Alex. "Where is that question coming from?" He asked him.
"I killed Elizabeth’s father, I killed the Dean, and above all, I killed your father," Alex said. There was a deep frown on his face as he continued. "Naturally, you should hate me, resent me, want to take revenge but here you are instead... Even helping me. You brought me back home, isn’t it? Why are you so good to me? You should hate me."
Peter fell silent for quite some time because yes, he was supposed to hate his friend for killing his father but then... What was the point?
Will taking revenge bring back his father? Alex’s parents? Or will it make the world a better place to live in? His friend killer his father, so what? The man deserved it, he couldn’t care less. After all, he still had his mother right beside him, he was still better than Alex who had no one to depend on.
He felt sad for his friend... If there was something he could do to bring his parents back, he would hastily do it but unfortunately there was nothing to do.
"Alex," he called out to his friend. "Hating you is the last thing I will do because it is pointless. Yes, you killed my father but the man deserved it... I am not stupid. I can not hate you but instead will stand by your side even in your darkest moment."
Alex exhaled, he was speechless, his heart heavy with sadness. None of these should have happened if his parents were still alive but now that it has happened... There was no going back.
He could call himself lucky — He was lucky to have a friend like Peter, someone who has undoubtedly become a brother to him.
"Thank you," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.
Peter smiled faintly. "I won’t take just thank you from you," he said. "You have a debt to pay."
Alex shook his head. "I am not scared of debts."
