Chapter 274: Before You Forgot Me [13]
[2 Months After Rumi Woke Up]
The situation in Evana did not recover but got even worse than before.
Queen Anise’s faction had lost more people over the past two months. For now only seven of them remained in her group.
Anise, Irene, Leon, Rumi, Will, Cyan, and Tira.
Tira was an information broker working directly for Anise. She had survived this long because she was undercover with the rioter groups. She did not live with Anise and her group and spent most of her days gathering information for them.
For now none of her information had been proven faulty. And similarly her information today was accurate as well.
"Ahh, this is so frustrating. We are so so close and that dumb bitch had to ruin everything."
It was Irene who said that while running.
She was running along with the other six. To her right were Anise and Will, who was carrying Leon’s body. At the front was Cyan and Rumi clearing the path and keeping watch.
Slash!
"Ghaa!"
Cyan slashed his blade so quickly that the man running towards him did not even see it coming.
Rumi looked at Cyan as they kept moving.
He had grown so much over the past years. Even more growth than what he had in Haru’s original game.
The Flame Master.
This is what the revolters called him in Evana now. Everyone was scared of the name. They say that when Cyan was against them they had already lost the game.
"Haah... bullshit." Cyan spat while looking down at the corpse as he ran past it. "Motherfuckers think an amateur blade would cut me."
Rumi coughed hearing this.
One thing that changed hugely was the way Cyan started to talk now. He had gained quite a bit of ego. It was not rude but cool to the point of giving someone chills.
Anyways, the reason they were running was because Tira had given them intel that their hideout location had been disclosed to the revolters. And they even got their hands on the entry code as well.
It was because of that dumb bitch of a maid that they took in a few months back to help take care of Leon with Irene.
She looked innocent. But who could have known she was a whor—
"Cyan." Rumi said while floating beside him.
Cyan paused his thoughts.
"Yeah. What?"
Rumi said calmly.
"There are no hostiles in proximity of three thousand meters. I think he was the last one."
Hearing this they all stopped running.
"Phew..."
They wiped their foreheads.
Running till here was hell. And even more so for Will who had been carrying Leon the whole time.
"Y-you guys need to switch with me next time. He has become so heavy now." Will said while huffing.
Irene replied. "Yeah. I have increased protein in his diet so he is gaining quite the muscles now."
"What?" Will looked at her with disbelief. "You are making him gain weight while we are on the run?"
Irene crossed her arms.
"He needs to be healthy when he wakes up. His body was wasting away for ten years. I am just restoring it."
Cyan chuckled.
"Heh. You really care about this bastard huh."
Irene’s face flushed slightly but she did not respond.
Anise looked around at their surroundings.
"Where are we?"
Rumi answered.
"It is in the Northwest district. Near the old merchant quarters. There is an abandoned warehouse about five hundred meters ahead. We can rest there."
"Good." Anise said. "We should move there and regroup with Tira, she told me, she should meet us by nightfall with updated intel."
They all nodded and continued walking.
Will adjusted his grip on Leon’s body and muttered under his breath.
"Next time I am making Cyan carry him."
Cyan grinned.
"Sorry. My hands are busy cutting down assholes."
Rumi’s eyes twitched.
"Hey..."
"What?" Cyan added with a flinch of his lips.
"Don’t you think you are cussing a lot?"
Cyan shrugged.
"What? I am just spouting facts."
Rumi’s silver eyes narrowed.
"Facts? You have been cursing nonstop for the past two months. Where did you even learn all these words?"
Cyan grinned wider.
"From the streets. These ass drippers taught me well. Well if you call this a curse, then i know a more noble refined lady who will bleed your ears with her sentence. God she would even cause a calamity shiver. Hahaha."
A certain person came to Rumi’s mind. But then she noticed that Cyan had yet again cursed.
"There! you did it again."
"Did what?"
"Cursed. You cursed again."
Cyan tilted his head mockingly.
"Oh I am sorry. Should I speak like a noble brat instead? Pardon me good sir, but would you kindly remove your blade from my path before I politely end your miserable existence?"
Will snorted behind them.
"Pffttt–!"
Even Anise had to cover her mouth to hide a smile.
Rumi’s eye twitched violently.
"You are... you are just... too mush."
"And you are annoying."
"Annoying?" Rumi floated closer to his face. "I saved your life three times this week alone."
"Yeah and I thanked you every time. What more do you want? A medal?"
"I want you to stop speaking like a thug. This is mean!"
"Oh come one, why does it matter? And I want you to stop nagging me like my mom."
Rumi’s face flushed with anger.
"Your mother would be ashamed hearing you talk like this."
Cyan stopped walking. His grin faded slightly.
"My mother is dead." He said, "So she does not get an opinion."
"Ah.."
Rumi paused, she had not meant it like that.
But before she could apologize, Cyan continued walking and muttered.
"Besides, you are one to talk. You freeze people for fun."
"Hm?" Rumi said defensively. "I do not freeze people for fun."
"Yeah yeah.. You froze me last week, though."
"Because you called me shorty."
"You are shorty."
"I am average height for a spirit."
"Sure. If we are comparing you to children."
Rumi’s hands clenched into fists. A vein visibly popped on her forehead. Frost started forming on the ground beneath her.
"Say that again. I dare you."
Cyan noticed the frost and took a step back.
"H-Hey now... Uh... I said you are perfectly normal height?"
"Too late."
The temperature dropped instantly.
"Wait wait wait I was joking! Don’t freeze me!"
Ice started crawling up Cyan’s legs.
"Rumi stop! We need him!"
But Rumi was not listening anymore. Her silver eyes glowed brighter.
"You want to call me short? Fine. Let me show you how short I can make you feel."
Cyan’s entire lower body was encased in ice now.
"Alright alright I am sorry! You are tall! Super tall! The tallest spirit I have ever seen!"
"Liar."
"Okay fine you are medium height! But that is good! Medium is perfect!"
The ice stopped spreading.
Rumi crossed her arms and huffed.
"Apologize properly."
"I apologize for calling you short."
"And?"
"And... you are a beautiful and elegant spirit who deserves respect."
Rumi’s expression softened slightly.
"Better."
She snapped her fingers and the ice shattered.
Cyan stumbled forward and nearly fell.
"Will you two stop fighting like kids?" Irene finally said with an exhausted tone.
Cyan turned to her.
"Who are you calling kids?"
He then pointed at Rumi.
"It is her who is the kid. Just look. She barely reaches my shoulder."
Rumi’s eyes twitched again.
"I am older than your ancestors."
"Yeah sure grandma."
"Now now." Irene sighed and patted Rumi’s head gently.
She was calming her down before Rumi decided to freeze Cyan permanently this time.
Rumi looked up at Irene with a pout.
"He is mean. I will complain to Har... Leon when he wakes up."
Rumi had spent most of her time with Irene taking care of Leon. And for the time alone, she had been taught by Irene how to act like a refined young lady.
Irene smiled softly.
"I know. But we need Cyan alive for now. So please do not freeze him again."
Rumi huffed but nodded.
This was nothing new for them to see.
Cyan and Rumi had been like this for the past two months. No one knew the exact reason why they always quarreled. But everyone had gotten used to it by now.
[Night Arrived]
The flames from Cyan’s sword lit up the abandoned building’s tunnel.
The walls had mosses growing on them and even the wind here carried a lemon sting to it. It was so strong that it made everyone’s nose burn.
"What is the situation outside?"
Anise inquired while working on Ethan’s and Priest Noel’s Time Devices.
She was tampering with them to relay a connection to the Akashic Record in real time.
The small devices were now capable of storing everything the holders experienced. It was one of Leon’s ideas. He wanted to use this to store all the memories of Irene, Anise, and everyone here to the Akashic Record permanently.
"Tira said it would take her forty five minutes by foot." Will replied.
Tira will be here soon.
She had called and told everyone to leave the current hideout immediately and then called them here. On the call she had sounded serious. Something big must be about to happen
By now, the rioters had found out that Anise’s faction did not actually leave Evana. All thanks to that bitchy maid they hired.
[1 Hour Passed]
Step. Step.
A footstep echoed and alerted Will and Cyan. They looked at each other and nodded.
"Must be Tira." Will said.
He then moved to the stairs leading upward.
"Wait here. I will bring her down."
Cyan nodded.
Will went outside by climbing the stairs.
Cyan looked behind towards the three near Leon.
Rumi and Irene were literally sticking with his body like glue. And Anise...
"...?"
Cyan walked over to her. She had been busy with the Time Devices since this morning.
Cyan sat beside her.
"Is it broken?"
Anise glanced at him lightly and then shook her head.
"No. I was just experimenting."
"Oh. About what?"
Anise said quietly.
"Leon."
Cyan did not understand.
Anise did not try hard to explain either. She just explained it in easier terms.
"I have been thinking about Leon’s unique skill. The one which alters reality."
"What about it?"
"Yeah. The thing is, whatever happens in this universe has already been written and defined in the Akashic records. And I am not talking about my miniature Akashic Record. I am talking about the real one. The one which holds information somewhere light years far. Every single thing that happens has already been logged there. Like multiple probabilities with the most possible route. Every path, every choice one makes. With infinite calculations per nanosecond."
Cyan listened carefully.
"If something like Akashic Records exists, then Leon’s skill contradicts it. When he uses his skill every time, the whole Akashic Record gets tampered beyond that point. So I was wondering..."
She looked at Leon’s sleeping face.
"This skill of his. I think it has something to do with the Akashic Record itself."
"Oh? That is an interesting theory. Not that I understood it fully. But well, I think Leon will understand once he wakes up. You can try explaining it to him then."
He was about to stand up, but then Anise laughed.
"Haha. His skill reminded me of someone."
"Hm? Who?" Cyan asked.
Anise answered while looking at the fire.
"She is a dear friend of mine. You know her by the name of Lumina Elizabeth."
"Huh?" Cyan blinked. "Why her? No. What do you mean Leon’s skill reminded you of her? Does she also have the same skill?"
Anise shook her head.
"Not really. What she has in her possession or more precisely in her is something very unique. Something which even the Akashic Record does not have control over."
She added after a pause.
"A human being. A mortal born in a universe with zero records in the Akashic Record."
Cyan’s eyes widened.
"Wait. You mean she is not from this universe?"
Anise shook her head.
"Oh no, she is very much from this universe. And a pure human to her core." Her expression softened.
"It was just that, she was different. Just like her lover..."
"Now wait a minu—"
As Cyan was about to ask something, he heard someone falling from the stairs.
He instantly stood up and took out his katana with blue flames erupting brilliantly.
As the place grew brighter, the vision came into view near the stairs.
It was a headless body.
Anise and even Cyan’s eyes widened when they looked at the corpse’s clothes.
"Will...?"
