Reveling in the serene beauty of the night and its sparkling lake, Rex was suddenly captivated by a woman who disrupted the color scheme of the place and stood out dramatically in his vision. There she was- her enchanting silhouette was illuminated by the moonlight, her hair glowing red and dancing to the melody of the wind.
Her mere presence seemed to drive away the chill of the dark sky and warmth suffused in its place.
The woman's presence was akin to a weakly flickering flame amid a snowstorm, desperate and lost, yet when she noticed Rex across the lake, her expression caused the flame to dance gently and gradually grow stronger.
It takes a moment for the woman to register what she was seeing in her mind.
Rex smiled in return for seeing the woman's presence despite the worry that she was wandering outside of the castle searching for him. But contrary to him, this meeting was not just a mere meeting for the woman, it was also a catalyst that suffused the burden on her back.
For Rex, it's only been a few hours that they have not met. But not for the woman.
Upon realizing that the person that she has been looking for was standing across the lake, tears started to flow out, the tension and worry that she has caused her emotions to break. It has been more than a day of searching, and she can't find Rex anywhere.
Not a hint of his scent can be smelled, she was running around like a lost lamb.
With the kind of power that Rex has, missing for a day is almost like a contract of certainty of his death. It was overwhelming, there was no word that can explain the sense of loss and sorrow that the woman felt in that 24 hours of searching rigorously.
As time passes, her hope started to fade, and it drives the woman crazy.
But for a second there, as she was to break down helplessly, she sensed a familiar scent that she hasn't smelled for some time. It was Delta's scent, and she decided to approach Delta in hope that she was with Rex, and turns out she was true.
"Rex..." Evelyn mutters softly, her voice filled with emotions.
Covering her mouth, countless glittering tears started to fall down from her watery eyes. Due to her turbulent emotions, flames started to flicker all over her body, turning even her own tears into droplets of dark red fire that burns the ground upon falling down.
It was so overwhelming that her knees gave out, unable to bear her own weight anymore.
Upon seeing Evelyn breaks down into tears unnaturally as her element also becomes chaotic, a groan seeped out of Rex's teeth as he jumped across the lake, followed by Delta who also feels the same worry as him.
"W-What's wrong, Evelyn? Did something happen to the castle?" Rex asked, evidently hiding pain.
While waiting for an answer as Evelyn started crying profusely, Rex's mind is filled with all kinds of bad situations that might result in Evelyn being here outside of the castle. 'Did King Solomon and Queen Catsha manage to reach the castle first?! Or did the Executor do something from afar?' he thought in absolute worry.
Rex was starting to suspect that the others are attacked, his wounded body burns with anger again.
Just as the bad possibilities built up in his mind and took up a huge place, he felt a sudden sensation of warmth around his neck. Before he could comprehend what was happening, Evelyn had already wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close.'
Her tears ran like rivers as she choked out hoarsely between sobs, "I thought I lost you..."
For a brief moment there he was stunned, but his heart ached as if shredded by a thousand knives when he heard the choked-out words that came out of Evelyn's mouth. Rex can feel the pain radiating from her embrace.
'Oh, that's right... She must be really worried' Rex thought, realizing her point of view.
Since Adhara and Flunra have probably reached back to the castle, Evelyn must hear the fact that he was fighting against the Executor, an entity that even surpassed him in terms of strength. Her concern is probably killing her from the inside.
Rex wraps his remaining arm around her waist with a subtle smile, "I make you worry, huh..."
But instead of replying, Evelyn's cry becomes more intense as she gripped Rex's torn clothes with both hands and buries her face in his chest. It went on for a minute, and even Delta closes her body and circles the two, wanting to join in.
"It's only been a few hours, you don't need to worry about me so much" Rex commented.
Upon hearing this Evelyn recoils from his embrace with a sharp gasp, her eyes locked on him with fury and despair. She pounds his chest with fists clenched tightly, tears still flowing freely down her face as she rebutted in anguish, "Few hours?! I've been searching for you throughout the day! I keep running... and running... but I can't find you!"
As he got pounded near his wound, a sharp sting ensued. Rex stepped back from her in confusion.
Silence ensues with Rex looking at Evelyn with a frown, 'Wait, throughout the day...? Is this not the same night I fought the Executor?' he thought, deeply confused. "How long was I gone? I thought this is still the same night as the day I departed to the Great Barricade with Flunra and Adhara"
"That was yesterday!" Evelyn exclaimed and pouted while wiping her tears.
Rex was taken aback realizing that he was passed out for a day because of his grievous wounds, it also makes him realize that Giana was the one that stayed with him for the entire day and protect him while he was unconscious.
It doesn't touch his heart, this only makes him angry instead.
'Tch! I don't need her help, don't expect what you did will change anything between us' Rex thought, still burning with hatred that is directed at Giana. Nothing can change his mind from avenging his foster parents' murderer.
Just as he thought of that, Evelyn pulls his attention back to her.
"I noticed you hinted at dying when you departed from the castle, and that makes me even more worried about you. I can tell that you have your death planned already, can you please tell me the reason why and not just hide it?" Evelyn said, reminiscing the sentence that Rex said uttered softly before he departed from the castle for the Great Barricade.
But this catches Rex off-guard, more than the fact he passes out longer than he initially thought.
Out of surprise, Evelyn can feel the air around them suddenly vibrates with a tension that crackles like electricity, thick enough to be cut with a knife. It was an unexpected tension, and this makes her confirm that it was a sensitive subject.
Rex pondered for a moment with a grim look, he then suddenly stands up.
"Let's get back to the others, there are many things we need to do to prepare against the Executor. Time is of the essence, we need to move quickly" Rex said, completely ignoring the topic as he climbs Delta's back.
Evelyn knows that he was avoiding the topic, but she was not going to insist. For now.
At the very least she now knows that there's something that Rex is hiding amidst his strong front, something that makes him want to die as he even planned of doing it. 'Just for now. Next time, you're going to have to spit it out'
With that out of the way, Evelyn also climbs Delta before she wraps her arms around Rex's waist.
Soon Delta howled skyward before her body sizzled with white lightning again, the three silhouettes then disappeared and went through the place quickly, heading back to the castle. It's been a day already, and there's no more time to waste.
Under the constant pace, the three reach back to the castle at the first streak of dawn.
As Rex and the others near the castle, he noticed something is different, he sensed that there was a slight change to the castle and also there are dozens of unfamiliar figures coming from the inside of the castle which makes a frown appear on his face.
'Supernaturals...? How come they are inside?' Rex thought, confused as to how this can happen.
Even though the Circling Sentinel can only block energy projectiles and cursed creatures, the barrier that covers the entire castle should be able to fend off approaching Supernaturals or even mutated animals. From the aura coming the Supernaturals, they are relatively weak.
It confuses Rex on how on earth these Supernaturals managed to get inside, unless...
Rex shot a sideway glance at Evelyn and his eyes demanded an answer for the situation he was perceiving. "A group of Supernaturals made it out from the Human's territory. I had to take care of the Dark Elves, Naela and Gistella are the only ones remaining in the castle and they decided to rescue this group since they were being massacred inside the Humming Damned Forest"
"But we need workers, and these Supernaturals are the perfect fit" she explains the situation clearly.
Upon hearing this, Rex presses his fingers to his chin, taking a moment to ponder their situation. He eventually comes to the same conclusion about recruiting the Supernaturals, it would be beneficial, they would make great guards and servants to assist with running the castle as Evelyn suggested.
Previously, one of them needs to actively sense the surroundings for signs of threats.
But if they have guards that can cover the entire walls and are stationed there to keep a lookout, then Rex and the others could focus solely on getting stronger without needing to worry about getting attacked. Out of the times, this is the perfect time to adopt some citizens.
'Maybe I can even expand the castle and create a Kingdom of my own, but I need to think more'
Rex and the others started to close into the castle, and a couple of silhouettes can be seen already standing on the castle's wall. One of them was Adhara, and she was having the same reaction as when Evelyn finally found him earlier.
Tears are decorating her face. But she kept her composure, fighting the urge to run at him.
As the condition Rex was in becomes clearer the more he got close, Adhara's heart ached in pain seeing that the condition he was in right now is the worst she has ever seen him in. It's clear that he survived death once again, and this time it was not an easy one.
When they got close, Adhara and Flunra went down and waited beyond the gate of the castle.
Sensing the arrival of the master of the castle, the gate opens on its own revealing Flunra and Adhara that await his return. But instead of reuniting, Adhara stepped forward and reported, "I've already arranged the Dark Elves to create a formation to mask the castle from the Executor's senses, the formation use cursed energy from the surrounding to disturb the air around the castle. For the time being, you can rest assured that we won't be attacked until you recovered completely"
Upon hearing this, Rex was surprised for a moment before a smile crept on his face.
"You've handled the situation greatly, Adhara" Rex muttered, acknowledging Adhara's effort to ease the problem when he returned, even though there might be a chance that he might not return. It was surprising to see her being like this, but it's really helpful.
Noticing her strong expression that began to shake, Rex smiled gently while hiding the pain.
Still clutching his severed left arm that stung with every movement he makes, Rex finally whispered softly, "I'm back, Adhara." As if released from a damn, tears ran down Adhara's face as she rushed over and threw her arms around the person that she deeply loved.
All that pent-up emotions and anxiety burst forth at that moment fully as she started crying.
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