Chapter 270
CHAPTER 270
MYRIAD OF HEARTS
Faint whispers of candles" flames lit up a squared room, giving it gentle and warm radiance . Walls surged in faint coral, their sheen cascading down the stacks . The floorboard beneath creaked slightly as Lino walked over from the corner and sat on the bed, looking at the pale Lucky lying beneath the sheets . A whole day had pa.s.sed since Hannah knocked her out, and her state hadn"t changed much .
Though Lino was very much unaware at the moment of the global consequences his antics had spurred, he didn"t care much for them either; he refused to leave the room until she woke up . He"d also eventually kicked Hannah out as she had far more pressing issues to deal with than being a hand propelling him up when Lucky wakes .
Perhaps others couldn"t understand it, but to Lino Lucky represented far more than just a friend; save for Ella and Eggor, she was among the first to befriend him despite his antics . She was there through everything, and even with all her snide comments about him, he knew very well she never once thought about leaving . He"d long since stopped thinking of her as a friend and more as a little sister, a t.i.tle she would certainly flare about as she was a few years older than him .
By showing her the world, he exposed her to its vultures; he promised himself he"d protect her and Felix no matter what, even at the expense of his own life, yet he"d failed -- failed so spectacularly that he was half a mind away from getting up and running away from everything, too fearful to face the reality of it all .
Following Aeala"s and others" deaths, she barely managed to crawl back -- and now, after she"d finally rekindled the fire in her heart, it was snuffed so abruptly she didn"t even have a moment"s goodbye . Right there in front of her eyes it was cut permanently while all she could do was stand and scream . That was the thing that scared Lino the most; it wasn"t whether she would blame him or the world, but that she would beholden the whole burden onto herself .
Glancing out the window onto the empty streets, he couldn"t help but sigh audibly . For all of mankind"s simplicity, he mused, altogether it formed a complex structure that hardly ever played the tune of the "supposed to" . It"s that eventual uncertainty despite all his "heart"s wisdom" that drove dread into his soul like a cold-tipped spear .
" . . . straighten your back . " a meek and mellow voice jolted him back from his thoughts as he hurriedly turned around and met a pair of hollow eyes looking at him .
" . . . hey . " he replied, almost choking . "I compensate with other parts, don"t worry . "
" . . . disgusting f.u.c.ker . " she mumbled faintly, sitting up . "I can"t believe you sent your girlfriend to knock me out . Not cool dude . "
"It was kind of hot, though," Lino smiled faintly, "She carrying you and touching places . "
" . . . " he chuckled bitterly at the stink-eye . "How long was I out?"
"About a day . " he replied .
" . . . did . . . you kill her?" she asked, lowering her gaze .
"Aye," Lino said . "And in the process pretty much declared war on the world . "
" . . . good . " she growled . "It was about time someone did . "
" . . . this moment feels eerily familiar . " he mumbled, sighing .
"Reminds you of something?" she glanced up through the distorted strands of hair falling over her face . "Ah, at least last time you didn"t have a girlfriend to knock me out, so you had to face me squarely . "
"And boy did I f.u.c.k it up, heh . "
" . . . not really," she said . "Your ten-year-promise was pretty much my fuel back then . Won"t work this time around, though, if you"ve got any funny ideas . "
" . . . I"ve failed, L"," Lino said, lowering his head as well . "Failed him, failed you . . . failed you two"s trust in me . This time," he continued, his voice cracking slightly . "I was right there . Right . . . there . I wasn"t miles away . . . but right there, right next to her . "
" . . . "
" . . . heh," he suddenly chuckled bitterly . "So many dub me a natural leader . . . so much so actually that I"ve begun believing it . But I ain"t no f.u.c.king leader . I"m at best an idiot . "
" . . . you are . " she mumbled . "But, you were right there, you said it . Right after her . I saw your legs rip, your fist scramble into a mush of bones and gore . Then, I saw the same thing happen to your heart . We tend to throw a lot of blame around," she added, looking up at him . "But, for some reason, we never blame those actually responsible . It was that c.u.n.t that decided to go after him . She didn"t go after you . Or after me . She went after him . And Annar and Scarlet . She went in knowing she would die . I don"t think we need to blame anyone else . "
" . . . funny, how easy it is to lie," he looked up and faintly smiled before scuffling over and lying next to her, pulling her into his arms and hugging her tightly . "But, I won"t let you do it, L" . "
" . . . " Lucky said nothing, letting herself be wrapped into the muddied and bloodied arms . She didn"t even say anything of the stench, knowing full well he hadn"t washed since that day .
"You ever heard the tale of the Fox and the brave Hero?" he asked, stroking her hair gently .
" . . . no . " she replied lowly .
"It"s quite a fascinating one," he continued . "Once upon a time, far, far away, there was a village . And near the village lived a Fox who regularly stole village"s sheep, chicken, and even people, who named the fox Sneaky Fox . So, one day, the village"s Hero armed himself and decided he"d go and end the Fox"s tyranny . He marched alone toward the Fox"s den, cheered after by the villagers, and eventually entered it, meeting the evil Fox eye to an eye . The Fox, however, wasn"t as terrifying as the stories made her out to be; she was small, like a pup, cuddled up in the corner . She was sleeping, but instead of killing it right then and there, Hero waited her until the Fox woke up . "
" . . . "
"When it did, the Fox was surprised to find the Hero there and asked "What are you doing here?"? The Hero replied, "I came to kill you, evil Fox!" . "Then why didn"t you kill me when I was sleeping?", the Fox asked . "Because that would have been sneaky, and I would be exactly like you!" the Hero"s reply surprised the Fox . Thinking the Hero rather foolish, the Fox said, "Instead of fighting, why don"t we play a game? If you win, I"ll never bother your village again, but if you lose, you"ll become my slave forever . " Hero agreed after a short thought . "What"s the game?" he asked . "It"s very simple", the Fox said, "You just have to catch me and you win" . The Hero agreed and put away his sword . "Fine," he said, "I"ll catch you then!" . The Hero then ran toward the Sneaky Fox, but the latter didn"t even move; the Hero thought that the Sneaky Fox wasn"t so sneaky after all and quickly picked it up and wrapped it in his arms . "Hah, I win! Evil fox!" the Hero exclaimed proudly . The Sneaky Fox, however, grinned and said "Idiot . . . " before lifting its head and biting the Hero"s neck, killing him . "
" . . . "
" . . . "
" . . . eh? That"s it?" Lucky asked as she realized Lino had gone silent for a while .
"Yup . " Lino replied with a faint smile .
"Are you trying to tell me that, despite your stupidity, there are even stupider ones out there?" Lucky asked, suddenly bursting out into the laughter .
"Hey!! It"s a beautiful tale of learning, young lady! Don"t dismiss it just because of my personal agenda!"
"Oh, so there was some personal agenda involved?"
" . . . I refuse to confirm or deny that . "
" . . . ha ha ha, G.o.d you"re an idiot . . . " she mumbled, pressing her head deeper against his chest .
"Oof, that one hurt . "
" . . . he proposed to me . " Lucky spoke out, surprising Lino .
"Huh?"
"Just recently," she said, her voice cracking as Lino felt his s.h.i.+rt growing slightly wet . "He asked me to marry me . . . and I said yes . "
" . . . . "
"The stupid idiot nearly blew himself up trying to create some gem to give me," she chuckled through tears . "When . . . when he could have just asked . . . "
" . . . " Lino remained in stunned silence, halfway proud that he"d finally grown enough b.a.l.l.s to ask, and halfway further broken as he realized what it all compounded to .
" . . . and now . . . now he"s . . . he"s just gone . . . " she sobbed silently, her body shaking like a boat on a wave in his arms . "Just gone . . . "
" . . . " he didn"t know what else to do but hold her as tightly as he could; his expression growing sour as he held back a curse inside his lungs . She wept freely on his chest, letting go of her inhibitions, as he held her; he couldn"t say anything, couldn"t reaffirm that things would be fine, couldn"t console her, couldn"t even encourage her . Just stay silent and hold on with all his might and accept all she had to let go . Like a house built brick by brick, her cries compounded together as she held onto him tightly, afraid to let go .