𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙤𝙪𝙡 ♥︎

Chapter 44: Comply To Failure

Two weeks later,
The North. 

My feet trekked alongside the snowy path. The ice beneath crunching as I shoved past the deserted tundra.

Everywhere I look, I see chasms, hills, and mountaintops.

I feel the cold northern wind blow against my face as I look into the distance, glancing at the high plateau.

It's not as cold as last time.

I'm wearing everything I need to survive.

I don't need to rely on the others as much as I did back then.

Yet, the cold feels amplified with each step I take. It shouldn't be this way, even in a place such as this.

Winter still isn't here, yet I'm freezing with multiple jackets on.

Every time I stop and glance over at them, I feel my temperature drop even further. When I see that innocent smile, I cannot help but feel the guilt of my actions.

She doesn't even know.

Rapi, Neon, and Anis all walked alongside Marian, who was taking in the strange scenery.

It's strange, this is the place I reunited with her, yet she doesn't even remember.

She held a dumb smile on her face. Occasionally, she halted and scooped up snow from the ground so she could throw it at the others.

Rapi didn't like it but said nothing.

Neon and Anis on the other hand were a completely different story.

They played with her, throwing snowballs until they eventually tired out. But Marian didn't, her energy was extraordinary.

Managing to tire out two of the most lively people I know was a feat unknown to me, yet here she was, doing just that.

"Commander! Let's play together!"

I felt a snowball collide with my backside.

I stopped and looked back at her.

That dumb expression had never wavered. Not once.

She held many snowballs in her hands, laughing innocently. Oblivious to all that's been happening.

I can't let myself get more attached than I already am.

I turned back and started walking once again.

"Commander?"

.  .  .

It has been fourteen days.

Rapi told me everything, even though I already knew.

Heavenly Ascension, the name I will never forget.

Ingrid followed up on her promise and tightened the security of The Outpost,

But that was not enough to stop them.