A Distant Reverie

Chapter 79

Did she make it?

The question thundered in Vesper's head over the stampeding rain and the endless bombardment of molten rocks.

There was nothing more he could do. The barrage of rocks that separated him from Kobo also blocked off his exit to the insides of the castle. The relentless salvos from Mount Iya continued to descend.

He could no longer hear the screams and shouts of the engineers and royal knights that were also atop of the battlement. Were they dead? Did any of them make into safety? Or were their cries overpowered by the sounds of destruction everywhere?

Or perhaps, was his own body beginning to fail him?

I'm alone again.

Nothing had changed.

It was just like how he was back at home—trapped in that sullen library, immersed in his meaningless work, lost in books and documents. He secluded himself in words and ink, trying to distract himself from the agonizing pain of his failures. From those brief vestiges of reprieve, he could forget about his defective nature. His flawed constitution. His estrangement from the Noir family. This went on until he was too tired to keep his eyes open. Only then would he fall asleep, too exhausted to even dream. And when sun arrived, he would repeat the same cycle again.

Unchanging.

Alone.

What a pathetic life.

He wore a self-deprecating smile as he dragged himself forward. He crawled along the drenched stony surfaces. The vibrations of the salvos shuddered into his palms and joints. He could feel that the battlement was on the verge of collapse. It was obvious—the ancient castle was not built to withstand flaming rocks being hurled from the skies.

Vesper was not oblivious to the futility of his actions. He was incapacitated. His body was in disarray. Each pulse of his raging heart felt like he was being stabbed by a pick of ice. Everywhere hurt. He could barely move. Every second that passed was another chance that he could be blasted apart by raining molten rock.

Nonetheless, he continued.

Why?

It would have been easy to just close his eyes and embrace the death's door. Indulge in the sweet relief of giving up and surrendering himself to this agonizing fate. Be released from the torture of constantly fighting to stay alive. And yet, here he was, still trying. Still struggling. Still suffering.

Did he underestimate his own will to live? Maybe.

Was he influenced by his companions' determination and resolve? Definitely.

It was shocking, but it seemed that somewhere inside of him, he still possessed a faint vestige of hope.

Maybe I'll surprise myself again.

He smirked, relishing in the memory of the Naiad's defeat. He had succeeded in casting an ice spell to freeze the water elemental in place. He had done it. For the first time in his wretched life, he managed to overcome the limitations of his body. The feat that he had thought was impossible became reality.

It'll be unfortunate.

But I don't think I'll mind if this was my last memory.

The reverberations beneath his palms grew even stronger. Vesper heard a sharp creak, accompanied by a deafening bellow. It took him a second to realize it was the castle structure groaning. Suddenly, cracks and fissures emerged across the stony battlement.