Vesryn Pulse: Wrath of Xenon

CHAPTER 12: AWAKENING

CHAPTER 12: AWAKENING

XENON WINGATE

3 YEARS AGO

My eyes opened. I saw grayish-white skies raining ash-colored snowflakes. I feel a little bit warm even though I’m laying on thick snow. I can move my body but I feel like something has been pinning me down.

I remember everything. General Eldritch betrayed me. He used a Heartstopper Curse at me and shot Alfred in the head. There is no way I could be alive. But I don’t think I’m in heaven because I can still smell burnt rubber and blood in the air. If anything, I could very well still be near Vanilla City. But I could no longer hear any gunshots or explosions.

My heart shouldn’t be working anymore, but I can hear my own heartbeats. Did the Heartstopper Curse fail?

I looked at my chest and saw a woman with long silky black hair dipping her ears on me as if she’s checking if my heart is still beating. Noticing that I moved a little, the woman with red eyes glanced at me.

“Sen...pai…?” The adorable face of the woman blushed. Her crimson eyes unleashed sprinkles of tears as she cried out loud. “Senpai! You’re alive! Thank goodness it worked!”

“Serena…” I muttered. I just remembered the pinky promise I made to her. I told her to wait at the grocery store and I will come to save her. But I failed to keep that promise. I must have made her worried.

“Senpai, can you stand?” Serena stood up first, and she offered her soft and warm hand. I grabbed it, and she assisted in raising my body.

My legs still work. My arms can move fine. I don’t have any fatal injuries. I only have minor bruises and cuts all over my body. My eyes are clear, my ears can still hear, and I can still feel the temperature and the pain of my wounds. I can taste the sour saliva that has been stuck on my mouth. I’m completely fine, except for my heart which is beating in overdrive for some unknown reason.

“What… happened?” I asked.

“The war is over Senpai. The giant scary dragon and the armies have vanished without a trace.” Serena answered.

Suddenly, I remembered someone. My eyes opened wide as I mutter the name of my friend that was left behind on this mess.

“Carlo!” I immediately ran towards the shattered wall, paving my way back to the ruined city.

“Senpai!” Serena followed me like a dog.

We ventured deeper towards the destroyed city, checking rubble after rubble, looking for signs of life. The landscape of the city has changed drastically that it makes it hard for me to remember the place where we left Carlo to battle the dragon knight.

Twenty minutes have passed, and still, I couldn’t find anyone. All I see are charred limbs or evaporated part of bodies. This is a scene where I’m worried about Serena since she may not be used to seeing dead people, but she appears calm and collected as if she had seen worse.

After half an hour, Serena stumbled upon an arm buried in the snowy ground. It’s not just a regular arm because it has a sleeve of a white Eskimo suit and it has a white glove similar to mine.

“Senpai…” Serena grabbed my attention.

I immediately dug the snow. The first thing I excavated is a badly-shattered tower shield that has now the size of a half of itself. I continued to dig in until I was finally able to recover Carlo, or what remains of him. I was way too late. Only his upper body and left hand remained intact. His body is wholly frostbitten, and the missing parts of his body are converted to charred flesh.