Vesryn Pulse: Wrath of Xenon

CHAPTER 18: DRAGON KNIGHT ACADEMY

CHAPTER 18: DRAGON KNIGHT ACADEMY

XENON WINGATE

2 ½ YEARS AGO

The sunlight shoved upon my face. I feel the cold ground on my right arm that was pinned by my stomach. The fact that I slept on the floor with my right arm made it clear why it is about to go numb. I turned to my other side in an attempt to get more sleep. There are three empty bottles of beer right in front of my eyes, and a bag of chips lying around.

Normally, the sunlight wouldn’t reach me from this corner of the living room. But somebody opened the curtains with the purpose of waking me up. I can hear rants from a woman as she steps beside me and picks up the bottles and empty packs of chips surrounding my body. I just let the woman complain like a mother as I closed my eyes and tried to sleep again.

“For God’s sake, Xenon Paul Animusphere Wingate. You got drunk and slept on the floor again like a stupid. You’re gonna get cold out here, and I’ll have to take care of you, and make your soup, and wash your clothes, and clean your blankets, and…”

That voice, it’s Serena; my trustworthy dragonoid. I’ve never ever heard her badmouth me before since she’s always a nice girl. Just to make sure, I opened my eyes to see who’s talking. And I’m right. It’s Serena. Looks like she finally came back after three days from her part-time job.

“H-Hey, Senpai~” She made a bright smile at me, which seemed to be forced. “N-Nice morning today, isn’t it?”

I raised my body and scratched my head. “G-Good morning, Serena,” I said. Then I yawned and burped at the very same time. My head hurts like hell. The hangover is tolling.

“Senpai, would you mind getting up from that floor so that I can clean your stupid mess?” Serena asked.

I swear, she sounds so kind and gentle but I know she’s pissed at me. I’ve never seen Serena angry, and I don’t want to. So I complied with her demand and sat on a nearby sofa. I held my forehead and stared at the ceiling, waiting for the dizziness on my vision to disappear. While being a dead-beat man in an early-morning, I watched Serena vacuum all the dust on the ground where I slept.

“Sudden thought, Senpai.” Serena smiled at me. “Why wouldn’t you forget Marisse already? Just move on, and carry on with your own life, maybe? Since the time you saw their wedding clip, you’ve been drinking nonstop even though you know you’re weak in alcohol. It would be way better for you if you forget your feelings with her.”

I didn’t answer because Serena struck all the points. But I cannot do what she’s saying. Feelings are feelings, and there is no logical way to describe them. Even if I was cheated and betrayed by my ex-girlfriend, the feelings wouldn’t fade right away, even for the course of months. Marisse and I spent four years of relationship, and those happy memories together will take a lot of time to dissolve. The pain in my heart won’t go right away. Maybe time will heal the wounds and make me forget my past lover, but not now. The emotional wounds are still fresh. That’s why I succumb to being an alcoholic so that I can cope with my depression and anxiety. You can’t blame me since my friends, lover, and honor are taken away from me. My family is in peril, and I am just here, chilling in an enemy country, not being able to do anything. It’s a miracle that I haven’t resorted to suicide already.

But Serena is right. I’m giving her a hard time for being a self-destructive dead weight. Serena is the one earning the most money with her modeling career and music band. Almost all our living expenses have been covered by her money. If I stay spending useless things, I would really be a burden for her.

Technically and legally saying, all the money she earns is my money. Here in Alterra, they don’t allow dragonoids to have property or monetary rights. So Serena used my bank account where she could stash her earnings. I’m just a freeloader, leeching for the money my dragonoid have earned for a living. I feel bad about it. In fact, I feel so useless. Sometimes, I wonder why Serena is still staying with me.