Cascading Empire

Chapter 41

           Callex seemed to be comtemplating the answer, before turning to May, stopping in his foorsteps and revealed a painful smiled which May has never seen before. His eyebrows showed the tiniest sign of disappointment and pain, but she kept his smile straight and perfect like usual while his eyes showed something different. "I don't remember her name, sadly." May was tempted to turn away, and after blinking a couple times and capturing the painful image in her memory, she finally cleared her throat, turning her head away. Awkward silence filled the hallway while Ahn and Keith glanced at each other, before lowering their heads. 

           May comforted him, "It's fine. It's not like someone like you won't find someone you like," May said quietly, only enough for him to hear and he nodded slightly, ".. You're right. But if she's not dead, and still alive, I only want her." His face was blank while she could hear the slight wavering in his voice as she pushed away the feeling of a little jabbing pain at the corner of her heart. Was it sympathy? "If you want her, you want her. I wish you the best of luck," May said as she stepped into the elevator first as Callex followed after with a thick silence. Callex was deep in thought the entire conversation as he lightly huffed a breath, almost sounding like a disappointed sigh before giving a small smile to himself, almost like comforting him while he glanced at May now and then who seemed to also be in deep thought after their small talk. 

    

           As the elevator door opened, May's head was lowered as she stepped out, but immediately backed away as her eyes widened, seeing a person in front of her. "SAPHIRE?!" Saphire looked up and saw May, freezing for a moment. Eric glanced at Callex who was pressed on the wall with his hands crossed in front of him, seeing a familiar expression of pain engraved on his face. He stared for a bit before looking at Saphire and furrowing his brows. The memory of Saphire and him arguing in the maze immediately ran through his head. 

        "We can't just leave them like that on the last level, let's go back for May," Saphire said, wrapping a cloth around her arm while sweat trickled down her temple, looking at the cameras all staring at her. They were on the wall of the maze, resting while Eric urged them to just go ahead. "If you go back, who knows if they even let us. But now, the people we fought probably has already gathered and made a group right outside the elevator. If we go down, we could be easily ambushed, I don't want you getting injured like now," Eric explained as he lowered himself and went to aid Saphire's bleeding arm. Saphire grunted, eyebrows furrowed as she yanked her hands away.  

       "May and I have always been together, longer than you would think. I'm not going to leave her for selfish reasons of not wanting to get hurt," She said, staring straight into his eyes while her hands supported her up. "You're being selfish. If it was Callex, I doubt you would even be here tending to your wounds before rushing into battle like a dumbass," She shouted furiously, eyes piercing before lowering them to her wound. She was frustrated and angry at Eric for being selfish. She understood he wanted to watch out for her, but she wanted to save May, and if Eric didn't want to even go see his brother, then she would go alone. "I want to see Callex and make sure he is safe too, but I don't want to see you hurt. I'm sure you wouldn't want to see me hurt either, and Callex is a smart man-" "A smart man when it comes to himself. Who knows if they've encountered any old friends like us and taken them along with them?! Maybe they have to watch seven to ten people, you never know!" Saphire shouted, eyes almost tearing up at remember the image of her reunited friend who shot himself in order to get her to the next level. 

       Callex was taken back, he didn't expect Saphire would be so stubborn, "I'm going back, with or without you. You stay here," She still loved and cared for him, and wanted him to stay here so he wouldn't get injured. Eric rose after her and grabbed her arm as she yanked it away, "Let me go! Eric!" Eric immediately hugged her as Saphire backed away, punching him in the chest a couple times before pushing him off with all her might. "Go away if you want, I will go see May, I don't care if groups are out there ambushing me. After years of being in this torturous system, I'm sure I'll be fine. If you're afraid, then don't follow me. I'm not going to bring someone who afraid of their own life over others," She knew her words were harsh, but she couldn't help it. All her emotions exploded, before she stomped off. 

        Eric truly believed in May and Callex's strength, but never thought they they might have to watch a group of people too. Callex and May surely wouldn't be able to watch them all by themselves. He silently followed her while she jogged down the halls, stopping now and then to make sure there was no one around in the maze. 

       May and Saphire walked together, chatting as there was no longer guns on the ceiling. Rather, there were a bunch of cameras as she walked together ahead. May glanced at her and then to Eric, who was silently with the other three. Callex still seemd to be down, so she didn't bother to go and check on him. "Are you and.. Eric okay?" She asked, whispering and Saphire furrowed her eyebrows, "If he wants us to be, I'll need a full five paragraph essay explaining the little useless argument we had," Saphire said, still clearly angry and May lifted her eyebrows, giggling a little at her pettiness not knowing the reason they argued, but still continued walking. Soon enough, they were walking a bit too fast, and walked a bit furthur before hearing a loud noise up ahead. Making sure not to make the same mistake, May began to walk back slowly, pulling Saphire with her as she glared at the cameras ahead. She expected to hear Callex and Eric asked what was wrong, but instead, she felt her back hit the wall. 

      ... 

      "Where are the other four?"