MA: 82. Freedom At Last

The mounds of flesh began to melt away, creating a sea of blood that swept them all away. Red slashed the lingering parts of the Queen of Sweet and Bitter Thorns, her hands rummaging through the flesh and brambles until she found a still-breathing pup.

Three Paw | HP: 5

“Three Paw… Rockie! Boat mode, NOW!”

“BRRR!”

Despite Rockie’s weight, it was quite buoyant. Rockie scooped up the injured Snow alongside the Fairytale’s Bane before paddling towards Red.

In the meantime, Red quickly carved out several chunks of the Queen of Sweet and Bitter Thorn before it could sink into the sea of blood.

She couldn’t waste such precious nutrients.

“Go! Get as far away from here as possible! Don’t get caught in the storm!”

“Brr!”

“Snow! Are you ok!?”

“… I’ll regenerate. Honored Ones… can supplement blood for HP instantaneously. We only truly die if we lose all our blood.” Snow uttered, explaining how she was able to survive the recoil. “But I’m going to need your blood again… Haah…”

They were not in the clear yet. Massive waves threatened to consume them, as well as colossal driftwood. But Rockie was able to steer them, drifting through sudden whirlpools and riding waves.

Red foam could be seen in the distance. They washed upon the shores of emerald trees. Stars slowly began to populate the skies once again. One, two, a hundred, thousands – millions of stars greeted them right as the red sea turned to an endlessly flat ocean of darkness.

“We’re on a lake now? Eh? Wait, where did the mountain of flesh go?” Red tried to comprehend what had just happened.

No matter how many times she turned, she couldn’t find exactly where they had come from.

“There’s a tree still… over there… the remnants of the Queen of Sweet and Bitter Thorns. Haha… Hahahaha… Ahahahaha.”

Snow began to giggle as she reached for Three Paw, which was cradled in Red’s arms.

“… Don’t you get it, Red? We made it. We’re… no longer in a Corrupted Zone.”

“We’re free?”

“Yeah… We’re… hic free at last…”

Tears tumbled down Snow’s cheeks.

Nothing could stop her tears now.

The sight of the stars was proof that they had returned to the real world.

“… I’ve never seen a lake before.” Red softly spoke, causing Snow to giggle in the middle of her cries. “I’m serious. I didn’t know lakes could grow so large.”

“It’s a small lake, you know? Ahaha… Haaah… Three Paw. Come here…”

“Is Three Paw going to be ok?” Red asked.

“He’s sleep now. Let him sleep. I’ll be able to heal him, but…”

“He’s not going to recover fully, is he…?”

Snow shook her head.

“We’ll need stronger healing magic. But by then…”

“No…” Red muttered.

They had thought that everything was truly over now that that the Queen of Sweet and Bitter Thorns had been defeated. That it would all go back to normal. But reality was crueler. They were severely injured. Rockie had no way to fix their shell, and Snow’s Healing magic wouldn’t be enough to reverse the damage Three Paw had accumulated.

It was one thing to care about Snow, but for some reason, Red was equally as devastated to hear that Rockie and Three Paw were hurt beyond repair.

Her eyes glistened with moisture.

Her heart ached unnaturally.

She reached and began tenderly stroking the cracked grooves on Rockie’s back, and Three Paw’s head with her other hand.

“… I’m not supposed to care about nonhumans. I don’t know why I’m like this. You two shouldn’t be giving your life for us. I’m going to eat you at the end of the day. And still, you’re still by my side. I thought it was because you’re dumb animals. Bugs. Lower than humans. I still do.”

Something warm ran down her cheeks.

“But I can’t help but feel like there’s more to it than that. A wolf looking to find its own worth, and a Rock Bug that won’t stop moving forward no matter what’s thrown its way. I wish… it wasn’t so complicated.”

She touched her face, expecting to find blood.

But to her shock, these were tears.

“Huh? Eh? Why am I…?”

“It’s normal to cry, Red. There isn’t a single human who has never cried in their life. It’s the first thing humans do when they’re born.” Snow uttered, comforting her as she patted her head.

Her expression was not the kind one would expect to find on someone crying. Those tears fell on an expressionless face. This was because Red had never shed a single tear before. Even in the most extreme cases of agony, she had never allowed herself to show weakness.

But here, somehow, her emotions took over.

And all she could do was blame it on the Second State – her Heightened Emotions.

Those tears trickled into the cracks of Rockie’s back.

And then, those tears that were wiped by her hands, were padded into the wounds of Three Paw.

“So this is what it feels… to almost lose someone… I’m sorry Snow.” Red shook her head, trying to fight her tears. “I didn’t know… it was this painful.”

“It has to be. It’s normal for humans to be hurt when they lose friends.”

“The Queen of Sweet and Bitter Thorns was wrong. If she could feel this… then she wouldn’t have believed that humans are expendable.”

“It wasn’t able to understand humanity from the start. But you, Red, can. That makes you special. To me, you’re already human.”

“Even right now as I am?”

“Mhm. Lie down, Red. There’s plenty of time before we reach land. Come. There’s lots of space on Rockie’s back~”

Snow wiped both of their tears away as they laid beside each other, gazing up at the endless stars.

“Since we’re free now… can I ask you a question Snow?” Red gently picked up Three Paw and placed him on her stomach. “Why are you so afraid of stars? I mean, there’s no doubt that the light in the tree had something to Dow with how strong the Queen was, but still, isn’t it beneficial?”

“Anything with enough light will look like a star in the dark. You’ve heard of angler fish, right? They use light to draw in prey. Stars are like that. Rule of thumb is if something’s too good to be true, then it is a star.”

“So it was never a physical star?”

Snow remained silent for some time before she whispered:

“It depends. But honestly, nothing’s worth chasing or gazing at.” She giggled, turning to face Red. “… not when you’re around. Thank you.”

“I’m everyone’s star, huh?” Red smirked.

Snow’s mouth curled into a soft, tender smile. Her cheeks suddenly flushed. Slowly, she slid her hand towards Red’s. Their fingers fiddled with each other, playfully pushing, pulling and tickling away.

Then, Snow went on the attack and interlocked her fingers with Red’s.

“Eh? Your hands bigger than mine, huh?”

“Mhm. I’m bigger than you, after all. Ahaha~ One day, I hope I can figure out what kind of star you are to me. Hopefully before you can find out what I mean.”

“Is that a challenge~?”

“Ahahaha. Yeah. It is.”

They drifted away in the presence of each other. No one knew where they’d end up from here on out. But it didn’t matter to them the slightest. They indulged in the moment, devouring the stars with their eyes.

Eventually, the sight of the pale obelisk – the Nexus – came into view. It was the largest object in the world, reaching heights that not even they could comprehend. It just kept on ascending to a place that Snow called Heaven.

  *

< You are now in the sightlines of the Nexus >

< New Skills, Stats, Abilities and Professions will be granted shortly >

< Friends! I Has Gained Several Levels >

< Friendship with Snow, Rockie Grey and Three Paw has increased! >

< Confidant >

< Snow | Lvl: 25 >

< Rockie Grey | Lvl: 20 >

< Three Paw | Lvl: 10 >

< Rockie Grey and Three Paw are available for evolution >