Chapter 505: Death Follows

Lying on the ground, Aether stared at the sky, watching the clouds move slowly as he slowly regained himself; that had probably been one of the most terrifying moments in his whole life, and he wasn’t even joking about it.

Being chased by that many monsters was not something he was used to, especially knowing that many of them he had nothing to do with when it came to fighting.

To make it worse, when they had finally gotten out, the damn Breaker giant was waiting for them; to their luck... well, actually, it was to their luck, as that giant had actually helped them a lot.

And he was thankful to it, but damn, was he scared when he first saw it; it was embarrassing to admit, but he had almost frozen in place again. As ironic as it was, the thing that woke him up was the illusion and hollow whispers he heard because of the Abyss’s influence.

Turning around to gaze at Elise, the girl looked completely exhausted, almost as if someone had made her work the whole day without any break or food. But she had probably used a lot of essence, just like he had.

Though he had to say, her powers were... interesting.

Seeing him look at her, Elise also turned to look at him, breathing heavily to catch her breath from all that running. "Do you... think any of the people inside the town survived?" The girl said, but he knew that both she and he knew the truth.

"No way. If they didn’t leave the moment I arrived, then definitely not, and I sure didn’t see anyone pass by me to leave when I came. If the infection didn’t overwhelm them, then the Breaker Titan definitely did. There’s no doubt in my mind, everyone inside that town except us is dead"

"And... are you not upset with their death?" The girl said, getting closer to him and resting her back against his.

"I’m not happy they died, but like I’ve said many times now, probably, I’m not going to grieve over the life of anyone that dies; there are too many deaths to do that." ... He paused for a second, thinking of everything. "Yet I do find myself slightly responsible."

He chuckled, but it was clear that there was no amusement behind it, as he turned his head slightly towards her. "People around me tend to die, a lot of them. Most really."

Elise’s eyes widened, but before she could ask a question, he continued. "It’s why I didn’t want you to come with me, and why I wanted to leave all of a sudden, to make sure my curse didn’t take effect."

The girl scoffed, which surprised Aether. "Really? A curse? I think you’re thinking too much of these coincidences. Many people have a lot of people die around them. I once entered a book where everyone I met just died; it happens."

"Yeah... I also hope that. But I can’t anymore. I don’t want to risk it."

"So what are you trying to say?" She said, pulling back so she could look at him clearly. "That you don’t want me to come with you because of your so-called curse?"

Aether sighed, nodding. He didn’t want to admit it, but that was exactly what he was trying to hint at. As rude as it was, it was something he had to do; that way, Elise didn’t die because of him.

"Quite ironic." She said, grabbing his chin and making him look at her. "After all, if you hadn’t come back, I would have died... If your curse is real, why did your involvement mean I lived when it should have killed me? Hm?"

...

"Life’s not a game, curses don’t exist, and neither does being destined for glory. You can never know what happens in the future; both bad and good happen. It’s something that everyone experiences, some more than others, to the point that they feel that only the former comes to them.

But does that mean they’re cursed? No. It’s just an excuse so you can detach yourself from humans; that way, if they do die, you don’t suffer as much."

He didn’t respond, just staring at the girl as he rubbed his thumb against his index finger. "Whatever." He quickly said, trying to change the topic. "Those petal things, are they your powers?"

Elise sighed, aware that he was trying to avoid their talk, but knowing he wasn’t going to continue it, she had nothing to do but bite. "It’s my Affinity, yes; I can control them. Then, with my abilities, I can shape them and sense whenever they make contact."

She summoned a rose, one that lacked most of its petals. "This is a very important relic to me; it’s the thing that makes my Affinity even more helpful. It spreads petals around and grows them back, so I can throw them again; that way I can use them whenever and wherever I want."

Letting the petals flow back into her core, she smirked. "What about you? What are your powers? That black stuff was... interesting..."

"My Affinity? Hiding into shadows? Not that impressive as you thought, huh?" Elise’s eyes widened as she heard that. "Shadows? Huh, pretty unique; not many have Affinities close to that... you’re probably the first person I’ve met that has one directly to them...

Are you...-"

Aether cut her off, already knowing what she was about to ask. She was smart enough to figure it out after seeing him fight in person, so he wasn’t going to continue lying; there was no need for it. "Yes, I’m the Abyss’s Vessel."

Elise blinked twice. "I... didn’t expect you to admit it so suddenly, and without a care?"

Aether tilted his head. "And why is that? Who knows how many of us have already died; most will continue to die, so does it matter if my identity gets revealed if most die? Plus, I was going to make sure the Blue Rose knew that the Abyss was alive long ago..."

He smirked. "Though, I prefer Fallen Eden. It’s like my whole thing."

...

Elise opened her mouth but then closed it again, looking at him a bit longer. "You know, I think we’re getting over this too fast; did I hear you right? You’re the Abyss’s Vessel?"

Aether sighed, annoyed, but he nodded. "You heard me just fine the first time; admit it, you just don’t want to believe it since it is too much of a shock."

Elise chuckled. "I admit it, there, what, no? It is far easier to deny things than accept the truth. Of course, don’t think too highly of yourself; I won’t deny you too long. I have other, better stuff to do than worry about who the Abyss is."

...

Aether chuckled. "You know, Elise, it’s quite funny; you are very lively. I didn’t expect that, well, at least, I didn’t after seeing your reaction to the news with your brother. You acted very differently then; did you get over it that quickly?

The girl stopped for a second, bewildered by the question she was being asked.

"Of course not. No sister gets over the death of her brother that quickly. If she even loved him in the first place, I just try to keep my personal suffering outside my conversations and connections to others."

"I see..." Aether said, surprised by her response, yet at the same time, he had to say he was both impressed and happy with it. She proved in his eyes to be mature, and yet caring at the same time. Enough not to stop her emotions, but also to know not to show them to anyone.

"I also have a sister, and if I were in your position, I would never be able to do what you do. We are far different when it comes to this, to the loss of a family member. But that’s maybe because she’s the only bit of family I’ve seen in years."

Laughing, he stared at the sky until Elise leaned forward into his vision. "So, still planning on leaving alone and not letting me come, just because of your curse or whatever."

Aether bit his lip, sighing. "Fine... but you better not die. If you do, I’m coming to the afterlife and holding you accountable for what you did." He sighed, crossing his arms.

The girl pushed back, chuckling while she rolled her eyes. "Whatever, like you could ever do that. So, what is your plan? What do you have in store next?" She clapped her hands, ecstatic.

"Isn’t it obvious?" Aether said, a bit annoyed. "We’re going back to the place we came from, to see if there is any way we can leave." He smirked at the gate.

With the giant fighting and feeding on the monsters, he didn’t have to worry about meeting him, so now he could move towards the entrance with less fear than before. And he knew he was close; he could feel it.

There wasn’t anything stopping them now.