Chapter 297: Ruined City [200 PS Bonus - (1)]

Chapter 297: Ruined City [200 PS Bonus Chapter (1)]

Leon approached the well and looked inside. It was deep... and empty.

The water had dried out long ago, leaving dried and cracked clay at the bottom. He pulled away from the well and looked around.

"Who builds a well in this kind of place? Or was it previously a farm?"

Selene calmly shook her head. "We can’t be sure. Also, it doesn’t really concern us, so let’s keep going."

Leon shrugged, and they left the well behind. As they walked further and further away, the grasses grew taller, reaching their waists.

Leon glanced at Selene and asked. "Can you surf in the air now? That ice board you made."

Her lips curled into a frown, and she answered, "No. I can only control how fast it falls. Still, jumping through the air should be possible."

Leon slowly nodded and turned away. He folded his arms behind him, looking at the seemingly endless expanse of yellow grass.

"You also heard about the Dome," He said, contemplating something. "That is probably one of their main settlements. Don’t you think?"

Selene hummed quietly. "Yes. But I sense that something is deeply wrong with this... Vaelari. They seem overly cautious. It’s almost like they want anything that isn’t them to die."

"Then why aren’t they launching attacks against parasites? If you had been awake while they chased us, you’d think humans had killed their forefathers or something," Leon laughed dryly, unamused by his own joke.

He still felt a flicker of annoyance toward them, even though they were all dead now.

"Maybe they fear parasites..." She muttered casually, her gaze locking on another well in the distance.

They moved towards it, and Leon looked inside cautiously. To his surprise, the well wasn’t empty. It didn’t have water inside either.

Instead, it had...

"A cat?"

Looking at the small creature with a mix of white and gold fur, Leon felt greatly confused. There was no crystal on the cat’s head, which meant it was either unranked or not even a mutated beast at all.

"What did you find?" Selene asked, unwilling to look inside the well.

Leon cleared his throat, the sound echoing in the well. "It’s... a cat."

Selene frowned, then replied with forced composure. "Bring it out."

Ignoring the strangeness in her tone, Leon did as he was told. He didn’t have to enter the well. Instead, he made the shadows solid and tangible, gently picking up the cat with a tendril and pulling it out of the well.

Meow!

It flailed its small legs and meowed cutely as it stared at the two humans. Leon blinked, then held it with his hands.

’Not bad, this thing is cute.’

The cat blinked too, staring at him curiously.

From the side, Selene cleared her throat and said, "Hand it over."

They both turned to her, bewildered.

Tilting his head, Leon asked, "Excuse me?"

Realizing her tone might have been forceful, she pursed her lips and sighed. "Just bring the cat. I want to see it."

Leon’s eyes narrowed, but he still passed it to her. At least the creature didn’t seem to be harmful.

Holding the cat, Selene gently folded her arms around it. It stared at her for a few seconds, then closed its eyes and purred.

She smiled faintly, brushing its fur with a gentleness that was unexpected from her.

Leon stared, aghast. "You... like cats?"

Selene’s smile disappeared again, and she looked at him with sharp eyes. "Yes. Is there something wrong with liking cats?"

Shaking his head, Leon chuckled. "No, no. Not at all. I was just surprised."

She narrowed her eyes, then turned away from him. "Let’s go."

Leaving the cat with her, Leon walked beside her.

They journeyed for an extra hour before finding another well. However, just like the first one, it was completely dry. It didn’t even have a cat inside.

Strangely, Selene looked disappointed.

A few minutes after passing the well, they finally left the grassland and entered another region.

All around them, they could see half-collapsed structures of several buildings cluttered together, resembling the remains of an ancient city.

Walking towards what appeared to have been the city’s gate, the two Evolvers looked around cautiously.

This was the first time they had ever found a settlement, and sadly, it had been destroyed.

’The destruction wasn’t recent...’ Leon noted.

Selene stopped, then looked at the collapsed walls. "This place must have been conquered years ago. It’s very old."

"Conquered?" Leon tilted his head. "It looks like it was destroyed and abandoned, though."

"Yes," She said with a nod. "But something conquered it."

Suddenly gripped by unease, Leon frowned. "Parasites...?"

The cat in Selene’s arms suddenly stirred, looking towards one of the dilapidated buildings. It bared its fangs and snarled, fur bristling warily.

Before Selene could react, it jumped out of her arms and landed on Leon’s shoulder, quickly climbing his head and grabbing his hair.

The young man winced slightly from the pull.

Selene stared at the cat like it had betrayed her, then turned to the target of its wariness.

From behind the building, a Vaelari man stepped out, wearing clothes that had been worn out by time.

He stared at them, then smiled. Raising his hand, he waved awkwardly.

Leon’s brows furrowed at the sight. Something didn’t seem right. The Vaelari he had encountered were always hostile towards outsiders. Why was this man seemingly friendly?

The cat clinging to his hair snarled again, looking at the man warily.

Selene slowly unsheathed her sword and pointed it at him.

"Introduce yourself," She said coldly.

The man’s expression twitched, like he was trying to find a response to her question. His smile dimmed, then shifted into a scowl.

His eyes rolled around unnaturally before settling on her with hostility.

"Aliens... kill aliens..." He said in a ragged, broken voice.

Leon’s expression changed. "This... is not a Vaelari?"

Selene was already moving as she spoke. "It’s a parasite."

The moment she lunged at the man, he lunged at her too with his bare hands, snarling like a wild beast.

Slice!

Selene didn’t waste time and sliced off his head. The body toppled to the ground while the head rolled and stopped a few meters away.

His eyes still looked at them—hostile and wrong.

Then, his mouth opened, and something crawled out.