BXBX NOVEL Chapter 284: WHERE ARE YOU????
Having repeatedly employed his art series, Eli sensed the impending exhaustion, prompting him to conclude the training session prematurely.
"Hmm..." Lilith deliberated on what course of action to take, her bracelet signaling that it had already darkened by 60%.
"Okay, but for what?" Lilith sought clarification, still not grasping the underlying significance.
"I want to show my cool side!" Eli declared, a playful smirk gracing his lips.
"You\'re always cool to me, though" Lilith responded with a sincere expression, causing Eli to abandon his smirk and gaze at her in silence.
\'What is he even saying? My Darling, you are always cool and elegant....\' She thought.
"...." Faced with his intense gaze, Lilith tilted her head, her silky golden hair framing Eli\'s face.
"...."
A profound silence hung in the air, and Lilith lowered her head.
As their lips parted, they simultaneously uttered words of endearment.
"I Love You"
"I Love You"
"~Hmm~"
Their prolonged, deep kiss spoke volumes. After breaking the kiss, Eli rose to his feet, locking eyes with Lilith. A sense of yearning emanated from him, and Lilith too sensed the melancholy that had settled over her husband.
Eli was fully cognizant of his emotional turbulence since the previous day. Eli couldn\'t help but wonder how his easily emotions changed within a day. While emotions might shift quickly, the underlying true feelings usually took more time to transform.
While pondering the reasons behind his emotional unrest, he suddenly remembered something more important,
"Ah, and make sure to bring \'Her\'" Eli\'s tone turned serious as he issued the directive.
"Adriana?" Lilith ventured a guess.
"Yes."
"Why?" Lilith\'s forehead creased in confusion. Eli had a direct line of communication with Adriana, making the need for Lilith to involve herself unclear.
"She has been avoiding my calls" Eli admitted, his annoyance tinged with a trace of frustration at missing his interactions with cute little vampire.
"Hmm... Maybe she\'s busy with other things?" Lilith offered a plausible explanation, subtly acknowledging her role in directing Adriana to eliminate the escaped monster.
But Eli, privy to the true reason behind Adriana\'s evasion, remained silent.
"Bring her" Eli reiterated, closing the topic. Lilith nodded without further inquiry, ready to carry out her husband\'s cute order. As she prepared to depart, Eli caught her hand in a sudden, unexpected gesture.
"Darling?"
Eli stayed silent not answering anything... Only staring at her eyes. Lilith, in response, intertwined her fingers with his, suggesting a shared bond that transcended spoken words.
"Shall we go for a walk?" Lilith proposed softly, sensing her husband\'s emotional vulnerability.
"..." Eli stared at the woman who understood him. He felt a bit pathetic acting this way, but he responded, "Yes" He didn\'t mind showing every side of himself to Lilith.
Soon, they exited the ruined arena, momentarily forgetting something crucial, or perhaps deliberately choosing to overlook it.
Eli had no intention of attending Aadya\'s class, having expended his energy in the rigorous training. He swiftly messaged her,
/I cannot attend class and.... I am sorry? /
Ignoring the sudden return message, Eli and Lilith left the Nex, stepping onto the streets.
Lilith, employing an invisibility spell, shielded them from the prying eyes of the public.
Silent steps echoed as they walked, Lilith patiently waiting for her husband\'s thoughts. Though she possessed the ability to delve into his mind, she refrained from doing so.
Eli, glancing at their joined hands, suddenly posed a question, "What will you do if I don\'t feel any feelings/emotions for others?"
"Who others?" Lilith responded without breaking her stride.
"Others... Well, a person you care about, but I don\'t care about something like that" Eli explained with a simplicity that mirrored his thoughts.
"..." Lilith contemplated his words. She understood his implications for example if Eli wasn\'t friends with Adriana then he might not have cared for her however Lilith still cared for her only friend.
"It\'s fine darling, you don\'t need to feel for others" She said as she also felt it was the best option.
"..." Eli paused, halting his steps to gaze at her, silently urging her to elaborate.
Lilith offered a slight smile and continued, "Not everyone in this world truly feels for others... They just act.
An act for others so they don\'t feel guilt....
I don\'t particularly feel anything if you don\'t have feelings for others.
However, My darling.... don\'t ever regret your choice"
Eli studied her face for a few moments before nodding. Yet, Lilith added something that made startled him, "And don\'t worry about the old fool"
Eli raised an eyebrow,
"Tsk, come on, Darling, did you think I couldn\'t sense your fear when that old fool ogled at me?" Lilith expressed annoyance, assuming her husband must have perceived her as foolish. Eli offered an awkward smile, "Well..."
"Hmph, do you think if I am not powerful, that old fool would have surely stolen me from you?" Lilith asserted, hitting the nail on the head.
"..." Eli started to respond but halted, unable to present a counterargument.
Her words resonated with truth. Eli had indeed worried when the Head Master leered at his wife. It triggered memories of past vulnerabilities, reminding him of how powerless he had been... before a \'mere\' star-rank cultivator.
If Lilith weren\'t more potent than the Head Master, Eli was convinced that Head Master might have resorted to force to claim her from him. Eli wasn\'t imagining this because the way Head Master looked at his wife, Eli definitely knew those expressions...
The predatory gaze.
It was then that Eli felt a haunting echo of powerlessness, He felt like a shit in front of a Emperor Rank Cultivators.
To an outsider, Eli\'s comparison might seem laughable: A soulless entity comparing himself to an Emperor transcendent..... How laughable and call him a idiot and even if Emperors asked something like that then it should his duty to do that... That\'s how weak should do.
Yet, Eli grappled with the fear, prompting him to seek Lilith\'s strength to gauge the chasm between them and understand how much longer he needed to attain such power.
This fear manifested in his reluctance to leave her alone, as an unknown anxiety tightened its grip on his throat.
What if the Head Master or another Emperor Rank cultivator apprehended him, coercing Lilith into actions she didn\'t desire?... even something more despicable?
The memories of the past that he sealed suddenly broke a little...
/
???\'s POV
The surroundings were engulfed in white flames, radiant and holy, casting an eerie yet divine glow.... as if Holy Flames.
"arh-rh--ur--" My vision moved slowly, heavy breaths mixing with groans as it approached a body that seemed lifeless.
"D-Dea----"
"You should have just let her die, but here you are, dying with her... What a tragic love-sillful story... sniff, sniff. May the gods bless you next life where you get a maiden rather than a \'Whore\'!!" a mocking voice echoed behind me.
"By the order of our Dawn Hero, I hereby announce the death sentence to these filthy sinners that trampled on our land....."
-------
Soon, the surroundings morphed into a dark place.
"-ha-ha-ha" My vision sprinted faster as if racing through the middle of the night, stealing glances back at a horde of low-level monsters in relentless pursuit.
"FASTER!! ASHER!!!" The sound echoed through the dark expanse, urging my vision to move even faster in a forest that seemed to swallow the feeble light.
"W-Where? Where? Where? WHERE AM I????" I shouted as the tears and snot leaked.
----------
\'Thunder, thunder\'
The surroundings shifted once more, this time to a place cloaked in black ashes.....
"puff, puff, puff" My vision turned blurry, moving frantically through the ashes, searching as if engaged in an exhausting marathon, struggling to breathe.
\'W-Where? Where? Where are you? WHERE ARE YOU????" I shouted yet again.
"Who is there?" The sound pierced the air, and my blurry vision instinctively sought refuge in the black ashes, concealing itself.
And just as it was about to loo---
/
Lilith saw Eli\'s eyes losing their lustre, and without hesitation, she immediately enveloped him in a reassuring embrace, drawing him back from the haunting depths of his reverie.
"Darling! I am here... I am here" Lilith bit her lips, and they trembled with concern. She couldn\'t help but regret uttering those words.
Eli blinked for a few seconds before slowly allowing himself to absorb the warmth of Lilith\'s embrace. His fingers clung tightly to her back, as if afraid to let go. However, those fingers looked abnormal, almost like a reddish-black substance.
\'No, Asher... We are fine\' Eli muttered inwardly, and magically, the reddish-black substance transformed into the semblance of normal, lively fingers.
\'Deep inhale\'
Taking a breath, he gradually loosened his grip, releasing the tension that had momentarily consumed him.
Inside Eli\'s soul,
The colossal mountain quivered, sending ice debris cascading down its slopes, creating a chilling symphony of destruction. The white space resonated with the echoes of suffering, as anguished cries of tormented souls reverberated against the icy walls.
Seated upon an icy throne, the reddish-black figure stared its hands... the absence of fingers as if they were chopped off.
However, the two ethereal white figures beside it extended their luminous hands, their ethereal touched it\'s hands. The reddish-black figure\'s fingers gradually normalized before a sigh was released from it.
It glanced at the two figures, they white ethereal ghost-like figures simply shrugged their shoulders.
Shaking its head in a gesture of acknowledgement, the reddish-black redirected its attention to the suffering souls.
"More"
It didn\'t sound live voice instead it cracked a monster voice that sent shivers through the soul space.
And soon,
"PLEASE!! STOP-AAAHHHH"
"WE ARE -ASSSSORRYYYYY!!!"
"M-MY SON! P-PLEASE STOP THIS. WE SHOULDN\'T BE TORTURED LIKE THIS FOR A BIT--AAGGGHHHHH"
"PLEASE FORGIV----!!!!"
"N-NO, NO MORE PLEASE!!!"
"-\'sob\'-\'sob\' HOW LONG WE ARE GOING TO SUFFER LIKE THIS!!!"
"GOD! PLEASE HELP US FROM THIS MONS-AARRRRHHHH"
The agonizing cries of the tormented people at the mountain base intensified, creating a crescendo of despair. The reddish-black figure remained comfortably seated on the throne, a silent observer of the unfolding tragedy.
Glancing at the two figures beside it, who continued to shake their heads in disapproval.