Chapter 93
He drove while staring straight ahead.
In his silence, he admitted that he had once stopped across from Absyumura's house, even though he did not have the courage to truly knock on the door.
That sense of shame had taken root.
Yet behind it, there was still an intention he wanted to convey, even if not through a direct meeting.
The snacks and gifts he had bought from the vendors earlier became a concise substitute for his absence.
They were a small way to show the direction of his heart without having to stand on the threshold he had long feared.
After making sure every shopping bag was securely tied, he stopped the car in front of the post office.
He handed everything over without hesitation.
The process was brief.
But its meaning was long.
He asked Absyumura, who was still connected on the call at the time, to act as an intermediary.
A figure who would receive the packages at home and then hand them directly to Miara.
Within that request, there was a hope so faint.
Not that Miara would forgive him instantly.
But that she would know Shaqar was no longer completely closing the door, even though he was still unable to step inside.
Each parcel became a small trace of regret and growing courage.
Like seeds planted in soil that had once been barren.
Yet among the line of items being sent, there was one object Shaqar considered the most valuable.
A clean white envelope without a single stain.
Simple, yet containing something far deeper than a mere apology.
He held his breath as he explained to Absyumura that the envelope must not be handed directly to Miara as soon as it arrived home.
There was timing that needed to be arranged.
There was an atmosphere that had to be ensured as safe and comfortable first.
Apathy, who sat in the passenger seat, also heard the instructions.
And although he did not fully understand the contents of the envelope, he could feel the emotional weight surrounding it.
As if the envelope were a fragment of Shaqar's heart that had long been wrapped in fear.
Now, slowly, it was being entrusted to someone he believed could safeguard it until the right moment.
"Alright, Father. I understand."
Tuuut!
"Apathy, how many hours do we have left before Zhulumat Katamtum orders all members of Team Xirkushkartum to gather?"
After the communication line closed and silence once again filled the cabin, Shaqar drew a long breath.
As if he had just set down a burden he had carried for a long time.
The air inside the car felt more spacious.
Yet that calm was not entirely complete.
The post office behind them seemed to become a silent witness to everything he had just done.
From choosing small snacks he believed might slightly soften the distance.
To packaging his most fragile hopes into parcels that could only be delivered by someone else.
Behind his slowly relaxing awareness, there was still a faint echo of old anxiety.
But now it was accompanied by a slightly stronger resolve.
He knew that after this, there would be no more time to hide behind excuses or shame.
Apathy sat quietly beside him.
Occasionally glancing out the window to divert himself from Shaqar's shifting inner state.
But before the atmosphere between them could sink too deeply, Shaqar filled the space with a new question.
He wanted certainty about how much time remained.
How long the two of them could breathe before the call of duty from Zhulumat Katamtum struck all of Team Xirkushkartum without mercy.
The question carried a tone of vigilance that Shaqar himself barely noticed.
He had passed through inner turmoil.
And now he was reminded once more that the world they walked upon was far from peaceful.
The threat of a brutal invasion by the minions of the Accursed One—meaning the ranks of Angels and Holy Beings—loomed like a storm.
Moving slowly, yet inevitably, toward the front lines.
"Just a moment."
Tiiik – tuuukk – taaaak!
"There are approximately nineteen minutes remaining, Captain.
After that, the summoning order from Zhulumat Katamtum will take effect."
"Apathy, immediately contact all members of Team Xirkushkartum.
All nineteen of them, including yourself.
I want them assembled right in front of Xirkushkartum's headquarters before time runs out."
Nguuuung!
"Make sure no one is late. And inform them that this is not a drill. We are facing a real invasion."
"Understood."
'The long-awaited moment had arrived.
This battle was not merely an ordinary conflict, but a true trial for every individual who had pledged loyalty to the banner of darkness.'
Apathy lowered his head briefly to check the watch on his wrist.
Then he drew a short breath upon seeing the numbers displayed.
The remaining time was no more than nineteen minutes.
A span that felt too narrow to prepare anything.
Yet long enough for tension to thicken between the two of them.
That information fell plainly into Shaqar's ears.
And within seconds, the look in his eyes changed.
No longer the gaze of a man wrestling with personal regret and courage.
But the stare of a captain who knew exactly when to bury wounds for a greater duty.
The calm he had just built slowly collapsed.
Replaced by resolve sharpened through dozens of battlefields.
Without waiting any longer, Shaqar instructed Apathy to gather all members of Team Xirkushkartum.
And to ensure they assembled precisely in front of headquarters.
His voice was firm and left no room for doubt.
As if he had returned to his former self.
A self forged from discipline, command, and the necessity to endure.
Apathy immediately took his own communication device.
Spreading the call to all team members.
Ensuring everyone received the order clearly.
Within mere seconds, the communication network came alive.
Flowing with messages that signaled the false calm had come to an end.
While Apathy worked, Shaqar remained focused on the road.
His thoughts rapidly shifting between strategy, threats, and the initial steps that had to be taken.
Once Apathy confirmed that the message had been received by all members, Shaqar pressed the accelerator deeper.
The car moved faster.
Rolling over distance as if racing against punctuality that would never wait for anyone.
Behind the wheel, Shaqar prepared himself for the mission that had long been his destiny.
A mission that required him to stand between destruction and hope.
There was no time to think again about the white envelope he had entrusted.
No space to replay Absyumura's worried voice from earlier.
There was only the demand to lead.
To become the first shield before the world was once again swept by heavenly forces approaching from afar.
The holy war finally moved from the shadows into reality.
Fiiihh!!
"Your presence here is not mere coincidence. Nor is it the mercy of fate.
Your presence—whether as members or as a captain—is nothing less than a chosen blessing."
Ooooohh!
"This is not merely a gathering. It is an ending.
Remember this day. For the generations after us will call it an indelible blessing."
Sshhh!
"Let the earth and the air become the archives of our steps and our names.
One day, future generations will remember and say: here is where it was first affirmed, and here it stood unshaken forever."
The sky above the Xirkushkartum headquarters complex appeared dark.
Shrouded in low clouds that seemed to swallow the last remnants of twilight.
On the vast field, rows of bodies stood firmly like pillars driven into the earth.
Unmoving, even as the wind began to blow hard, carrying the scent of iron and distant thunder.
To be continued…