With ragged breaths, and whilst holding the section of his stomach where the beast nightmare had struck him, Snappy staggered to a half-scorched tree and sat down.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!" His senses began to register just how bad a condition he was in as blood spewed from his mouth.
He had shattered ribs, a scorched body, and…
'Nah, forget about it. Won't help me in the least.' He shook his head.
Even so, he knew that his earlier run was all thanks to adrenaline. He was a walking corpse, and this was all the more reason he decided to remain and put his last energy to good use.
His death was guaranteed the moment that beast came out of the pupa. No, that's not right. It might have been when he encountered the female nightmare…
or when he decided to follow Idel from the station…
or maybe the moment he met Idel…
or possibly his own birth marked the end of his road.
'Hmmm, fate. Is this what Emontarions refer to as fate? If our fates are decided the moment we are born, then what's the point of having dreams? Why do we cry when they fail? Can't we just accept that everything is out of our control?' He smiled lightly. 'The answer is pretty simple, ain't it? It's in our nature: when faced with turbulence, when our moments of comfort are threatened, we neglect our beliefs and turn primal.
Not giving a shit about what society deems to be normal… honestly, this is not always good for the third party. It depends on who has decided to jump off the bandwagon.
If a degenerate loses it, people are most likely to suffer, as opposed to when a Saint does… wait, when a degenerate loses it, does he become a good person or become even wilder? How do we even juxtapose a degenerate and a Saint?
In all due honesty, when considered holistically, one man's fool might be another's Saint. It all falls down to subjectivity at the end of the day… I wonder what people will think of me when I die, especially my brother. I know Mr. Freak will see me as somewhat of a Saint.' His smile became even more evident.
There was something about Idel he could not understand; during their short time together, he had come to respect him significantly. Whether it was how he carried himself—always calm—or how he was willing to fight for others, he could not tell.
'Sigh… this is death calling, isn't it? Cough! Can't believe I'm saying all this nonsense. My brain must be bleeding or something.'
He leaned his head against the tree and looked at the shimmering black glass. Just then, he heard the primal roars of the beast nightmare.
'Guess I was right, the old man was no match for the beast.' A part of him was not happy with the realization.
He closed his eyes and focused on his core.
"I leave everything to you, Mr. Freak."
…
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Idel did not ponder what was happening to Snappy or the Hitter; there was no time for that. If he failed to complete his part, it would mean their sacrifices were futile.
Plus, his mind was occupied with a terrifying realization: he could no longer sense the positions of the nightmares that were in the desolate mine plains.
Did they move? But when?
Maybe the smoke had something to do with it. It might have hindered his senses.
Whatever the case, he became increasingly worried with each stride.
'Shit! Due to the use of Regeneration back there, I appear to be getting weaker.'
Dash!
He crossed the narrow river and blitzed out of the dark smoke.
"…!" He gasped as his senses became accustomed to the scene that greeted him.
Leisurely seated across the long plank bridge was Tintless, covered in black blood, and around him lay five disfigured nightmares dead beside a shivering Shifty.
The nightmares had already attacked the village, and the screams of pain and struggle traversed the air.
"Tintless!" he shouted, forgetting that the boy was deaf.
He briskly crossed the swaying plank bridge, and at the sight of him, the boy stood.
"Where have you been, Mr. Freak? Did you finish your adult work, and where is Snappy?" he probed with a carefree face as he walked towards him.
Idel's face, however, was paler than usual. Behind Tintless was a burning village swarming with nightmares.
Most were feasting on anger Emontarions, some were struggling with the mustached officer and his comrades outside the station, while some villagers were making their escape to the mine plains… unknowingly to their deaths.
"No." His eyes widened in terror. He dropped his gaze to the boy and could not believe that he was not in the least concerned.
Whack!
He gave him a slap. The boy turned grey.
"What's wrong with you? How could you be so calm at the knowledge of other people dying?"
And though the boy could not understand what Mr. Freak was saying, it was apparent he was very angry. He raised his hand to say something, but Idel had already run past him.
Tintless watched him run into the village and, after a moment, picked up Shifty and followed behind.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Idel's breathing became increasingly ragged as he entered the village. Some nightmares attacked him but were violently met by his blows, some dying on the spot while others were sent flying into the burning houses.
'Shit, I should have suspected the smoke was a cover used by the beast nightmare to conceal the presence of its subordinates. I thought it lacked intelligence. No, the smoke came out as it was coming to be, so it was a last-ditch attack by the female nightmare. Damn! Damn it all.'
Amid his thoughts, he heard an explosion.
It was from the forest!
The heat from there was so massive that he could almost feel his back being affected.
Following this was a familiar roar and a wave of suffocating energy.
The beast nightmare was on its way!
He gritted his teeth as he continued running. His eyes were fixed on the station.
Four nightmares were currently attacking the two remaining officers. And by focusing, he could tell that twelve Emontarions were left inside the station… mostly teens, terrified down to the core.
If he could just get there, he could summon his Labyrinth and save them. As for the issue of his energy depleting rapidly due to many people occupying the Labyrinth, he planned on consuming the cores of the four nightmares, including those lying dead, as soon as they were in the Labyrinth.
This was his only choice; he would deal with the repercussions later.
But he had to do it fast, for the beast nightmare had now crossed the bridge and was wildly following him with thunderous footsteps.
'Damn!' He looked to his side and saw Tintless with Shifty on his shoulder. He turned his head forward, and suddenly everything appeared slow and foggy.
He too was slow.
Tap!
The mustached officer was brought to the ground by two nightmares…
Tap!
One of them, with its large maw, ripped his head off, leaving his body to convulse in a pool of blood…
Tap!
The other officer turned to run, but his endeavor was cut short as the nightmares tore him to pieces. He cried and cried and eventually stopped when his fate was sealed.
Tap!
The nightmares began to hit the door of the station in an attempt to break in.
At the same instant, he could feel the energy of the beast nightmare drawing closer to him… most likely, only a couple of meters separated them.
As his slow thoughts turned chaotic, a distant yet calm voice resounded in his ears.
"There are just apparitions…"
He gasped.
Tap!
"They are not real. The humans. All of them…"
Tap!
"Do not get attached. It's nothing more than…"
Before the voice could say more, he gritted his teeth and muttered, "I am sorry, everyone."
Then, with a simple gesture and thought, the surroundings turned black and seconds later were illuminated by a crimson moon as hills and fog came to be.
Minutes later, Idel, seated on the highest hill, had his head lowered. A question resounded in his mind.
'From whom did I hear those words?'