"Season…" Blue called in a trembling voice.
"I know," Spring-Autumn said confidently. He felt his eyes heat up. He could see even more. He already knew what was coming.
Roar!
Tens of ghouls appeared and Spring-Autumn received a surge of adrenaline.
"Was the previous four just warm up?"
He asked the army of ghouls that could not answer him. Despite facing tens of them, he had no fear. He could see so much at the moment. It was an addictive feeling. He felt like an omniscient being. Every possible outcome of the future right now, he could see.
He gripped his pipe tighter and put the bag of food in his other hand down on the floor.
"Come!"
And with that, they came. Spring-Autumn assumed the stance of his family's martial arts technique. Despite being an illegitimate child, he still had access to the secrets of his family.
Holding the pipe like a sword, he jumped straight into the pack of ghouls. He had no fear when on this particular high. He wanted to use all of it when he could and use all of it before it disappeared.
His pipe moved in an unpredictable frenzy, following the path his eyes could see. Every weakness he saw, he hit. He moved in an inhumane manner beyond the limits of human processing. Because he knew what was going to happen, he did not need to follow the usual rules of combat.
Analysis? Probing? Waiting for his chance? Those were all thrown out the window. He could dodge every attack before it happened. He could land his strikes before the ghouls even knew where they were going.
Such a way of fighting was truly comfortable. In truth, he was not very good at martial arts. He was only good at the basics and could not perform advanced concepts. However, what use were those when he could see into the future?
Countless memories of his practice back at "that" house came to mind as he obliterated the ghouls one by one.
"Remember, you are just a bastard. You have no position to be in this family."
"Hehehe, does the bastard think he is worth something, practicing that hard?"
"My son… Hahaha, such laughable words."
"Brother, even if others do not accept you, remember that you are my brother."
"I do not want to hear such pity from you!"
The final ghoul's head went flying off. Blood sprayed out like a fountain from its body. The alleyway that was previously empty was now filled with corpses. The corpses were piled in a manner that resembled a battlefield. Evidently, the entire ghoul population of the housing district received their eternal rest here.
It was unknown how long the battle lasted for. The area was almost completely devoid of light, except for the areas here and there were light bulbs that were still lit up from houses with a generator.
"Huff. Huff. Huff." Spring-Autumn's chest rose up and down. Sweat pouring down his face. His bright green eyes had dimmed and his torn white shirt was drenched in blood. His blood-stained pipe slid out of his bloody hand. He was tired.
[Title Acquired: The First Awakened]
The familiar blue screen arrived with a different message. He did not need to guess what it was telling him. He knew by instinct that the message meant.
"Hahaha." He laughed weakly. His eyes went to his companion, who was hiding in a corner with her eyes in a daze.
Ignoring her for the moment, he went back to where he placed his bag and drank his water.
"You can come out of hiding now, you know." He called out to her, feeling refreshed from the water.
"Huh?" Blue awakened from her daze. "Ha? You're still alive?"
"Yes," Spring-Autumn said with his eyes lit up.
Unexpectedly, she threw herself at him for a hug. It was the closest contact the two ever had. He could feel her two soft mounds of flesh against his chest.
"You're going to get blood on you." He said without stopping her. His hands also went in to wrap behind her.
"What am I going to do if you die?"
"I won't die."
They shared a moment of silence, just the two of them surrounded by corpses. After the odor of dead bodies became unbearable, they separated. Spring-Autumn felt a strange warmth forming in his heart when he looked at Blue again.
"Shall we continue to be on our way?"
Finally, they arrived at their destination. In their surprise, the house was in a rather good condition where only some of the glass panes were shattered. Spring-Autumn was not too startled at the large size of the house due to Blue's background. The house was akin to a small mansion.
Blue fumbled around with the bush for a moment before pulling out a key. The large door opened with a crisp sound.
"Mom? Mom!"
Blue's voice echoed throughout the house. She became slightly discouraged from the lack of response.
"She might've left a note somewhere?" Spring-Autumn's green eyes lit up as he said.
"That's possible. Let's go to the kitchen first."
They passed by a large hallway filled with pictures of the family. There were pictures of Blue with her stunningly beautiful mother, ones of her when she was young with her father, ones of her when she received rewards. It gave the dark home a kind of warmth he was not familiar with.
"This picture…" Spring-Autumn pointed out.
"It's from the 5 Schools Meet. That was the first event we went together on, right?" Blue replied smilingly. Returning home has placed her in a good mood albeit some parts were destroyed and nonfunctional.
"I can see myself in the background…"
"Why don't I give you a little tour?"
And with that, Blue started to tell the stories behind each picture. Some stories were bright and cheerful, some were nostalgic, and others melancholic. Spring-Autumn was able to experience her full range of emotions for the first time.
"Back when my dad was around, every time I got a headache, he would drive me around and treat me to ice cream afterward. My mom would get mad at my dad and tell him that he pampers me too much. Remembering events like that really bring me much joy."
"This was my first day at school. I remember being really shy so my mother would hug me before sending me off. After a while, I was not shy about going to school anymore. Instead, I would be embarrassed by the hugs my mom gave me so I told her off. Funny, right?"
"This was my first competition…"
"My first victory…"
"When we went to visit a bunch of other countries…"
She told her stories to him one by one. Humans were truly interesting creatures. Their heart and interests could change in an instant. He could still remember that just last week, she was cold and competitive with him. The her in front of him was vastly different.
They arrived at the kitchen and as Spring-Autumn saw, there was a note left behind. Blue smiled excitedly and took a look at the note.
"Blue, my child. The military is starting to clear up the chaos that is around us. I've met up with your father's family and we are going to go to an underground base under Mount Big following the military. If all goes well, they'll be announcing their location to the survivors so they can be transported to the base. I am truly feeling anxious for your safety as I am writing this. However, I trust that you will be putting your safety first just like I did with myself. Remember my child, as long as we live, we'll be able to see each other again. I will be waiting for you at the underground base. Love, your mother."
The handwriting was shaky and slightly messy. It could be seen that she was truly in a hurry as she was writing the note down. Despite how messy it is, the love of a mother for her child could still be perceived.
Blue was emotional when she finished reading the note. Two streams of tears slid down her beautiful face. Tears that she did not shed even when the world fell. The two must've truly been close.
"Season… Can we go to the underground base?"