Red reminded me of blood.
And blood reminds me of death.
On the night that I died, the only regret I had was missing out on the chance to confess my feelings for Winter.
I have no plans of having the same regrets.
Coming back to the present, I noticed the Zardik's eyes had turned red, its fins spreading out, glimmering against the golden platform.
"Alright," I murmured, pulling a fighting stance despite not knowing what I could do in this state. "Let's get this fight over and done with."
'I need to find Winter as soon as possible.'
[She's safe]
Fifi sounded irritated. I don't understand what made her feel so upset.
[Hmph]
But I will deal with her later.
"Red eyes and no death wish. Yeah?"
Fifi went quiet. My head felt empty without her presence.
It wasn't very pleasant.
[Dragon Fire activated]
I watched the weapon in my hand burst into flames. It didn't scorch me like I had expected it to.
Twirling it expertly in my hands, the fire danced with the weapon.
"This would do."
Silvery objects shined from afar, alerting my senses, and immediately had me at the ready before Fifi could say anything.
Twirling the blazing weapon, I watched it thwart the sharp needle-like fins that would have pierced through my skin, impaling me.
They look menacing and, to be precise, sharper than ordinary blades. Still, it didn't stand any chance against the wave of fire that broke the fins in half.
With a smirk, I looked at the unbothered Zardik.
"Now it's my turn."
Summoning the invisible energy, I felt my feet float off the platform, suspending me in the air while twirling the blazing staff in my hand.
Locking on my target, I couldn't help but smile.
"Take this, you filthy beast!"
Throwing the staff towards the Zardik, I watched it sail with precision. The tip of the weapon changed shape midway. It pointed a sharpened edge, copied by the flame surrounding the flying weapon toward the enemy monster.
Without removing my gaze from the Zardik, I witnessed the blazing weapon pass through its heart.
It was a clean cut. No weird juicy liquid came out of its body, and the Zardik and I stood still, watching each other.
The staff disappeared and reappeared in my hands a few seconds later. I clutched it, slowly gliding back to the platform.
When my feet touched the ground, the Zardik's head began to crack. A golden line in a zigzag appeared on its forehead.
Without making any sound, the enemy monster gradually burst into flames, vanishing from my view and leaving a cloud of smoke.
[500 Evolution points granted]
Fifi came back.
I scoffed in response.
"Are we cool now, or are you still mad at me?"
[I'm not mad]
"Tch," I shook my head. "You're only saying that, but your tone tells a totally different story."
[...]
"Cat got your tongue?"
[...]
I gave up, my mind going back to thinking about Winter.
[There's a more pressing matter we need to deal with. But, just so you could stop worrying about Winter, I'll take you to her]
I was going to express my gratitude. But before I could do that, the warmth spreading through my chest left me to close my eyes as a blinding light obscured my vision.
After the sensation passed, I reopened my eyes and noticed I was back at the end of the bridge leading to the Casa.
The two gargoyle creatures were standing there, ogling like they knew something wasn't right.
From what I can see, the Casa was in flames. Big puffs of smoke rose to the dark skies. Piercing screams and the distant sounds of panic could still be heard, breaking the once still silence.
People were running, trying to cross the bridge while I was on the safe side, feeling lost again.
"Psst," I turned to my right. Fifi was there, holding a terrified Winter. She beckoned me to come close.
I didn't even think twice and approached them. They were sitting outside the porch of a house.
Fifi had one hand supporting Winter's back, and the other held Winter's trembling hand. When she saw me, she glanced at Fifi.
The latter smiled. I wondered what made her so hostile toward me when I asked about Winter.
She was all smiles right now, comforting Winter like she was her big sister or something.
I raised my hands in surrender, showing Winter that I meant no harm. I haven't forgotten the part about me being Exo.
Head over heart.
I had to remind myself about that.
If I acted like Elijah, Winter might think I was a pervert. I wanted to pull her into a hug, comforting her and telling her that things would get better.
To her, I was no one but a seventeen-year-old stranger.
Seventeen.
Stranger.
Nobody.
Those three words hit like bullets hitting me thrice in the same place. It hurt, but the one who pulled the trigger was no other than me.
"I mean you no harm. I swear on Nirvana."
Using the term Nirvana seemed to have lifted my spirit. Or maybe I imagined things.
I kept a respectable distance. There were tons of questions running through my head, each of them demanding answers from Winter at this instance.
But the haunted look on Winter's face right now told me what I didn't need to know. She wasn't capable of giving coherent responses.
Although, the most prominent question that kept popping inside my head was this: What was she doing here?
Are we on the same page now? Or could she be on Riley's side?
I immediately shook the thought away. Winter was too good-natured to fall in the same category as Riley. But all the same, I was dying to know whether she was dead or if she was alive.
Nichen might have thought this was funny or perhaps entertaining for them. They must be watching how I'm internally struggling to keep myself together.
Winter was and is the only woman I had my eyes on.
I was waiting for the chance to meet her again and finally told her what I should have when she said goodbye.
Yet, if she ended up in the same predicament as I was, it was too heart-wrenching to even think about.