Kapitel 22: Cold truth

Chump coughed violently in pain, looking at his left arm slowly turning purple.

"Hello again, Ephiron…"

"I have been looking for you the last few days…I thought you were dead…Well, the least I can do is continue my job."

Ephiron pointed his lance toward his frozen arm, turning part of the ice-covering arm and hand into the water, slowly warming it up to combat the cold from before.

However, the secondary gun had turned into a giant ice cube and dropped from the waist of the human.

"What…Why, I don't—" Chump reacted.

"Calm down, young sir. Just don't make another mistake. I understand your reaction…As for the arm, give it a couple of minutes."

A moment of tense silence occurred, the human watched his hand in the water slowly regaining its senses. After some time, he moved the hand around. Open hand, closed hand. Nothing seemed wrong.

Ephiron retrieved his lance, holding it vertically while observing the human. The icy humanoid breathed in slowly and out while regaining his calm facade.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Clem was fine when I left this morning…"

"He is not in his zone."

"Well, I don't know." Chump shrugged, his face showing his worried confusion. "Look, buddy, I only know that he was there when I left. I don't know what happened to him, I swear!"

The air was cold, and not just because of the powers of the elegant humanoid. Both looked into each other's eyes. Both understood the situation like an open book.

Chump wanted to escape and would seize any opportunity, but Ephiron would not show mercy the next time he tried something stupid.

Chump didn't want to become another slave to their connection, but he was slowly accepting his fate, though he remained observant for any chances he had.

Ephiron seemed patient with the human's real intentions, understanding them.

"Alright, I will take your word as true. Now, sir, you may drop the knife."

"What?" Chump was visibly confused.

"Do I have to repeat everything, sir?" Ephiron's tone started to sound disappointed in the man, though his face barely changed.

"Alright, alright…I will drop the knife slowly…"

Chump, with his right hand, slowly pulled the knife with two fingers while raising the other hand. Then he slowly knelt and placed the knife in front of him.

Ephiron struck the ground a couple of times with his lance, the ice now covering the knife and burying it under his capes.

"Good, at least you are still reasonable. Not many humans can say that…or even speak at this point. Very well, as stated in the International Truce of the Goddess, human, you are under arrest and captivity and will be transported to our world. You will be a prisoner until we can properly deal with you."

Terror and desperation painted Chump's face with anxiety, and his breath felt like it was tearing him apart. His hands, mouth, and shoulders clenched in frustration while looking to the side.

"C'mon, man…" Chump hissed.

But Ephiron continued.

"Well, I would usually start moving you, but I will reward the efforts you made to survive until now and your intelligence. I technically can't move you until another member of another faction is present. And I was looking for you precisely because we have a problem on our hands…"

Chump was still processing the information and the possibilities. Chump tried to express his words matter-of-factly but was violently interrupted by coughs.

"W-W-What…Problem?…"

Ephiron struck the ground again, and the ice walls and ground, except for the frozen weapons, started to melt away with the rain.

"Please breathe, I assure you that no harm will come to you until you are in the cell. As I was saying, there is a matter of fact that one of our prisoners is having heart problems. And, by coincidence, we are talking about your wife; we do not know what medicine was used for her condition."

The entire mood Chump was experiencing was interrupted by Ephiron's statement. Chump snickered and then began to giggle while looking at the hunter's increasingly confused and bitter expression.

Ephiron interrupted his laughter, saying, "I don't understand why your attitude has suddenly changed towards this. Shouldn't you be worried about your sister's health, sir?"

"HAHAHAHAHHA... I'm sorry... so sorry, but... You've got one thing wrong, Ephiron," Chump straightened himself up, "It's not my wife, it's my sister! And of course, I'll help you! I know what she needs before moving out!"

Ephiron took a moment to realize his mistake, a tiny blush escaping from the hunter's cheeks, and a faint smile forming on his face. Chump could see his whole demeanor shifting to one of embarrassment, with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"Weird, I swear I heard him say 'Then I can,'" Chump thought to himself. "Whatever, my sister needs my help."

Ephiron tried to explain himself, stammering, "I-I'm so sorry, I thought the way you treated each other, so close you were—"

"Nah, nah. Sure thing, it's not usual for brothers and sisters to treat each other so closely, but it's one of the perks of having a ten-year age difference. For me, she's like a second mother."

Ephiron couldn't find words as he closed his eyes, attempting to hide his shame behind a calm facade.

Chump gestured toward one of the buildings, saying, "Look, if I'm going to be a prisoner and you need help, I will help. But I want to get a few things from my house. I'll teach you what she needs, alright? But tell me what happened to her."

Ephiron slowly nodded in agreement while trying to regain his stoic expression, signaling with his icy lance for them to proceed.

Eventually, they reached Chump's house, and Ephiron continued his explanation.

"So, how is she right now?"

"She's stable now, sir... Chump, was it?" Chump nodded in approval. "However, we're not entirely sure if we can apply more spells to her or not. You may not know, but Hu—"

"I know, Clem explained it to me. Humans and Remenant are not compatible, nor anything alive from this planet. I appreciate the thought. It's this building, third floor."

After some effort, the prisoner and the hunter ascended the floors. The scent of death grew stronger, to the point where Chump had to pull up his mask once again to cover his mouth.

Ephiron, on the other hand, couldn't do the same and had to create a mask made of ice to breathe, though it didn't completely mask the odor; it at least provided some relief with its cold freshness.

As Chump struggled to open the door to his family's apartment, a swarm of bugs burst out in a hurry as soon as it was slightly ajar.

In reaction, Chump jumped back, and Ephiron froze the entire floor.

"Ugh, it's worse than I thought. Let's pray it's still intact," Chump commented, holding his stomach in discomfort.

"What are you looking for exactly, sir?"

But Chump ignored Ephiron's question as he slowly approached the entrance and took a photo hanging on the wall. It was a picture from Chump's childhood, with his entire family in a warm embrace.

His hard-working, greasy dad was at the top, his sister in her recently graduated uniform on the left, his mother with a warm smile, and him as a child at the bottom.

"This... A glimmer of hope in this mad world that's consuming us right now."

"Oh... I will give you a moment and clean up the remaining bugs. Oh no..." Ephiron's stoic expression broke, revealing a hint of sadness.

As Ephiron stepped in, he saw the rotting bodies of both of Chump's parents, moved around by the bugs and animals feasting on their carcasses.

"By the madness that you wrought in the name of your world, your leaders, and your damn Goddess," Chump's words struck Ephiron with bitterness and resentment. He wanted to say something, but every time he attempted to speak, he glanced at the half-putrefied skulls of the corpses on the couch.

Chump mumbled, "Please... Freeze them. I want to bury them when I have the chance. The medicines are ahead, sealed in a wooden box."

Chump waited at the entrance, clutching their family photo, as the ice cracked and the wind howled from the main living room. Chump stood against the wall, shedding a tear in silence.

"My sister is still alive. Alright, I have to make sure now... The ones responsible must pay for this. For those who lost their families... For those who lost everything."

He didn't know if he was lying to himself.

Meanwhile, outside, the skies held a new light. A mysterious entity flew around, reveling in its freedom.

A humanoid figure with long red hair soared at incredible speeds, two giant flaming wings evaporating any water droplets, swooping around like a black hawk.

She roamed the clouds, causing them to disperse as if they were mere smoke. She noticed the ice marks on the ground from the confrontation and descended, shattering the highway upon landing.

A feminine, ferocious voice, with a tiny giggle that could send chills down anyone's spine, echoed.

"Remenant... Remenant and... Guns!" Sniffing sounds could be heard. "AND THEY ARE NEARBY! THERE IS A HUMAN AROUND! I KNEW IT! HAHAHAHA! I WILL BRING THAT TROPHY WITH ME AND SHOW THEM ALL WHO I AM!"