Chương 55: Chapter 55: Layla, The Dark Beauty

Zane couldn't decipher what Layla was feeling. On her face stood a blank expression. Her gaze seemed as if it were somewhere else and her body remained still. Seeing her father in front of her— or what was wearing his skin, was not an expected occurrence.

Zane and Nick ran from the vehicle towards her. They didn't know what to expect. What was Layla planning to do? Zane knew the feeling of seeing an Apocrypha transform into a relative. It wasn't pleasant and almost made him lose himself in emotions.

Layla stood without movement. The rifle was clutched in her hand, elongated by her side. The Apocrypha in her father's skin staring at her with a surprisingly pained face. Its smoky-grey eyes were moist and its black hair fluttered sadly in the wind. It almost seemed genuine.

This, however, had a negative impact on Layla. Her eyes now seemed cold, and a dead-calm aura radiated from her. It was shocking to both Zane and Nick who were watching.

Instead of crying or showing emotions of sorrow, Layla rose the rifle to the head of the transformed Apocrypha. Its eyes widened in horror. It didn't dare to make the slightest move. For some reason, the Apocrypha wouldn't even try to defend itself. It was as if it was reluctant to harm Layla.

"Layla!" called Zane in worry.

Layla teased the trigger of the rifle. She was itching to lodge a bullet into the Apocrypha's head. "What??" she answered harshly.

Zane wanted to know what Layla was feeling. It wasn't the normal reaction to point a gun at your father— even if it was just an Apocrypha in disguise.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes, Zane! This stupid thing ate my father! And now it stands before me in his body!! With the audacity it has, I won't hesitate to put a bullet in its head!"

Zane noticed that instead of sorrow, Layla was feeling rage. A rage developed from her hate of the Apocrypha. She wasn't the type to let emotions hold her back. This was definite proof of that. Whether or not her father's face stood before her, she wouldn't hesitate to kill.

Nick nudged Zane carefully. They needed to hurry up before any infected found them. But he was also concerned for Layla and didn't want to rush the situation.

"Zane... This isn't healthy for her bro. I think you should stop her. No one deserves to go through something this cruel..."

Zane looked forward once more. Nick was right. There was no possible way Layla wasn't affected by the situation. She was a human too, no matter how well she hid her pain, he had to stop her.

"Layla!" he called again, rushing over to her.

"What is it, Zane?? Let me kill this damned thing in peace already!!"

Layla was now ready to go in for the kill. Her finger slowly began to wrap around the trigger. The Apocrypha still hesitated to move. Its eyes began trembling and even tears fell down its face. This was truly astonishing to Zane and Nick, but Layla couldn't care less. However, what happened next made even Layla slightly reluctant to kill.

"Layla..?" called the Apocrypha in her father's voice.

Layla hesitated. The pain grabbed her soul as she fought to regain her original demeanor.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you... I— I'm sorry for failing you... I know I haven't been the best father... I was always away with work, barely having any time for you... Even though I knew we were the only family for one another, I never cared for you the way I should have... I'm sorry... Forgive me, Layla..."

Layla began to tremble. Her heartbeat increased and her breathing became heavy. It was almost as if she was going into a panic attack. The voice sounded so genuine, it was hard not to believe that it was her father speaking.

Zane wanted to rush over to her. He wasn't sure if the Apocrypha was trying to trick her or not. He couldn't afford to wait for the answer to greet him.

As Zane got ready to run off until he felt someone hold him back. He turned himself ready to complain until he realized it was Anastasia. She had been watching everything unfold in silence.

"Anastasia..? What are you doing??" queried Zane hurriedly.

Anastasia was silent for a moment. Her eyes fixated upon Layla and the Apocrypha. "Wait... I believe there is more to this than we realize."

Zane and Nick looked at one another in confusion. What was Anastasia implying? Layla was standing before a deadly Apocrypha that was manipulating her emotions. Was it really best for them to wait?

Zane was ready to question Anastasia's judgment, but before he could ask, he noticed she was pointing in front of them. Zane turned his head back towards Layla and the Apocrypha. Something unexpected was happening.

"W-What are you..?" stuttered Layla.

"I'm your fath—" The Apocrypha clutched its head in pain. It was as if it was having an internal battle with itself. "No! I'm an esteemed Rank 4 Apocrypha!! The—" The Apocrypha stopped once more, falling to its knees. Pain was echoing through its head as it struggled to maintain its identity.

Zane and Nick watched on in confusion. Was the Apocrypha struggling with a personality disorder? They didn't know if they were supposed to be scared or amazed.

"What's happening to it..?" asked Nick.

Anastasia took a deep breath calming herself. The scene was horrific, even to her. "Do you believe memories are the fragments of one's soul?" she asked.

"Memories?" pondered Zane. "Now that you mention it, I guess memories do shape our lives..."

"Memories are the fundamental elements to one's core. The memories one has decides who they are. Losing one's memories is basically like dying and waking in a new body without a sense of who you are." continued Anastasia.

"What are you implying?" asked Nick.

Anastasia squinched her eyes as she looked at both Layla and the Apocrypha closely. "The brain is the container for memories. The Apocrypha eats the brain of their victims. We do this to gain higher intelligence. However, we don't just absorb the intelligence of the brain. We also inherit its memories. So what do you think happens when two sets of memories become present in one brain?"

Zane's eyes widened with shock. He had never thought about such a situation before. It was however very much possible. Memories could be just as emotional as they were informative. If the memories held a strong emotional desire, then wouldn't that cause an Apocrypha to become conflicted with itself?

"It will result in them clashing for dominance..."

Anastasia nodded her head dimly. "This is something that some Apocrypha are bound to deal with. If the memories of the human they ate are too powerful, then it could rewrite their entire personality. Sometimes even transforming their souls into that of the human's. Simply put, the human would awake in the Apocrypha's body, and the Apocrypha's soul would die."

"Wait! Then are you saying..?"

"Yes... There is a chance that Layla's father will awaken in that Apocrypha's body— though it may be difficult."

"Then... Then we need to let Layla know!" declared Nick.

Anastasia sighed depressingly. She didn't believe it was their place to decide what happened next. "I think she already has."

Layla stared at the Apocrypha In great desolation. Her father had just spoken to her through the body of the Apocrypha. She was certain it was him. The gentleness of his voice and the love his presence radiated. It was all present. It had to be him.

"Let my father speak, or I'll kill you!!" she demanded in an angry tone.

The Apocrypha looked up into her smoky-grey eyes. The feeling was much too powerful to overcome. Reluctantly, it allowed Layla's father to speak.

"Layla... how are you, sweetheart? I'm so glad to see that you're still alive," he spoke gently.

Layla quickly hugged her father. Tears streamed down her face like a river. She couldn't believe how cruel the world was. It took her father away from her and now teased, to give him back. It was far too evil.

"You stupid, good-for-nothing dad... How could you allow yourself to be killed so easily?? By a mere Rank one Apocrypha!"

Her father smiled warmly, returning her hug. "Pathetic for a high-ranking soldier, right?"

"You didn't have to die... You didn't have to leave me alone again! You always do this! Throughout my entire life, you never had enough time for me! And for once, even though the world was ending, I finally had you all for myself... But then you decided to leave me permanently!! Why are you so unfair to me dad..? I just wanted my father in my life for once... I was always alone... So lonely, without real friends or family... You were the only one I ever had..."

Her father began to gently stroke her hair. His loving aura engulfing her like a true parent, "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I've been a blinded man, slaved by my job... By the time I realized this, it was unfortunately too late." He then held Layla's head in his palms, staring her in the eyes, "But Layla... I don't regret dying. I died for you... My badass little girl who's always unfazed. I died protecting what mattered to me the most... And I'll never regret it, even through death..."

Layla's face was soaked wet with tears. Her lips trembled and her eyes sparkled wet. The feeling of sorrow she felt was immense.

"Dad... I don't know what to do without you... I need answers... The world is ending... And I don't have a real reason to live on anymore... Not a reason that's beneficial to me..."

"Layla," started her father. "Did we have a reason to live from the beginning? This world where we are born to go to school, then seek higher education, then work until to pay taxes and bills. We do this until we're old— unable to embrace the true meaning of life. We were first slaves to our society then food to the Apocrypha. It made no sense for us to live, but we did anyway. Do you know why?"

Layla shook her head in denial— tears falling from her face in the process.

"It's because we had love. We had each other to live for. You were my motivation and I was yours... But just because I'm gone doesn't mean you don't have a reason to live anymore. You have new people who mean the world to you now, don't you?"

Layla looked back to see Zane and the others looking at her with worry in their eyes. She remembered how much she cared for them too. That's right, she had a love for them. A new love for something she now wanted to protect. Her father was right.

"You're now free to do whatever you want Layla," continued her father. "Don't let me be a shackle to you. Release me and be free. Be who you're truly meant to be. Protect those who now have your heart and strive forward. Don't let the Apocrypha win. Show them what a human, like yourself can do. Beat them at their own game."

"Wait... You can't be saying—"

"I am Layla. I doubt I can win this battle against the Apocrypha. Its mind is too powerful. It will soon try to take back its body from me. Not to mention, I don't think I'd like to live the rest of my life as an Apocrypha anyway. It's not who I am. I am meant to be a human being."

Layla gritted her teeth in reluctance, but she understood her father's wishes. "You're so cruel to me too... But I understand..."

"Don't let this Apocrypha hurt you... End its life before it gets a chance to. I'm sorry I have to put you through such a difficult task, Layla. Your pathetic old man failing to treat you right even at the bitter end."

Layla blinked away the tears from her eyes and picked up her rifle. Her heart throbbed and her eyes continued to grow wet. She wished things could have a better outcome, but she knew this was the only way.

"I wish we had more time. I would love to hear about the friends you made so far."

Layla placed a slight smile on her face as she removed the safety from the rifle, "They're all amazing so far. Each of them is unique in their own way. Especially Zane... He's so human and unlike anyone I've ever met before. In a weird way, he reminds me of you, dad."

Layla's father returned a heartwarming smile, "That's good to hear... I hope you take care of them. Especially Zane if he means that much to you."

"I will... I don't know if it's because I'm emotional why I'm saying this. But if things were still normal, I think I would have found you the perfect son-in-law. I strangely fell in love with him."

Slowly, Layla raised the rifle to her father's forehead. He couldn't help but smile. The daughter he knew was quite a pessimistic one who didn't look at things like 'True love' or believe that anything good would happen. She always followed her brain without giving her heart a chance. There was always a need for both and he was glad she was starting to realize that. He silently thanked Zane from the back of his mind. He had given his daughter hope. Something he would never forget.

"Layla, one more thing before we end this. I just want to say that I'm happy to see how much you've grown. Continue to stay strong and have faith in those around you. Never give up in life. It's hard, but I believe there is a reward somewhere at the end of it to be claimed. Don't stop striving towards that reward. And one last thing; follow both your head and your heart. I know how you normally are and it can make you seem cold sometimes. But depending on the situation, your heart or head could be the correct choice. None of them are truly wrong. So Layla, my little girl who's now grown up. Survive and grow stronger. You can do it. Know that I'm always with you even through death. I love you, hunnie."

Layla blinked away her last teardrops and gave a bright smile. Though forced, it was still genuine.

"I love you too, dad!"

SUY NGHĨ CỦA NGƯỜI SÁNG TẠO
Prince_nonchalant

Character development is needed for each of them for the things to come next. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I tried to make it as wholesome as possible.

Also, Zane's and Layla's names dictate their personalities. Just like Apollo, their names have meanings. I based their characters fundamentally on the meanings. Layla is dark beauty or night. Zane is gracious. Thanks for reading.

Creation is hard, cheer me up! VOTE for me!

Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!

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