章節 28: A Date in the Apocalypse
I left the grand building of The Council of Survival, my mind still reeling from the recent events in the enigmatic dungeon.
I sighed, trying to push the negative thoughts to the back of my mind. I knew I had to submit my report, and I'm done with it now, but the prospect of returning to an empty home is not appealing.
Nevertheless, I have to focus on the task at hand so I gathered my thoughts and headed from the council's headquarters.
As I stepped out of the building again, a familiar voice called my name.
"Adrenoid! Wait up!"
I turned to find Cleare, a fellow adventurer, a friend, and my ex.
Her presence brought a glimmer of warmth to my heart, and I managed a weak smile.
"Cleare," I greeted her, "It's good to see you."
She looked concerned, her eyes searching mine. "You're still thinking about yesterday, aren't you? I'm so sorry, Adrenoid, if only I didn't put you to sleep.."
I nodded, my throat tightening with emotion. "No, that helped me a lot... Thank you, Cleare. It's been tough."
"It's been tough one me too, let alone you..." she said softly, moving closer to me. "But I don't want you to be alone right now. How about we go out for a while? Take your mind off things, even if just for a little bit."
I hesitated for a moment, feeling the pull of grief trying to keep me isolated.
But Cleare was right; I needed a distraction, a break from the destroying thoughts and feelings that surrounded me.
"I'd appreciate that, Cleare," I said, finally allowing a genuine smile to cross my lips. "It would be nice to spend some time together after all this time."
Her face lit up, and she reached out, gently taking my hand in hers. "Great! Let's scavenge. A change of acts might do us both some good."
As we walked together through the city streets, her hand in mine, I felt a sense of comfort and belonging.
Cleare had always been there for me, and I knew she understood my pain, even if she couldn't fully comprehend it. We talked about lighter things, reminiscing about past occurrences and sharing funny stories.
"Hmmm…" I pondered as I looked at an abandoned place.
It is both thrilling and eerie to wander through these forgotten places that once bustled with life.
As we ventured deeper into the first building, I couldn't help but feel a mix of curiosity. Cleare's presence beside me brought some comfort, and we both had our weapons ready in case we encountered any unexpected dangers.
"So, Adrenoid," Cleare said with a playful grin, "ready to discover some hidden treasures?"
I hope she doesn't mean having sex here… or I do.
I chuckled, glad for the distraction. "Absolutely! Let's see what we can find."
"Well then, off we go!" She began walking into the building
"Sigh…" My shoulders drooped for a moment and then I picked up my pace quickly.
We carefully navigated the debris-strewn hallways, stepping over fallen furniture and shattered glass.
Some areas were dimly lit by streams of sunlight filtering through broken windows, while others remained engulfed in shadows.
As we explored, Cleare's eyes sparkled with excitement whenever she stumbled upon something intriguing.
She held up an old book with a cracked cover, her eyes scanning the faded pages. "Check this out, Adrenoid. It looks like a special spellbook!"
I peered over her shoulder, intrigued by the find. "What the!? How the heck did you even find that here?" I took a moment to calm myself down, "We should give that to Evie, she might solve something of it…"
"Definitely," she agreed, carefully tucking the spellbook into her bag.
We continued our scavenging, coming across various remnants of the past.
Cleare found a dusty photograph of a family, and she paused to study it with a wistful expression. "It's a shame how many memories were left behind when the world changed."
I nodded, feeling a pang of sadness. "Yeah, it really is. But we're here now, trying to rebuild and make the best of what's left." I tried to act positive when I felt the opposite of it.
We encountered a room with old paintings hanging crookedly on the walls, some of which depicted serene landscapes.
Cleare pointed to one painting in particular, a vibrant portrayal of the city before it fell.
"Right now, I can't help but wonder how we would've been today if the apocalypse didn't happen," she mused at the fact that the world had begun its destruction over a month ago.
"I wonder…" I said.
In fact, I didn't.
I wouldn't want to still be a fat fuck wasting his life away playing Emberhorn.
I don't want to think of it.
Without wasting any more time, we continued our exploring.
In one room, we discovered a stash of weapons.
Cleare managed to find a surprisingly well-preserved sword, and she swung it playfully to test its weight. "Not bad! I might just keep this as a memento."
"Don't be so careless. Someone might be living here considering we found a spellbook and these weapons.
"Aww… That's true." She sulked a little before setting down her sword.
"Although, if one doesn't keep his weapons in their inventory, then you might as well take it."
"Yay!" She didn't think twice before taking hold of it and pushing it into thin air as it disappeared.
Her inventory was visible to her and her alone.
We gathered other stuff and made our way back to the city's outskirts, the weight of the day's events lifted slightly.
I somehow felt like I was slowly fixing what I had destroyed with her. The way I had behaved towards her was unforgivable.
"Today was a nice day…" I voiced as the sun began to set on our day of exploration.
Cleare and I walked back hand-in-hand, knowing that we would face the challenges ahead together. This date had turned into a moment of solace amidst the chaos I have been experiencing constantly for the past weeks.
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