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CHAPTER 12 - The Pain of Losing Your Family. Part 1.
(Pov - Zei.)
I watch Mary cry as she hugs her son's lifeless body.
… How should I react now? My mind's in chaos. My mother is officially dead, my friends are probably dead, and now Mary's son is dead.
Zombies, Orcs, rapist Goblins, flat-chested Elves. What the hell happened to the world in just one day?
My whole life went to shit… I don't know what to do now. What can I say to Mary? How can I try to help her when I don't even know how to feel better myself?
Seeing her hug her own son's corpse breaks my heart. If only I were more powerful. If it weren't for the flat Elf, I'd be dead, dead. Even with the power of the script, I couldn't defeat that Orc.
… I'm not a hero, of that I have no doubt. I don't want others to depend on me to stay safe; I don't want to bear that burden. When I leave Mary at the shelter, Kiasan and I will live the rest of our lives in solitude, traveling the world or something like that. I want to uncover the truth behind all this, but… Ugh, my mind's really a mess right now; I can't think clearly.
"I'm sorry, we didn't get here in time," said… a fairy?
A fairy is floating beside me, along with other fantasy creatures.
Another giant girl and three Cyclops girls. Triplets, huh? How… cute… Ugh, they're the daughters of the zombie Cyclops. I feel bad for them, but it wasn't my fault. She was a zombie; there was nothing I could do.
I feel like crap about Mary's son because I could've prevented his death, but I refuse to feel guilty about the Cyclops woman's death. I'm not to blame for that.
"You didn't know we were in danger; you're not at fault for anything, so you don't need to apologize."
Kiasan tugs at my leg. Huh? You want to go to Mary? Sorry, I'm still not ready to talk to her; give me one more minute.
"She's… alone."
… Yeah… She needs company in this tough moment. We're strangers to her, but at least being by her side will make her feel… something. I don't know what, but at least she won't feel alone.
I nodded and turned to the fairy girl.
"The flat Elf and your companions stayed behind… And sorry."
"Sorry? That tone sounded guilty. What did you do to them?"
She got too close, trying to intimidate me with her stare. Hey, you're an adorable fairy; you're not intimidating at all. Back off; I only attract bad luck.
"That's the thing, I didn't do anything; I'm not guilty of anything, but that flat Elf doesn't get it. Sorry, I don't have time; talk to her."
I crouched down and looked the Cyclops girls in the eyes. They're so cute, but at the same time, so creepy. Giant eyes the size of my fist. Grotesque, but it'd be rude to show disgust. Don't be racist, Zei!
"I-Is something wrong, sir?" they said in unison.
So cute… Ugh, they lost their mother in a world doomed to extinction. At least I had my mom until my teens, but you're still little girls; you still needed her. Same situation, different fates.
"Hi."
"H-Hi."
They're so coordinated. Do they do it on purpose, or are they really linked? And they're trembling a lot. Are they that shy? How cute.
No, Zei, no! This isn't the time to get distracted.
… What can I say to them? I want to say something nice, a life lesson or something. I want to help them somehow.
"Hey, creep."
Uwaaah! Is the fairy girl that strong?! A single kick sent me flying! Ow, ow, my body hurts! Why'd you do that?!
Ugh, the ground, my old friend, we're kissing again. Pfft… Well, not that bad. The dirt tastes… good. It's salty. Arghhh! Stop wasting time!
"Why the kick?!"
"For being a pedo."
Ugh, I must've spent too long thinking while staring at them. No wonder they were trembling so much; it wasn't shyness, it was fear. Mental note: fairies are stronger than they look. Don't judge by appearances, got it… Huh?
Roots?! Uwaaah! What's this?!
"Z-Zei!"
"Stay back, Kiasan; it's a living rapist tree!"
I feel roots creeping over my butt and crotch! I hope you're female, living tree!
"At least say something sweet first; I'm an easy guy, tree! No need to rape me!"
… Did it work? It stopped…! Ugh, I can't move. It stopped because it immobilized me; the roots are wrapped around my whole body! They only left my head free.
"Interesting."
The fairy floats in front of me and forces my mouth open. Ow, ow, my jaw! I-Idiot, be careful! If you cut yourself on my teeth, you're screwed!
"White teeth and… Sniff, sniff. No smell, absolutely no smell. A healthy, long tongue."
Heh. I know, I know, my ex-girlfriends loved my tongue, if you catch my drift. Wink, wink.
"You're not human, are you? But I don't sense you're an Undead either. What's your race called? What do you eat? It's rare for a mouth to have no smell at all."
She finally let go of my mouth. Ow, my jaw hurts.
"W-We… need to… go. L-Leave him… alone… please," Kiasan said, pulling the fairy's foot.
"You're next."
The tree sprouted more roots!
"Run, Kiasan!"
"Stop!" shouted… the giant girl!
Oh, our hero! You arrived just in time!
The roots stopped before grabbing Kiasan. Thank you; I didn't want Kiasan to be violated too! These roots wrapped around my entire body under my clothes, everything, everything, even between my cheeks. Ugh, I feel dirty. At least they didn't go for the always-dirty; it hasn't invited me for a cup of coffee yet.
"What? You're protecting him? He's a disgusting pedo."
"That's a lie; I love very mature women! The more experience, the better. I'd never lay a finger on a girl younger than me."
"He's telling the truth," the giant said.
"Well, if your ability says so, I guess I misjudged him."
"My ability confirmed it, but so did the way he looked at me. My eyes are up here."
Ugh, sorry, sorry. It's just they're huge! One of her breasts must weigh two or three times more than me. What are her areolas like?
"You can release him."
"If you say so."
She snapped her fingers, and the roots instantly turned to dust. Ugh, I'm kissing the ground again. You didn't get jealous because that tree groped me, did you? You know our relationship is open, baby… Hmm? I feel eyes on my back. Oh, little feet in front of me.
I rolled over and looked up at the Cyclops girls above me.
Pfft.
I quickly got up. It wasn't their eyes that grossed me out; they're wearing light dresses! Don't stand over a man! You're lucky I'm not a creep who enjoys seeing little girls' underwear! Kiasan, I'm getting you pants!
"Did you want to say something to them?" the giant woman said.
Ugh, don't make me feel bad. I'm not apologizing to them; I didn't kill their mother! But yeah, I'll say some nice, heartfelt words. I'm not good at this, but I'll improvise.
Ahem.
I crouched to look them in the eyes.
"Life can be tough sometimes, but we have to keep going. I lost my mom; she turned into a zombie, which means she can never come back to life, but she taught me to leave the past behind and move forward. She wouldn't want me sad and depressed all the time; on the contrary, she always believed life was for enjoying and having fun. I have to move on with my life. The best way to honor her memory is to live the life she gave me and enjoy it. I won't waste the life she gave me… Please, keep moving forward and don't let your lives be chained to your past. Live your lives and don't waste them."
I patted each of their heads.
"You have a long life ahead… And sorry."
"Pfft. Where'd this wannabe poet come from?" the fairy said.
H-Hey, I couldn't think of anything better!
"Why'd you get so sappy all of a sudden, kid?"
Kid? Is she a fairy over 1,000 years old?! Pfft, that's gross just thinking about it. Better not ask.
Ugh, the mood got tense, and all you can hear is Mary's sobbing.
The fairy exchanged looks with the giant, and with just a few gestures from her, I think the fairy understood why I said all that to the girls.
"Innocent?" the fairy said.
"Yeah," the giant said.
"I see."
I-I'd better go; Mary needs company.
I stood and looked the other giant woman in the eyes.
Is she the other giant's sister? Her breasts are small, considering her size. There's variety in their group, huh? A tomboy, a legal loli, an angry girl, blah, blah, blah.
I wonder who the protagonist is who'll get that harem. I wish it were me! Ugh, Manuela, you'll be my girlfriend for the rest of my life.
"Y-Yes?"
She looks away. A-A shy giant? Arghhh! God, why do you love torturing me?! Who'd you send this harem to? At least give me a zombie milf who shares my ability!
Ugh, no time for nonsense.
"I didn't know; I thought it was a different zombie, and I got scared. Sorry."
"Huh? W-What are you talking about?"
"That flat Elf will explain. I'm sorry… Sorry."
I walked away from her and approached Mary.
Standing in front of her puts so much pressure on me. What do I say? Sorry? I'm sorry for failing you? I didn't know this would happen? Was it my fault for suggesting the shelter?
I try to say something, at least an "I failed you," but my voice won't come out. All that comes from me are my tears.
A kid died, and I couldn't protect him. I know I'm practically a newbie at this magical monster-fighting stuff, but I wish I could've done more for him.
"I-I…"
…
…
…
I can't speak; I'm blank.
Mary lost her husband. Her friends. Her neighbors. Her home… Her son. She lost everything. What can I say in a situation like this? I don't know, I don't know! Arghhh! Say something, idiot!
"D-Don't… f-force… y-yourself," Kiasan said, hugging me.
She needs the hug more than I do, but thanks for worrying about me.
"… I-I… I didn't… I didn't know that…"
"No…" she interrupted, shaking her head.
Mary?
"You're not to blame… You're not."
… Thank you, Mary. I know that… Huh? W-Wait. H-Her head has… And that rock beside her, covered in blood… Did you…? Your own son? With your hands?
"Mary… Why?" I said, pointing at the rock.
"… He turned, and I had to do it. The virus is in the air; it activates when we die."
In the air? Are we all infected?
… She dared to kill her son's zombie.
"You're a strong woman, and I admire you… Sorry, I said that without thinking."
I don't know if I could kill my son's zombie. I don't even know what I'll do with my mom's zombie. I've officially lost hope of finding a cure.
"He wasn't my son anymore. You said it yourself before: souls leave the body when they turn into zombies… He wasn't my son."
And my mom isn't my mom anymore.
We lost everything in a matter of days, all because of fantasy creatures. It's obvious they have something to do with this.
All we can do is keep moving forward.
"W-What… w-will… y-you… d-do… n-now?"
Great question, Kiasan. We need to know her mental state. I don't want her to kill herself; she's still young, with a long life ahead. Plus, I have a suspicion about souls. If the virus forces the soul out of the body, it's possible it could also take it somewhere.
"I want to bury my son… I heard what you said, Zei. Move forward and don't let my life be chained to my past… Your mom raised you well."
"Thanks."
She's trying to look strong, but she's suffering; her tears won't stop. She lost her family; that pain won't go away quickly. It'll take time. I still haven't gotten over my mom's death, and the pain of losing her husband and son is worse.
… I refuse to believe a dead body can move on its own. Zombies aren't normal. If we have the ability to develop magic, it means we have something like a soul, or in my case, my own soul.
If this was caused by a fantasy creature, it's likely a being planning something horrible, and their plans might involve collecting souls. It's just a theory, but I think bites and deaths trigger something in humans, like an artificial soul that expels the original one. Why? Because that artificial soul will force zombies to obey their master. I think that's why I can control myself—because that artificial soul failed to expel mine and merged with it or something.
Kiasan can't see souls in zombies, but I think it's very possible. I'll tell my theory to the fantasy creatures so they can investigate. I'm not interested in finding the culprit; I just want to live my life as peacefully as possible.
"Z-Zei… Y-Your… b-body… R-Rest."
Yeah, I'm trembling; I've gone beyond my limit, barely staying awake, but I refuse to rest. I can't leave them alone right now.
"… Sorry… I… can't leave them alone."
"We'll take care of them while you rest," the busty giant said.
I turned to my left.
All the magical girls are there. Can I trust them? They seem trustworthy, and the giant stopped the fairy from killing me.
Ugh… If I keep going like this, I'll fall asleep and attack them. I have no choice.
"If you're planning revenge, take it out on me alone. They're innocent."
"You think we're monsters?"
"The flat Elf tried to kill me."
"And I'd do it again, you son of a…! Hmmph?!"
The giant covered the Elf's mouth. I was about to open my mouth, but I'm so tired I can't be bothered to argue with her.
"Well, I don't blame you for suspecting us, but we're not evil. She's just a bit pissed about the current situation."
"… I shouldn't, but…"
My eyes… My vision's blurry… My energy's running out.
I fell to the ground. I-I can't move. Uwaaah! I'm about to turn into a full zombie!
"Please, protect my friends! They're all I have left in this world."
"We will. We were planning to gather info about this world anyway."
Kiasan crouched to help me.
"P-Plan B?"
Burial plan.
"Y-Yeah. T-Thanks… And don't get attached to them, please."
I won't trust you. I won't trust any magical creature. If summoning magic caused this, I can't trust any magical creature. Any of them could be the villain who planned this.
Just this once, I'll trust them because it's my only option.
Please, don't hurt them.