The Beginning After The End novel Chapter 272

Chapter 272

Chapter 272: Your Name

I woke up to see a domed ceiling dimly lit by a flickering orange light. That was all I was able to take in before my body so kindly reminded me why I had fallen unconscious in the first place. My body felt like it was being entirely twisted and wrung; rippling pain and objections to moving pushed the air completely out of my lungs.

My vision spun and it took me several minutes to even realize that there were other people talking.

“—anything we can do?”

“Princess will be fine. He just needs some space.”

“Talking Wolf is right, Lady Caera. Since elixirs don’t work on Effeminate One, all we can do is wait.”

“What I don’t understand is how all of you can be so calmly accepting of the fact that we’re conversing with a wolf made of shadows and purple fire!”

“You were screaming at me to save you just fine back in the convergence zone, Miss Booty Shorts. I don’t see why you’re so baffled by it now.”

“B-Booty shorts? What are you even—”

“It was fairly obvious that Effeminate One was always cautious. It comes to no surprise that he’s been hiding some of his abilities.”

With the room stable and my wounds only disturbingly painful now, I managed to prop myself up on my elbows. “I thought I told you to stop calling me Effeminate One.”

“Ah, it seems you’re fully conscious now,” Arian replied a few feet away where he, Taegen, Daria, Caera, and Regis were situated around a simmering pot held over a fire. “You’ve had a few seizures like this before so we assumed you’d fall back to sleep again.”

“Where am I?” I asked, Regis helping me up by pushing my back with his head.

“You can relax,” Caera answered, her expression a conflicted mix of wariness and sympathy. “We’re in a sanctuary room.”

My eyes locked with hers, resurfacing the memories of the black flames she had conjured.

Swallowing the emotions I had come to associate with them—pain, loss, regret, and anger—I spoke. “So that giant beast guarding the tower...”

Arian shot me a smile. “It seems like your plan to let the beast’s breath attack explode in its mouth worked.”

“Effeminate One’s plan would’ve failed if I hadn’t assisted,” Taegen added, snorting. “Although I didn’t think it would actually work.”

So they didn’t find out. The shockwave from the beast’s breath attack must’ve been strong enough to knock Taegen and Arian unconscious while I utilized the runes of destruction that Regis stored in his body.

Since the carallians in the convergence zone disintegrated upon dying, they must’ve assumed the same thing had happened to that colossal beast.

Judging by everyone’s expressions, they seemed to have a lot of suspicions, but I was just relieved that they hadn’t witnessed my use of destruction aether.

“We all have questions for you, but I think it’s best to get your strength up.” Daria said softly as she handed me a bowl filled with steaming stew. “I heard you’re from the South, but you’ve tasted it yourself. The Lehndert blood is famous for delicious and augmenting recipes.”

“This particular member of the Lehndert blood seems to be particularly stingy, however,” Taegen muttered. “Restricting everyone to only two servings per person...”

Daria hissed at Taegen, shooting him a glare. “That’s because you started eating straight out of the pot using the ladle as a spoon!”

“We still have our own rations, Taegen,” Lady Caera said as she calmly withdrew what looked like a moist brown brick with chunks of dried fruit sprinkled in it.

“...Thank you, Lady Caera.” The towering mass of red hair and muscles actually let out a sigh before he bit down into the ration bar.

Despite the fact that my body technically didn’t need to eat, my hands automatically reached for it. I let the warmth spread from the bowl and into my palms before taking a sip.

A rich hearty broth slid down my throat, coating my mouth in its deep meaty flavor. My expression must’ve given my thoughts away because I looked up to see Daria with a smirk, Caera looking at me with intrigue, and Taegen staring longingly at the bowl in my hands.

“The power of the Linhndert cuisine triumphs again,” Daria snickered. “I didn’t think it was possible for you to have any expression aside from annoyed and deadpan.”

Regis curled up beside me, his purple flames seemingly cool to the touch. “He’s a softie once you get to know him.”

After finishing my second bowl of stew, I finally spoke again. “While your actions were unnecessary, thank you for taking care of me while I was unconscious.”

I patted Regis, who was still lying down. “Let’s go.”

“Wait, you’re just going to leave now that you had some rest and a meal?” Daria asked.

I regarded the brown-haired ascender. “Is there a reason why we should continue travelling together?”

“You’re powerful—freakishly so—and it’s obvious that you haven’t revealed all of your abilities,” Daria answered. “But there are only one or two zones left until the next exit portal comes up. Let’s work together and get back home safely. I’ve already agreed to team up with Lady Caera’s team.”

Despite not meaning to, Daria had just revealed two incredibly important facts. First, that there were multiple exits, and second, that they had already passed an exit portal—or several—before this. This meant that I must’ve landed somewhere in the middle of the Relictombs.

Standing up, I felt for all of my belongings. Noticing that the dagger was still strapped to me, I unbuckled it from my waist and handed it to Caera. “I had to borrow it for the last battle. Here.”

She accepted the dagger without a word, her expression almost impossible to make out. It was only when I turned to walk away that she spoke.

“Stop,” she said with a weight in her voice that she hadn’t used before.

I looked back over my shoulder in time to catch the dagger she threw back at me. “You’ll need these once you get out of the Relictombs.”

Daria flushed and shot a glare at him. “Yes, I did. And usually, throwing in a few compliments and exposing some skin works.” _{fɾēewebnσveℓ.com}