".... No one was alive except for you two," Eveline added, her voice low and steady.
"Two?" Wang Xiao turned to his right, catching sight of Luna, who, though awake, was in a sorry state.
Her clothing hung in tattered strips, her eyes were open but her lips were pressed tightly shut, signaling her silence.
One hand was conspicuously missing, replaced by a ragged stump, and her exposed ivory skin was stained by nurous dark speckles.
"He wasn't Maliketh..." Luna's voice was barely a whisper, her gaze drifting skyward yet acutely aware of Wang Xiao's concerned stare.
She had been conscious for so ti, quietly channeling her energies to nd her battered body.
"Who is he then?" Wang Xiao's brow furrowed in confusion and concern.
"Maliketh is supposed to be the guardian of North Arica, but that was just an impostor," Luna replied, her eyes burning with a mix of determination and anger. "I expected the real Maliketh to seek vengeance after your assault on country M within his domain, but the entity that arrived was not him!"
"??"
Wang Xiao's ears were still ringing from the earlier chaos, yet he caught her implication, "...How are you so sure...?" He asked, his voice tinged with skepticism.
Luna's voice carried a rare bitterness as she responded, "He wasn't alive."
"What?" Wang Xiao's confusion deepened, his brows knitting tighter.
But before he could delve further into his questions, Luna waved her remaining hand, summoning a golden cocoon of shimring light around herself.
The cocoon radiated a soft, pulsating light, enveloping her in a protective barrier that seed to quicken her healing process.
"..."
The rapid sequence of events montarily bewildered Wang Xiao.
Eveline's subsequent explanation shed so light, albeit unsettlingly.
"Her body is badly... infested with those ominous particles. I tried to extract them, but it's too much for ." Her eyes briefly flicked over to the glowing cocoon surrounding Luna, a hint of surprise in her gaze. "She might be able to heal herself better. Give her so ti."
"Right..." Wang Xiao muttered, his mind racing as he turned to examine his own body, relieved to find that he lacked the ominous black particles that plagued Luna.
"Your body had those too. I removed them for now. Also, I healed your back, but that girl is dead." Eveline's voice dropped to a flat, detached tone as she reverted to her usual stoic deanor.
"Huh? Who is dead?" Wang Xiao stood, feeling a sharp ache in his joints as he rose.
"That girl," Eveline replied simply.
Wang Xiao paused, a brief wave of confusion washing over him before clarity dawned. "Anran...?" His voice faded slightly.
Eveline turned away, her lips pressed tightly together, her silence confirming the reality.
"..."
"..."
After so silence, Wang Xiao's face relaxed into a mask of confusion, and he sat back on the ground, his gaze drifting skyward. Eveline watched him, her expression a mix of bafflent and contemplation. She suspected that he was either hiding his emotions well or was genuinely detached from the situation.
"...Do you have any idea about that dark energy? It seed to cancel out my powers..." Wang Xiao finally broke the silence.
Eveline furrowed her brows, her hands resting lightly on the grass as she took a deep breath. "...It appeared similar to what we used to call Χάος."
"Hm?" Wang Xiao's eyebrows lifted at the unfamiliar term.
"You can call it Antimatter," Eveline explained, her tone even. "I looked into it a bit, though even during our ti, I've never heard of anyone capable of wielding it as a weapon."
"Antimatter?" Wang Xiao echoed, the word foreign yet heavy with implications.
Eveline nodded. "If you want to know more, you need to ask Aurora. I don't have much insight into it. Also, it might be better if you check on your won first."
Wang Xiao's eyes narrowed slightly, a mont of indecision passing over his features. "What about Sylvergard? And Maliketh? Won't he co back?"
Eveline's lips curled into a slight smile. "Scared?" She couldn't help but tease— an unusual behaviour, that Wang Xiao failed to account for at the mont.
His eyes narrowed, his tone resolute. "Need to prepare, if he is coming back."
Eveline stared at his face, montarily lost as his reply took her by surprise, before she let out a brief laugh, unusual for her character. "Prepare for what? Fight him?"
Seeing her laugh, Wang Xiao's brows knitted in annoyance. "Is there a choice...?"
Eveline shook her head, her deanor becoming more serious. "There isn't, but 'he' won't be coming anyti soon. Just stay inside Europe."
Wang Xiao didn't understand the cryptic smile that lingered on Eveline's lips, nor her emphasis on staying in Europe.
What was it about Europe that made it safer, or was it rely a strategic position? He felt a mix of curiosity and caution, but for once, he decided not to press further.
______
Thud!
Wang Xiao peeled off his shirt and, with a bare back, collapsed onto the grass, spreading out as his eyes fluttered closed.
"..."
Watching him sprawl out, Eveline tilted her head, curiosity etching her features until Wang Xiao's lips quivered, forming a question. "Do you have cigarettes...?"
"Hm?" Eveline's eyebrows rose, her curiosity tinged with slight surprise. "I thought you didn't smoke?"
"But I feel like it now," Wang Xiao muttered, his eyes remaining shut.
It was an inner urge, so strong and unfamiliar that even he couldn't understand it.
"..."
Eveline fell silent, pondering his request before her eyes blinked, offering a piece of advice. "...If you smoke once when stressed, then every ti you get stressed, you might use it for escapism..."
"..."
Wang Xiao nodded, about to concede, "I might b—"
Woof!
??
His words were abruptly cut off by a sudden barking. Both he and Eveline turned their heads to see a massive dog with thick, dark brown fur ambling towards them.
The unexpected arrival of the dog shifted the atmosphere, montarily distracting them from the heavier topics at hand.
Eveline's expression softened slightly, a hint of amusent crossing her features as they watched the dog approach, its tail wagging in a friendly, albeit imposing, manner.
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