"WOOHOO~"
"MUHAHAHA."
"MOMMY, HELP !!"
I couldn't help but laugh at the mix of cheering and panicked cries from behind .
My back pressed against Oliver's chest, we sohow squeezed four people onto one bike, with in control of the handle.
It had been over an hour since we left the house, and we were just a short distance away from our destination.
The eight-lane highway was mostly empty, a few vehicles passing by every other minute.
"You still there, Chubby?!" I shouted, my voice muffled by the rushing wind.
He was at the very back, barely having any space to sit.
"PLEASE STOP!!"
His voice was brittle, as if he might start crying any second.
But despite his pleas, the others yelled, their excitent only growing.
"FASTER!!" Aimar yelled, his hand wrapped around Oliver.
I glanced at the speedoter, watching as the needle hovered around 140 km/h.
Click!
I shifted the gear, slowing the bike down a bit, and I could hear Chubby thanking every god in existence, even with the wind whipping against my face.
"Chubby!!" I called out, "Hold on tightly!!"
Vroom!
"NO!!"
I twisted the handle again, the bike jerking before it picked up speed once more.
The wind howled around my ears as the speed climbed above 200 km/h.
Their screams echoed throughout the highway as we approached an area with a slightly denser forest.
'Hmm, it should be around here,'
I thought, recognizing the familiar place from blurry mories.
A broken, rusty red signboard was all I needed to confirm our location.
"AZ!!"
Oliver yelled as I turned the bike off the smooth road onto the uneven ground leading deep into the forest.
"Trust ," I mumbled, slowing the bike as we descended downward.
"Hey, Azariah, where are we going?" Aimar's voice reached my ears as the area around us began to darken.
The trees above started to intertwine, leaving only a narrow path for to ride on.
The bike bumped up and down for a while before I slowed it to a complete stop.
"We're walking from here." I glanced back, looking around the place.
Right in front of us was an inclined hill covered with small trees and bushes.
"I'm never riding with you guys again," Chubby grumbled, clutching his stomach.
The twins also dismounted, I parked the bike and led them onward.
The soft sound of water hitting rocks echoed in the eerie stillness of the forest as we made our way upward.
Slowly, the forest began to clear, and the sound of the waterfall grew louder.
After climbing for half an hour, we finally reached the top of the hill, where a blood-red river rushed down.
The thunderous roar of the waterfall filled the air as we moved closer to the edge.
"Is it blood?" Chubby asked, a little frightened.
I chuckled, "No, it's just the minerals mixed."
"Damn," Oliver mumbled, looking down the hill, "How deep is this?"
"Around two hundred ters," I answered, staring at the waterfall whose bottom was obscured from view.
"So why are we here?" Aimar asked, his eyes on .
I gently smiled as I pointed ahead.
And there, nestled between the clusters of clouds, the sun was setting, creating a breathtaking scene that made us all hold our breath.
Then I turned around, looking at the opposite side.
Curiously, they also looked back, only to be stunned once again.
There, between the trees, peeked the greenish moon.
...The Akasha.
"Wow."
A sigh of admiration left Chubby's mouth, making chuckle as I sat down on the rock close to the edge, facing the moon.
Oliver also sat down, using my back to support his weak body as he looked at the sun.
Aimar and Chubby moved a little away, following the river down to take so photos of the place.
"How do you know this place?" Oliver asked softly.
"When I was a child, aunt Belly brought here once," I replied, keeping my eye on the moon. "She told that this river eventually ets the Euphrates."
"I see," he replied gently.
"She also told the Euphrates originates from paradise," I mumbled, missing those talks with her, "from where humanity originated."
"....."
The reply I got for my rambling was utter silence, forcing to glance back at him.
"Missing your mother?" I asked, tapping his head with mine.
"What do you think, Az?" He breathed tiredly, "Does she even love her children?"
"....."
I might be the worst person to ask.
But I swallowed my own experience as I replied,
"...They say mothers are the only ones who love their child unconditionally...I'm sure your mother loves you too."
"She would have visited if she did."
"We both know she couldn't do that...Not when her father is against all this."
"Still—"
"Oliver, think properly." I interjected, "Her family has already turned against her; you guys are the only ones she has."
"Not everyone...Aunt Yennefer still supports her."
...Yennefer.
'...Right, they are related.'
"Well, in the end, it's up to you." I announced, "Right now, only you can save your mother."
"...I don't know if I can," he mumbled. "How am I supposed to do that?"
"..."
I remained silent, just tapping my head against his as a sign of assurance.
"By the way, why are you not getting engaged with Aaliyah?" I curiously asked.
Instead of replying, he questioned back, "Tell , if one day you had to choose between your mother and Christina, what would you do?"
"Christina."
"Wow, ungrateful bastard, your mother gave birth to you."
"Think what you want, but I would choose her every single day," I shrugged, replying nonchalantly.
"Well, I can't choose between my mother and Aaliyah...And I sohow know I will be stuck in a situation where I'll have to—"
"Then ask for help." I blurted, stopping him. "I'll help if you need it."
"What?"
I chuckled as I replied, "If you can risk your life to save my happiness, what's stopping from doing the sa?"
Hiding my own pain, I continued,
"...And trust , man, it will sting a lot when she showers soone else with the love and care that was supposed to be yours."
I don't know if the ga is real or not...but I did see that happening.
...Was I angry for what they did?
...Maybe a little.
But it was better for them to leave a toxic fucker like .
'But not this ti.'
I won't let that happen again.
"...I see," he mumbled thoughtfully.
"Anything else that's bothering you?"
A full minute of silence lingered between us before he sighed, bringing his knees up and curling his body.
Now I was supported by his back.
"I'm scared, man," he mumbled harshly, and I could feel his body trembling.
"Of what?" I softly asked.
"These eyes," he replied, and I knew which eyes he ant. "They don't feel like my own."
"...Did sothing happen?" I calmly questioned.
"...I saw dreams with these eyes," he replied quietly. "...Dreams that I shouldn't have."
'Do you know sothing about this, El?'
[....No.]
Before I could ask anything, he continued, his voice turning more harsh,
"...For twenty days, I've been dreaming about war...
Soaked in the blood of enemies...
like a machine, all I did was kill...
It filled my mind with rage, Az, rage directed towards soone I don't even know...."
His words trailed off as I shifted my body, facing him, standing on my knees.
"You used those eyes in front of your mother before, right?" I asked, as he took ragged breaths. "Did you see those dreams back then?"
"...No, I saw those dreams only this ti." He shook his head. "...They keep flashing in my mind, Az, again and again...like an endless torture."
"Calm down," I mumbled, rubbing his back. "Those are just nightmares."
He drew a deep breath before letting it out. "Yeah, they're not real."
"Yep, so chill out," I replied, standing up on my feet and helping him as well.
"Yeah, Akasha wouldn't have been so close if they were real," he mumbled, sliding down the hill.
"Wait, what!?" I asked, but he gestured for not to worry.
I shrugged as well, jumping down as I exclaid, "Yeah, Oliver!!"
"What?"
I smiled sweetly. "If the chance arises, help bag your aunt."
"The fuck?" He cursed, looking at weirdly. "You haven't even seen her yet."
"I fell for her na."
"Doesn't matter," he replied. "She's already married."
"Correction: 'She was married,'" I remarked.
"How do you know?" Narrowing his eyes, he asked.
"Just an intuition," I replied, grinning. "Was I correct?"
"You don't have a chance," he stated as if he was sure. "And since when did you start preferring mature won?"
"I always preferred them," I shrugged. "You're the one who didn't notice."
"I'm sorry, have I sohow given the impression that I give a solitary speck of shit about what you prefer?" He replied with a dead look on his face.
"Tch, what's with the formal language?" I grumbled as I helped him climb down.
"I'm not helping," he replied, shaking his head.
"Fine, I'll do it myself."
"Yeah, you purple shit, now let's go ho," he said, not bothering to comnt further.
Aimar and Chubby were trying to climb back up, but I signaled them to move down.
"Hey, Az," as we climbed down, Oliver mumbled.
"Yeah?"
"The thing you said about protecting my happiness," taking a deep breath, he continued, "I'll take your word on that."
I smiled genuinely, nodding, "Sure, man."
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