"....."
I looked blankly at the ceiling of the hotel room. The night lamp flickered on and off as I kept pushing the button.
My body sank deep within the bed, lying comfortably.
A full day had passed since I t that weird man nad Sam.
A new morning had arrived, but I kept myself holed up in the room, lacking the strength to walk out.
"....What was that?" I mumbled to myself, feeling increasingly tired.
No matter how much I tried to understand what had happened to , I just couldn't.
At that ti I felt like my chest was burning, and a voice kept echoing in my mind.
A voice that felt distant yet close.
A voice I didn't recognize but felt like I should.
But the more I looked at that portrait, the more it gave a familiar sense of déjà vu from the depths of my mories.
"What was that?"
I asked again, but not to myself, rather to El.
[...I don't know. I can't see what's going on in your mind.]
"And who the fuck was Sam?" I snapped, glaring at nothingness. "You told he wasn't dangerous."
[He was just a mortal, Az. Nothing was special about him.]
"Sigh..."
....Then why?
Why does it feel like everything he did was for a purpose?
[...Or, you are just overthinking.]
"...Maybe."
I mumbled, letting out a dry chuckle as I sat back on the bed.
"I wish that portrait hadn't broken into pieces."
I mumbled with a tired sigh.
When I tried to remove the portrait from the wall, it crumbled in my hand, turning into dust.
'It was quite an old painting.'
I mused, standing up while taking out my phone, which I had kept on silent as I wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone.
Checking the logs, I found a few missed calls.
"Hmm? Christina?"
I mumbled as I looked at her na; she was the one who had called the most.
Rubbing my temples, I dialed her number, and after two rings, she picked up.
"Where are you?" she asked, her voice filled with concern.
"In the hotel room." I replied, my voice coming out tired.
"Are you alright?" she asked, her voice growing even more concerned. "You sound a little down."
"I am fine." I replied, "Just a little tired."
"Should I visit?" she offered.
"No, why did you call so many tis?" I asked, rubbing my face with my plam.
"Yeah, I am at the mall." She replied, her voice chirping.
"I wanted to buy so dresses for myself, so I thought I should invite you as well."
"....."
What the hell am I supposed to do?
I don't even know how to select a girl's dress.
"Hello?"
"Where are you now?" I asked, walking toward the door. "I will be there in a while."
"Sweet, I will send you the location." She replied before hanging up the phone.
I walked out of the room, feeling a bit better than yesterday.
The rest of the students were out touring the entire empire.
"Co to think of it." I mumbled, walking toward the parking area. "We will be visiting the Bridge of Dawn tomorrow at midnight."
The dim red lights of the hotel started to fade away as I looked at the bike given to .
I checked my phone for the address Christina sent.
I sat on the bike, quickly unlocking it before moving out of the hotel.
'...Delilah.'
I thought, the wind damping in my ears as I moved toward the highway.
'....Who are you?'
***
***
The mall buzzed with people roaming around the place; the ten different floors were filled with different products for everyone's use.
Navigating through the crowd, I took the elevator to the fourth floor where Christina was shopping.
As the lift ascended, I erged into a large won's clothing store, its walls adorned with hundreds of garnts.
I scanned the shop until my eyes landed on a girl with blue hair examining a dress.
Beside her stood a raven-haired girl, engaged in conversation.
I walked toward her, and she quickly noticed .
"You took your ti," she said with a smile on her face.
"Not that late," I replied, shrugging.
But before we could talk further, a cluster of white erged from my side, turning into a child.
"Mama!" Willis exclaid, using my body as support to jump at the raven-haired girl.
She smiled softly, catching him before twirling him around. "How are you, Willis?" she asked.
I glanced at Christina, who had a look of jealousy on her face.
"Can I buy so clothes for him?" she asked, looking at .
"Sure," I replied, shrugging, to which she nodded before walking out and moving to a different store.
"What's with that look?" I asked, looking at Christina, who had a weird look on her face.
"It doesn't sit well with ," she replied, glancing at . "Your child calling soone else Mama."
"He isn't my biological child," I reasoned, looking at the different clothes.
"A child is a child, Az," she replied, tearing her gaze from and looking at the dresses. "It's not about being biological."
"..Sure." I mumbled quietly, not wanting to argue with her.
"Did sothing happen?" she asked, glancing at .
"Nothing in particular," I replied, not explaining further.
And it's not like I can explain anything to her either way.
"My father called ," she mumbled, earning my interest. "He said to stay away from you."
I chuckled softly. "He must be constantly worried that he might really beco a grandpa."
"Well, I needed to threaten him," she replied, shrugging. "Or else he would have tried to break our engagent at any cost."
"....I don't understand him," I whispered softly, folding my hands.
"There was a ti when he didn't even care about you, and then all of a sudden he rembered he was a father."
"Do you rember when he started caring for ?" she asked, making turn quiet.
With a sad smile, I whispered, "When I slapped you in front of him."
"Yep, basically you made his parental love ignite back," she replied with a chuckle.
But...
....I couldn't laugh.
I did a lot of awful things to her just so she would hate .
I even went as far as slapping her in front of everyone.
And here she is, still sticking close to .
We both have our flaws, but she always tried to nd our relationship, while I always tried to break it.
"Hey," she whispered softly, her hand reaching out and gently stroking my cheek. "...Don't make such a sad face."
"What sad face?" I replied, shrugging with a smile on my face.
"You know, Az," she mumbled, her gaze still on , "When you're ready, please tell everything that happened to you."
"....."
I remained silent, keeping my gaze on her.
Her blue eyes didn't back away as she kept staring back.
"Fine," I mumbled, earning a smile from her as she nodded in agreent.
"Right, I need your help," she said, grabbing my hand and dragging away.
"Help with what?" I asked curiously.
She smiled softly, looking back. "In finding sothing beautiful."
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