"Y—You are a cultivator?" Charlotte’s breath hitched. There were a lot of cultivators in the underground cities, yet usually they were part of criminal gangs and much older than both of them, most commonly in their 30s.
"I..." Scarlett wasn’t able to speak properly. Blood clung to every part of her figure. This being the first ti she had ever taken lives, she wasn’t knowledgeable enough to keep herself pristine from the gushing liquid.
Although it was shocking news to Charlotte, she didn’t hesitate. Acting like she hadn’t just been choked close to losing her consciousness, she rose and approached the bodies one by one.
Her hands moved with precision, searching every single pocket, stripping the dead n of their valuables.
"W—What are you doing?" Scarlett was taken aback by the sight. How could a girl the sa age as her be able to pick pocket the corpses of so many n?
Charlotte spared her a glance.
"It’s not like they are going to need their belongings, are they?" She reasoned.
Once done, she gripped Scarlett’s hand again, leading the way.
"..."
Charlotte had spent so much ti in the underground cities that she could read people like open books. Being weak had forced her to excel in the craft of understanding people.
’She has so much power... yet she is hesitating to use it?’ Charlotte bit her lower lip in frustration. ’Is life above really so different? Most wouldn’t blink before taking life, yet she appeared to be on the verge of ntal breakdown.’
Setting her hesitation to the side, Charlotte spoke.
"Cheer up."
Scarlett shook her head dejectedly.
"No, I can’t. I just took the lives of people. H—How can I be calm?"
Charlotte scoffed, her crimson gaze shifting towards Scarlett’s erald eyes.
"You’re mistaken. Those were not humans, only monsters wearing n’s hides. Is a human supposed to rejoice at the idea of forcing young girls to sell themselves in brothels just to repay debts that they had no choice but to take?... If anything, you saved with your actions... Don’t ever bla yourself."
"I..." Scarlett began to cry. "Thank you."
Charlotte chuckled.
"I am the one who should be thanking you. These n were on my tail for so ti now. With their demise it will take a while before anyone else cos after ." She paused briefly. "So thank you... Crybaby."
"Don’t call that! I am not a crybaby!" Scarlett insisted.
Charlotte shook her head with a faint smile.
"You sure are."
Sneaking around the city, taking care not to catch the attention of the wrong folk, the two entered a store. Scarlett bought new cheap clothes, these ones not drenched in blood, while Charlotte used the remainder of her money along with the valuables she had previously stolen to buy a syringe.
"Finally!" Charlotte smiled, eyes gleaming in hope. "With this I can cure Betty at last!"
Initially, she hadn’t planned to spend so much ti outside, yet with Scarlett’s rescue she had little choice in the matter.
However, in the end, it turned out great. Charlotte had finally bought the dicine she had been saving for so long, even skipping nurous als over the course of several months!
Not exactly brimming with options, Scarlett followed Charlotte to her residence. She first had to ensure her safety and catch her breath before searching for a way to contact her brother.
"This is where you live?" Scarlett murmured in surprise. By no ans was she expecting a five star hotel, yet this was worse than her wildest expectations.
Nurous small, crumbling buildings were erected next to each other, clearly to save space. As if they housed cattle rather than human beings.
The surroundings were full of miserable people. The eyes of so looked unfocused. Red marks marring their forearms caused by substance abuse. Others, primarily won, walked around in provocative clothing in search of a pretty di for their services.
Their situation had gotten so desperate that an old hag with multiple missing teeth ca up to them, offering a discount for a night for a pair.
Charlotte shrugged, clearly unbothered by the sight.
"Are you really so surprised? Throughout all of humanity’s history, there have always been those who are less fortunate who struggle, going to unimaginable lengths just to put food on the table... Or do everything in their power to distract their minds from the harsh reality of their suffering."
She glanced at Scarlett.
"I have heard that the fighting motto of soldiers is about how humanity is apparently born to inherit the stars... But if you ask , that is all bull crap. It’s better if we all go extinct rather than subject so many of us to such endless agony."
Scarlett frowned, yet Charlotte continued.
"My words may appear overly harsh, but unlike you, who has so much to live for, I have never had anything. Not a single good thing has ever happened in my life. My mother died from infection when I was three. My father abandoned at six. By seven, I had no choice but to take on debts with unholy interest just to afford a single al a day. Now I find myself constantly on the run with lone sharks closing in from every angle."
She paused briefly.
"No, I lied. There is one good thing... Betty is waiting for ! I must hurry!"
Making haste, Charlotte bolted, Scarlett following close behind.
They entered a rundown building with a lone claustrophically small room... Charlotte’s humble residence.
Nearly empty, the only thing that caught Scarlett’s attention was a dog lying on multiple stacked newspapers, one over the other, with two bowls with untouched food and water next to it.
"Betty! I’m back!" Charlotte proclaid. Positioning herself over the motionless animal, she drove the syringe into its neck, letting the cure flow into Betty’s bloodstream.
"How nice! Soon we’ll be able to play catch like the old tis!" She smiled and nudged Betty, hoping to wake her.
"Co on, wake up, Betty! It’s not exactly the ti for jokes!"
Charlotte giggled. "Have you gone deaf? Co on, Charlotte is calling for you. Be a good girl and get up!"
"..."
A weight ford at the back of Charlotte’s throat.
"Hey... please wake up. Do you have any idea how many nights I went to bed starving just to afford this cure? D—Don’t tell it was all for nothing!"
Biting her lower lip, Charlotte’s vision began to blur with tears.
"Please..." Charlotte held Betty close, feeling only coldness with no trace of a heartbeat.
"Not you too... don’t leave all alone."
Struck by the realization that her one and only companion was gone, Charlotte could only sob, inwardly blaming herself and her own lack of abilities for the way things had ended.
Scarlett clenched her fists tightly. What kind of world was this? How could she have enjoyed such a leisurely life when there were people suffering so much every single day?
This wasn’t sothing her brother would have allowed. She knew it deep down. He couldn’t be everywhere all the ti. It was not possible for anyone to shoulder every burden at once.
Unsure how to act, Scarlett hugged Charlotte from behind.
"Let it all out." She whispered, causing the weeping of the girl to intensify.
"W—What am I supposed to do now?" Charlotte asked herself more than anyone else.
Scarlett’s eyes sharpened with determination. Rising to her feet, she extended a hand.
"Regardless of how much we wish to, we can’t change the past. Only prepare for the future."
There was no doubt in her mind that this was what Michael would have done.
"I am only here because you freed from my abductors, so let repay that debt." Scarlett declared. "Let teach you the ways of cultivation and grant you unmatched power so that no one would dare cross your path!"
With still teary eyes, Charlotte gazed at Scarlett’s outstretched hand.
And took it.
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