Chương 77: 75: Hollow

Remnya The Netomics in Remnya's blood acted as an anesthetic, putting her into a deep sleep. Nightmares stopped, replaced by the void of her mind. Every muscle and bone regenerated while that tragic night faded away. As a new day arose on the horizon, warm sun rays caressed Remnya's skin. She opened her eyes, and for a brief moment, she believed everything had just been a horrible dream. However, the reek of burnt flesh, carbonized vegetation, and ashes covering the ground reminded her of what she had lost.

Tears threatened her eyes, but Remnya vowed never to let them flow again. It was futile. They would never come back. Never. Remnya moved her fingers first, then her arms, realizing there was no more pain. She lifted her torso, pushed away the blanket covering her, and looked at herself. Dried blood and ashes smeared her skin, and her torn clothes barely hid her naked body. A Karx uniform lay beside her, so she tore apart the remnants of her clothes and wore the new ones.

She scanned her surroundings, witnessing the devastation. Nature was gone, replaced by black tree trunks falling apart, smoke, and a thick mattress of ashes. Nonetheless, the corpses had disappeared. Even though the pain was gone, her body felt numb and weak, and her legs trembled like a newborn when she stood up. It took her several attempts to walk, but her bones seemed to have recovered. Yet, deep scars covered her whole body.

She limped across the place, trying to find signs of life in the desolation where not even birds chirped anymore. Eerie silence. Remnya sat on the remnants of molten rock and contemplated her solitude, wondering if saving Zeo was doable for a failure like herself. The roar of an engine interrupted her thoughts, and she saw an old truck stopping nearby, blood and ashes imprinted on its tires. Debrin craned his neck out the driver's window and shouted, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," she said and coughed, feeling her throat as dry as sandpaper.

"Do you want to return to the camp?" His question sent shivers down her spine. Remnya lowered her gaze, clenched her fists, and pondered her choices. Seeing the place where Brisa had been happy for the last time would tear her soul apart. However, she would never get over her pathetic self unless she faced reality. The scared, weak child who failed had to die once and for all.

"I'll come," she said firmly and stood up. Debrin nodded and drove next to her. She hopped in the truck and slammed the door shut. The truck roared as its tires spun on the slippery terrain, leaving a gray cloud of ashes behind them. Remnya stretched her arm out the open window to feel the morning breeze, but the air had changed. Unlike the usual fresh aroma of the forest, a burnt-wood smell lingered everywhere, mingled with a faint reek of rotten flesh.

Charred trunks stood crookedly across kilometers of craters and desolation, along with the crushed metal skeletons of the trucks that never made it. Remnya wondered how Debrin removed hundreds of corpses in a single night. A familiar facade emerged on the horizon like a distant memory. The camp. What had once been vigorous fields of citrus trees and vegetables had become a graveyard. The house had collapsed, and all their belongings lay buried under tons of rubble.

They stopped where the entrance had been, and Remnya walked out of the truck to contemplate the scene. Not even the beautiful mountains in the distance could placate the dread before her eyes. The last memories of Brisa had vanished along with that structure of concrete and steel. The last place where her sister had smiled was no more. Debrin inspected the ruins of his home. His face showed no emotion, yet his aura was different, as if deprived of all its energy. How many times had he lost everything?

"You might want to take a look here," Debrin said, shoving his hand into the rubble. Remnya swallowed.

"What's the point?"

"Some of your sister's belongings are still here." His words hit Remnya like an iron fist, threatening to shatter what was left of her. Nevertheless, her mind held the pieces of her heart together. Clenching her fists, she strode in his direction and kneeled before the ruins. Although most of it was destroyed, Remnya recognized Brisa's clothes and other belongings, covered by dust and ash. She stared at it for long seconds, feeling thousands of needles buried in her skin, and took a deep breath.

"There's nothing left here." She rose suddenly.

"There's something you should know," Debrin started, picking up something from the ground.

"Before your sister arrived here, we researched her background and noticed something odd. She had a massive sum of money in her bank account. At first, it didn't make sense, but now I understand Ronner was behind it."

"I see." Her voice was lifeless.

"What I'm trying to tell you is that her fortune is untouched. We kept it safe because Brisa was saving it for you." Remnya assimilated his words, then spoke in frustration.

"You can keep it. I don't care about money."

"I know, but it could be useful in the future, don't you think?" Debrin stood before her and placed something in her hand. She looked at her hand to see a small black metal card with a gold emblem.

"What's this?" Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

"A bank ID. You can use it to validate your identity if you ever need it." Remnya tightened her fist, wondering if that money could ever make someone else happy. Maybe Zeo or Amy, she thought, and instead of throwing it away, she shoved it in her pocket.

"Now, there's one more thing to do here." Debrin jumped over the rubble and headed toward a mountain of molten rock. Remnya widened her eyes at the foreign presence nearby and rushed after him. The sight froze her blood. Restrained by heavy metal straps anchored to the ground, a young man shifted miserably, his eyes darting in terror. He was naked, sitting in a puddle of blood leaking from the stumps of his amputated legs. Debrin stood before him, and the guy recoiled in fear as he removed the gag from his mouth.

"Who is this?" Remnya asked, glaring at the prisoner.

"The only Hunter I allowed to live," Debrin replied.

"He was with the group that attacked Ada's vehicle. The one where your sister traveled."

"Please, don't kill me!" he screamed when Remnya's expression changed from surprise to hatred. The blood in her veins boiled as she approached the young man, and she emanated a deadly aura.

"Give me a single reason I shouldn't burn you alive."

"I'll tell you everything you wanna know! Please!"

"Start speaking now." Remnya gritted her teeth while her eyes began to glow. Debrin observed her with no apparent intention of intervening.

"I didn't have a choice! We were forced to be here! They were gonna kill us if we refused!" He spurted every word as fast as possible.

"I don't give a shit why you were here. I need information!" Remnya squatted in front of him and leaned closer to his face.

"Who is the fucking demon who killed my sister?"

"I-I..." he stammered and shook his head.

"I don't know who your sister is... I'm sorry!" Remnya grabbed his neck as fury began consuming her, her arm trembling.

"A human girl." She took a deep breath, trying not to crush his trachea.

"Dark skin, golden eyes." She gritted her teeth while her eyes burned.

"She was pregnant...

""Oh! I remember someone like that!" he rushed to say, and Remnya waited.

"When our commander seized the last group of Karx, a big Nephilim woman begged him to spare the human among them. I believe the human was pregnant, too." He shook his head desperately.

"But I had nothing to do with it! I swear!"

"Who is your commander?" Remnya slammed the back of his head against the rocks and raised her voice.

"Tell me his name now!" The young man trembled as his pupils dilated.

"The great Executioner... Vir-Virgil...

""Virgil?" Remnya buried her fingers in his neck.

"Virgil Alzer?" Debrin interrupted and stepped forward.

"Why was a high-class soldier like himself here?"

"Orders from the Great Zagado Rain," he mumbled, struggling to breathe.

"They wanted to secure this place without letting their guard down like before."

"So, they feared Merle would play them once again." Debrin stifled an empty chuckle, kneeled beside Remnya, and grabbed her arm, easing the pressure on the boy's throat.

"Is there any other question you need to ask?" Remnya released his neck and lowered her gaze, assimilating his revelations.

"Do you?" she whispered.

"No." Debrin patted her shoulder and stood up. He turned his back to them, letting Remnya know that the boy's life now belonged to her. A bird chirped atop a carbonized branch with its feathers covered in soot. Despite everything it had lost, it sang for a new morning. Remnya listened to its words and lifted her eyes toward the sky.

"Why..." A flame formed in her hand, making the boy cringe in terror.

"Why did you kill them all?"

"Please..." he tried to say, but Remnya shoved the flame in his face, stopping inches away from his skin. He trembled and peed himself while his terrified eyes pleaded for mercy.

"Answer my question." The heat intensified in her hand. Tears rolled down his face as he murmured his last words.

"The Lord said Make Debrin Kavram feel the same way I felt." Silence. Remnya slammed her hand on the boy's face. He screamed in terror and jerked his body desperately, but her flame vanished into smoke before burning his skin. The time stopped, and Remnya understood her woeful journey for vengeance, a journey where nobody would ever win. Only misery awaited her. Yet it was her impending fate. She stood up and stared at the bird singing for its fallen companions. So beautiful, yet so sorrowful.

A reflection of her own self. Deprived of hope, she began to walk away. No matter how much blood she spilled. No matter how many bodies she burned. Nothing in the world would fill the void in her heart again. * Black smoke covered the sky as Remnya and Debrin incinerated the remnants of the camp, erasing every trace of what had once been a place full of life. Memories and dreams turned to ashes and merged with nature, burying another bitter chapter of their lives.

The flames danced in Remnya's pupils as she stared vacantly into an uncertain future. A numb sensation lingered in her chest, devoid of emotion, as if the night had consumed all the fuel feeding her fire. There was nothing. Nothing. When the last flame vanished, Remnya returned to the truck, folded her arms, and leaned back against the cold metal. Behind her, their prisoner lay on the truck bed, blindfolded and unconscious, ready to be delivered to the closest hospital.

Debrin opened the truck's hood to check the engine and add oil and coolant.

"What did you do with the bodies?" Remnya asked, observing her surroundings. He turned to her, his eyes reflecting the sun.

"I burned them all." Remnya twisted her lips.

"So, we're stepping on them right now."

"They're part of nature again. Even our enemies will soon be the soil that feeds new life." She contemplated the ashes beneath her feet and nodded.

"What happens now?"

"I need to rebuild our army and prepare, accordingly, for the next battle." He grabbed two packages from the truck bed.

"While I am here, my leader is still fighting out there."

"Your leader?" She gave him a sidelong glance.

"Aren't you the leader of Karx?" Debrin smiled and shook his head, offering her a lunch box and a juice bottle.

"I'm the visible face of Karx and the public enemy number one of The Hunters, but I'm far from the title of leader. I believe we both can agree on that."

"Your leader failed, too." She scowled.

"He allowed his people to die like this."

"You're not wrong for thinking that." Debrin placed the food on the ground next to her feet.

"However, he is fighting a greater war, and his armies have occupied several countries worldwide. The Hunters refuse to acknowledge it, but they're losing territories in other continents." He put a heavy hand on her shoulder.

"I understand your discontent, but he has helped us more than you might think. He's the only reason Azmon hasn't declared a full-scale war on us. He's the reason a pure Nephilim like you didn't end up in the hands of The Hunters as a newborn." Remnya stared at him intently, processing his words. She picked up the food from the ground and spoke.

"What's his name?"

"Mephisto."

"Is he stronger than you?" Debrin shrugged.

"It's hard to tell. He is the brain, and I am the muscle." She took a deep breath.

"Where will you go now?"

"Rexton."

"Brisa's country," she murmured.

"Why?"

"That's where our remaining armies will reunite to prepare for the last battle. Once our people are ready, the next destination is the Republic of Kolkam, in the continent of Nayrunda." Debrin lifted his gaze toward the sky, and his pupils glowed like two embers.

"That's where Azmon and I will die." Remnya widened her eyes, his words resonating with her blood. She wanted to say something, but no word came out of her mouth. Despite her anger, she refused to accept that fate deep in her heart. Debrin seemed to notice the dread in her face and smiled.

"After that, peace might finally become a reality for you and your friend." Remnya furrowed her eyebrows and lowered her head, locking her gaze on a half-burned shoe beside her foot.

"I still have a mission here, but..." She gritted her teeth.

"Once I destroy the demon who took my sister's life and free Zeo, I want to join you."

"Are you sure?" She nodded.

"I don't know if I'll make it out of there alive, but if I do, I want to help end The Hunters, too." Debrin scrutinized her face, but as soon as Remnya locked her fiery pupils on him, he seemed to understand her resolution.

"If that's what you wish, I'll be honored to have you fighting by my side." He patted her shoulder. Remnya nodded and clenched her fists, knowing there was no turning back. Her only path was a one-way journey to hell, a path that would probably lead to her own destruction. Virgil Alzer and The Hunters would be burned to death until only ashes remained, and nobody would ever remember their names or that they once existed.

Remnya made it her ultimate mission in life, swearing her crimson fire would burn the whole world before she failed again. *