Chương 379: Flames of Agony

Nym's eyes widened slightly as she looked down at Vale. Despite what he had just said, he still refused to meet her gaze, almost as if the words had slipped out before he could stop himself. Her heartbeat quickened once more, though not with the overwhelming intensity she had grown accustomed to. Instead, a quiet warmth spread through her chest. Knowing his feelings truly mirrored her own filled her with a strange comfort, one she had not expected to feel. A soft chuckle escaped her lips.

"What?" Vale asked with a crooked grin.

"Is it really that embarrassing that I want you to kiss me?" Nym waved her hand dismissively, shaking her head.

"No... not at all." A small smile tugged at her lips.

"I just thought it was funny how easily you say things like that." The smile slowly faded as she looked at him more carefully.

"But honestly... you don't have to keep pretending." Her emerald eyes softened.

"I know this has been hard on you. Hiding behind jokes and flirting isn't going to make it hurt any less." Vale held her gaze for several long seconds before letting out a quiet laugh. Unfortunately, the laugh quickly dissolved into another violent coughing fit. Crimson blood stained his lips as he bent forward, his body struggling beneath the injuries he refused to acknowledge.

"Careful." Nym wiped the blood away with the cloth she had been using.

"At this rate it's going to be so soaked I won't even be able to clean you anymore." Vale gently wrapped his fingers around her wrist.

"It's alright." Nym looked reluctant to believe him, but after a moment she simply sighed and lowered her eyes.

"... Hey." She hesitated, her fingers tightening slightly around the cloth.

"Can I ask you something?" Vale nodded.

"Go ahead." Her gaze remained fixed on him.

"Why do you keep saying you love me?" She paused briefly.

"I've hurt you more than anyone else. Why... after everything... do you still feel that way?" Vale remained silent. Rather than answering immediately, he slowly lifted a finger toward the night sky.

"Look up." Nym followed his gesture.

"What do you see when you look at the moon?" She stared quietly at the silver light hanging above the ravine. For a long while she searched through the emotions within herself, trying to understand which feelings were truly hers. Finally, she spoke.

"A beacon of hope, I suppose." She smiled faintly.

"A light that exists only to guide people through darkness." Vale's smile widened.

"Exactly." His voice became quieter.

"When I look at you... that's what I see. I can't explain it properly. Even after everything that's happened... you still feel like hope." He turned back toward her.

"In my eyes... you're perfect." Nym stared at him in complete silence, caught somewhere between disbelief and warmth. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Then, unexpectedly... She laughed. Vale raised an eyebrow.

"You really couldn't help laughing, huh?" She gently ran her fingers through his dark hair.

"What else was I supposed to do?" Her smile remained warm.

"You honestly think I'm perfect?" She shook her head with quiet amusement.

"You're ridiculous sometimes." Vale rolled his eyes dramatically.

"I'd probably be funnier if I wasn't half dead."

"True." Her smile grew a little wider.

"But if you weren't half dead... you also wouldn't be lying on my lap." Vale pretended to consider it carefully.

"Hm."

"I suppose nearly dying does have its advantages." That earned him another quiet laugh. Neither of them spoke after that. The silence between them no longer felt awkward. Instead, it became strangely comforting, as if neither of them needed words to fill the space anymore. Nym continued absentmindedly combing her fingers through his soft black hair while Vale simply watched the stars above. Little by little, the night deepened, the moon climbing higher into the sky until nearly two hours had passed.

Eventually, exhaustion claimed him. His breathing slowed. His body relaxed. Without another word, Vale fell asleep. Nym continued looking down at him for several minutes before finally lifting her eyes toward the heavens. The moon hung silently among countless stars.

"So far away... yet still able to become someone's beacon of hope." A small smile spread across her face.

"I'm glad that's how you see me." She continued stroking his hair for a little longer before finally summoning her System once again. The translucent screen materialised before her eyes. The injuries had not changed. If anything... they had become worse. [Survival Window Remaining: 2 Hours] The words tightened her chest. Her hand slowed as she continued running her fingers through his hair, the calm expression she had maintained beginning to crack beneath the weight of those two simple words. Two hours.

That was all he had left. Trying to distract herself from the growing anxiety, she picked up the tracking device and began pressing buttons at random. The strange mechanism was far more complicated than she had expected, with symbols and functions she couldn't understand. Nothing happened. After several failed attempts, she let out a defeated sigh and lowered the device slightly.

"Never mind, I have no idea how this thing works." Suddenly, another hand reached over hers.

"Give it here." Nym froze. Vale had somehow woken again. His face was pale, his breathing ragged, and every word sounded as though it scraped against lungs that had long since passed their limit. Nym quickly handed him the device.

"You shouldn't even be moving." Vale ignored her concern. With slow, shaky fingers, he pressed several buttons before finally letting out a weak smile.

"Found them." Nym's eyes widened.

"You did?" Vale lazily pointed upward.

"Yeah. Just look." She turned toward the rim of the ravine. Four silhouettes stood above them, barely visible against the night sky. Korin, Eskar, Nova, and Shade. For a single heartbeat, relief washed over her. They had found them. But that relief vanished the moment all four figures looked down and saw Vale. Their expressions changed instantly. Eskar moved first. Without even considering the danger of the descent, he threw himself over the edge and rapidly climbed down the remaining vines.

The others followed only moments later, moving with the same urgency. Vale weakly raised a thumb toward himself.

"Heh... guess who killed a Category Five."

"Shut up." Eskar's reply came instantly. He dropped beside Vale and immediately began examining him with practised precision, his single eye moving across every wound and injury.

"Body temperature stable..." He pressed carefully against Vale's ribs.

"Lungs are nearly full of your own blood." Another glance.

"Several broken ribs have already punctured them." His expression darkened further.

"Multiple internal organs are torn apart." He looked directly into Vale's eyes, unable to hide his disbelief.

"How? How in the world have you stayed alive for longer than five minutes?" Without waiting for an answer, Eskar ripped away sections of Vale's ruined armor to properly examine the damage. He raised a hand toward the others.

"Nobody comes closer." His tone left absolutely no room for argument.

"Nym. Move. What I'm about to do is dangerous for anyone except the patient." Nym hesitated only briefly before carefully lowering Vale's head onto the stone. As she stood, Vale managed a faint smile despite his condition.''Hey, thanks..." She looked back over her shoulder.

"I should be thanking you." A small pause followed.

"... Idiot." She quietly joined Korin and Nova. Korin kept staring at the corpse of the gigantic beast lying across the ravine floor, his expression caught somewhere between disbelief and exhaustion.

"... What exactly happened here?" Nym glanced toward Vale. Her expression darkened.

"It's exactly what he said. He killed a Category Five." She paused.

"... Barely." Her eyes moved back to his broken body.

"And this was the price." Korin let out a slow breath, shaking his head.

"That idiot..." He looked toward Vale with a mixture of frustration and admiration.

"At least he can actually back up the nonsense he talks." Meanwhile, Eskar drew in a deep breath as he prepared himself.

"You ready?" Vale looked at him suspiciously.

"This will heal you." Eskar's expression remained completely serious.

"But it will hurt."

"A lot more than those potions ever did." Vale opened his mouth to respond, only to be interrupted by another violent cough. Eskar sighed.

"... Never mind. You don't exactly have a choice." The instant he finished speaking, black flames erupted from his outstretched hand. They swallowed Vale whole. The moment they touched him, Agony. Not simple pain. Something far worse. A pain so overwhelming it felt as though every nerve in his body was being torn apart at once. Vale screamed. The sound echoed throughout the ravine, raw enough to make even the others instinctively look away. Then... The voice returned.

"You have served your purpose." His entire body froze. The words terrified him. Yet somehow... he found himself unable to reject them. Instead, they pulled him deeper, dragging him toward something he could neither understand nor escape. He wanted to know who that voice belonged to. He wanted to stand before its owner. Even as unbearable pain consumed every inch of his body, a faint smile spread across his bloodstained face.

"Just who... are you?"