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“I always cared about you.”
“And where were you for four years? I can take care of myself without you. I don’t need you.”
“But I need you. I’m thinking about what you just said…”
“Forget it,” she exhaled sharply. “It doesn’t matter anymore anyway. Yes, I still love you. So what?” Even though she said it shamelessly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, I stumbled as I stood up.
“Yes, I miss you. Even if you regret me, I still miss you. So what? Should I be ashamed?”
She hitched the child up in her arms to adjust his position. “But I also know nothing will happen between us, don’t worry. I just wanted to say it. I don’t want to have regrets anymore, maybe before I die…”
“Mina!” I cut her off in horror, yet she remained calm. She hadn’t even given me a chance to rejoice in her confession.
“Thank you for keeping me company today. It was nice hanging out. Even for a little while.”
Bowing her head slightly, she turned her back to me. “Have a good day, Raymond.”
But I couldn’t let her walk away. I was feeling too much at once—it was overwhelming, and I’d lost all capacity for rational thought. “Give me the kid!” It was the only thing that came to mind. I didn’t know how else to seize her attention.
She turned back just as the wall gave way, sending a cascade of twisted metal crashing down. I lunged forward, my heart seizing with terror.
People screamed as the debris crashed into the street, the sheer force of the impact sending Mina’s body flying. By the time I finally reached her, she was sitting on the ground, clutching the child tightly against her chest. I shook her by the shoulders to snap her out of it. The touch seemed to break her shock, and she scrambled to her feet instantly.
She was about to run away, but my long metal arm shot out toward them. In one swift move, I snatched the child from her arms and pulled him against me.
She stared at the sudden emptiness in her hands for a heartbeat, then whipped around to glare at me. She raised her hand as if to take him back, but I hoisted the boy onto my back. Extracting a thin wire from my arm, I secured him firmly in place. Seeing that the kid was safe, Mina backed off.
“You want to get him to a doctor, right?” I said before she could even ask. “I can get there faster. I can get both of you out of here safely.”
“Why would you do this?” she whispered. “You don’t even know the kid.”
“If you care, I care.”
I said it in a flat tone, but only when the words left my lips did I realize just how intimate a declaration it was. Clearing my throat, I shifted my eyes back to her. She looked at me, confusion and a storm of emotions swirling in her eyes.
“Why…? I know my feelings haven’t faded, but you… why are you acting like this? Do we… do we have a chance?”
“Between a mortal and an immortal?” I regarded her. “That’s impossible.”
“Then stop caring about me.” She hurried toward me, trying to pry the child from my back, but I stepped back.
“Why won’t you let me? Why won’t you let me take care of you?”
“You’ve taken care of me enough. You looked after me for years. It’s enough.”
“I should have taken care of you forever.”
Her face lit up, but another blast drew her attention back to the street. We broke into a run downhill to see what was happening.
And… it was pure hell.
A crowd of civilians had been caught in the path of exploding electrical wires. My ears filled with nothing but screaming. The smell of smoke and death hung thick in the air.
Smoke?
Looking a little further ahead, I saw a swath of buildings on fire, including the Ministry of Commerce. The White Knights were trying to extinguish them, but the flames had escalated far beyond control.
My eyes scanned the street. Bodies of women, men, and children lay scattered in unnatural positions. Some corpses were burning; others pooled in their own blood. Severed limbs, blown off their owners, were strewn here and there.
