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Chapter 190  [Island Of Drath] [5]

A halo of golden light sheltered them from the heavy rain, moving with them.

It covered an area over a meter, deflecting all the rain that fell on it.

Ashlyn led the way while they followed behind her.

Ashlyn looked back, smiling. "It\'s nice, right? I just learned how to use it."

"It sure is nice," Aaliyah remarked, her gaze lingering on Ashlyn.

Being one of the closest to her, Aaliyah could easily sense how much she had changed.

From her looks to her nature.

...She felt like a completely different person.

Lightning flashed, making Aaliyah flinch. She stepped closer to Oliver. Nôv(el)B\\\\jnn

"By the way," Ashlyn said, turning to Oliver, "did you know Azariah was Noah?"

Oliver looked back at her, confusion filling his mind, but he replied quickly, "I did—."

"Why didn\'t you tell me?" Ashlyn cut in, still smiling, but her eyes said something else. "...You could have saved us a lot of trouble," she snarled.

Oliver looked at her, a hint of frustration on his face that he quickly hid.

"It\'s not nice for you to talk like that," Aaliyah chimed in. "Whatever Oliver did was for a good reason."

"Please, tell me that good reason, then," Ashlyn replied, her gaze shifting, her voice harsh. "...You\'ve seen me... how desperately I was trying to find him."

"Azariah told me not to say anything," Oliver said, looking at her. "You already know why."

"..."

Ashlyn fell silent, slowly turning around to continue walking, Oliver\'s words echoing in her mind.

Maybe he wanted to keep her safe from something?

Maybe he was trying to find the right time to tell her?

Maybe...

She could guess a hundred different reasons why Azariah hid their past from her.

But never did she think he might have done it just so he wouldn\'t be burdened with her.

She didn\'t want to consider that possibility.

Her mind refused to.

"Ashlyn."

Her steps halted as she heard Oliver\'s cautious voice.

Lifting her gaze, she looked ahead, a silhouette rushing toward them on all fours.

"I can handle it," she firmly said as Oliver tried to walk in front.

Nodding, he moved back while she stretched her hand forward.

A golden light glowed softly, forming into three distinct figures.

"Angels?" Oliver mumbled, rubbing his chin while eyeing the golden figures, not even half a meter tall.

They carried different weapons—bow, spear, and sword.

"Kill it," Ashlyn ordered, pointing at the Drath prowling toward them.

They obeyed, their golden wings flapping as they rushed toward it.

"What can those little creatures even do..."

Aaliyah\'s words trailed off as she watched the scene unfold in front of her.

Those harmless-looking beings crowded around the Drath, using their weapons to hack it.

Lodging their weapons within its body, they moved, grabbing its elongated limbs and hacking them off.

The Drath howled in agony, trying to free itself from them.

But it remained helpless as blood gushed from its body.

It fell before Ashlyn, taking its last breath.

She didn\'t move but glanced at the tiny angels. They moved, stomping its head until it was unrecognizable, crushed to a pulp.

Ashlyn glanced at the now-dead Drath before calmly walking over its body.

"Let\'s go," she whispered softly.

Oliver and Aaliyah looked at each other before slowly following her.

Deep in her thoughts, Ashlyn walked aimlessly, staring blankly into space.

"What are you going to do now?" Her head turned to the side as she heard a childish voice.

And there, hovering mid-air, was a younger version of Azariah beside her.

With the same purple hair and eyes as him, staring at her.

\'What do you mean?\' she thought, knowing full well she didn\'t have to say it aloud.

"About Azariah," he replied, making her tense up. "How are you going to approach the boy who already has a fiancée he likes?"

\'I can\'t be sure he likes her—.\'

"Stop being delusional," the younger Azariah mocked. "You already know he likes Christina more than yo—."

"Shut up!" Ashlyn yelled.

"Hey, Ashlyn?" Aaliyah called, concerned at her sudden outburst.

"I\'m fine," she replied, looking back with a small smile.

Her gaze returned to the younger Azariah. \'Don\'t say that ever again!\' she warned.

"Are you going to kill her?" he asked curiously. "...Christina."

\'...No.\'

"You pledged to stay true to yourself, remember?" he reminded her. "...Tell me, didn\'t you think about killing her?"

\'Thinking and doing are two different things.\'

"Then how?" he asked calmly. "How are you going to approach him?"

She thought for a long while before softly mumbling, "At the festival... I\'ll propose to him there."

"...I see," he replied, nodding before vanishing.

Ashlyn looked up, the heavy rain blocking everything.

"We should find a spot to rest," she said, turning to face both of them. "I feel like we\'ll need it."

.....

.....

.....

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

The rain had slowed to a drizzle, but the clouds hung thick and foreboding, threatening another deluge before the night started.

The jungle was curiously silent, filled with only my own footsteps and the occasional shout from the Drath around the area.

"We had to soak in the rain, didn\'t we?" Nella grumbled, walking behind me.

I glanced back to look at her.

Her dress clung tightly to her body as she massaged her scalp to dry her hair.

I looked down around her waist, noticing the outline of her navel.

"Oye." My eyes drifted back to her face as she called out, "are you checking me out?"

"I\'d rather die," I rebuked, turning around to look forward.

...Though she still feels far beyond modesty.

"Sigh..."

Sighing heavily, I looked through the thick forest.

"Are we there yet?" Nella asked, arriving beside me.

"No." I replied curtly.

"We\'ve been walking for, what, four or five hours?" She grumbled, shaking her head, a few droplets hitting my cheek.

"Stop acting like a puppy," I snarled, glaring at her.

"Who was the one that made me walk in the heavy rain?"

"Who asked you to follow me?"

"I can\'t leave an idiot alone."

"You\'re not my mom."

"I\'d rather die than be your mo—."

"Okay, shut up," I groaned in frustration, the place already too dark for us to see much. "What time is it anyway?"

"I don\'t know," she shrugged. "Maybe six o\'clock."

"Tch." I clicked my tongue, feeling bitter inside.

Even though I wanted to end the exam as soon as possible, shit like this has already taken enough time.

\'Where the fuck is the den?\' I grumbled in my mind as I kept walking forward.

"Are we there yet?"

"Can you shut up, plea—hmm?"

My voice abruptly stopped as I felt something off.

Branches scratched my face and arms as I hastened towards an opening.

I paused, sniffing the air.

Nella smelled it too, a vile odor that I inhaled deeply that made me cough.

Ignoring it, I crossed to the other side of the path and signaled for her to come over.

She crept to my side, pinching her nose shut and breathing through her mouth.

I waited several minutes until I was sure no Drath were nearby.

Grabbing a small branch, I raised it over my shoulder and whispered, "Muspelh."

...And it burned on.

Walking closer, we found ourselves at the edge of a pit filled with dozens of dead Drath bodies.

And right beside the pit, there it was.

...The entrance to the queen\'s den.

I turned to look at Nella, she still pinched her nose, ignoring her funny fade I asked, "Are you sure you want to come with me?"

"No, I\'d turn around after walking all the way here," she replied sarcastically. "Fucking idiot."

"...Yeah, forget I asked anything." I turned to look at the entrance.

It was a cave that stood only about six feet high, then sloped down rapidly.

"A slide," Nella joked, standing beside me.

"Is that moss?" I asked, pointing at the entrance of the cave.

She crouched down, touching the gooey substance. "...Hmm, it doesn\'t feel like—SHIT!"

I pushed her slightly, and her leg slipped as she fell on the slope—gravity did its work.

I followed suit after her, sliding down.

The first thing I noticed was the chilly sensation on my skin and then the smell.

Not unbearable, but pungent smell nonetheless.

Before long, I stood beside a smiling Nella with a sword in her hand, aimed at me.

"You used a bow and arrow, right?" I asked, making her flinch.

"Ahem, wrong weapon," she grumbled, putting the sword back, giving me enough time to move away.

"We should be careful—."

"Fucking useless."

"What?" I asked without looking back.

"Oh, sorry, I was cursing you in my mind, didn\'t realize I said it out loud."

"Stay quiet and be ready."

"For what?"

"For whatever comes out of it," I mumbled, raising the makeshift torch.

She followed the beam as it picked out strange shapes dotting the area.

Cocoons.

Empty, as if something big had burst out of them.

"We\'re about to face an entire colony of Drath."