Astheneia was as silent as a mouse, her hands clenched together—blood dripping from them due to the pressure.
'What happened..? I've never seen Astheneia like this before…'
Leaning over to get a better look at what Astheneia was staring at, Ira audibly gasped.
Right there before her, lay Ansil—the man who had received a broken arm in their earlier battle, dead. Parasitic creatures feasting on his corpse.
"Why.. How did this happen!?" Astheneia yelled out, her voice demanding reason and logic from her cohort.
The answer soon became apparent—the worm abomination possessed the ability to infect those it injured with parasites that would feast on them until they died—something that had managed to elude Astheneia's gaze.
Turning towards Ira, the giant brunette moved her hand towards the silver-haired girl.
"I need one of your pouches of alcohol. Now." Astheneia's tone was full of dominance and power—her seemingly request was more akin to a demand.
Ira quickly gave Astheneia one of the pouches of alcohol.
"All those who had touched Ansil will at once wash their hands with alcohol—or be set ablaze. On the matter of fire, burn Ansil's corpse."
Astheneia grimaced, turning away from her men, she walked past Ira and back to the fire.
Ira had no words—how would she cheer up someone who had lost someone they dearly loved? When she had lost her parents, no one could pull her out of that dark tunnel. A lone girl forced to live in a ruined world without the aid of her parents; something Ira wished not even her greatest enemy to experience.
Anxiously, Ira began to rub the scar on her left hip—an act she occasionally did to calm herself down.
Soon, she too, began to approach the fire as Astheneia did. The silver-haired girl sat down across from Astheneia, who was in deep space, her eyes centered on the fire before her.
An atmosphere of pure silence—silence as loud as a thundering storm. Every time Ira would attempt to form the word that could comfort Astheneia, they would slip from her mind or remain in the back of her throat.
In the end, Astheneia was the first to speak.
"You know, this is all my fault, right?"
Ira was in shock from what Astheneia had said. The situation seemingly grew even worse—at least it was not because of Ira.
"No it.. No it is not! Why would it be..?"
With a simple shake of her head, Astheneia let out a heavy sigh.
"Because of my first—my original Curse Of Profanity. Divine Restriction, a ridiculous curse it is. I am incapable of using all my might—excluding Will and Speed. The only exception to this Curse of mine is when I deem a situation deadly to my well-being… If I had taken the situation seriously, Ansil would still be alive…"
Ira could feel tears beginning to form. She was not one to cry for others, but something pushed her to, even if the situation did not affect her directly—she had not even spoken a single word to the man.
"I am sorry, Astheneia…" No other words could be used except for a simple apology.
Soon, Ira spoke again.
"You know, I have faced many tragedies in my life, not much good has ever showcased itself in my entire existence… But meeting you has definitely been one of the happiest times in my life, even if it was in this hellish desert."
Ira gently laughed—not due to the situation being found hilarious by her, but because the happiness dwelling in her heart had been too much to contain.
"I am sorry too, Ira. When I first met you, all I saw was a frightened, pitiful, and weak girl—but you have shown me that strength does not come from the body, but rather from the heart. One cannot be strong without strong beliefs and morals, is what you have taught me."
A moment of pause began to appear, only for Astheneia to speak again, her head tilted up towards the starless midnight sky.
"You know, I love the stars… It is a little sad that this cursed desert does not have any. When I was younger, I had wanted to explore the stars with my mother and father—a silly dream, is it not?"
Ira shook her head furiously.
"No it is not! Where I am from, plenty of people had explored the moon, and if it wasn't for the monstrosities that suddenly appeared, we would have explored the cosmos! Who am I to deem your dream pointless or ridiculous!? That is something only you can decide for yourself.'
A gentle smile appeared on Astheneia's face. Ira was relieved to see it, she was scared Astheneia would become like her—stuck and lost in a deep pit that no one could pull her out of. "Maybe you are right, Ira…"
Ira wiped her tear-stained face and smiled back at Astheneia.
"Of course I am!" Her tone was slightly smug—a cheeky smile painted across her face.
Astheneia patted the golden sand next to her, signaling Ira to move closer.
With a large grin, Ira did as Astheneia wanted, crawling over towards the giant brunette.
"You know, you remind me of my little sister." Astheneia's happy expression was tainted with a whiff of grief and sorrow.
"How is she now?" Ira's question was innocent, meaning no ill intent, but Astheneia could not help but feel a little hurt.
"Well.. she died when I was nine.. ten years is a lot of time for someone to move on from something, but not me.. It is not nearly enough... Her name was Malia... Let us move on from this topic…"
Astheneia inhaled deeply, followed by a gentle exhale. "Are you not tired, Ira? You should sleep, we have a long day tomorrow."
With a huff, Ira shook her head. "I am perfectly fine with staying up and talking with you."
Astheneia chuckled quietly, "Is that so? What shall we talk about then?"
Ira opened her mouth to answer, but no words formed.
Sighing, Ira answered:
"I do not know.."
Patting Ira on the shoulder, Astheneia whispered to the silver-haired girl.
"Then get to sleep! Now, Ira."
◇
Astheneia swiped a piece of hair out of Ira's sleeping face, gently smiling.
Quickly, her expression became serious.
She began to walk over towards the travel bags that held all their supplies; what she was checking for was how long the remaining rations would last.
"Not good.. we will not have enough to make it to the Dune Lord and back to Helsing. We must pick up the pace… I must prepare the cohort to travel at night."
With a flash of light, Astheneia summoned her rapier.
"It must be done if I do not wish for us to be swarmed and killed."
Glancing at Ira one last time, she began to leave the safety of the fire that kept the Purge Beasts at bay.
Quickly, a snarling abomination presented itself before her.
"For the single life of my subordinate you took, I will take a thousand of yours. Prepare yourselves, beasts—as your deaths are nigh." Astheneia said, the tip of her rapier gently piercing the golden sand.
With that said, she lunged at the forming crowd of abominations, thrusting her rapier from the ground into one of the hearts of the Purge Beasts.