Artemia: Journey To The Thirtieth Floor

33. Shiro's Departure

After being hit by the holy sword, Kasai unleashed hellfire that seemed to be worth his whole life's worth of sacrifice. My jaw dropped open as I hastily raised a shield in front of me. Everyone also made their own shields. We completed it on schedule! Unfortunately, it melted because of the extreme heat of Kasai's hellfire, resulting in everyone being burned because of that one strike. Everyone fell to the ground as they saw Kasai vanish into thin air in front of their eyes.

When I closed my eyes, I could hear Kasai weeping from inside my head, relieved that he had been rescued from his dreadful condition. Yuki seemed to be sobbing as well, maybe as a result of Kasai and the team's suffering. I buried my face in the snow, uncertain of what to do. I clenched my fists as my breathing began to become unstable. Freya, Blake, and Dylan began to pass out one by one as they endured the anguish of having their skin burned.

"Yuki, help us. Please..." I begged as I cried out her name.

She's merely been imprisoned inside me, but I need her assistance right now. Regardless of whether it's only her consciousness inside me, I'm certain that she will be able to assist us. Everyone is out here, dying result of this whole operation! I was the one who accepted this mission because I believed in myself too much. Ha, I overestimated my skills just because I have gotten a little stronger. I was confident, yet I couldn't do anything to protect them...

"Yuki, please. I beg of you. Help me, just this once..." I continued to plead till I passed out, weeping as I reached out to my beloved friends.

When I awoke, I was already lying on the snow, free of the agony I had been experiencing before passing out. I checked my skin, only to discover that it seemed to be the same as it had before the battle. Considering my charred garments, the blizzard's icy blast didn't affect me as much anymore. It's surreal to think that I'm in excellent health even when I recall being brutally hurt by Kasai!

But, maybe more crucially, my buddies seem to have recovered completely as well. I grinned as I took each of them to the base of the large pine tree nearby. Everyone was sleeping comfortably, so I made certain they wouldn't be roused by anything. After that battle, I feel that we all need to take some time to recuperate. That is exactly why I put them on blankets, as well as a warming barrier between them and the harsh environment. Ha, at long last...

"Ivory," Shiro, who had just recently awoken, called. "Why did you not wake me up?"

"It's all right. I was able to manage the situation."

"Tired?"

"Mm-hmm."

He sighed and ruffled the back of my neck. "Please accept my apologies."

"Hmm? Sorry for what?" I asked with furrowed brows.

"This," he muttered as he began to fade away.

"Shiro..." I cried out with tears in my eyes.

To think that I was about to lose yet another significant person in my life was beyond comprehension to me. I was confused as to why this happened! Everything seemed to be going well after that battle. Now that we have obtained victory against Kasai, we are now ready to reveal all of the secrets. And that's why...I was unable to comprehend the cause of Shiro's abrupt departure. I was under the impression that he would be with us till the end...

"Why...?" I asked as I attempted to reach out for his hand.

"My main objective in being here was to lead you here. Ivory, I am nothing more than Yuki's consciousness in my body. Once I have completed my responsibilities, I am obligated to reconcile with her...inside your thoughts. You will always have my protection, even if I cannot be with you at all times. Keep in mind, Your Highness, that we are one-"

"Yuki!" I clenched my hands and closed my eyes firmly, thinking that she might hear me if I screamed loud enough. "Yuki, please don't take him away!"

"Ivory, you need to stop now..." Shiro pleaded, desperately attempting to keep tears from streaming down his face. "I'll always be at your side, hmm?"

"No! Yuki, please hear me out! I know that you can hear me! Am I right? I'm begging you, please don't do this! You are well aware of how difficult this is for both of us!"

I persisted in my pleading, expecting that she would heed my request. When I opened my eyes, Shiro was nowhere to be found. I collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, completely disregarding the fact that everyone else was still asleep. Although we were only with Shiro for a short time, it doesn't alter the fact that I've grown to like him...and that I've become used to his presence. Now that he is gone, I am unsure if I will be able to cope well. He was always by my side ever since he came into my life...

I gritted my teeth as I attempted to hit the snow with my fists out of rage and fury. At that moment, I felt a warm embrace encircling me, and it was comforting. When I turned around, Blake was hugging me fiercely, as if he didn't want me to go. Because of what he did, I couldn't help but shed even more tears than I already have today.

"Just let it all out at once. You know...you can shout if you wanted," Blake, who was doing his hardest to soothe me as he rubbed my back, whispered to me.

I wanted to scream out of fury, so I took a few steps closer to the cliff's edge. I followed Blake's advice as I stared into the scenery before me. Crying my heart out allowed me to let go of everything that I'd been trying to hold inside of me for so long. A heavy weight on my shoulders felt as though they had been lifted after that experience. I'm still sad about what occurred, but there's nothing I can do about it at this point. Shiro is still there in my consciousness, as he explained before vanishing completely. If he claims he's here, then I don't believe I need to be worried anymore...

We returned to the tent where Dylan and Freya were sleeping since I had said all I wanted to say at that point. It seems that they are still in a sweet slumber, which is understandable after having pushed themselves to the very limit. We allowed them to get as much rest as they needed while we were still here. However, since I wanted to spend some time alone, I went to the other tree in the vicinity.

I sighed as I looked over at Blake, who was innocently sitting next to me. "Why did you follow me here? Go back to the tent."

"I wanted to provide warmth for you," he replied without taking his eyes off of me.

"I'm not cold."

"Your heart is."

I couldn't help but look down after hearing what he said since I couldn't refute it. Blake doesn't seem to be trying to cause trouble for me, so I let him stay with me until I was able to escape the situation in which I was in. Right now, I don't believe I have the capacity to engage in meaningful conversation with others around me. Blake must have known what was going on, yet he refused to leave me alone. I appreciate that he wants to help me cheer up, but I don't need anyone besides me.

Or maybe I need someone...

As I fidgeted, debating whether or not to lean on Blake, he patted his shoulder to tell me that it was fine. I took a deep breath and lay down on his chest, wrapping my arms around his waist. I felt that I was completely alone earlier, but not anymore. He chuckled and placed his arm over my shoulder, gently caressing my hair to make me feel better, which I appreciated. True enough, the cold no longer continued to linger within me...

"Do you feel sorry for me?" I asked as I looked up at him. "I hate being pitied..."

"No. There's no need to feel sorry for you. But I get where you're coming from."

I raised my eyes to him, astonished. "How?"

"My twin brother died while we were children. He got into an accident because he sacrificed himself for me."

"How did you take his loss?"

"I was on the verge of losing myself because I couldn't cope with it. But, for some reason, I gradually came to terms with it. Because I was a child, I don't recall everything that happened. Sorry..."

"Hey, don't say sorry. I should be the one saying sorry for pushing you to remember such things."

He smiled as he ruffled my hair. "I answered your questions because I didn't mind. Don't worry about it, hmm?"

We were both silent for a long time, yet it didn't seem weird in the least. Because Blake had stopped talking, I could hear his heart hammering rapidly in his chest. The first thing I did was look up at him to see whether he was flustered or not. To my amazement, he was simply staring at me with a loving expression on his face. I blinked again, confused as to why he was still staring at me even after I looked back at him. Normally, he would have turned his head in another direction and acted like he didn't just stare at me.

"What...?" I asked, confused.

"Do you mind if I kiss your forehead?"

"Huh?" I was a little taken aback, but I shook my head nonetheless. "I don't really mind-"

As he laid a delicate kiss on the bridge of my nose, he cracked a little grin. It seemed like I was being swooned because it felt so warm. I closed my eyes as I relished the sensation, bewildered as to why I wanted this moment to linger longer than it had to. It was as if everything else stopped being relevant to me except for this very scene. But I paid no attention to any of those ideas. Blake's warmth was the only way I could think of right now. It was almost as if I was in a trance at the time. His scent, his touch, his lips on my forehead...

Because I was getting butterflies in my stomach, I grasped the hem of his shirt tighter. Blake noticed and held my cheeks to force me to look at him in the eyes. He tilted his head to the side as if he were asking as to what was wrong. Instead of responding, I simply stood there staring at his lovely face. Slowly, my eyes moved to his lips. I was intrigued by what those gorgeous lips were capable of.

"Hey, hey. Eyes up here, little missy," he said, chuckling as he lifted my chin up.

"Why?" I smirked, hoping to make him laugh.

"Don't even think about it."

"Hmm. I'm not going to do it."

"You're going to regret it."

"How are you able to say that?"

"You don't like me in the same way that I like you," he told me with a stern tone.

That's when I realized I'd fallen into a reverie. The thought of things being uncomfortable between the two of us made me pull away and clear my throat. I don't want to think of it that way. Although Blake didn't seem to be bothered in the least...it's still possible that he would be upset. It appeared that he had already become used to my response and that it no longer caused him distress. Oh, that's right. Already, I've been rejecting him for many years...

The guilt over what I was doing made me look down at my fingers and play with them. I like Dylan. I really do..and that was what I believed in. But it seems like Blake has gotten much too much of my attention over the previous several months. Maybe I should start by figuring out what my feelings are. I don't want to be unfair to any of them, so I won't say anything.

"Give me some time," I told Blake.

"Mm-hmm. No one is putting any pressure on you to figure it out right now. I simply want you to concentrate on our mission, hmm? Don't spend too much time thinking about us."

"But you don't deserve such horrible treatment..." I murmured.

"Ah..." he breathed, chuckling as he watched me struggle to hide my flustered face from him. "And you don't deserve to be pressured by something that isn't really relevant. Simply go at a leisurely pace. Figure it out at your own pace, Ivory."

I pouted, attempting to keep tears from streaming down my face because of his generosity. "Thank you."

Blake chuckled as he extended his arms to welcome me into his arms. I sobbed my heart out in his arms as I jumped for an embrace. His hug was so warm that it made me want to cuddle with him for the rest of my days and nights. I really fit well in his arms, huh? I whimpered as I buried my face into his chest, desperately attempting to keep my sobbing at bay.

I sat in that position for quite some time, just savoring the feeling. To be quite honest, I was concerned about Dylan and Freya waking up, but I wanted to take it easy for the time being. Blake wasn't playing a joke on me, which made things a whole lot better. The majority of my concerns have been momentarily forgotten. I was on the verge of falling asleep, but I had to stop myself from becoming sleepy and falling asleep. It's a good thing Blake had a strong perfume scent. When his aroma attacks my senses, it pushes my senses to wake up.

But, of course, we both knew that wouldn't continue for long since Freya began to move. We soon separated ourselves from one another and began to compose ourselves. I believe the two of them were aware of what had happened just by looking at us, but they chose not to say anything. Instead, they asked about what happened to our mission. I felt relieved because of that.

"We beat Kasai, and there's something on the ground near the battlefield. I think it will take us to our next destination or anything along those lines," I said as I took the initiative.

"Won't we have to speak to the NPC?" Freya asked as she followed suit.

"Nope. We don't need to do that since that person was supposed to vanish after speaking with us."

"Ah, I see. But how did you find out?"

"Yuki."

"Oh..."