After using Voice of Reason, Zoe finally convinced Benji to take a break. Her classmate was unsteady on his feet as they began walking back towards the spot where Zoe had first gotten injured. Zoe ducked beneath one of his arms and held him close. He blushed and tried to step away but he didn't have the strength to resist. Together they looked for a place to take a break.

After a few minutes they found a coffee shop nearby that was open. They barely made it to a booth before Benji collapsed onto the soft padded bench. Zoe walked up to the counter and tried to get the barista’s attention. The clerk was more interested in fiddling with her phone than doing her job. She ordered two iced coffees, paid with her credit stick and made her way back to the table.

Benji was slouched in his seat, staring off into space. His once healthy skin now looked pale and gray. Her AI was still silent as to the cause but she guessed this was the result of using up too much mana. She didn’t know what to say so she said nothing, content knowing that Benji was finally resting.

After a few minutes of silence the barista brought over their iced coffees. Zoe took a small sip of the bitter drink before her mind analyzed what had happened over the last hour. What had began as a good day now seemed like a distant memory to Zoe. She had never experienced so much death. Family members had passed away but nothing on the scale of what she had witnessed.

Human history is filled with tragedy and loss. It is only in recent years that humans don’t see death on a constant basis. You will likely continue to experience death in the future so prepare yourself for that eventuality.

She blinked at the window, tears falling down her cheeks. She reached into her bag and took out a handkerchief to wipe them away. Zoe wasn’t stupid. Part of her knew the AI was correct but she didn’t want to face that reality just yet. Instead she focused on her mistakes. If she didn’t get hurt Benji wouldn’t have spent so much time on her. Maybe they could have made it in time to save someone else. She was careless, selfish.

“You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

The words interrupted the toxic thoughts she was having. She looked up to see Benji staring at her. She simply nodded and wiped her eyes again.

He shook his head. “The World Spike killed those people, Zoe, not you. There was nothing we could have done.”

With a smile on her face and doubt in her heart, she lied. “I know, it’s just hard to get used to. How are you feeling, Benji?”

“I’m okay. Thanks for your help earlier." He took a small sip of his own drink before continuing. "If you weren’t there to help keep those people calm, it would have been far worse.”

She could only nod at his words. She did nothing, only spoke silly phrases that her mother had said to her as a child. Her hands found her way to her lap, fiddling with the hankercheif. Again self-doubt clouded her mind. Not wanting to embarrass herself further she used her fingers to pinch and twist the skin of her inner thigh until the pain was too much to bear.

The boy is correct. No amount of self-harm will change reality. Your words helped lessen long term harm while his magic only served to eliminate the immediate threat.

She swiped at the screen causing it to vanish. As she rubbed the aching skin of her thigh a thought popped into her head that made Zoe smile.

“You know, Benji, we’ve talked more today than the whole last year combined. All it took was the worst catastrophe in the history of the world.”

Benji began chuckling. "If you can make a joke like that you must be feeling a little bit better."

She smiled again, though this time it was genuine. She was glad Benji was there. Although he was a loner, he had a good heart. An alarm sounded from her bag, interrupting the moment she was sharing. An automated message was sent notifying her that she was now late for class.

"Something important?"

She looked up at Benji, concern showing in his face.

"Just a message telling me that I'm late for class."

"Is it 8:30 already?" Benji leaned back in his seat, stretching out in the cramped space. "Maybe we should get moving then."

“Yeah, that's probably a good idea." She hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "Benji, do you mind exchanging contact information?”

“I don’t have a phone but my GSP has email.” he said while reaching into his pocket.

Though her contact list bulged with the information of her classmates, she felt a momentary flutter in her stomach as she typed her information into the GSP before handing it back to Benji. She took her phone back and stowed it away in her bag as she stood up. She took one last large gulp of her coffee before walking towards the cafe entrance. Zoe walked through the door, anxious to leave this morning’s events behind her.