Chapter 10: Self Destruction (3).

1.

I went through Miss Baker’s wardrobe. It feels incredibly disrespectful and wrong, its like I'm stealing from an old lady. Because I am stealing from an old lady.

There were only dresses in here, maybe it wasn't a suicide, and she just died of old age because my god are all these clothes outdated, looks like something my grandma would've worn.

I managed to find a simple shirt and pants, they have flowers and polka dots on them.

Better than nothing, I guess.

I look into the mirror for a split second, I instantly recognize I look different.

I wipe the dust from it, to get a clearer reflection.

It's like I've aged, I look around 1 year older now, I still have an androgynous young face but there is a difference in complexion.

When am I going to hit puberty? I really want facial hair. I could rock a sick beard i think, id look wise like a wizard.

My eyes also look redder, the brown color is almost overpowered by the red making my eyes look maroon.

I look scary, if it wasn't for my cuteish face, I'd be afraid of this person staring back at me.

I didn't have to go downstairs because both Diana and Emily were waiting for me as I opened the door.

Diana looked super out of breath, her hair looked gray due to over exertion.

I hear banging at the door, ah they're actively trying to break through now.

"Alright, let's barricade the second floor."

That was really the only sensible option.

Luckily there was a huge bookshelf just waiting to fill up the only entrance up the stairs.

Diana easily tips it over, a huge crashing sound reverberates through my ears as it lands by the stair entrance, that shelf was heavy, it damaged a lot of the floor too.

"Okay, well now we just wait."

I really had no more secret plans.

Emily and Diana are just looking at me.

"Have you gotten taller? What's with those eyes?"

Diana asks, I used to be the same height as her but now I'm about 1 and a half inch taller, it's a very noticeable change since it seemed to happen within an hours' time.

Oh right, my whole body blew up, maybe that made me grow taller? Wait, so if I keep dying in ways where my whole body is destroyed will I just keep getting older? Eventually becoming an old man, that sounds awful.

That’d probably be a way to kill me.

Who knows.

"Yeah, I think so, but let's not worry about that."

"Why not, it's not like we have much else to do? Also, you look weird bald."

"Thanks..."

Suddenly she looks sad for a second, her face trembles a bit, she asks.

“So! About the offer? Can I use it now?”

Oh great. Really?

The offer was to let her do anything to me, since she probably was told by Immy not to torture me or do anything painful since she would get in trouble, so this would be her only chance to harm the interesting immortal boy.

It was a stupid offer, I knew she was super interested in my healing abilities, I had no doubt she’d be excited about the opportunity.

“Yeah, sure.” I sighed, she was so immature.

Her hair becomes a brighter shade of white, clearly showing she is excited.

Does she really have no survival instincts? I expected her to at least wait until we were all home and not in a situation where we could all die.

What's she going to do? I'm scared thinking about it. It was probably going to hurt.

Suddenly she runs up to me, and I feel the wet presses of lips on my cheek.

What. What? Huh?

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She jumps back “There! I just wanted to reward you for your hard work, my mom says boys like it when you kiss them.”

She steps forward, leaning downwards with her head up so I can see her eyes more clearly, while looking intently into my eyes “So do you forgive me? For not stopping you from setting yourself on fire? And for all the pain you went through?”

She is giving me a look of fake sincerity, but who cares, if she wants forgiveness I can easily give it to her.

“Yes, I forgive you, no takesiesbacksies though, you completed the offer.”

She smiled.

“Curse lifted!” she pumps her arm in the air.

What was the point of this? This didn't seem like something she would do.

Emily is awfully quiet, and Diana keeps looking at her.

Suddenly, Diana bows.

"I'm sorry."

What? Did she lose her mind?

This didn't seem directed at me, it seemed directed at Emily.

Diana looks up, still bowing.

Emily doesn't say anything to her, giving her a disgusted look.

Nobody says anything for a while.

Diana, still bowing, softly, shouts her demands.

"Okay! Now say you forgive me!"

Forgive you for what?

"No."

Emily's eyes look cold and empty, I knew she didn't like Diana, but I never expected her to show those feelings openly in front of her.

Diana just shakes a bit, before walking away, running into a guest room and slamming the door.

"Care to explain?"

Emily shakes a bit, tugging at her own hair.

"No… it's fine... nothing for you to worry about… but just so you know. I've been fired, so we won't see each other again after this. If we get out alive that is..."

This seemed to happen out of nowhere, they must've had a fight while I was away, I really hope I didn't cause it with my stupid plan.

I didn’t know what to do in this situation, I always hated drama.

"How about you become my assistant then? Tutors' assistant?"

Emily just looks at me.

"I'm not sure Miss Imogen-"

"It's fine, she will say yes"

How could she say no after I basically saved her daughter's life? Well hopefully saved her life we aren't out of the woods yet.

I really didn't want to deal with Diana alone, so this was an incredibly selfish request on my part.

Especially since I don't even know the context of what happened.

She just looks at me. Mouth wide open.

"Okay…"

I feel like she was super conflicted.

Great, now we are back to status quo at least.

We both jump at the sound of the front door breaking open, they're probably swarming the bottom floor now.

I really hope someone comes soon.

2.

"HOLLY!!"

I shout, God damn I forgot how fast she was.

Sophie finally catches up to her,

They were both running at supernatural speeds.

"You're so stupid Holly, stupid Holly! That should be your name, stupid idiot Holly from Dumb town!"

"What??? Rude. My student is in there, I need show her what real swordsmanship can do, so she will be motivated"

Holly is moving her body like a puppet,the majority of people find her blessing disgusting and the work of the devil.

Sophie doesn't mind though, she has accepted Holly for who she is.

"Okay so do you have a plan??"

Sophie was hoping Holly didn't just run into this with no cards to play.

"Plan? We just go in and kill things then save Diana, right?"

My god.

They arrive at the burning town, almost 70% of the town hall area is burnt to the ground.

In the distance, ahead of the town hall was the field.

That huge field housed Baker's estate.

It would take too long to go around, so they'd have to run on top of the burning buildings.

"Holly?"

They were on the same wavelength, due to being twins and all.

"Yeah, I understand the plan, we will be fine, it's only fire."

Hah, only fire.

What they were about to do was just a huge fire walk. Fire run would be a better description.

Luckily, they had shoes, but Sophie's dress was bound to get ruined.

This really irritates her, she worked hard to pay for this dress.

"Alright sis let's go!!! Can't keep Diana waiting!"

Diana is probably dead.

Hopefully not, but probably.

Maybe she is just hiding inside the baker's estate house.

Why would Diana be here in the first place? I hadn't been explained the whole situation.

They begin running through the ruins, dodging buildings that collapsed under them and around them.

There were so many charred remains of animals and humans.

I wish I could've come here earlier, how did all this happen with nobody realizing until it was too late?

The town hall area was small, so they quickly made work through it and arrived near the huge field.

What they saw did not fill them with confidence.

What had to be over 1000+ hosts, making their way to one building.

It was Baker's estate.

"Sis… we can't kill that many can we..."

Holly for the first time looks lost.

Sophie simply replies with a simple.

"Yeah…"

3.

It's getting very, very bad outside.

The bottom floor is completely filled with hosts, they are trying to break apart the whole building by slamming their bodies into the supports.

What to do, what to do?

The only thing I could think of was another explosive.

But Emily and Diana wouldn't survive that.

Actually.

I knock on the door Diana is hiding in, Emily keeps her distance.

"What do you want!"

"Do you have the ability to protect yourself from an explosion? With your hair?"

"No… My hair doesn't do well with heat, any shrapnel or blunt force would be fine though."

"Okay that's fine. Would you also be able to protect Emily in that barrier as well?"

"Only if she forgives me."

I sigh.

"Miss Abel, if you really want to be forgiven, you need to put in the work, do as many good things as possible. This can be a start, right?"

“I did a good thing to you... and you forgave me... why can't she? I want this curse lifted... please...”

“Well you have to be alive to have Emily forgive you, so saving her will be a start.

I still have no clue what she needs to forgive you for.

I hear the door unlocking.

Diana comes out, it looks like she has been crying.

"So teach… what's the plan?"

This one was stupid, much more stupid than setting myself on fire.

But if we wanted to kill all these things all at once, it seemed like a good way to.

Of course I could set myself on fire again, but that would only take out a few hundred.

‘Project badass crystal explosion awesome.’

(Plan name by Diana)

Making explosives is very easy in this world, especially with the new resources that suddenly appeared.

The main one I could use here was glistening blue snow.

Most people had glistening blue snow in their house, luckily there was some upstairs in the bedroom.

It was basically a spice, you use it in very VERY small amounts, you always add it to cold foods and drinks, it apparently makes whatever you put it in incredibly refreshing, like having cold water after a long day working in the heat.

Why not in hot food or drink though? Because when it's heated it melts through basically Everything.

Luckily, I learnt about it in the book I had read last night.

And also luckily, this person, miss baker had a whole barrel full of it, probably stockpiling it.

She also consumed a ton before dying, it was probably the quickest way she could before the hosts got her, sounds like a gruesome way to die though.

Since this field was near the wall of the cave, I was sure I could get Diana to chuck me far enough to start climbing it.

I can stuff the powder into a backpack, since I am used to climbing withsomething heavy on my back.

My god this was such a stupid plan.

I didn't want to just blow the place up, apparently Diana's hair doesn't do too well against heat.

So, I needed something else.

The huge crystals above us, if they fell it would cause an explosion similar to a small meteorite.

Diana assured me her hair could defend her against shrapnel and blunt objects.

And they could get out of this with no life-threatening injuries.

Emily pulls on my clothes while I'm explaining the plan.

“if you break a crystal, you'll be locked up and killed. It is one of the greatest sins.”

Well obviously, I'd be basically committing an act of terrorism on the cave city, these crystals that surround the caves roof are the only reason any of these people in this city are alive. I read up on it, it's what lets grass and foliage grow down here.

I bluntly reply, “I don't care.”

I really didn't, this was the only option to get them all out alive, if nobody was coming to save them that is.

I'm not planning on sitting idly by and hoping a saving grace comes.

Me and Diana climb up on the roof, Emily follows too even though she doesn't want to.

I told them as soon as the crystal begins to fall, for Diana to jump as far as she can away, while holding Emily of course.

“So, teach! Any last words?”

Any last words? If I were to somehow die here, what would be the best thing to say.

“Earn forgiveness, I guess.”

It sounded cringy, but Diana seemed to take it to heart, her hair glowing a little bit.

I think Diana thinks I'm cool now, I guess I did pull off some crazy shit today.

Diana grabs me by the body with two arms like I'm a large rock and chucks me far into the cave walls.

It was quite the distance; she was unbelievably strong.

My whole body crashed into the wall, but I managed to get a grip on a piece of rock.

I feel stronger for some reason, maybe it had something to do with my body getting taller?

Now time for the boring part.

This would take a while to pull off, I'm not even sure I could climb overhang to get to the huge crystal I was planning to melt. It was the one directly over the bakers estate, glowing yellow since it was the afternoon.

I might as well try.

Me failing only costs the life of all of us, so.

Yeah so, I can't fall, not once.

End of chapter 10.