Chapter 1854: Like Brothers.
Inside a prominent shelter on Earth, everything felt peaceful. But, to the people inside, peace felt strange. It was something they hadn't perceived in a long time. At the centre of the shelter was a huge military base, and the Shelter itself had walls around it for protection against the outside. Although, some thought it was unnecessary now.
Many of those currently on Earth hadn't been to this place in a long time, Earth. They were enjoying every moment they spent on the land. They were now feeling peaceful with the dread of powerful enemies not hanging over their heads since the Dalki War ended and Graham, leader of the Dalki, was defeated by Quinn Talen.
Pure, the group that had caused terror in the upper management of the military had been cleansed and taken out, and now things could operate how they should. However, there was still much discussion in the streets, as political undercurrents were now igniting with questions like what would happen with the vampires and more.
Currently, however, most of them were just happy that there was no longer an enemy that they needed to be scared of, and they were enjoying this time of peace.
Houses and other buildings were being rebuilt in the shelter from good materials. People no longer had to live in cramped apartments or makeshift places built just from earth abilities anymore because they earlier feared enemy attacks would destroy them again.
Gardens, forest patches and even parks were now in the shelters. It was all there, including a busy marketplace, in the high shopping street, and there were smiles on the people's faces as they shopped.
"Sorry, sir, if you're not going to buy anything, can you please move?" A woman who was selling fresh fruit from her stall, requested.
A figure in robes was standing in front of the shop and seeing that he had a sword by his side, she felt a bit nervous. Few people nowadays carry weapons in the open, especially in the middle of the day like this.
"Sorry, I was just waiting for someone. I will move out of your way." The robed man replied as he stepped a little ahead and soon found the person he had been waiting for with the help of his ability, as a large ball of energy was now in front of him.
"Did you get everything you wanted?" He asked. When the lamp lights fell on his face, it was revealed he was Leo.
"Yes, I got food that should last me for a few days at least."
"I tried looking for something that would suit you, as I heard there is a black market for it, but I still haven't been able to find a good lead." Chris replied.
"I told you not to worry about that. Come on, we have work to do." Leo said, walking away.
Chris and Leo had been travelling together for around a year now. It had been a year since that day, and Chris could still remember everything that happened as if it were yesterday.
After the fight between Zero, Sera, Leo and him, Chris was left there on the beach, and Sera drew out his sword and pointed at Chris, asking him. "What do you plan to do now?"
Chris didn't react to this and even somewhat accepted the imminent death because he felt like he had lost everything. It was a question he had been thinking about as soon as he lost the fight: what would he do now?
"You're a free man from today." Leo said, "You can do whatever you want, but if you plan to cause trouble for us, or continue to get in our way, then I am afraid I will have to end your life now."
It was then that a sudden thought came into Chris's head. There was one other person he knew about, one he knew about quite well other than Zero, and that was Leo.
"I... I... I wish for you to take me in. I want to follow you and help you." Chris then placed his head in the sand as he begged. "No, please, let me help you. Then at least, I might be able to atone for some of the sins that I have committed."
After that day, he and Leo travelled together, searching for two people. The first person was Zero, the leader of Pure. With Chris, they knew all the back routes and their doings from the past.
So far, they had even found some bases that were still operating, and Leo had taken it upon himself to get rid of them. Then there was another person, who he felt was his responsibility for a while now, and that was Erin.
However, there had been no news or sightings of her for a while. It seemed like she had just disappeared from the face of the Earth, but Leo would keep looking and keep going until he found these two people.
While walking through the streets, there were some things that Leo thought about. For one, the Cursed faction. They were still operating and going travelling from planet to planet, trying to sort out the world's problems.
As for Leo, he had cut communication with all of them. They didn't need his help or his involvement, and he didn't need to bother them with his troubles. Earth was a good place to live now.
He felt bad that they might be searching for him and whatnot but was sure that they would all understand. The one thing that Leo was truly upset about was Quinn. He wished he would have been there to talk to Quinn in the latter's final moments.
He imagined the whole thing must have been scary for Quinn, and there were many things that Leo wanted to say. After all, there was so much weight on such a young boy's shoulders that it was unbelievable, but the world continued to put pressure on him and his name because he was the only one that could have saved them.
When heading through the streets, Leo suddenly smelt blood. He used his ability to spread out the vision of the place and could tell that there was a vampire in sight.
Now that more vampires were living among the living, there were more cases where they would act out and attack the local people. But, of course, Leo didn't agree with this, so he would put a stop to it. The only thing was, Leo would often just set off on his own, running to the crime scene, just like he had done now.
"Man, that guy really never rests or takes a break, does he? He seemed to forget that I don't have a good nose like him either. How am I supposed to know where he went?" Chris grumbled but was used to it by now.
As he continued to walk down the street, he knew the two would meet up eventually anyway. They always did. He decided to use this time to go through the stalls.
"I still haven't found a replacement for my weapons that Leo broke. Maybe we should get off Earth."
"I mean, Pure had bases on other planets that Zero could have gone to. It will be an excuse to go hunting as well, and then I can get a new weapon." Chris thought.
He went past a few rare weapon stalls. The Traveller profession still existed in this time, but it was rare to see them on Earth since there were no beasts to hunt on this planet. The strong Travellers on Earth mainly came here to take a break or a vacation.
Which was why, when Chris saw the choice of weapons, he couldn't help but let out a large sigh in disappointment.
"I might have something you like." Just then, a voice said by his side.
Chris waved it off, as these crummy people would often appear, trying to sell fakes to people who didn't know any better. Turning around, Chris was ready to walk away when the person suddenly appeared in front of him.
He was wearing a thick black mask that looked like a fox.
"My, you have changed a lot in a short time. You don't even show any respect anymore." The man said, lifting his mask and revealing his face.
"...Zero..." Chris frowned, not delighted to see him.