Chapter 139 - 139: Stranger
"We're done here, Mister Reed. The only reason you're still alive right now…
...is because you're under Miss Boss."
"W… wait!"
"Van!"
Reed was about to rush towards Van's unattended back, but before he could do so, Nisha emerged from the fires.
And then, another Prisoner started to appear, and another. The quiet lake also started to ripple before twirling into the air like a snake, slithering through the skies. A torrent of rain then slowly washed away the fires that were threatening to swallow the forest as the water snake danced and wriggled in the air.
"Reed, what did you do?"
There was a lot of noise traveling and echoing throughout the forest. The hurried footsteps of the Prisoners that were putting out the fire, the droplets of water violently hitting the ashing leaves, the short screams… but only one sound registered inside Reed's mind-- Boss' voice.
Reed slowly looked towards the woman he very much cared for, only to see her eyes which no longer held any love for him. Or maybe she never did.
He was sent to the Pit about 6 years ago, and except for his hair being even longer now, not much has changed in his appearance. He killed the boyfriend, as well as the boyfriend's family of the woman he was stalking.
He then abducted the woman, locking her up in one of the ancient abandoned buildings that were still in the Deadzone. But alas, he got caught when the woman was able to escape and managed to go to a nearby Explorer Association tower.
Due to his pretty face that was even more beautiful than even some of the women in the Pit, some of the more perverted Prisoners started to take a liking to him. On his first night, a group tried to jump on him, only to be met by the daggers that were finely hidden inside his hair.
And that's when he first saw Boss. Her dark skin almost mixed with the night, covering him from the brightness of the day that once held him captive. It made him feel a sense of comfort that he had never felt before in his life, he felt like he belonged.
He had never once thought of the outside world since then, in his mind, there was only Latanya. But now...
"Miss Latanya!" Van quickly rushed towards Boss, carrying the weakened Gil and gently placing him in front of her.
"..." Reed could only stutter and slowly step back as he saw the sudden shift of emotions in Boss' eyes. The cold stares that she was just giving him quickly dissipated, replaced by concern as she turned her head towards Van.
The look of care that she once held for him… was now owned by another person.
He was now a stranger.
"I… do you really not care for me anymore!?" He shouted...
...But his words reached no one.
***
"There's fire inside the Wall!"
Eugene and the other people in the Village all stepped outside their house as they saw the veil of fire covering their skies.
The ones on top of the Wall thought that the Prisoners were only having a bonfire, as they have done that quite a number of times before. But as soon as the fire started to spread and caused the skies themselves to darken, they decided to report it to the Village.
"Chief, what do you think is happening there?"
"...Nothing but trouble."
The Chief said as he squinted his eyes towards the dark sky. Surprisingly, he was still the Chief of the Wall Village. They thought that another officer from the City would be coming to visit them soon because of the disappearance of one of them, but not even once did they come.
Was the officer, whose name they didn't even know, came here without actually telling the City? If so, then the Chief truly did make the right decision of abandoning him to the savages. They would probably win in a war against the barbarians inside the Wall as they outnumber them completely. But at what cost?
...Would it really be considered a win if all of them died? It would be a futile war, Boss couldn't be killed by any means. If she could be, then the City would have already done so and would not have resorted to sending her into the Wall.
"Go check the situation in the Wall," The Chief said as he patted Eugene's shoulder.
"Yes, Chief." Eugene bowed his head before turning around… But before he could take even a single step towards the Wall, he quickly moved back towards the Chief.
"What are you doing?" The Chief slightly furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at Eugene's back.
"C… Chief. Who… is that?"
"Hm?"
The Chief slightly tilted his head to the side, only to see someone he had never seen before in the Village standing right in the center of their abode.
The stranger, however, continued to scan the Village even with all the eyes of the people on him. And slowly, the stranger opened his mouth, the sound of his jaw opening almost snapping in the air.
"Who are you!?" The Chief slightly pushed Eugene to the side as he stepped slightly closer to the Stranger. And as soon as he did so, the Stranger turned his head towards him.
"You…" The Stranger whispered, an obvious crack in his voice,
"Do you know where the Messenger is?"
***
A few hours later, the fire that razed the forest has been quenched fully due to the help of the Mage-type Holders, all that remained were the ashes that fell like snow from the skies. Even the trees, which previously littered like gravestones, were now full of life, their leaves trembling from the ashes of their predecessors.
They have become alive again due to Boss' healing skill. Van was becoming more and more intrigued by Boss' System. Her healing extended to trees? Shouldn't it only heal the things that have life in them?
Wait... are trees actually alive? Van widened his eyes as he looked at the tree nearest to him, trying to hear if it was whispering something. But alas, even after a few seconds, the tree remained quiet.
What if the Chairman and Boss fought each other? What would happen? Would be an interesting sight to see.
Gil was also out of the waters now, as if nothing ever happened to him, not even a scar to remind him that he almost bled to death.
The only problem now was… Reed.
All the inhabitants were now gathered in the center of the Encampment, all watching as Reed groveled on the ground, hugging Boss' feet.
"P… please, take me back! I… I can't live without you!" His words echoed and roared through the ears of the other Prisoners. Boss, however, seemed like she was not even hearing him.
"...I can't watch this," Nisha shook her head as she let out a short sigh.
"Oh, why not? Doesn't he look so cute?" Cynthia giggled as she watched Reed prostrate himself.
"Tch, I am not a sadist," Nisha could only click her tongue as she returned back to her house.
Gil, on the other hand, just stared at Reed, his eyes not moving even a single bit.
Reed did just try to kill him, even someone like Gil would surely hold a grudge, Van thought, letting out a sigh as he returned his focus towards Reed and Boss.
"P… please! Say you still need me!" Reed's once beautiful face was now marked by ashes and mud, mixing with the tears and saliva that endlessly trailed on his face.
Latanya, however, just looked at him as if he was just a speck of dirt on the ground, "Solomon!" She then beckoned.
"N… no!"
Before Solomon could even make a step, Reed quickly backed away from Boss. "If you can't accept me… then…
...then there's no reason for me to live!"
And with his last words, he suddenly turned around and started rushing towards the Portal.
"Van, stop him! Don't let the guards see him!"
"..." Van could not help but look back and forth between Latanya and the running Reed, and with a sigh, his eyes glowed in gold.
He quickly caught up with Reed, grabbing his hair before his nose could touch the surface of the Portal, pulling him a few meters away from it.
"Sorry, Mister Gil. We can't have you put the guards on high ale--"
"!!!"
"My… my hair!" Reed did not even bother looking at Van as he touched a part of his hair. One did not even need to lean in closer to see that a patch of his long and luscious hair was missing, a big patch.
"..." Van could not help but blink his eyes as he slowly turned his eyes towards his hand, only to see a clump of hair and a little bit of Reed's scalp dangling from it.
"...Oh," Van breathed out, "Ooh," Van then slowly walked closer to Reed as he continued to hum. And as soon as he was within distance, he gently placed the torn-off scalp on the missing patch of Reed's hair.
"..."
But alas, Reed and Van, along with the other Prisoners present in the center of the Encampment, meaning everyone, saw the patch of hair slowly dropping towards the ground.
The other Prisoners could only look to the side as they saw Reed pitifully pick up his lost patch of hair from the dirty ground, still trying to see if it can be attached back. Reed's stuttered breaths echoed throughout the now quiet Encampment, with none wanting to make a sound as they were afraid they would laugh-- Because this seemed like the wrong time to do so.
"Reed, after you're done crying I need you to check on the Wall."
"!!!"
Reed quickly stopped crying as he heard the voice that he so longed to say his name again.
"Does… does this mean you still need me?" Reed sniffled and wiped the snot trailing from his nose as he looked at Boss.
"What do you mean?" Boss slightly raised her eyebrow as she looked Reed straight in the eyes, "That's always been your job, hasn't it?"
Hearing Boss' words, the pitiful expression on Reed's face slowly but surely disappeared. He then stood up, still holding his torn-off patch of hair in his hand as he approached Boss.
"O… Of course, Boss. I am going now!"
"Wai--"
Before Boss could even say another word, Reed quickly ran towards the direction of the Wall, leaping from house to house, his joyful hum echoing through the air.
Boss could not help but sigh as she watched as Reed disappeared into the distance.
"...I was going to heal your scalp."