From the Ashes III

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Here's the third installment of Beyond the End. For anyone interested I have a patreon with 15 chapters ahead of the current release plus a bunch of original and quite controversional stories.

patreon.com/nneeil

https://discord.gg/xZqYt267NH

On with the chapter!

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Everyone said that Hari was an idiot. Naturally, Leandro didn't stand idly by as she was unjustly slandered by lesser-minded idiots.

As such, those very same idiots would suddenly find themselves under the unsettling gaze of someone who had gone through hell and back almost every minute of his centennial life. That, he reasoned, must've been the reason why most people called him names behind his back.

True, Leandro lost his powers, but a king without a crown still held the essence of royalty, of strength. The path to influence isn't always shiny and grand. Nor is it defined by embroidered robes and priceless jewels. Sometimes, it's walked by people who've been through tough times but still carry themselves well.

As such, his neighbors avoided him like the plague. He could've cleared the misunderstanding easily with words, but he realized it would be in his favor to not do so.

Besides, Hari didn't seem to care about it. She radiated kindness where none existed, her capacity for forgiveness and forgetfulness a source of both frustration and admiration for Leandro. He feared that if he were to leave her to navigate the world alone, she would become an easy target, a clueless child swimming in an ocean teeming with sharks. Her innocence left a trail of blood, attracting predators from every corner.

"Leandro, do you want an ice cream?" Hari's voice rang with cheerful innocence, her head tilted in anticipation.

"No. Let's go home, Hari Noona."

A pout grew on those plump lips of hers. Disappointment etched across her face. "But I want one."

Leandro rolled his eyes at her childishness, then said. "Go get yourself one, then. I'll wait for you in front of the store."

Her head perked up immediately when she heard him. Her brown eyes brimmed with childish eagerness, and Leandro had to repress a sigh of resignation. "Come with me, Leandro~"

Unfortunately, she decided to go the extra mile by grabbing his smaller hand—the unscarred one—and dragging him with her. She always made sure not to touch his other one, likely afraid of hurting him in some way.

"..."

Leandro stared at his scarred hand.

A miracle, the doctors said; as if such a thing existed.

That dog's bite had severely crushed the bones and nerves of his hand. Upon a first scan, amputation sounded like the only viable solution.

That was until Leandro channeled a bit of 'Aura' into it, and, all of a sudden, the nerves began to slowly re-connect. The bones clicked. And right after surgery, his recovery speed left everyone baffled.

They believed that divine intervention had played a vital role in restoring Leandro's lost hand.

Myeong and Diego had been told of his hospitalization, and needless to say, they couldn't make it back. However, they did compensate by making a lengthy video call as soon as the anesthesia wore off.

Business was going well, and they were at a critical juncture at the moment. Or so they said. Obviously, to justify why they didn't check up on him. Hari had cried a lot.

Either because of his hand, or because he didn't have the comfort of his parents being around in that particular, stressful moment.

She felt incredibly guilty as well. She blamed herself for not being there, to bear the injury in his place, or avoid the whole situation in the first place. How could she have predicted it anyway?

No one could predict these things. Leandro wasn't about to indulge in 'What if's' for he knew it would result in a spiral of helplessness.

It would do more harm than good. He had been there before. Lost. Powerless. Losing grip. He refused to fall down that slope.

'You're such a fool, Hari Noona.' Leandro had told her, his hand bandaged. He had just finished conversing with his parents via a very glitchy video call. Hari sat by his bedside, tears streaming down her face, her hands trembling with remorse.

'B-But… you're…' She hiccuped. '... you could've… lost your hand.' She stammered through her sobs, her voice choked with guilt.

'Look at me.' Hari hesitated for a bit before she did so. Her bloodshot, tear-glazed eyes locked onto his. His hardened expression softened into a smile. 'I'm okay. Aren't I?'

The hospital gown was unflattering and scratchy against his skin, not to mention that his injuries throbbed painfully. However, Leandro endured the unpleasantness with a smile on his face.

'S-Still...'

'Listen... there's no way you could have foreseen such a tragedy, Noona.' He reassured her. 'We found ourselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's not your fault. It's just... life. It's unpredictable... sometimes it goes as planned, sometimes it goes down the wrong path, leaving us blind. That does not mean we should live in fear. I got hurt, but don't I have you by my side right now? Life is as painful as it is rewarding.'

Hari gaped at Leandro. She was conflicted, and her sense of responsibility over him didn't absolve her of the guilt. Nevertheless, his words had somehow lessened the constricted pain in her chest.

Still, tears continued to pour down her eyes, unabated. 'You're so mature… Leandro.' She placed a hand on his knee, her smile wavering. 'Y-Your parents… I'm sure they wanted to be here, but—'

'Perhaps.' He interrupted, placing his other hand over hers. 'But you're here, tending to me, and that's all it matters.'

Leandro needed no one else other than Hari by his side at the moment, her smile made all the pain more bearable.

'That's because... you're my world...' She whispered under her breath as she rested her forehead against his bandaged hand, and his ears didn't miss it. He chuckled at that innocent admission, then allowed her to cry and snuggle with his hand.

She finally stopped crying when the night wore down and exhaustion kicked in, dozing off on his bed, by his side. Leandro, with great effort, scooted to the furthest edge of his bed to make space for her, and surprisingly, he found comfort in her peaceful expression while she slumbered beside him.

'I'm changing way too much... is this a good thing?'

•••• 

••• 

•• 

•

It had been a long year since that day.

Hari had become more protective of him, and so did he of her. After living in this 'different' reality for a while, he had grown quite accustomed to his new life, and also the companionship of Hari and Nari.

With their parents overseas, living alone in a pre-apocalyptic world was not much of a reason to be concerned about. The problem was the post-apocalyptic world.

〔4000 days until the 'integration'.〕 

A stupid term for what was basically a forced conscription into fighting wicked creatures and surviving a planet teeming with monsters that spawned from unknown realms. There was no integration or unification. It was a sudden, deadly game where even the winners would still lose.

No one was safe. Leandro had learned that when the 'system' appeared for the first time, bringing up the countdown in front of billions of people all over the globe, then warping their entire perception of the universe, or multiverses to be more precise.

Should humanity manage to conquer 'The Monolith', a towering structure boasting an astonishing 99 floors, they would be conscripted into a universal conflict of unimaginable scale.

Failure, however, would see a worse outcome. Earth would be stripped of its precious resources, sucked dry to the last drop, dooming mankind to extinction and rendering the planet a barren wasteland, devoid of life.

That was not taking into account the 'Drifts' that would appear, scattered throughout the entire globe, like sky tears that led into different worlds—domains of eldritch creatures.

Monsters would pour out, like bile from a crooked mouth. They'd dribble on the ground, stomping out life, devouring every inch of civilization.

'What is the point of winning if the aftermath will lead to the same result…?'

Half of the planet would be consumed by raging fires. Screams of wives, children, parents. A common sound. Corpses would litter the ground, and there'd be no one to pick them up.

Leandro's footsteps drew to a gradual halt. In his eyes, he could still vividly see the silhouettes writhing and crying within the flaming tongues—the bombardment of wyverns and dragons.

One sword. One slash.

He ended it all.

He will end it all.

"Hello there, beauty." A gaggle of rowdy teens loitered by the door, smoking and shoving each other with rough laughter. One of them, no doubt urged by the rest of the gang, swaggered over.

Another one followed up. "All alone?"

Leandro and Hari turned around.

The pair, who's gaze lingered on Hari for a beat too long, were dressed in school uniforms. Objectively speaking, they were relatively decent looking and well-kept, though nothing to write home about.

Hari tilted her head, blinking innocently. "Hello!" She greeted in a smooth tone, likely not suspecting the glint in their eyes for anything inappropriate. Leandro, however, did not miss it. "What can I do for you?"

They traded a look, smirking. Leandro frowned. They took a couple of steps forward, having no issue encroaching on her personal space, like leeches. "Weell… you see… me and my friend here—"

His unwanted speech was interrupted when someone tugged insistently at his hand. He cocked his head down, coming face-to-face with Leandro. He wanted to shoo him away, but—

Green eyes pierced him, like the barrel of a gun hovering an inch away from his head.

His throat clamped, his mouth robbed of words, or the required sound to produce them. He was suddenly aware of his clammy hands. The weight of his perspiration became palpable. Had he been sweating the whole time?

Vulnerable. He stood in front of a bottomless cliff, teetering on the very edge. Like a prey sensing a predator, he froze. Even his breathing hitched, stuck in an uncomfortable ball of heat in his chest.

Hadn't the gaze directed his way been too sharp, and yet so cold at the same time? It made him shudder like an autumn leaf hovering in the sky.

Hari continued to stare at them, as innocent as a newborn fawn. A bright smile and an adorable tilt of her head.

"H-Hey, bro… everything alright?"

The young man's friend noticed the sweaty pallor of his face, or the increasingly visible trembling of his hands, knees, and shoulders. A seizure might have shown more mercy than whatever that creepy kid had done to him.

"..."

A gulp. Audible enough for anyone to hear. It echoed off in his ears, second only to the beat of his heart.

Leandro toned down his intense gaze. "Go."

The childish timbre shouldn't have come off as menacing as it did.

The young man took a tentative step back.

If a demon had, in that moment, possessed that kid's body to warp his tone, to color his eyes with malice, he'd be hard-pressed not to believe it.

"L-L-Let's get out of here!" With gritted teeth, he stalked off. Unbeknownst to him, he had just made the wisest decision of his life. His friend hastily caught up to him, gunning question after question—all of them ignored.

Poor boy.

His gang of friends lagged behind. Glancing at each other like a lost herd of sheep, they followed him.

"Umh…" Hari was taken aback. Confusion was written all over that pretty face.

'Better this way.'

Leandro wrapped his tiny hand around Hari's and gently guided her away from the commotion. Ice cream be damned.

"L-Leandro…"

He stared back at her, halfway expecting her to wonder why he did what he did…

Except that, this time, he was wrong.

Hari smiled brightly, her eyes closed. "... thank you for protecting me."

"..."

•••• 

••• 

•• 

•

In the dimly lit room, Hari hummed a soft melody, her hands diligently scrubbing the floor. Every so often, she stole a fleeting glance at Leandro, who sat on the couch, his eyes peacefully closed and his breathing steady. There was an enigmatic magnetism surrounding him, especially since he chose to keep his hair messy for the moment. The slightly damp brown locks curled near the base of his neck, alluring, as if tempting someone—anyone, to come and run their fingers through that silky hair.

Her gaze wandered over his features, taking in the delicate contours of his face. A word danced at the tip of her tongue - 'cute.' There was an undeniable charm in his countenance, a promise of a future marked by striking beauty. His diverse heritage would ensure a lot of looks from the fairer sex when he finished growing up, most likely even before then.

Of course, Leandro's maturity made anyone forget his actual age at first glance. Hari often caught herself staring at him longer than intended. Something akin to fascination lulled her into a daze whenever he was present.

She smiled fondly, genuinely happy to have him as the new addition to her family.

She knew, deep within her heart, that their time together was fleeting, destined to be but a chapter in their intertwined lives. It brought a tinge of sadness to Hari, but she decided to focus on the present—besides, it was not as if they couldn't stay in touch when that inevitable future came to pass.

Not to mention, Nari was incredibly attached to him. There was no way either of them would let him out of their lives as if he had never been there before.

"You've been staring at me for five whole minutes already." Leandro said, his eyes still closed. Hari nearly jumped out of her skin at being caught. "If I didn't know any better, I'd have assumed you were harboring an unhealthy affection for me."

She averted her gaze, a little flustered. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she had been scrubbing the same plank of softwood flooring for a while. 'How did he notice anyway?' She thought with a pout.

Then, the meaning of his words came crashing down on her with a delayed reaction. Hari blinked, mouth opening yet no words coming out. She snapped her eyes back to him. "Wait! T-That's not true!"

"Is it?" His eyes fluttered open, and their startling green hue seized her throat. She closed her mouth, meekly looking away. There was a ghost of a smirk on his face.

"Don't say things like that~" Hari finally murmured, scrunching her nose, then focused her attention back to scrubbing.

Silence descended. Hari scrubbed in earnest, determined not to get distracted. Yet her skin started to prickle—a vague sensation of being intensely stared at crawled down her nape.

She paused, then glanced his way from over her shoulder. A blunder that she instantly regretted. His eyes were glued to her, studying her every gesture, every movement. Heat crept from her neck and settled in her cheeks, then turned around to resume her activity, though at a slower, sluggish pace than previously.

Unable to handle the silence, or his stare, Hari puffed her cheeks. "I was just… appreciating your presence…" She elaborated quietly. "... it's been over two years since we've been living together…"

He tilted his head to the side and offered a curt nod in understanding. "It has…" Memories of their time together sprung up in his head. Hari and Nari. Polar opposites yet both endearing. To someone like him, those peaceful days were an odd interval, a reprieve perhaps, of the true battle ahead. "You don't regret it, do you?"

Hari turned her head sharply and held his gaze—his gorgeous eyes, deep enough to drown in.

The floor was neglected once more. She raised herself into a kneeling position, then pursed her lips while crossing her arms. The intense gaze didn't lessen and even began to draw her into their green abyss.

There were flecks of amber in his eyes, framed by thick, long eyelashes. An aesthetically pleasing, unique contrasting touch of colors. It made her stare, and stare, and—

Snap. Out of her trance. She flinched then looked away, scrunching her nose. It seemed that staring at him for long periods of time only ever caused trouble for herself. It almost became like an addiction.

"Never…" Hari said, eyes roaming over the open window. The crisp breeze had pushed the curtains away, revealing a setting sun of burning orange. "I hope these beautiful days will never come to an end."

"What would you do if this peace was disrupted?"

She stared at him, absent-mindedly, yet with a determined smile on her face. "I'd do anything to protect it, of course."

"Is that so…?"

Leandro smiled, closing his eyes once again.

Hari returned the smile, not that he could see it, and continued to scrub the floor with a rag.

'Definitely.'