Book 4 Chapter 9.5 - Taking Root
Within the vast, uninhabited area Su had previously walked past, a fair and graceful figure was currently slowly walking about. It was a woman, a woman that was already no longer beautiful. Her body was covered in frightening injuries, and all of the flesh at the edge of the injuries were tilted outwards. The flesh that was exposed were all an alarming purplish black. Her hair had all completely fallen out. Her bald head instead gave her a strange charm.
Each time Claudia breathed, it would feel as if a flame was ignited within her body. This flame was ice-cold, yet it burned up a considerable amount of her vitality. Her legs felt heavier and heavier, and with the amount of stamina she had remaining, with every step she took, she could only rely on her strong willpower to keep her from collapsing. She did her best to look into the distance, but all she could see for several dozen li was still overgrown wilderness. These few dozen li she could normally easily cross now felt endless, as if she would never reach the other side.
She still persistently headed west, because Su was in that direction, because she still hadn't completed her mission, hadn't killed Su. Claudia had a faint connection with her body's power, but this relationship was currently growing weaker. This was a sign that Su was still alive, as well as a sign of Su's destructive energy that was gradually suppressing her.
Claudia felt extremely thirsty, desiring water greatly. Meanwhile, above the distant horizon was the reflection of water that stretched as far as the eye could see. There was a great lake region that could be considered a marvel, its selike size terrifying countless generations of people. In the new era, the shock it left people with was similarly great. Not only was its tremendous size intimidating, it now also carried strong radiation not even mutated creatures could survive under. Even though her head was under such pain that she felt like it would explode and her lips were split open everywhere, Claudia still knew that she couldn't drink that water.
A bitter and astringent moist feeling suddenly welled up in her throat. Then, her knees buckled, causing her to involuntarily kneel onto the ground. Her mouth opened, and the with a urah sound, she spat out a wave of purplish black watery blood! When she saw the watery blood's color and fragmented tissues floating inside, Claudia's heart gradually sank to rock bottom.
This was the third time she spat out blood today. In the past few days, she would only cough out blood once a day at most, and the amount was far from as much as today's, with the color not being as turbid either. She could feel those strange cells with abnormal levels of vitality enter every nook and cranny, carrying out a never ending assault against all of her body's most vital organs! The most terrifying thing was that they were already gradually seizing control of her blood vessels and heart!
"Is today… going to be the last?" Claudia suddenly laughed, her expression unexpectedly extremely carefree. After spitting out another mouthful of black blood, she took a deep breath, preparing to stand up and continue west, despite likely not even covering another kilometer due to her currently state. However, she only thought about doing everything she could, only about continuing until she took her last breath.
At this moment, an intangible wave of coldness suddenly descended on Claudia's body, causing her to involuntarily break out into a shiver. Her body's immune system suddenly became chaotic. It was less than a minute of disorder, but for the intruder cells in her body, this amount of time was already enough. Claudia could clearly feel that those terrifying abnormal cells had already opened up a path to her vertebra!
In the depths of Claudia's heart, Eileen's face quietly appeared, as well as the resentment she bore under her sincere appearance. Claudia revealed a bitter smile, and then she decided not to walk anymore, instead sitting down and hugging her knees. She looked into the beautiful scenery where a single line divided sky and water. Her heart suddenly opened up.
Claudia knew Eileen hated her, but never to this degree, willing to waste such a tremendous amount of energy to attack her. Eileen succeeded, because Claudia already couldn't live much longer. The prickling sensations rapidly climbed her vertebra. However, Eileen failed as well, because even if she didn't do anything, Claudia knew that she would still only be able to hold on for two more days. The conclusion was still ultimately the same.
At this time, faces appeared one after another in Claudia's heart, including Bevulas', the one that gave her a second life, as well as the one caused her to make the firm resolution to dedicate the rest of her life to repaying him. The most important thing, however, was that Bevulas gave her man a second life.
There was also Henry, a crazy and talented young man, as well as her man. Each time Henry vented his desires autosadistically on her body, Claudia could feel the emotions and suffering he repressed. Henry was, without a doubt, a genius, but under Bevulas' shadow, all so-called geniuses became similarly mediocre. He had alway desired to surpass his father, but what he got in return was only despair. There was no affection to speak of between Claudia and Henry, because she had already handed over all of her so-called affection. Meanwhile, Henry sought her out at first similarly out of novelty, as well as his tastes that had long become warped from prolonged repression. Out of gratefulness towards Bevulas, Claudia didn't refuse. She originally thought that Henry would be done after playing around for a bit, yet she never expected that the two's relationship would continue for so long.
Henry was also the reason why Eileen detested her. Eileen liked Henry, and she also liked the young Haydn, liking them to a crazy degree. However, tragically, neither of them liked Eileen, to the extent where they didn't even have the desire to touch her.
This was a complex, depressing, and warped cycle of emotions, moreover one that could not be solved.
Then, she thought of Su. From Su's body, Claudia seemed to have seen her past self. Those matters she had originally thought she had long forgotten appeared one after another. What was different was that she already lost, already gave up, while Su was still holding on. If this was the olden era, Claudia would be extremely willing to be good friends with Su, because they were similar people. However, this was the new era of turmoil, so there was no choice. They could only stand against each other until one side fell.
Claudia collapsed. However, her face was serene and tranquil, as if she was sleeping.
During her final moments, her heart was like a clear sky without a single cloud.