2.15 Distant Memory
2.15 Distant Memory
Lu Yizhou buried his head in between his knees, motionless. He had stayed in the same position since he arrived here, at the forestation in the suburb of Galea where he first awoke. He was still for such a long time that even some herbivores braced themselves to get closer to him just to take a sniff. However the faint scent of blood and the low pressure emanating from Lu Yizhou's body immediately scared them away.
[666: Host, let's go back…] 66th time.
[666: Host…]
[Let's abort the mission.]
[666: Yeah, let's—NANI?!!＼(º □ º l|l)/ A—A—Abort the mission?! You want to give up and restart?!]
Lu Yizhou tugged on his hair and mumbled gloomily. "How can I face him after this?" Even now whenever he closed his eyes, he could still recall Theodore's flushed eyes, the way his lips parted in desire and his breaths that were tinged with ecstasy. Lu Yizhou hated it; hated the way his body reacted to the memory and also at the vampire's predatory traits in him that caused him to lose control.
He sighed. "Just let me die…"
[666: Host! How many times should 666 tell you?! First, Theodore willingly offered you his blood and second, it's your first time feeding. Just like how humans can get drunk of wine, you can also get drunk of blood. You know how a drunkard can become a totally different person and act like they're out of their mind. That's exactly what happened to you that day!]
[So you're saying that I was high?]
[666: Yeah, that's right! And Theodore isn't a real person anyway so there's no need for you to feel guilty.]
Lu Yizhou finally lifted his head, his eyes staring emptily at the murky sky and dark clouds that swirled around. It was just noon yet the sun had already hid behind the clouds, signaling the start of a thunderstorm. "Not a real person, huh?" He muttered.
If Theodore wasn't a real person, then how could he make Lu Yizhou feel like this? He wasn't the kind of person who was easily swayed. He even thought he had forgotten how to feel his heart ache for another person. Despite that, he had felt the same feeling twice for two different people; Ren Zexi and Theodore.
A sigh escaped Lu Yizhou's lips and he closed his eyes. [About the bug in my willmeter, have you received a reply about that?]
[666: Uh...yes, 666 should not worry about that because they are still searching for the original source of the problem. 666 should just focus on the task in hand. That's exactly what Admin God said.]
[666: …]
[666: Host…? Aiyah, Host is asleep again.]
Maybe because Raphael's urgent thirst was extinguished and his metabolism finally worked after years, Lu Yizhou found himself getting a lot of sleep for the past three days. Usually, he would wake after around an hour but this time, it might be because thunder was striking above and his clothes which still carried the familiar scent of blood, Lu Yizhou found himself revisiting a very, very distant memory that he thought he had locked inside the deepest recess of his heart, never again to be opened or recalled.
It was a dimly lit room, the light flickered above his head. The floor was made from marble and white jade pillars stood on the corners. The antique painting hung on the wall was splattered with droplets of blood. Rumbles of lightning drifted into his ears along with the sobs of a woman as she hugged her baby in her arms, tightly protecting him from the person who would harm them—Lu Yizhou.
Corpses littered around them, all which still bled out of their body, some were even still alive and twitching. His nose was assaulted by the heavy stench of blood which he hated the most and his grip on the gun almost slipped a few times due to his sweaty palm. He could vividly hear his heavy breathing and furious heartbeat—not because of nervousness or fear because he had lost all feelings, but due to the running adrenaline in his veins, one which he was sure that when extinguished, what was left of him would only be numbness. Intense numbness that made even breathing became difficult.
His leg was tugged weakly and he lowered his eyes to see an elderly with his head painted white wearing a traditional kimono, one of his eyes had been dug out personally by Lu Yizhou, leaving only one bloodshot eye which strived to look up at him with desperation. "Let...them...go... I beg…" The old man couldn't continue his sentence as life had dissipated from his eyes.
The woman cried softly. "Please have mercy on us…" She pleaded, tears streaming down her face. There was none of the fear one would have when faced with death, only grief and sorrow. "No, just my son! Let my son go…" She clutched her baby tighter and he started to wail, weakly and pitifully. The woman cooed softly. "Don't cry...baby, don't cry. Mama is here…"
Lu Yizhou stared down at them with an expressionless face then he lifted his gun and pointed it toward the woman's forehead. Bang! The gunshot rang out without giving the woman any chance to say farewell to her baby. Her wide eyes stared straight into Lu Yizhou, shocked before slowly turning blank. Her body fell slack to the ground and the bundle of clothes in her arms slipped out. The baby's cries turned louder, seemingly aware that he was left alone now without protection.
He turned the muzzle to the baby and pressed the trigger. But then, he suddenly froze. The baby opened his eyes to look at him. Those almond shaped, extremely familiar eyes that were brimming with tears…
The ear deafening thunder jerked Lu Yizhou awake as raindrops fell on his cheek. The drizzle had started to descend, bringing with it the piercing scent of petrichor and soil. He breathed heavily, his eyes disoriented for a moment.
[666: Host, are you okay?! Did you have a nightmare?]
Clarity slowly returned to Lu Yizhou as he took in the scenery in front of him. Scrambling to the side, he retched, wishing that he could puke out all of the blood he had drunk. Alas, nothing came out no matter how deep he dug into his throat. The rims of his eyes reddened and he punched on the tree trunk, instantly snapping it into two. The large wood slammed heavily on the ground, the commotion was muffled by the lightning bolts.
[666: H—H—Host, what happened to you? Don't make 666 scared…]
He gritted his teeth and spat out. "Restart the world. I will do everything from the beginning again." This time, he wouldn't become Theodore's servant nor would he get close to the teenager. He would just oversee everything from afar and show himself should the situation force him to. This way, they wouldn't have to get so close and Theodore wouldn't have to offer his blood to him.
666 was flabbergasted. It hadn't heard there was a Host who would initiate restart on his own because all of them proceeded as if walking on thin ice, cautious in their every step because they feared restart the most. But its Host...how come 666 was assigned to a Host who differed greatly from normal?!
[666: *sigh* well, if you're really sure, then—]
Lu Yizhou's head suddenly snapped to the side, his eyes sharpened. Seeing that, 666's alarm bells rang out.
[666: W—What happened? Is there someone here?! An intruder?!]
"Sshh…" Lu Yizhou straightened his back, his eyes looked straight in the direction of Galea. In the next second, he abruptly disappeared from his spot and reappeared tens of meters away, dashing with all his might to the city.
[666: What's wrong?! What happened?!!]
[Theodore…] Lu Yizhou's jaws clenched and he narrowed his eyes as the chilling rain seeped into his clothes and drenched him whole. [Theodore is calling me.]