Life Delusion Chapter 2: Chapter II: The Delusion

Read chapter 2 of Life Delusion by The_lite on NovelPedia.

Aqua looked at Rose. Her soft, encouraging smile was all the confirmation he needed. He hesitated for a fleeting second, weighing the risks, before reaching out and gripping Lily's outstretched hand. Relief flickered across Lily's face; she had secured two capable allies. Without further delay, they climbed back into the caravan. As the miles rolled by, Rose sat beside him, clutching his hand with surprising intensity as she gazed out at the passing landscape. The world outside was vibrant—rolling plains, rivers swollen with recent rains, and small springs pooling in the depressions of the earth. Slowly, the silhouette of Alasia City began to rise on the horizon, its stone spires piercing the clear sky. Hours later, they arrived at the city gates. "Alright, everyone," Lily announced, climbing down. "We'll be securing rooms at an inn. Feel free to join us or find your own lodging for the night. Regardless, we meet at the Adventurers' Guild tomorrow morning at the seventh bell. Rest well." As Lily and her team moved toward a nearby inn, Rose tugged at Aqua's sleeve. "Aqua? Shall we find something to eat?" Aqua nodded, his mind elsewhere, and they followed her toward a nearby tavern. He stared blankly at the tabletop, his thoughts spiraling away from the present. "Damn you... damn you, Louis... damn you!" The voice echoed in his head, sharp and filled with spite. He looked down at a newborn infant in the memory. It wasn't his memory, yet it felt like a scar on his soul. "Calm yourself, child. It is not his fault. His mother did not... she could not..." "It is his fault! If it weren't for him, she would still be here! He shouldn't have been born! Why? Why was he even born?!" "Aqua? Aqua, is something wrong?" Aqua jolted, the tavern's noise rushing back into his ears. He looked at Rose, who was watching him with concern. "It's nothing," he muttered, shaking his head. "Just a flicker of an old memory." Rose raised an eyebrow, half-joking. "You have quite a collection of memories for someone who is only twelve years old." "What would you like, sir?" a waiter asked, breaking the tension. Aqua placed a simple order, and they ate in a silence that felt heavy. For Aqua, it was the first time he had ever shared a meal with someone; the isolation of his exile had always been a solitary affair. Afterward, they sought an inn, but the price for two separate rooms was too steep for their meager funds. They reluctantly rented a single room. Exhausted, Aqua collapsed onto the bed, sleep pulling at him almost instantly. In the darkness of the room, he heard a hushed, whispering conversation. "Rose... do you truly harbor affection for Aqua?" "I... I suppose so. We aren't blood kin, after all, so it does not matter." "But Rose, I do not understand... why leave the tribe? Did your brother, Rodius, not warn you against this? Why abandon that life?" "Pico, you don't understand. Aqua has always been alone. I could not bear to let him stay that way." "But Rose..." "I know you worry for me, Pico. But do not concern yourself. As long as I am by Aqua's side, nothing else matters." A tear traced a path down Aqua's cheek as he drifted into sleep. He had always believed himself unloved, a pariah. To hear such devotion... it was overwhelming. Then, the darkness shifted. He was no longer in the inn. He was in a void. A beam of light illuminated a spear, and his breath hitched in his throat. Rose's lifeless head rested atop the spear, blood pooling beneath it. He screamed, lunging forward, but iron chains materialized, binding his wrists and ankles, dragging him back into the abyss. Aqua jolted awake, drenched in cold sweat, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. It had been just a dream, yet the cold terror felt vividly real. "Aqua? Is something wrong?" He turned, seeing Rose sitting up, looking at him with worry. He didn't answer; he simply crossed the room and pulled her into a tight, desperate embrace. She went still, clearly startled by h