Requiem for an Aberrant Chapter 30: Chapter 30- Goodbye

Read chapter 30 of Requiem for an Aberrant by TheJestersGambit on NovelPedia.

Aegis steadied his breathing. A whisper infiltrated the air. At first, it was so faint it might have been the wind slipping through the cracks of some abandoned place. But it pressed on, waiting, as if it had been speaking to him long before he noticed. “Birth it.” He spun. There was nothing, only the same unnatural stillness that felt like a held breath. Yet he knew it wasn’t nothing. Something unseen was beside him. Something ancient pressed against the back of his skull. The ground trembled, thin cracks spreading outward. From their depths, shadows began to crawl, devouring the horizon in steady, unhurried gulps. The voice returned, it was so close it felt like the words slid directly into his ear. He turned, and again, nothing was there. “Birth it.” The phrase burned into him, leaving no space for his own panicked thoughts. His tongue felt like an anvil, and when he tried to speak, nothing came. The shadows swelled until they consumed the edges of his sight. They weren’t just erasing the world, they were peeling away his thoughts, his dreams, and the thin thread that kept him tethered to who he was. There would be no waking from this nightmare. And there would be no running from what he had already begun to become. “Good morning, Aegis!” Ariana greeted cheerfully. Aegis woke up teary-eyed. ‘ Still no difference... Maybe I’ll have better luck next time.’ It wasn’t the first time he had dreamed of it. However, he just had no idea how to progress past the point of being frozen, forced to watch that dream unravel again and again. The crackle of the campfire disrupted his uneasy mind. Ariana sat with knees hugged beside the flames, the firelight dancing across her brown hair and eyes. Not far away, Filoa and Faith slept soundly, curled close despite the warmth. The cave, just another hollow in the valley’s walls, felt like a sanctuary compared to the place they were freed from. Ariana continued. “Whilst you were resting… guess what?” “What?” Aegis asked, a soft smile appearing on his lips as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Ariana beamed. “So basically, I started training with Filoa in order to get stronger,” she paused to flex her nonexistent biceps. “And, not surprisingly, I am quite talented! Turns out learning from myself from those strange visions paid off.” A small chuckle threatened to escape Aegis’s lips. “Just what sort of training did you do?” he queried, curious to where this newfound confidence had come from. “She taught me about defense,” Ariana said proudly, though her eyes flickered away. “How to evade and how to run from a fight.” Aegis raised an eyebrow. “So, basically, you’re good at running away?” “Well, when you put it that way... No, don’t even,” she said quickly, offering a laugh. “Everyone starts somewhere, right?” “Mhm,” Aegis hummed. The fire continued to crackle softly, light dancing against the cave walls. For a moment, they just sat there, surrounded by a fragile sense of peace. Ariana looked toward the flames, her bubbly act fading away. “Aegis, do you really think this journey will lead to what we’re looking for?” Aegis watched her gaze as she stared deep into the fire. He let out a soft sigh. “Of course it will. We’ve already taken the first step, haven’t we?” … Something stirred in Ariana’s chest. It was comforting yet frightening, and though it scared her, she let herself embrace the feeling of warmth. This strange, stubborn guy. It wasn’t the first time he had saved her. A chuckle left her lips. “Yeah… I guess we have.” Before she could speak again, almost as if to distract them both from the truth, Aegis beat her to it. “Cole left, didn’t he?” Aegis asked. Ariana’s eyes dropped to the floor, fingers twitching against the ground. “That’s just like him,” Aegis smiled, almost laughing. “I thought you’d be more upset,” Ariana whispered. "We didn't know the guy for that long... " Aegis looked back, angling his head as if confused. “Why would I be upset that he achieved his goal?” However, despite