?


    They buried the rest of the bodies quite easily. Alex was quite happy when he found out that Ss had the ability to use three elements. It took him a while to realize, but when he did, he was quite ecstatic.


    After they were done, Ss decided that Nymira and Alex should probably get to know each other better. He had quite a few ns for them, and even though he knew for sure that Nymira would do anything for him as long as it was part of their deal for him to save her, he wasn''t so sure of Alex at first.


    However, now that he had seen Alex help them get rid of two dozen bodies, he was pretty sure that he''d be down for anything.


    Though, if Alex did decide to betray them, he had a precautionary measure to make sure he''d regret it for the rest of his remaining life.


    Hell, Ss was certain that Alex wouldn''t be able to speak a single word of what happened that day without, at the very least, feeling the worst pain he had ever felt in his life.


    At the end of the day, Ss and Alex chose to leave. Nymira thanked them with a bow before closing the door behind them.


    "Woah." Alex sighed.


    "What is it." Ss asked.


    "You''re girlfriend really doesn''t trust us."


    "Again, not my girlfriend." Ss sighed with a little bit of annoyance, however, Alex actually noticed Ss'' frustration this time and raised his own brow.


    "Really? So she''s free for the taking?" Alex asked with a slightly excited voice, while Ss simply shrugged.


    "I suggest you don''t try anything. She might be your co-worker soon, and if you two break up, it might make things a little awkward." Ss chuckled while Alex red at him.


    "Who said we''ll break up, huh?" Alex crossed his arms, however, he could not help but feel a shiver down his spine.


    While Ss seemed like he was speaking in a mildly friendly mood, it didn''t feel like that when he said thest thing. Actually, Alex almost felt like it was a threat, so within an instant, his thoughts of going for Nymira went out of his mind.


    ''Maybe they are dating... Or maybe Ss likes her?'' Alex thought, yet it was quite the opposite.


    Ss didn''t mind them dating, though, it would disrupt his ns a little too much for his liking. Also, the previously mentioned risk was still very much a risk. He needed them to be a team, not a couple.


    "She''s really closed off though, isn''t she." Alex muttered.


    "Yeah... I guess she is, but if you''ve seen the kind of things she''s gone through, there aren''t many other paths one may go on." Ss exined.


    "I don''t know. I think it''s better to remain smiling, you know? You gotta remain jolly! You have to smile at the world for it to smile back at you, you know?" Alex asked while turning to Ss, while Ss turned to him with a slightly bbergasted expression.


    "Who did you steal the from?" Ss narrowed his eyes.


    "Ah. You caught me." Alex chuckled, yet he didn''t say where he got it from.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "But, you''''re not technically wrong." Ss sighed.


    "That''s surprising,ing from you at least. You''re the most closed-off person I''ve ever seen." Alexughed.


    "You''re not wrong." Ss chuckled, but once again, Alex felt like there was something wrong with the chuckle.


    Actually, he felt like any emotion that Ss showed was always slightly fake. As if he was putting on an act to please the people around him.


    It didn''t feel like that back at Nymira''s house, but now that they were both alone, it was bing a little more obvious.


    "Those who smile through everything will see the world smile back at them. Those whough in the face of everything will see people cheer for them with all their hearts. Those kind of people be inspirations. They be things far beyond their singr being." Ss spoke while remembering some of the people back on his.


    "They be a symbol. They be hope." Ss exined.


    "They be heroes to everyone around them..."


    "But that isn''t me. I''m not the hero of any more story. I''m not the hero of my own story... There are people like me who can''t smile at the world like you do because when we smile at the world, the world chooses to take advantage of our smile.


    The world crushes our dreams right before our eyes, and all we can do is sit there and watch."


    "You... You sound like you''re talking from experience." Alexmented while scratching the back of his head.


    He didn''t really know what to say. He understood what Ss was saying, but at the same time, only someone who''s gone through the same things as Ss would truly know what he meant.


    "Think of it like this. I left my family back in my city to keep them safe. To help them. Yet, here I am, incapable of doing anything as they suffer the fate I was supposed to suffer. And then... Ie to the realization that, despite not wanting to admit it, I ran away from them not to save them, but for a selfish reason." Ss chuckled, yet Alex could feel an ounce of rage in it.


    "How does one live with themself when they know they are the reason their family is suffering?" Ss asked.


    "But, you can''t me that on yourself-" Alex paused when Ss opened his mouth again.


    He couldn''t help but feel like there was a sudden pressure around Ss that made him want to kneel.


    "You do it anyway.


    Because it''s your responsibility to make it right..."


    ------------------


    [If you have enjoyed this chapter and would like to support the author, please vote using your power stones or golden tickets. Also, you can join my discord server today to see illustrations or converse about thetest chapters.]