Chapter 66：Glimpse at a Past Life

"Nothing to say at all?"

Erika only nodded silently in response to Maxwell's question. Although he couldn't say that he didn't expect this kind of answer, that didn't mean that he was unaffected or even indifferent to it. However, that also didn't mean that he would do anything about it either.

As Maxwell continued to leisurely lean over the railing, he shrugged casually before he spoke up.

"Then that concludes this meeting. I will see you at the War Conference tomorrow."

"Yes, your majesty."

As she normally does, Erika bowed courteously before she left. Just before she could leave however, Maxwell was able to catch a certain look in her eye. While her professional disposition did well to disguise her inner feelings, that look in her eyes will always betray her true intentions.

Especially to someone like Maxwell.

Despite all of this, Maxwell still preferred not to act on his heart's desires when it comes to these kinds of things. While he may admit that he wouldn't turn down any form of 'confession,' and instead even accept it openly, in truth he would only do this out of connivence in order to avoid any unnecessary tension later down the line.

As long as Erika remained loyal and useful to Maxwell, then by all means, she is free to believe and do whatever she wants.

The only question left would be whether Maxwell can properly reciprocate Erika's feelings or not. And by Maxwell's own admission, not even he knew the answer.

Of course, there was a reason why Maxwell felt this way.

If Maxwell were to describe it, he would say that it was a lesson that was taught to him a lifetime ago.

...

"Wake up you sleepyhead."

As Leon tried to rest his eyes, he felt the same annoying repeated feeling of someone, most likely the owner of the voice that just spoke, knocking on his forehead with her fist. With slight irritation in his voice, Leon continued to glue his eyes together as he responded to the person.

"I'm not sleeping, I'm only resting my eyes."

"Then you won't mind if I 'rest my eyes' on top of you."

Soon after, Leon felt the sensation of someone gently laying on top of him. In his honest opinion, it was a rather nice feeling. Even as the off-road jeep bumped with the unevenness of the path, this did little to disturb Leon's comfiness.

Soon, the person laying on him and the owner of that same voice spoke up again.

"You know... I didn't expect you to be all the way out here. As a historian aren't you out of your element?"

This time, Leon forced his eyelids open and faced the person as he spoke up.

"I don't know Lydia. It's almost as if I was forced here. And yes I do admit that I am out of my element."

Lydia chuckled to herself when she heard Leon's response.

"Ahahaha, I don't think that I'll ever tire of your quote en quote 'humour...' The only thing I would say that was more fun than your 'jokes' would be playing Total War games with you... Well... Those things are much better than anything else this world has to offer anyway."

Lydia sighed to herself before continued.

"Hey ummmm... I might say something weird here... You don't mind right?"

Leon was left a bit speechless when he heard Lydia but he was still able to respond with the same phrase that he always said in these types of situations.

"Of course I don't mind. There's nothing you could say that could possibly offend me. You're free to speak your mind."

When Lydia heard Leon's response, she herself was also left a bit speechless for a moment before took a deep breath, regained her composure and then finally spoke up.

"I feel... bored by the world... it's just no fun... Sometimes I wish... I wish that I wasn't born in this era. It's just not... not entertaining. I don't know what it is exactly but this world just doesn't do it for me."

As Lydia spoke, Leon suddenly felt a bad feeling build up in his stomach. He has known Lydia for a long time but never before has he seen her like this. Nevertheless, Lydia didn't seem to notice Leon's worries as she continued speaking.

"We have a great survivability chance, we learnt from the mistakes of our past and we can create 'small miracles' with technology... And... I admit they're all fun and all... but they just seem so... so ingenuine... Do you know what I mean?"

Leon didn't at all know in the least how to properly respond to what Lydia said. With a slightly worried voice, Leon answered Lydia's question.

"No I don't know what you mean..."

Leon opened his mouth to continue but before the topic could be pursued, the conversation soon came to a stop.

A literal one.

They have reached their destination.

With a sigh, Leon gave Lydia a single reminder before the got out the jeep.

"Can we talk about this later?"

"Of course."

With a slightly wary smile on his face, Leon exited the jeep only to be greeted by rainforests and a rather ominous looking ruins.

Thanks to the canopy of the rainforest, Leon's eyes were not bombarded with the harsh rays of the sun as he walked towards the ruins.

Soon, Lydia casually started another conversation with Leon as if what just happened in the jeep never happened.

"If you're worried don't be. I made sure that we already cleared out all the traps and dangers before I took you here on a 'slightly intense date.'"

"Slightly intense indeed..."

Leon couldn't help letting out a remark as he glanced around the small camp that surrounded the ruins. Each and every man within the the camp was at least twice the size of Leon and none of them were unarmed.

They were members of some P.M.C. company that subcontracted Lydia. Although despite her size and demeanour when compared to these men, they all still followed Lydia's orders.

"Come on, just ignore those clowns. Only Broc will be joining us."

As Lydia said this, one of the soldiers soon joined the two as the made their way inside the ruins.

What happened next was a series of rather uninteresting sights and events that Leon has seen before.

However, at the end of the ruins was something truly interesting.

It was a suspended orb...

That was glowing a dim blue light...

"Wow... Now that's interesting..."

However, contrary to what Leon expected, Lydia was surprised by this phenomena as well.

"It's... never done that before..."

Within moments Lydia moved towards the glowing orb before she grasped it with both of her hands. The moment she touched it, the low dim blue light of the orb started pulsating in regular intervals, somewhat akin to that of a heartbeat.

Soon, Lydia subconsciously declared a rather ominous sentence.

"I... I hear voices..."

"Voices? Isn't that not a good thing?"

When Leon heard what Lydia said, he couldn't help but express his concerns immediately. Despite Leon's warnings, Lydia continued grasping the orbs within her hands.

"It says I can make a wish on it..."

Seeing Lydia act this way and what the orb is 'telling her,' that bad feeling that Leon originally had multiplied tenfold.

"Honestly Lydia I don't feel too good about this... And I'm not even in my element!"

However, Lydia either didn't hear Leon at all or she was ignoring him. With no choice, Leon faced Broc as he pleaded the private soldier to do something.

"Come on, you're meant to be her bodyguard aren't you? She could possibly be endangering herself! Do something!"

"Your boyfriend is right ma'am. I suggest that you-"

Boom!

Just before Broc could finish speaking however, a certain explosion rocked the ruins causing everything present to stagger from the tremors. With a slight tinge of uneasiness in his voice, Leon slowly asked Lydia a question.

"What the hell did you just do?"

In response, to Maxwell's question, Lydia stuttered out her words as her face gradually started to wear an expression of realisation. And within that expression of realisation, there were some slight glimmers of joy and happiness as well.

"I made a wish... And... I think it might be coming true."

Just before anyone can react, the ceiling right above Lydia suddenly collapsed, burying her in a pile of rubble within seconds.

As the dust settled, the only thing visible from under that pile of rubble was a single bloody arm with a hand that twitched sporadically.

There was no doubt about it.

She was dead.

However, Leon couldn't waste time mourning right now.

"Come on let's go out of here!"

"But the lady..."

Leon shook Broc's shoulder in a rather panicked manner before shouting out loud.

"Are you blind?! She's dead! Come on! Let's get out of here before we join her!"

"Yes sir!"

Soon, Broc and Leon turned to run out the way the came.

As one would expect, since Broc was a trained soldier of a private military, he soon outpaced Leon and within moments a short gap formed between the two.

Unfortunately for Leon, that short difference in speed made all the difference.

In the small gap between Leon and Broc, another collapsing section of the ruins caused Leon to be collapsed from Broc.

Completely trapped from his only way to escape to safety, all Leon could do was scream for help.

"Wait! Help!"

However, Leon's pleas for help were not heard by any ears.

At the point, all Leon could do was look around his general surroundings in desperation.

But try as he might, there was nothing that he could do that could escape his fate.

And soon, the ruins collapsed entirely.

But it only took two people with them.

At that very moment, everything that Leon aspired to be, everything that he had, everything that he was about to achieve, everything has completely disappeared.

All of it gone, virtually erased, never to be seen again.

What it was replaced by was a never ending 'sea' of darkness?

Or was it better to describe it as a 'sky?'

Nevertheless, it was just simple darkness.

Darkness as far as the eye could see.

Darkness.

Darkness.

Darkness.

Nothing to feel.

Nothing to touch.

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

Nothing but darkness.

However, that ceaseless darkness of nothingness soon gave way to a single solitary yet bright light.

It was a 'gift.'

While Leon may have lost everything, somehow, someway he was lucky enough to receive a set of 'gifts.'

These 'gifts' being a new life in a new world along with a new name to suit his new life.

And his new name was Maxwell.

What he was unaware of at that moment, was that moments before him, someone else was granted a new life in this same new world as well.

A specific someone who was responsible for their 'gifts' in the first place.

A specific someone who made a wish on a glowing orb that she probably shouldn't have touched.

And because of her wish, the fate of two people and an entire world different to their own was changed forever.