Chapter 271 - Is This It...?

"А? What are you doing...?" Eva said timidly and took a few steps back.

Wain's unexpected and tender kiss knocked her out of her glue. It was strange for her, especially after what they'd been up to for the past few hours. It seemed to her that they had started their acquaintance in the wrong order.

"Hmm? Do you mind? I thought that after you stabbed me in the neck like a vampire, that kind of thing couldn't embarrass you. Maybe you don't remember anything?"

Eva was a mystery to him, and that's why he did what he did. This girl had an extraordinary combination of sass, insanity, shyness, and sweetness.

"No, no, I don't know exactly. I remember everything, but it's still kind of weird. I mean... don't you get put off by my other side?" Eva timidly muttered.

"Huh, did it look like I was intimidated? You and I had a bloody feast of madness, and I haven't felt this good in a long time. Although, of course, it was heavily influenced by the fact that we're immortal here." Wain uttered.

"That's how...are you sure...? Usually, when people see this side of me, they run from me like fire."

"Yes, that's a plus rather than a minus for me, but there's something I don't understand. Was I fighting you or your other personality a minute ago? Are you one person, or are there two of you? Could it be an effect of your skill?" Wain asked.

He speculated that Eva might have had some kind of mental illness. In Wain's opinion, this was not surprising, especially given her recent behavior. A split personality was not a unique illness. It was a rare but existing event.

"What are you talking about? I'm not sick in the head! It's just... my peculiarity... There's something unique about every human being, isn't there?"

"Of course, so you have to become like that to fight?"

Eva nodded weakly, "Yes, I'm completely helpless now. This blindfold helps me focus. I couldn't really control it before, and it caused many problems. I was doing things I didn't quite want to do, even though I enjoyed it and wanted to at the same time. However, after the souls came along, everything became easier. Maybe the superpowers helped me with that."

"Ah... I see..." Wain muttered and scratched the back of his head.

"What are we going to do now?" Eva asked.

"I don't know. Honestly, dying dozens of times in a few hours is pretty exhausting, even if you don't consider the pain. I want to rest. We need to figure out how to get out of here anyway."

"I see... but I thought we..." Eva muttered uncertainly.

"Huh, didn't you see the message? We are immortal here, but we also have an unlimited amount of time. I'm not sure it's worth building our relationship on mutually destroying each other." Wain smiled and sat down by the nearest rock.

He wasn't lying and actually wanted to know more about Eva. This girl was unusual, and unlike hundreds of other women he had met in his life, she managed to interest him. 

Wain didn't know if it was love or trivial curiosity, but he didn't think about it at that moment.

Wain forgot about everything except Eva and this space. He didn't care about discovering the fifth form or fulfilling the last condition for the possibility of a second evolution.

In his many battles with Eva, Wain had already died more than a hundred times, so the only thing left for him to do was to break the line between life and death. Wain thought that this condition overlapped with the second, but it was not so easy.

The reason was that Wain didn't really die and didn't come back to life. An immortal could not die. He could only be seriously wounded and then healed. Of course, a normal person couldn't stay alive without his head, but not in this situation.

"Yeah...you're probably right." Eva walked over to Wain and sat down next to him but didn't snuggle up to him.

Wain grinned. He liked this modest and shy side of Eva's. It was unusual for him since he commonly liked bold, strong, and confident girls. Although Eva combined two sides of the same coin, maybe that was the main reason Wain looked at her then.

Maria was aloof. She had no desire to fight or do anything. She was trying to sort herself out and figure out what to do. She was lost and helpless, and the fire in her eyes was slowly going out.

"Wain, where are you from? What city are you from?" Eva asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Um... I'm from Overion, and I was there when the apocalypse started."

"From Overion? Oh, that's very far away. I'm from Arkadale. Luckily because my town is close to the capital, many people were able to survive."

"You had help?"

"Yes." Eva nodded slightly, "Weapons, supplies, military, etc. I didn't realize it at the time, but zombies and mutated insects are the least problems we encountered. Even a normal person could have killed them if they had some weapon, but panic and fear prevented them from doing so."

"Hmm, considering your power, you should have activated your Soul Altar the first day."

"Not really... I'm ashamed to admit it, but I was actually scared when I saw the zombies. What saved me was that my other side kicked in... I took the knife and stabbed it into the monster's head dozens of times like a madwoman. That day was key. Then I lost control for a while, but I also learned to control it."

"That's interesting..."

"Wain, tell me about yourself. It's not like you were an ordinary person. You were able to get here and fight me..."

"Huh, you're one to talk. I, unlike you, have been shedding blood since before the apocalypse began."

"What?! Were you killing people before the chaos began?"

"Yes." Wain replied bluntly, "Does that scare you?"

"No... or rather... I don't know. After what I've done myself, I'm not sure I have the right to condemn anyone for it. That would be hypocritical, an hour ago, I looked like a crazed homicidal maniac, and I'm not going to deny it."

"Do you accept yourself as you are?"

Eva nodded, "I am me, and the rest doesn't matter. If I fear and avoid myself, how can I go forward? It's the same as being frightened at the sight of your own shadow."

"I agree, but sometimes conquering yourself and your fears are the hardest mission. Not everyone can handle it."

"Yes, but now is the perfect time to overcome yourself and go beyond your limits. I'm sure you've done it many times, like me, otherwise you wouldn't be here."

Although Eva was sweet and acted shy and insecure, she was pretty tough and determined inside. This third side to Eva pleased Wain even more than the previous ones.

A strong wind blew, and Eva's gray hair was partially covered in red ash. They swayed slowly in the wind.

Wain stared intently into her emerald eyes, and suddenly he heard a loud pounding coming from his heart.