I, the slave boy, awaken with the most potent seed!!

Chapter 296: Walk in a park

Zafron darted behind the crumbling remains of an obsidian archway, chest heaving as he pressed his back to the cold stone. The echoing moans of the undead horde slowly faded, their shambling forms leaving the immediate area. He exhaled in relief, only for a shadow to shift beside him.

"Running again, Zafron?" Calista's voice was as soft as silk but carried the same biting edge he remembered. She stepped out from her hiding place, her vibrant eyes gleaming in the dim half-light of limbo. "Didn't think I'd see you like this. Back pressed against a wall, heart pounding."

"Not now, Calista," Zafron muttered, catching his breath. "I've had enough trouble for one eternity. And what are you doing here"

She tilted her head, a smirk tugging at her lips. "Fine. I'll spare you my charming commentary. For now." She peered around the edge of their cover, confirming the coast was clear, then motioned for him to follow. "My map led me in this direction before I saw you running from those thirsty souls. We need to move. That horde's tenacious."

Zafron nodded. They slipped from shadow to shadow, the crumbling terrain of limbo offering enough cover to avoid detection. They walked in tense silence for a while, but Calista was never one for quiet contemplation. She broke the stillness as they navigated a path of jagged stones.

"So," she began casually, "what's your grand plan once you're out of here? Assuming we both live long enough to make it back to the mortal world. What's waiting for you outside the realm of the restless dead?"

Zafron grimaced, taking a moment to step around a particularly unstable patch of ground. "Plan? You're assuming I've got this all figured out."

She chuckled, low and rich. "Don't you? I pegged you as the type who'd have at least three backup plans. One for escaping Area 52, another for dodging the Enforcers, and a final scheme for whatever comes next."

He kicked a loose pebble and watched it disappear into the mists ahead. "Not quite. I've been focused on just getting out of limbo alive. What happens next...it's a blur."

Calista sidestepped a deep fissure with feline grace. "Let me guess. No grand quest for revenge? No empire-building schemes? You're more of a 'live quietly ever after' sort of guy?"

"Is it so wrong?" Zafron's tone was defensive but tinged with hope. "I've been through enough chaos. Maybe I just want...I don't know, something normal. A job. A home. Family. Something stable."

Calista's laughter rang out again, louder this time. She stopped and turned to face him, her expression somewhere between amusement and disbelief. "You? Settling down with a picket fence and a nine-to-five job? Come on, Zafron. You've always thrived on the thrill of the chase. What's changed?"

He looked away, eyes distant. "Sakura and Matilda."

Calista's smile faded. She studied him, her gaze piercing but not unkind. "Your love interests," she said softly. "You really think they'd be content with...normal? With you flipping burgers or filling out tax forms?"

"Not exactly the picture I had in mind," he muttered. "But I'd do what it takes to make it work. They deserve better than what I've dragged them through."

"You think 'normal' makes you a better man for them?" Her voice was low, almost a whisper. "I don't buy it. They chose you, Zafron. The man who fights. The man who stands at the edge of death and spits in its face. That's who they love."

"Normalcy doesn't mean giving up who I am," he argued, though his voice lacked conviction. "I can...try to make a life. Make things simpler. Better."

"Better," she echoed, a hint of sadness in her tone. "Is this about them, or about you running from your past? Because, frankly, you sound tired. And I get it, Zafron. I do."

He didn't respond immediately. They kept walking, their pace slow as if neither wanted the moment to end. Shadows shifted around them, but for once, no immediate threat emerged.

"It's both," he admitted eventually. "I'm tired of fighting battles I didn't choose. Of being trapped by my own mistakes. If I have a chance to walk away, to build something real...why shouldn't I take it?"

Calista nodded thoughtfully. "And what about the Enforcers? You can't exactly shake their hand, say you've turned over a new leaf, and move on. They'll hunt you."

"I know," he said grimly. "That's a problem I haven't solved yet."

She crossed her arms, a spark of curiosity in her eyes. "So, what's your brilliant plan for them?"

Zafron shrugged. "I haven't figured that out. Maybe...maybe I'll negotiate. Convince them I'm not a threat."

"Negotiate?" Calista laughed, but there was no malice in it. "With the Enforcers? You must really be desperate."

"I'd rather negotiate than keep fighting."

"Spoken like a man who's seen too many battles," she said softly. Her tone shifted. "You care about them deeply, don't you? Sakura and Matilda."

"They're more than just names," he replied, voice rough with emotion. "They gave me a reason to keep going. Even here, in this...place. They're my anchor."

Calista was quiet for a moment. "And you think they'll wait for you?"

"I hope so," he said, almost to himself. "They know I'm coming back."

Silence fell between them once more. They continued their slow journey through limbo's surreal landscape, their footsteps echoing in the vast emptiness.

After a while, Calista spoke again, her voice softer, more contemplative. "And what about you, Zafron? Do you think you can let go of the past? If you leave limbo, escape the Enforcers, find your 'normal' life...what happens to all the ghosts that haunt you?"

He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he looked up at the skyless void of limbo. "I don't know," he admitted. "Maybe they'll always be there. But I want to try."

Calista nodded slowly. "Then try, Zafron. Just...don't lose yourself in the process."

He looked at her, seeing something deeper than the banter and the sarcasm. "Why do you care?"

"Because I've been where you are," she said quietly. ". "Maybe not the same way, but...I know what it's like to want something you think you can't have."

They walked on, the silence no longer heavy but companionable. Limbo stretched ahead, endless and uncertain. But for a moment, at least, they walked together.