OLD-WORLD EXTRA

Chapter 166: Her Conundrum

Chapter 166: Her Conundrum

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"Emir! Did something happen?" The man on the other end of the call asked with worry apparent in his voice.

"Nah. I'm fine; I'm just here to ask you to confirm something for me." Emir answered.

"Okay. Just tell me what it is and consider it done."

"1036, check that ID for me, see if that belongs to someone named Elijah, and if you aren't able to access it, then it doesn't matter; this would only confirm it."

"An Elite?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah. Just send me a yes or no message, and know that I'll visit you later today, so free up your time for me." Emir confirmed.

"Understood."

Ending the call, he returned his attention to the Goldleaf's prize.

"We'll see if the ID you told me is the right one."

Just as those words reached her, he sat on the ground again, cultivating like usual. "You!"

He heard Aria bellow in anger, but he ignored her and closed his eyes, continuing to memorize the ability pathways.

"Stop ignoring me!"

"You piece of shit!"

"Kidnapping me...."

The barrage of insults and verbal assaults fell on deaf ears as he remained focused on his task, not bothering to punish her.

His concentration only broke when a notification chimed on his terminal-a message from Nathan.

He didn't need to swipe it open, as he saw a pop-up message stating a simple word:

{Yes.}

Standing up, he cast a look towards the girl who had been venting her anger at him for the past how many hours.

Her continuous tirade had ceased, replaced by peaceful slumber.

She was huddled up, her head nestled in her knees, and her hand acting as a makeshift pillow.

He got closer to her and began to shake her awake.

"Wake up, sleepy head!"

Startled, she jerked awake, her eyes darting around like a panicked animal until they landed on Emir standing over her.

Relief washed over her momentarily, only to be replaced by a sense of dread as she registered his next words.

"I'll leave you in here for some time, but don't worry, you'll have something to eat and drink until a search party is sent out for you."

Pointing at the exit of the cave, he continued:

"I'd recommend not going there, it's a nest of monsters down here."

"W-WAIT!"

Emir heard her scream when he turned around to leave.

He picked up his rucksack without bothering to give her face, which caused her to scream out

once more.

"DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!"

Letting out a sigh, Emir turned around with annoyance apparent underneath his masked face.

'Did I treat her so well?' He silently wondered.

"What?" He asked plainly.

"You know that I kidnapped you here. I hurt you. And now you want me to stay?"

Her face scrunched up in embarrassment as she said:

"B-but you..."

Appearing to have gathered up her courage, she stood up and walked up to him while demanding:

"It's dark here, it's scary! You said you would protect me, so don't go back on your promise!" 'Is she twisting my words? I guess even if she's a kid, an Elite is an Elite.' He scoffed inwardly. "I did say that I wouldn't hurt you, yes. But I didn't say that I'd protect you. Don't worry though, the monsters won't reach you here."

She stepped closer until only a few inches separated them and grabbed him by the cloak. "But you brought me here! It's your fault if I get hurt! S-so stay!"

Emir's dark, black eyes looked at her blankly.

While they were mostly covered by the mask, it still had tiny slits for him to see through.

He stood there, unmoving, watching as the maiden in front of him began to sob, tears falling from her puffy eyes like a waterfall.

Her cheeks turned red from embarrassment and confusion.

This sight would've made even the coldest hearts give in, but as Aria listened to her kidnapper's heart, all she heard were controlled beats, slow, unaffected by what was happening around him.

She realized that who she was clinging on to was a monster in human skin, slowly piecing together that everything he did since she woke up was an act, its only purpose was to expedite the information out of her faster.

Stepping back from him, she was about to scream in a fit of rage, but she shut herself up, knowing the consequences of what that action would entail.

Emir saw and understood all of that, as he could reach Aria's emotions like an open book, after all, she has always been described as an expressive character.

And while all that happened, he simply thought:

'Even though I've seen all of that, I didn't feel remorse, guilt, anything... Is this how I'll be now?'

'... Nah, I still think of Jake, Emma, and Kiera as friends. Mariane as well, maybe Evelyn too. I wouldn't do this to them...'

His thoughts were indeed true, as his mind now categorized people into two separate corners.

One would be allies, friends, and family, categorically.

The other would be strangers, potential foes, and confirmed enemies alike.

He had no room in his mind for the middle ground, as it was his mind's way of lessening the

strain on his conscience...

A conscience that was long gone.

"As I said, Aria, don't worry; you won't be hurt."

After emptying away all the supplies from his rucksack, he threw it over his shoulders and

continued:

"I'll come by every now and then to bring more supplies, so you'll be well fed during your time here. Consider it a short vacation."

"And just know that your suffering might end shorter than expected. But, it all depends on

how the Elite react, so make of that what you will..."

With those words echoing behind him, he walked up to the place he had previously dropped

from.

'Should I conjure up some steps?'

'Nah, it'd be a waste of Aether, I'll just climb up...'

Looking behind him one last time, he watched as the defeated Aria sat back on the ground, her

face showing utter loneliness.

"See you later!"