Just as expected, after distributing the attribute points, he didn't just feel his strength reach a different level, but even more, the pain he felt around his ribs faded away, and in the next moment, he rose up to his feet, feeling more energy than ever.
Peeling off the bandages revealed his underlying musculature, which seemed to have become even more defined.
Everlearn moved closer to the wardrobe in the room, opening it up, and he found some clothes, quickly dressing up in something simpler.
A simple white shirt and trousers, with a blue jacket.
His hands opened another part of the wardrobe, and he grabbed a face cap before leaving the room.
His destination wasn't far away, just at the top of the mansion where the wide open city of Mechron was waiting for him.
But then, his eyebrows furrowed, witnessing ambulances and law enforcement vehicles moving over the streets.
Only now could he witness the true destruction—buildings blown over, with missing footsteps and some places barricaded with yellow tape.
The sight of it made a memory flash through Everlearn's head as he backed off the wall as if he had been electrocuted.
He sat upon the ground, eyes flashing with memories, and once more his stomach lurched within him as he gripped his head tight.
It was that scene.
The scene of Joriy's head falling to the ground—the severed head gazing at him.
And it overlapped with an earlier scene.
The scene of Mecha Eva swinging her scythe upon his head, cleaving through it.
It was similar—so similar—and nauseatingly the same.
"Are you alright?"
The voice echoed out from behind him, and Everlearn jerked up with so much force, he rose about two meters in the air, rolling twice before he slammed into the edge of the building, standing crouched.
When he turned forward, he found her looking at him with a raised eyebrow—Boss Ash.
He stepped down from the building's edge, scratching the back of his head.
"I'm fine," he said.
Her expression didn't change much. Instead, she stepped forward toward the railings, her eyes looking at what was happening, and soon enough, they settled upon the bandaged area and at Joriy's corpse currently hidden beneath a white sheath and being whisked away into an emergency truck.
"Your first time seeing someone dying?"
She asked, turning to look at Everlearn, whose brows furrowed.
"No."
He replied curtly.
She turned and walked toward him, only to watch him back off a step.
The sight of it made a smile appear at the corner of her lips.
Something truly rare.
"You're moving away. What? Do you think I'm a monster now for beheading someone?" she asked.
In return, Everlearn turned away to look back at the scene.
"If you hadn't arrived when you did, it'd be my corpse that is being whisked away," he said, the smile on her lips receding.
"So even if now, I back away from a monster, that monster at least saved my life."
"I'm just a little bit irked by the memories. I'll be fine with time…"
He whispered quietly, and she hummed beneath her breath.
A kid like him witnessing someone being beheaded right in front of him.
He had not flinched when she had sat beside him just moments ago but did now, due to the scene below.
So obviously, it was a flashback, and it must have been scaring him.
That much was understandable.
She brought out her cigarette and lit up, exhaling smoke.
She paused slightly, turning to him before she waved the cigarette box before him.
He turned and found it, turning to look at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Want a cig?" she asked, and Everlearn chuckled in disbelief, replying,
"I am 17."
"The legal age is 16…" she replied, and Everlearn paused before saying,
"I'm fine." He said, and she shrugged, keeping it back into her coat.
"What's with you and cigarettes anyway? You smoke a lot."
Huuuuuuuu
In that moment, she turned her face up, exhaling a cloud of white smoke, and he watched her smile.
A really beautiful smile filled with so much relief.
"It's comforting," she said, turning to him.
"Did that come out weird?"
She asked, noticing his repeatedly quivering eyebrows.
"No. You truly exhale in relief anytime you smoke," he said, as she grinned, planting the cigarette between her lips.
"I'm sorry, Everlearn," she said, as he turned to her.
"There are a million ways to have stopped that man, and yet, I chose the most brutal, and scared your soul.
"Now that I think about it, it must have been truly a horrible sight."
She said, the realization finally hitting her.
"It's fine," Everlearn said.
'I've gone through much worse,' he thought silently to himself.
'I thought getting cleaved through the head would have made me immune to such a sight, yet…'
His hand moved, perching upon his heart, finding its tempo slowly increasing.
'It's still so scary,' he thought, letting go of the tight hold on his chest.
WHUP!
WHUP!
CRRSH!
The air above the mansion blew powerfully as an object descended onto the ground.
Everlearn, sitting on the side of the railings, got down, watching as the helicopter descended from the sky, landing upon the building.
It sent a powerful stream of air that blew Everlearn's hair around his head, but that reduced as the blade rolling speed slowed down.
Before the blades on the helicopter slowed down fully, the side hatch was swung open, and a figure jumped out.
No—like he literally jumped out. Instead of going to the ground, his head narrowly missed the rotor blades.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
An incredibly loud and boisterous laughter followed, as Everlearn stepped back, watching as a dwarf-like man sped toward him.
Before he could even take three steps backward, he had already been snatched off his feet, and his eyes bulged when he felt the squeeze whose aim seemed to be ripping his soul out of him.
"Let… Me… GOOOO!"