Chapter 84: Chapter 84: Nyra’s Motive?
Nyra wasn’t foolish enough to sacrifice herself for random strangers. She cared about humanity, but at the limit where she could help them within her power.
The moment she saw those brutes targeting Meira, she knew that something shady was going on. There were two other women besides them, their hands and feet bound. The disheveled clothes and numb eyes...
She wanted to save those people — the pitiful women. What those brutes did to them was absolutely unacceptable. It was something she couldn’t tolerate the most.
Nyra always gave her mixed feeling. Even after she no longer acted spoiled, Nyra sometimes treated her well, and other times, she looked like she wanted nothing to do with her–as if she wished Zerra could be as far away as possible.
It couldn’t have been the effect of the crumbling plot, could it?
"Zerra, watch out!"
Zerra was mulling over the complexities surrounding her eldest sister when she heard someone shouting a warning.
She sensed a presence to her right. Her head ducked, and the hands clutching the pitchfork unsteadily stabbed blindly at the enemy.
A man had tried to sneak an attack on her. She took a few steps back, withdrawing the weapon. Blood poured out of the man’s belly; his eyes were a mask of disbelief.
But he was as tenacious as a weed. Even when he staggered back, his hands rubbed together. Then, the hands separated, hovering near his chest with the palms facing each other.
In the small gap between his palms, fire gathered. Zerra’s pupils constricted. She didn’t want to be a roasted fox!
As her survival instinct surged forth, she raised her pitchfork tremblingly. Her movement was swift as she thrust her weapon. It passed by the swirling ball of fire that was slowly getting bigger.
Zerra closed her eyes. Her heart thumped crazily. Her emotions were truly chaotic right now. When her eyes fluttered open again, the man was already twitching.
One tip of the pitchfork accurately landed on his heart. He collapsed to the ground and twitched a few times. His eyes were wide open before he took his last breath.
Her hands trembled. Her back was soaked with sweat. In such a brief span of time, she had killed two humans. Living people... not zombies.
She had never killed people using such a direct method, so bloody that her stomach churned. Seeing people doing it was different compared to executing the killing herself.
"Zee..." someone whispered in her ears, clutching her hands. She subconsciously grasped the person’s hand for comfort.
Cassias squeezed her hands, then helped her to get up and leave the scene.
"Close your eyes," he muttered softly. She didn’t follow his words. Instead, her eyes landed on the corpses on the ground.
Looking at the stubborn girl, he sighed. His wide palm blocked her view as he led her outside the abandoned house.
When she killed people in the celestial realm, she would use poison, so she wouldn’t need to witness any bloody scene. Zerra closed her eyes, sorting out her emotions.
She would be fine, but it would take her a while to process what she had just done.
When she promised the survivors to get rid of those thugs, she had intended to use poison powder if others couldn’t help. It wasn’t empty words. But now, those criminals were all settled.
After they walked out and got in the car, she saw Laziel holding the unconscious Nyra in his arms. His face was urgent as he knocked on the car door.
"Is Doctor Ashborn here?"
Zerra snapped out of her daze and opened the car door, allowing Laziel to put Nyra on the folding bed. She got out of the car so that she wouldn’t get in the way.
"Sit at the front." Cassias opened the car door on the passenger seat. She obediently got inside. Her attention was directed at Nyra.
"What happened?" Her voice was a bit hoarse.
"Two level three ability users teamed up against her, and the third one snuck in on her." Laziel bit his lip, his face full of worry. "She fell, and a table hit her head."
Isryn was already in the car, so she quickly examined Nyra.
"Drink." Cassias handed her a bottle of spring water. She didn’t hesitate to take large gulps, feeling the coolness moisten her throat. The unease and panic magically lessened.
"How is she?" Laziel asked Isryn, impatience written all over his face, yet he tried hard to hold back from urging her.
Isryn didn’t answer; she was still focused on treating Nyra.
Zerra’s mind was full of contemplation when she heard Laziel’s words. A tinge of suspicion entered her heart.
When did Nyra become so rash? If there were over three ability users who possessed power at level three, it was a staggering number for her to fight alone.
Now, she was wondering whether Nyra had deliberately let herself get taken away or not. Was her assumption wrong?
She glanced at Cassias, who had an expressionless look on his face. He didn’t seem that worried about Nyra...
"Oh, wait..." Laziel cursed out. He turned to Zerra. "Take care of our eldest sister. I will go back to get Meira and come back in a while."
Before she could answer, Laziel had already dashed toward the abandoned house again.
She took a few more gulps of her favorite spring water; her uneasiness calmed down once again.
"How is my eldest sister?" Zerra asked Isryn.
"She is fine." Isryn turned to her. "She will wake up in a while. Her brain went through a brief shock, mild concussion..."
Her hand went to Nyra’s head, and a flow of vitality streamed into her brain. She was using her wood ability, healing, to treat Isryn.
"What are you doing, Isryn?" Zerra pretended to ask in curiosity; her eyes glued to Isryn’s hand, which looked like she was massaging Nyra’s forehead.
Cassias turned to Isryn’s hand and opened his mouth. "You awakened a wood ability?"
Isryn widened her eyes, and her figure stiffened for a moment. Then, she admitted it frankly, "Yes."
"It’s a rare power," Cassias commented and didn’t say anything further.
They all grew quiet; no one spoke.
"Wood ability? You can grow plants?" Zerra noticed the tension in the air and asked in an attempt to ease it. Pretending to be a curious cat.
"I might be able to do that." Isryn smiled, her shoulders relaxing. "But not now, perhaps in the future."
The wood ability was incredibly useful when food was so scarce. People who have such power can grow their own vegetables, and they never lack food. Some mutated plants were even more tolerant of them.
From a distance, Zerra saw Darren and Laziel walking toward them. Meira, surprisingly, was in Darren’s arms instead of Laziel, and she was awake.
Her gaze, flashing with admiration, was directed at Darren as he carried her.
But she was currently acting like a frightened rabbit, clinging onto Darren as she sobbed. When they arrived at the car, Zerra heard Meira sobbing, "I am so scared..."
She even refused to be put down. "No, no!"
Her arms snaked around Darren’s neck. At the same time, Nyra, who had been unconscious for a while, opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was the scene of Meira hugging Darren.
Now, Zerra understood why there was a plot when the female protagonist had to be weak and needed saving; to create a misunderstanding...
On the other hand, she realized that sometimes female protagonist also suffered.
"Get down," Darren ordered. He couldn’t see what was happening inside the car. As the car door opened, his eyes dramatically locked with Nyra.