16 Coping

"Elise!?" Kleo turned to his side and hurriedly resisted the blazing beam of flames arriving his way. 

Ting! 

The power of the beam was tremendous than ever and in just a breath's time, his feet were already sliding back. 

He was getting pushed back! 

'This…' 

Kleo's foot plunged into the ground in an attempt to keep his balance but it proved to be worthless as he suddenly heard a click coming from his blade. 

"You bitch!"

At this rate, his sword would melt! 

'And what's wrong with this flame!? Was she hiding her strength all along!? Damn it!' 

He cursed as he felt his arms tingling at the power of the magic spell. If not for the durability of the gloves on his hands, his whole arms would inevitably be charred with her spell.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zeus, who was watching on the side, flashed behind Kleo's unguarded back. He clenched his staff so tightly that his fingernails almost punched through his palms. 

And, as soon as the magic spell stopped, he raised his staff and smashed it onto Kleo's head without hesitation. 

Bang! 

Kleo's face was seemingly deformed of shape as he flew through the air and crashed onto a nearby tree. 

Bam! 

The tree trunk exploded and Kleo's body slumped on the ground. His ears were ringing. The wound on his head continuously gushed out with his red blood. In just one undefended blow, he already lost the ability to fight. 

'How is this even possible…' 

What's even more ridiculous was that it was nothing but a purely physical attack. Although he's always aware that Zeus couldn't use Aether, it's unbelievable to imagine that a 12-year-old kid can beat him. 

Just how outrageous is this boy's physical capability? 

Did he already start to build muscles while inside his mother's womb? 

However, no matter how much thought he put into it, Kleo always ends up at a dead end. In the end, he attributed it to the gap in talents and aptitude. 

He has talent as well but after Zeus destroyed him in one blow, a seed of doubt bloomed inside his heart. 

'Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!!!!' 

As he endured the searing pain, Kleo raised his head and glared at the two people a few feet away from him. Despite his blurred vision, he could see Elise glaring at him with eyes like the lit end of a match. 

Beside her, Zeus also seemed ready to pounce on him anytime.

'I can't die here.' He whispered as anxiousness washed over his wounded body.

…

The flames sizzled around the trees, almost lighting a forest fire. However, for some reason, the flames did not spread as if they had a life on their own. Despite it, Zeus strode through the burning tree branches unaffected. Though its temperature could surely boil water, it's not hot enough to hurt his skin. 

As he walked toward Kleo with the intent to finish him, a hand abruptly grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to stop. 

"Wait…" 

A gentle yet commanding voice entered his ears. 

Zeus looked at the silky white hands before turning completely towards its owner. 

"What's the matter?" He asked. 

Elise bit her lips and hesitantly replied, "Please let me kill that man. I want to send him to hell with my own hands. Please…"

Zeus looked at the pleading woman. Her emotions were dull but the grief on her face stormed like undying flames. 

'Should I?'

He clenched his fist and glanced at the staff which had splashes of blood splattered into it. The adrenaline made him a little numb but the sensations of killing a human life lingered upon his body. 

If possible he wanted to forget those sensations but sooner or later, he would still experience such things. 

'No matter what happens, an enemy will always treat you as an enemy. You must strike first before they could strike back. Be greedy. Be ruthless…'

A quote he would never forget coming from his master. Ending Kleo's life would also mean that he finally has a taste of what the real world truly looks like. That, in the end, it's not just fighting monsters but also humans as well. 

"Go on. I have to sort out my thoughts first."

Elise smiled heartily and bowed in gratitude. 

"Thank you for helping me."

"Don't get m—" 

"It doesn't matter. I just wanted to thank you."

Zeus trudged away from them. His footsteps were so heavy that they left a dent on the ground. Those two conversed but he didn't have the time to listen as the adrenaline in his body started to run out. 

Then, in a sudden motion, 

"Bleeergh!" 

Zeus leaned on a tree and vomited every food he ate today. Inside his head, the horrified expression of the two people he killed played over and over again. 

"Bleeergh!" 

Damn. 

His head felt as if it was smashed by a hammer. 

'It's alright. It's alright.' Zeus calmed himself down. Killing someone was morally wrong in his perspective no matter what crime they did. 

But surely, those people deserved it right? They planned to kill him. If not for his sensitivity to killing intents, he wouldn't even notice that Kleo already plotted against him. 

'It's fine now.'

After calming himself down, Zeus sat down and heaved a heavy sigh. In the end, it's either Kleo or him. This world is not the Earth anymore. Unlike there, the laws of the jungle apply here. 

It's killed or be killed. Other than his own, no life mattered when a hunter decided to hunt. 

After sorting his thoughts for a few minutes, Zeus stood up and walked toward Elise. The awful scent of burning bodies entered his nose as he neared her side. 

"How is it?" She asked as she placed two woman corpses on something like a body bag. 

"It's unpleasant but I have no regrets."

"First kill was always like that. It's good to hear that you're quick to adapt."

"Well, how about you? Are you alright?" 

Elise momentarily stopped before a frown expression formed on her face. 

She asked, "Do I look like I'm fine? Last thing I know my friends died in front of me. So to answer your question..." Elise raised her eyes and smiled bitterly, "I am not."

The two remained silent. Not one of them bothered to speak after experiencing their own trials and errors. 

Torrents of winds blew from the east, sending heat waves around the surroundings. As it breezed through his face, Zeus noticed a dark shadow looming above him.

Caw! 

Hearing the familiar sound, he raised his head and looked at the raven circling around his head. 

"Shelly."

Shelly landed near him and started rubbing her face on his palm. Her soft fluffy feathers felt good in the touch so Zeus ruffled them in response. 

"Your pet?" Elise glanced at Shelly and asked.

"Yeah, I found her when she was little. Her mother died because of serious injuries so I adopted her. For 7 years, I raised this kid and that's probably the best thing I have ever done. Unfortunately, she's very lazy. Also, she eats a lot. If I didn't know how to hunt, I wouldn't even know where to find something to feed this."

"Really? That sounds like you're raising a child. Your parents must've been proud."

Although hesitant after hearing her words, Zeus nodded. He can't just say that his mother left him when he was just born right? Or that his father didn't come back home when he was 5.

"I'm sure they will. But for now, I'll just stick with my cute little bird. Right, Shelly?" 

Caw! 

Shelly nodded enthusiastically. 

Seeing their fun interaction, Elise giggled. Zeus peeked at her with a full-bloomed smile on his lips as well. 

"What are your plans now?" He asked.

Elise sighed and looked far ahead. "I'm going back to the kingdom. There's nothing to see here any more." She glanced at the body bags on the floor and muttered, "Their families also need to know what happened. I don't even know how will I face them."

Elise stood up and sucked the body bags inside a vortex leading to her ring. Afterwards, she summoned a black coat in her palms and tied it tightly around her body. 

"I already burned their corpse. Don't worry about it. Even if they investigate, they won't be able to find out who killed Kleo and the others."

"But how about you?" 

"Don't worry about me. My family status would be hard to shake even if it's them." Elise started to walk away albeit her steps were a little slow. "Anyways, it's nice meeting you, Zeus. See you around."

Zeus stared blankly at her back with a complicated expression on his face. 

'Should I…' 

Several thoughts rippled in his mind. They battled as if they wanted to be the first. In the end, his desire and curiosity won. 

With a determined expression etched on his face, Zeus suddenly called out. 

"Wait!" 

Bewildered, Elise turned her head, "Is there something wrong?" 

"Can you… take me with you?"