Chapter 184

[Third Person's PoV] 

As night fell after the tour of the camp in Messiah, Cid and Zeta decided to retire to their rooms. Once there, they indulged in their usual night activities, which carried on until the early morning. 

Zeta now lay naked beside Cid, her head resting on his chest, purring softly as he gently petted her in all the right places. Her arms were wrapped around him, and every so often, she'd look up at him, licking his chest, neck, or cheek affectionately, drawing a chuckle from him each time.

Their peaceful morning was abruptly interrupted by a knock at the door. Zeta's relaxed expression turned into a glare aimed at the door, clearly displeased by the interruption. Cid, amused by her reaction, kissed her forehead before slipping out of bed. A moment later, slime materialized from his shadow and formed into a pair of sweatpants, leaving him shirtless as he walked to answer the door.

When Cid opened the door, he found Akane standing there, who immediately froze at the sight of his shirtless form. Her eyes widened as they traced the defined muscles of his torso, which seemed carved for battle and strength. As she took in the sight, she noticed the hickeys, bite marks, and claw marks that decorated his skin, causing her face to turn a deep shade of red.

"Yes?" Cid asked in amusement, a teasing smile on his lips as he observed her flustered reaction.

"I-I-I wanted to see if you wanted to eat breakfast together, but it seems you're busy… Sorry for intruding," Akane stammered, turning quickly to leave, clearly embarrassed.

Cid chuckled, "Haha, we wouldn't mind. Hold on a minute," he said, closing the door with a smirk. 

A minute later, Cid emerged wearing sweatpants and a black tank top. Zeta followed shortly after, dressed in a pair of shorts and an oversized sweater that covered her hands and most of her legs, with her tail just barely peeking out from beneath the fabric. 

As they walked, Akane's blush persisted, and she tried to break the silence, which was growing increasingly uncomfortable. "I didn't know the two of you were close like that," she said, trying to sound casual.

Cid, with his arm draped over Zeta's shoulder, smiled slyly. "It kinda happens when two people fight side by side for a long time, having each other's backs in battle," he explained, adding to the backstory he was crafting.

Akane smiled softly at that. "That sounds nice..."

Cid, curious, pressed further, "What, you don't have someone like that? Someone you can count on to have your back no matter what?"

Akane sighed, her expression growing grim. "It's kinda hard finding someone like that in this world currently. Monsters aren't the only danger out there. In this apocalyptic world, being able to trust someone 100% is a luxury that many don't get to experience. It often leads to their death," she said, her tone laced with bitterness.

Zeta looked at Akane with a mix of understanding and pity. "It seems you have experienced betrayals then."

Akane scratched her cheek awkwardly, "Most of them weren't even intentional. They were just scared, and saw betrayal as the only way to survive. I don't really blame them for it."

"You are naive…" Zeta remarked with a straight expression.

Akane scratched her cheek again, a bit embarrassed. "Or so I've been told before by others," she admitted.

"But you seem like a good person," Zeta continued. "Even in this type of world, it's difficult to maintain that here."

Akane's cheeks flushed at the compliment, and she smiled shyly. Fortunately, they soon arrived at the mess hall, where the atmosphere was heavy with fatigue. Survivors moved about with tired, vacant expressions, collecting their food and eating it without much thought.

As they stood in line, an altercation broke out in front of them. Someone bumped into another, and tensions quickly escalated.

"Hey, watch it!"

"You watch it, you punk!"

"The fuck you say, you little shit?"

The argument quickly turned physical, fists flying before one of the men pulled out a pistol, backing off slightly. Akane let out an exasperated sigh and began walking toward the fight, intending to intervene.

The man with the gun was visibly shaken, his hands trembling as he shouted, "I've had it up to here with this shit! Why don't I blow your brains out so you don't have to suffer anymore? I'd be doing you a favor!"

"That's enough!" Akane commanded, her voice authoritative as she rested her hand on the hilt of her sword.

The man, panicked, opened fire. But Akane was unfazed. In a blur of motion, she drew her katana and sliced the bullets cleanly in half. "Those types of weapons are useless against Knights," she stated calmly, before moving behind the man with lightning speed and knocking him out with a swift blow to the back of his head.

She turned to the other man, giving him a stern look that made him shrink back in fear. With a final sigh, she walked back to Cid and Zeta. "Sorry you had to see that," Akane apologized. "People have been really on edge since the last stampede of monsters and demons."

"A stampede?" Zeta asked, her brow furrowed in confusion as she looked at Akane.

Akane tilted her head curiously. "You guys don't know what stampedes are?"

"We're constantly on the move," Cid interjected, covering the gap in their knowledge with a quick explanation. "If we encountered a stampede, we wouldn't have known it was one. We just fight any monster we find."

"Ah, I see," Akane replied, nodding in understanding. "Well, sometimes monsters band together, forming these massive hordes that charge through here. No one really knows why it happens, but we speculate it's because of the concentration of survivors in one place. We become a big, tempting target for all those monsters." As they moved up in line, Akane explained further. "But what's even stranger is that it's not just the demons from the cracks. We're also dealing with monsters that appear from portals. Those creatures are more intelligent. They rally the demons, form an attack squad, and charge at us, trying to wipe us out."

They grabbed their food and sat down to eat, though Zeta was clearly unimpressed. She sent a private message to Cid through their link, *"The food here is disgusting! Is this really what they have to live on? They're pitiful."* She poked at the food on her plate with clear disdain.

Meanwhile, Akane continued her explanation, oblivious to Zeta's displeasure. "That's not all," she said, her tone growing more serious. "The attacks always happen at the same time every week, which is tomorrow night. After the last stampede, more than half of Messiah's camp was killed and eaten. That's why everyone's on edge and in a bad mood."

Despite the grim topic, Akane managed a small smile as she looked at Cid and Zeta. "Honestly, I'm really glad the two of you are here. With your strength and love for fighting, I'm sure we'll have a better chance at saving people."

Cid sent a message to Zeta in response, *"We'll use that attack to make my first appearance as Shadow, becoming an elusive figure who saves the day before mysteriously disappearing."*

Zeta's expression remained stoic, but internally she was thrilled. *"Will I finally be able to spread your gospel here, Master!?"*

Cid blinked, turning to Zeta with a bewildered look. *"My what, sorry?"*