Chapter Fifty-four: The Icy Plains

Jopp's quiet demeanor was as unnerving as it was intolerable. I wanted to shake his shoulders and convince him to never give up. Mil could return and they could live a happy life together.

My own thoughts seemed stupid as I stared at Mil's unmoving body. Her spirit was nowhere to be found. With no spirit, I couldn't bring her back. I started to blame myself for not being able to protect her when she needed us. She had risked her life to save the human survivors.

Jopp seemed as if his world had crashed into oblivion. He didn't want anything to do with humans or the forts. He didn't budge from Mil's side. The red swirls on his arms started to cover his cheeks, but his eyes were still fathomless.

Through rain, wind, or snow, he would stay with her. To what end, I didn't know.

"Tark, we have to go back to Mayzel Fort," Hekin told me. "We can return once the land has healed."

That meant leaving Jopp behind or . . .

I gazed at the survivors' worried faces and sighed. "Let's get ready and go home."

I turned to Jopp's position in the middle of upturned earth. Mil was still in his trembling arms. I stared at his unmoving figure that seemed like a statue that had lost all meaning and purpose. "Her last wish was to save these people and help them," I reminded him. "To fail them now would anger her. Think about that." I wanted him to come with us, but I knew he needed time alone to sort things out. "We'll be at Mayzel Fort, Jopp. I'll settle things there and . . ." The silence felt immeasurable. "We'll bury her together."

Jopp twitched at the sound of it. "We're not putting her in the ground," he growled.

"You can't bring her dead body everywhere," I warned.

"I'm not a damn necrophiliac!" Jopp blurted. "I'll keep her in a tree tomb."

"Good," I nodded. "A spot near the sanctuary would be nice. She can listen to the happy birds, and it's a peaceful place. What do you think?"

"I don't want her to leave me," Jopp murmured. His words echoed what I felt in my heart.

"Take your time, Jopp," I urged. I held his shoulder and sighed. "We're here for you."

His skin was unusually warm. "Jopp, are you all right? Do you have a fever?"

"It's nothing," Jopp replied. "Tend to them."

It didn't feel right, but I didn't push the issue. I wondered if it had to do with the red swirls on his body. Was he becoming a demon again? "You know you can tell me anything, right Jopp? We're good friends, aren't we?"

"That depends on whether you give me a minute or not," Jopp snarled.

"All right, all right," I blurted. "Don't rip out my ass, please."

Jopp chuckled, and the sound of it felt welcome. Jopp wasn't humorous, and every laugh and smile he released felt like a step closer to his inner self that he kept closely guarded. He was unwilling to love because he had lost. He was unwilling to be joyous because he had felt the worst pain. I didn't want him to drudge through life. I wanted him to live and have no regrets.

I could use a bit of my own advice.

Something in the distance caught my eye, and I stared at the familiar figure. Jopp was running towards me, and he didn't have the marks on his arms or face.

"What the hell is going on?!" I pondered. Jopp bolted towards Mil and whisked her away faster than a lightning bolt. The Jopp with red marks took off after him, shooting electric vines ahead.

Who was whom? I couldn't tell right off the bat. Did this doppelganger want to take over the real Jopp's life? I searched my mind's abyss for an answer, but even their thoughts were blocked from me. I grunted in annoyance as that meant the real Jopp didn't want me involved in the scuffle. I thought better of it, in case my hungry heart decided to eat the wrong one. Would Chichi or Thorn know how to differentiate them? I gritted my teeth as I knew that would take some time. I couldn't teleport like the real Jopp, and my effort could be wasted. There had to be a way to tell them apart. What did I know about Jopp that his doppelganger couldn't realize? The real Jopp loved Mil. The fake Jopp would pretend to. I furrowed my brows as I knew what I had to do.