World's Last Hope-Chapter 84: The Still Waters

Eric’s steps made a small echo that spread around the interior of the cathedral.

His gaze fell on the empty grand room, and his face grimaced because there wasn’t a single pillar, meaning that every single Master that had been connected to this cathedral had already perished.

’How many masters have been bound here?’ he wondered. Each one of them would have been a tremendous help when it came to fighting the corruption, but now all of them were dead. They had perished outside the city in the death zone, trying to make a change, trying to bring hope.

Eric was expecting the system to make some kind of an announcement, but surprisingly enough, it stayed eerily silent.

"I guess I have to go to that pool that is at the center of every cathedral," he muttered as he took a step forward.

Reaching the door, he placed his hand on the knob and turned it open.

His body shivered slightly as he saw the pool that was staying so still it was uncanny.

"Damn, it is kind of scary being here alone, I wish the girls would have entered too..." he muttered as he closed the door behind him and undressed.

It was clear that he was supposed to enter the pool, so he did just that.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped inside the pool.

The next second, his eyes widened as he saw the messages from his system.

*****

"So what do you think?" Olivia asked, shifting her gaze to Aria.

"Honestly? Both options could happen. He is indeed special in a way, so him being chosen by the cathedral will not be surprising. But at the same time, he is a Master for less than a month, so it is quite possible that the cathedral rejects him for not being ready," Aria replied.

With a sigh, Olivia sat on the ground as she shifted her gaze to her surroundings.

She couldn’t help but smirk at the amount of people that were passing close to them and staring like their lives depended on it.

"They are staring... a lot," Olivia exclaimed.

Aria followed her friend’s example as she also rested her back. "It is probably because they feel how strong we are," Aria theorized.

"No, it is not that. Most of these people aren’t awakened, so they will not be able to feel the difference in strength between a Master and a Saint," Olivia countered.

"Then why are they staring at us so intensely?" Aria raised an eyebrow.

Olivia smirked in response, "Why else? We have evolved into Grandmasters. As such, not only has our strength significantly improved—"

"But also our physical appearance?" Aria finished Olivia’s thought.

"Precisely."

Aria took a long sigh. It was still weird. She had grown used to constantly worrying about her life, constantly looking over her shoulder in case danger struck.

But now, in the city, she didn’t have to worry about such things. That peacefulness was something she wanted to preserve. This was the reason she was fighting against the corruption, after all, so this place would continue to stand.

’Just two months, and I have become a Grandmaster... it wouldn’t have been possible without Eric...’

Aria shifted her gaze to Olivia as she spoke.

"Olivia, can I ask you something?"

Olivia matched Aria’s gaze as she answered, "Sure, go ahead."

"It’s about Eric."

Olivia raised an eyebrow, "Princess, just come out and say what you want to say."

Aria sighed. "Do you like him?"

Suddenly, Olivia wasn’t looking at Aria anymore, as she had averted her gaze in shame.

’Really?! Of all the things you could have asked, you had to ask this specific question?!’

Olivia cursed inwardly as she took a moment to compose herself.

"What brought this on?"

"Just like me, you spent time with Eric in the corruption, even if it was just a short while. It meant that you could have developed feelings for him," Aria explained her reasoning.

"Come on, princess, that is just absurd. How could I have fallen for him if I know that you two are already together?" Olivia rejected the idea, though her voice cracked a little.

"Olivia... answer the question." Aria asked with a hint of frustration in her voice. It was clear that she didn’t like the way her friend was beating around the bush.

"...I think so... I’m not sure. It’s just that when I touch him, I don’t tremble in the slightest, so I guess I might have fallen for him," Olivia gritted her teeth as she added, "...Sorry."

There was a moment of silence before Olivia felt that Aria had sat beside her and embraced her in a hug.

"Olivia... do not apologize for your feelings. It is not like anybody could control them."

Olivia was taken aback for a moment. ’I just admitted that I like her boyfriend, and she, rather than arguing with me, is comforting me?’

"Aria...I-"

"Shush, you can just tell me how you feel. I am your friend, I will not judge you," Aria interrupted her.

"I..." Olivia tried to say something, but no words came out.

"...It’s just frustrating! All my life, I have been scared, scared of being with anybody, because my body will just tremble at the touch of the opposite gender... and just when I found somebody that didn’t scare me, somebody that made me feel safe... he is already taken, and by my best friend, no less!" Olivia tried to suppress her tears, but she was unable to do so.

"Why... why do I have to be so unlucky, all the time?!"

Aria didn’t interrupt her as she just let her friend let out her frustration.

"...I am sorry," Olivia whispered again.

It took her a few minutes to calm down.

"This must have been an ugly sight," Olivia remarked as she tried to laugh it off.

"Not really. In this ruined world, we have to depend on one another to not go completely insane," Aria spoke with a sigh.

"...What am I supposed to do now?" Olivia spoke as she glanced at the sky.

"If you want some sort of closure, you can tell Eric how you feel, though keep in mind that he will most likely reject you," Aria answered.

Olivia scoffed as she teased. "Because I can’t compete with you?"

Aria’s lips curved into a smile as she answered, "exactly."

Both of them laughed as they continued to wait for Eric.

The silence between them wasn’t weird, as they enjoyed each other’s company even without saying anything.

They didn’t have to wait long as the gates of the cathedral creaked open, and he came out.

He was drenched in water, he might have taken his clothes off when entering the pool, but it seemed that he hadn’t waited to dry before putting them on. As such, his clothes were wet and were clinging tightly against his body.

His hair was wet and brushed to the side as it took a moment for his crimson eyes to adjust to the difference in lighting.

"How did it go?" Both Aria and Olivia asked in unison, as they shifted their gazes to him.

He took a deep sigh before speaking,

"We have bad news and good news."