Chapter 93 – An Understanding of A lost

Joshua clenched his fist, he flexed his right arm. He observed his scarred body while keeping his other arm steady, letting Zola inspect it.

“Your arms are nicely healing. Although there is a huge compatibility issue due to the different antibodies and composition. The Nan-stem cell injection that I gave you is doing its job.”

Joshua panned his head to Zola. “That explains the easiness in me. Though I feel pain near my right ear and there are lumps of lymph nodes in my feet. And dizziness, tightness in the chest.”

“Side effects of your body being unfamiliar with the injection,” said Zola sighing. “Usually with this injection, your wounds and scars would heal, but hey,” she smiled thinly, “it’s not like the scars don’t suit you.”

“Hah,” said Joshua. “At least they’ll heal right?”

“As long as you rest for a few months then your condition might become normal. Although I suggest exercising and become fit, it is a shame for someone not to see their body in their prime.”

His face made this weary look. Joshua turned to the window. The curtain was being blown by the wind. Past the window, there were the usual shepherds tending to their lamps, leading them to this green hill filled with grass, where the sheep can mow it with their teeth.

Zola noticed Joshua wasn’t looking. She tapped his left arm and let it fall down the bed. She cracked her fingers, before folding her arms, looking at the window.

“Peaceful.”

“It sure is. Well, most of the townspeople could sleep well now because of you, Zola. You killed that abomination and yet none of the people here would know.”

Zola leaned back in her chair. “Well, I rather not have them worship me as Hero. That thing needed to be killed. Though it is my shame that I was far too late in knowing that such abomination like that has formed.”

“How could you know?” said Joshua. “You were gathering information and that Omni-Forge of yours have lost all data other than its primary function.”

Zola’s face remained unchanged. “Still, it was my responsibility as Corporal of that ship to tend it. That drone informally belongs to me. Blowing that ship up, that drone and the other was my responsibility.”

“And you did what you did,” said Joshua. “Besides, you save us three from that abomination.”

“Those ‘Templars’ helped.”

“And they are all dead.”

“They are,” said Zola. “A shame, though it bothers me that there are floating ships like that here.”

“Rune Magic,” said Joshua, “it was the thing that kept the air balloons fly. I flew one out of desperation but what Silo told me...is it true?”

“Yes. Though they are a rust bucket, they can fly and evade. It is surprising how these men didn’t conquer the whole of this continent with these kinds of weapons. I guess those ‘Vileguards’ guards the continent. Though seeing the various creatures of this world, I can understand the sentiment. Filthy monsters and abominations that should be purge clean.”

“Whoa, easy with the hatred eyes,” said Joshua, raising both hands in an attempt to calm Zola. He had seen that ever since having a long talk with Zola. She would give out these contempt-filled eyes that were full of zeal and seething hatred.

“Sorry, it is just that-“

“Yes, you’ve told me that, Zola,” said Joshua. It was odd for him too. Talking to Zola made Joshua felt soft. He didn’t know why but when Zola, this stranger who saved his life suddenly talked about her life. He listened. To him, it was a fascinating out of the world tale of a soldier who fought in a galaxy-wide war. She was a poor soldier who fought in a war against sentient beings that wanted nothing but to reunite all through synthesis, and making the whole galaxy anew, and at peace. Of course, that peace meant being turned into an abomination. Something that any non-machine being would utterly refuse.

It was a horrible life compared to what had experienced. Of course, everyone’s had their own sad story to tell. He didn’t brag about his own and just listened to her tale. At the end, he thought that maybe being sent into this world was more of a blessing. Joshua brought that up to her. And there, he saw that seething-hatred eyes that made him shiver from head to toe.

Indeed, Zola being spirited away might sound like a blessing to Joshua. But to Zola, it was not. It was a deprival of her right to fight. She was a loyal and devoted protector of her homeworld. She had no family. Her friend had already fallen midway and she was actually trying to give herself comfort by talking to Joshua who at least belongs to the world she once lived. Although their times were despairingly apart, Zola thought of him as an older ancient comrade that was born in the solar system. She was a citizen of earth and so was he. That was all she needs. It was downright delusional. But yet Joshua’s silence as he listened to her was that of understanding.

She saved him. So what right did he have to complain about her woes? He could not just tell her to go away. Indeed, he could not understand her plight. He could never will. But as a human, a person deprived of home, he could at least partly sympathize with her. Any words of courage would be meaningless. He had no right to say anything. He knew that well. So he could only listen. And that act made this super-human soldier from the far future of his homeworld act comfortably near him.

“And you try lessening it. At least stop scaring the kids and killing various dire monsters.”

“I can’t help it,” said Zola. “They look like they are dangerous. I didn’t know that some of them were friendly.”

Joshua smiled tiredly at that. He had heard from Dan how Zola patrolled around the town of Edawick. She was a restless mess according to Dan. She was someone who would only attend to Joshua, who she had declared her responsibility. After all, she was nervous what the Nano-Stem cell would do. Hence, she has been tending, examining the changes on Joshua with the use of her Omni-forge.

It has been days since their first talk. He had been staying in the hospital and soon he would be allowed to get out. The doctor had been astonished by Joshua’s recovery, though that doctor was barred by Zola.

Anyway, it was all thanks to Zola’s tending that he had recovered from the corpse-like state. It was a miracle. But Zola herself said that it was a one-time only. And if something that grave would happen again. Even the Nano-Stem cell wouldn’t help him as good as it did.