QT: Against My Will

139 3.11.44 – The Twilight Queen – Downfall of Humanity

A few men with a bare chest rushed out of their tents, seeing the running Ren Han, they shouted out, “Was that Bing Shi?”

Ziek shouted back, “I’m going with her to pick up Kuro. You go back to sleep.”

Having Ren Han accompanying someone was like having a whole army in one person. Without question, they nodded and went back to sleep. ‘What happened?’ They asked in worry.

Ziek flew outside the base after the person in black; he couldn’t even stop her because of her stupid barrier blocking his power.

Speeding up, he landed before her, but the impact of her invisible bubble against him sent his body flying. In mid-air, he glared at the crying person below him, who continued to run towards the black van.

“Did something happen to Kuro?” he asked.

Bing Shi slowed down and shook her head, opening the car, she sat at the passenger seat and put the keys on the front seat.

Ziek picked up the keys and drove towards city D in silence, “Isn’t Wan Ke a better choice to accompany you?”

‘I wanted to take this chance to know you better while doing my mission at the same time.’

.....

“I can’t train my power with Wan Ke around,” Bing Shi turned her head away from Ziek, taking down the gas mask, she continued to cry. She let her head fall to her knees and pulled her legs closer to her chest.

‘What if it isn’t his soul?’

‘His habits and tastes are similar. His persona is like Xuan Mu’s inner self, which he would hide deep under his gentlemanly facade.’

‘I don’t believe in men who are perfect on the outside, so it took me a while to uncover that side of Xuan Mu.’

Bing Shi whispered, “Why are you...*sniff*... doing that to your chest?”

“None of your business,” Ziek replied, he, himself, had no idea why he would wake up with a bloodied chest.

‘This Ziek doesn’t hide it. Instead, he is embracing it. Does it have something to do with his life as Ziek Leoners?’

‘If I had to compare him to Xuan Mu, I’m like any other person in his life.’

‘Except for me, there were two types of people in Xuan Mu’s life. First, the ones who are a waste of his time. Second, the ones he can use for his benefits.’

‘In Ziek’s life, there is no me, I should be a part of the first two.’

‘But my mission is my top priority; I can’t spend that many thoughts on him.’

‘It might be a trap by the HQ to lock me down.’

“If I said..*sniff*... my boyfriend had the same...*sniff*...habit as you, would you believe it?” Bing Shi said in between her sobs.

Ziek didn’t show it on the outside, but inside he was stunned, “Is that the reason why you cried?”

Bing Shi nodded her head, “I couldn’t...*sniff*... help it.”

“What was his reason?” Ziek asked. He didn’t want to acknowledge it, but her boyfriend was oddly familiar to him, and it’s getting on his nerves, how she understood him more than he understood himself.

“I was the reason,” Bing Shi looked up and put a wet tissue over her red eyes, “...A life without me, that’s how he described the feeling... *sniff* ...And you?”

Ziek imagined his life without Bing Shi...nothing...he didn’t have a need to claw at his chest. But her sorry sight reminded him of his inner turmoil. “I don’t know the reason, but I feel...un-whole,” he regretted it as soon as he opened his mouth.

An invisible hand clasped over his heart as a carousel of fears started to spin out of control, each one pulling his soul into blackness.

“Do you?” Bing Shi laughed weakly, “I feel the same.”

In Ziek’s eyes, a flash of fear of the unknown appeared, he looked down at his chest and quickly lifted his eyes to focus on the road and changed the topic, “What about your general?”

“Yi Zen is doing naughty things with Fu Lian in her space and left Kuro alone,” Bing Shi took off the tissue and peered at his side profile.

‘As someone who doesn’t trust Fu Lian, it would be strange if I didn’t try to force them out.’

Ziek continued to drive while ignoring her sobs; it’s not his problem. Also, he had no idea how to cheer a person up.

*A few moments later.*

Bing Shi stopped crying and took out a package of chips, “Do you want some onion chips?”

When she saw how a few chips flew towards his mouth, she quickly sealed his mouth with a barrier. “Bwahaha,” she burst out with laughter as she watched how a few chips crashed before his opened lips.

*Screech*

Ziek stepped on the brake abruptly.

Bing Shi fell from her seat in shock, “Oh, my dear life!” She sat back and buckled up her seat belt. “...Uff...I almost died,” she patted her chest, “What happened?” She looked at the road.

In the meantime, while her focus was down, the barrier around his mouth disappeared. Ziek grabbed the chance to eat the chips with a grin, “Nothing.” Finally, she stopped crying.

“Oh,” Bing Shi threw a few chips into her mouth, this time, she didn’t block his mouth and let him eat, “Do you miss your past world?”

Ziek munched on the chips, “No.”

*crunch*

*crunch*

*crunch*

When they finished the fries, Bing shi took out a water bottle and fresh mint bubblegums, “Here, for the bad breath.”

After both of them rinsed their mouths with water, they started to chew on the gums. “Watch me,” Bing Shi called out.

Ziek glanced at her with his peripheral vision and saw how she blew a bubble as big as half of her head, “...”

*Plop*

“Hehe,” she chewed with a smug smile.

“...Pfft...” Ziek couldn’t hold in the chuckle and created a bubble himself. Her smile...it looked like it accomplished the impossible.

Was that crybaby ago just an illusion? She didn’t need others to cheer her up; she could do it perfectly by herself. Not only did she improve her mood, but his too.