Hey there, so I have a request. For this chapter, play the song: Alexandra "Rainy Haze" (Full Ver.)[MementoMori]. I listened to this when writing this chapter
The world was quiet—too quiet. The kind of silence that pressed against her chest like a weight she couldn't shake. Meyu stumbled forward, her ears still ringing from the explosion, her vision was blurry by smoke and ash. Each step felt heavier than the last, her legs trembling beneath her as if they might collapse at any moment. But she couldn't stop. She wouldn't. Not until she found him.
"Atlas…" Her voice cracked, barely above a whisper, swallowed by the haze around her.
"Where are you?" Her voice despite sounding mature, was just like a little girl finding her mother.
Her heart pounded in her chest, each beat a desperate plea against the truth she wasn't ready to face. The ground beneath her feet was scorched, littered with splintered wood and shattered stone. Trees lay uprooted, their charred remains jutting out of the earth like broken bones.
And there, amidst the devastation, she saw them or at least only one figure laying down and one figure was halved.
Atlas.
Linghu upper half was gone. Only his bottom was left.
Atlas lay sprawled on the ground, motionless. His golden eyes—those sharp, calculating eyes that always seemed to see straight through her—were closed. His body was battered, bruised, and bloodied, his clothes torn and stained with his blood. For a moment, Meyu froze, her breath catching in her throat.
"No… no, NO!"
She ran to him, dropping to her knees beside his lifeless form. Her hands hovered over him, trembling, afraid to touch him but unable to stop herself. She pressed two fingers to his neck, searching for a pulse.
Nothing.
Her breath hitched, panic clawing at her chest.
"Hey..." she choked out, shaking him gently. "Hey, wake up. Come on, Atlas, don't do this to me."
He didn't respond. Didn't move. Didn't breathe.
Meyu buried her face into his chest, clutching him tightly as if she could will him back to life with sheer force. Her voice broke, trembling with every word as she started to attempt chest compression.
"This is a lie… I can't accept this. I won't forgive YOU! You're not dead!"
Her fists clenched against his shirt, knuckles white, as sobs wracked her body.
"A world without you has no meaning… come back to me. Don't leave me alone…"
Rain began to fall, soft at first, then heavier, washing away the ash and blood staining the ground. The droplets mingled with her tears, soaking through her hair and clothes, chilling her to the bone. But she didn't care. Nothing mattered except the man lying in her arms.
"Your voice…" She leaned down, pressing her forehead to his, her breath hitching.
"Let me hear it one more time…please..."
Tears streamed down her face as she placed both hands on his chest, leaning all her weight into compressions.
One. Two. Three.
Each push sent fresh waves of agony crashing over her.
"Breathe, damn it!" she screamed, her voice raw, breaking under the weight of despair.
"Don't you dare leave me! DON'T YOU DARE!"
Her chest heaved with sobs, her throat burning as she cried out between compressions.
"You idiot! You absolute idiot! Why are you such an idiot?! HEY! ANSWER ME!!!"
But he didn't move. Didn't breathe. Didn't give her anything.
Meyu slammed her fists against his chest, her voice cracking.
"Why aren't you answering me?! WHY?! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LIVE ON WITHOUT YOU?! It's impossible for me to do that… I'm begging you, I don't want to be alone again…You're not dead..."
Her hands trembled as she resumed compressions, her movements frantic, desperate.
Rain poured down around them, mixing with her tears, drenching everything.
"I can't do this without you." she whispered, her voice hollow, lost.
"I have no idea what to do… so please… don't leave me…"
Her voice trailed off, choked by sobs. She collapsed onto his chest, her hands gripping his shirt, her forehead resting against him.
"I'm sorry.." she murmured, her voice barely audible.
"I'm so sorry… I should've been faster. I should've stopped you…"
Farther away, amidst the rubble and dust, the others began to stir.
Layla's breath came in shallow gasps as she pushed herself up, every inch of her body aching. Blood trickled from a gash at her temple, mixing with the rainwater dripping down her face. Her fingers curled into the dirt as she forced herself to move. Then, she heard it—Meyu's screams.
"Why aren't you answering me?! WHY?! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LIVE ON WITHOUT YOU?!''
Her stomach twisted.
No. NO.
Lin Wuye groaned as he rolled onto his side, his ribs screaming in protest. He barely had time to register the sharp pain before his ears caught the sound of raw, heart-wrenching sobs. His eyes followed Layla's trembling gaze, and when he saw Meyu hunched over Atlas's lifeless body, his chest tightened.
Yuxe Wuye coughed, struggling to push herself upright. She blinked through the rain and smoke, her heart dropping at the sight before her. A quiet, pained breath left her lips, but she had no words.
Jiang gritted his teeth, using his sword to prop himself up. His legs wobbled beneath him, but he remained standing, his expression dark as his gaze landed on Meyu. Bao, beside him, tried to move but collapsed onto one knee, clutching his side. Neither of them could look away.
Zhao Lihua, despite the pain coursing through her body, had to blink several times as she took in the scene.
This wasn't supposed to happen. Atlas—the man who always seemed untouchable—is lifeless?
Meyu... she's crying for you. Wake up Atlas. Please.
The Ryl Trading workers stood frozen in place, their exhaustion overshadowed by the crushing weight of the moment. Some clenched their fists, others lowered their heads, unable to bear the sight. They had fought beside Atlas, worked under him, believed in his impossible schemes. And now… he was gone?
And Kai was trembling as he woke up from the explosion. His hands balled into fists at his sides as he heard Meyu screams. His entire body shaking was from pain and sadness.
One by one, they began to move—drawn by the sound of Meyu's anguish, pulled forward by something they refused to believe was real.
Layla stumbled first, her legs barely carrying her as she pushed forward, rain mixing with the blood on her face. She dropped to her knees beside Meyu, her hand hovering above Atlas's chest, afraid—terrified—to confirm what she already knew.
There was nothing left.