My Strange Savior - Chapter 101

Chapter 101

Gia raised her glass to Kalion, tilting it slightly. 

Kalion, understanding that it meant a toast, smiled softly when their glasses clinked. The cup, made of wood, didn’t produce a clear sound like a glass, but Gia was quite satisfied.

“Good.”

Gulp, gulp.

Gia hadn’t expected the beer to be drinkable, but it vanished down her throat with satisfaction. As the cool beer flowed down her throat, it seemed to instantly quench her thirst.

“Don’t pay attention to what that fortune teller said earlier.” 

Kalion said nonchalantly, not wanting Gia to be upset by the old woman’s words. Knowing it was Kalion’s way of comforting, Gia smiled.

“Don’t worry, I won’t.”

When Gia, who had been sitting in a corner, emptied her beer in one go, Kalion stood up again. Seeing Kalion’s broad back as he went for more beer, Gia extended her lips.

“She seems like a person but not quite. What’s your true identity?”

The fortune teller’s voice echoed in her ears. Human yet not entirely. The fortune teller’s words pierced through Gia’s disguise, making her uncomfortable. Gia’s feigned indifference faded as her lips drooped out of Kalion’s view.

‘But… I don’t want to give up.’

She had caught Kalion as if grasping a lifeline in her final remaining life. Despite knowing it was likely just her selfishness, Gia couldn’t let go. 

She thought about how uncertain it was whether holding onto Kalion was a good thing for him. She knew it was all her desire. Even though she knew what the end would be, Gia couldn’t let go.

Gia found the surface of the cold cup uncomfortable, thinking about how much she despised her selfishness. The beer had left moisture on the wooden surface.

A being that’s not quite human, yet has emotions like a human. That’s what the fortune teller seemed to be saying.

Returning with a large glass in his hand, Kalion had not forgotten the appetizers. As he sat at the table, Gia tried hard to conceal her emotions.

She should tell Kalion. Even if she can’t confess all the facts, she needs to talk to Kalion, who gave her a piece of his heart. 

How should she define the boundaries? Gia stared at the beer foam bubbling up in her glass with deep eyes.

“It’s delicious.”

“Not too much… Drink moderately.”

Kalion, who was about to habitually tell Gia to eat more, realized that what she was consuming now was alcohol and corrected himself. In response to his tenderness, Gia smiled gently.

“Why are you like this?”

Kalion’s concerned expression turned towards Gia as if it were natural. Gia pursed her lips at the thought of someone getting drunk from such a small amount of alcohol. 

Had she ever been drunk? 

The viruses in her body always restored her to her original state. Neither aging nor illness nor wounds could change Gia. Unpermitted viruses were always like that.

Hesitating with the beer glass in hand, Gia looked at the composed Kalion.

“I don’t get drunk.”

“What?”

Was she talking about the strength of the alcohol? In response to Gia’s implicit words, Kalion raised an eyebrow curiously.

“To be precise, I can’t get drunk.”

Gia chugged the beer in one go. Even though it wasn’t completely alcohol-free, the worried Kalion couldn’t stop Gia before her glass hit the table.

“You were curious before, right?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The wounds from the battle with Morrison….”

Kalion, realizing what Gia was trying to say, cautiously lifted his face. It seemed reassuring to see what expression Gia was making.

Gia was bent over the table as if driving her head into it, like someone burdened with guilt.

“Gia… It’s okay.”

“What is it?”

“If it’s difficult, you don’t have to say…”

“It was the same back then.”

Kalion reassured Gia, who hesitated to answer, not knowing how to explain. 

Why was it so okay? Gia, the actual person involved, wasn’t okay. She had just tried to confess the feelings she had been carrying alone, but Kalion said it was okay, claiming he felt the same, and embraced her.

Gia didn’t mind. Since she had no intention of hiding it until the end, she finally opened her lips.

“I am…”

“Gia.”

Before Gia could speak, a gentle hand finally cupped her face. Kalion’s large hand, filled with concern, lifted Gia’s chin slightly.

“Don’t act like you’ve committed a crime.”

“I didn’t do it to deceive you.”

Blush.

Gia knew that her flushed face wasn’t due to the alcohol. Suppressing the impending tears, Gia looked at Kalion with a solemn expression.

Kalion, gazing at Gia’s sparkling brown eyes like glass beads, moved closer.

“Take your time. Tell me one thing at a time. About yourself.”

Kalion, seeming ready to listen as much as needed, took a firm seat beside Gia.

“The drug that makes you an enhanced human was created by Morrison.”

Even while gauging Kalion’s reaction, Gia didn’t stop speaking.

“The main ingredient of that drug is the zombie virus. It means that the virus is also in my body. That’s why I heal quickly even if I get hurt… I don’t get sick. I don’t age, and I don’t get drunk either.”

Kalion remained silent in response to Gia’s words. Perhaps he now despised her for this revelation. Gia squeezed Kalion’s hand nervously.

Without even considering looking at Kalion’s face, Gia lowered her head again. 

As always, Gia didn’t know how to alleviate these negative emotions. Kalion’s warm temperature settled over Gia’s hand, which was unconsciously about to scratch her back.

With that warmth, Gia looked at Kalion with misty eyes.

“It’s okay.”

“W-What’s okay?”

What was always okay with Kalion? Did he understand her story now? Did he grasp the fact that she’s essentially no different from zombies like Morrison? Anxious, Gia’s uneasy eyes darted around.

“I’m the same seed as Morrison… I am.”

“You are not the same.”

“I am not different.”

“You are different.”

In response to Kalion’s answer, Gia bit her lip firmly.

“You are different. You are different from him.”

The background noise from the surroundings seemed to fade away, creating an illusion that the murmurs were gradually diminishing. It was only then that Gia realized Kalion was embracing her trembling body.

“You, the kind person you are, cannot be the same as him, can you?”

“I’m not that kind…”

“That’s how it seems to me.”

As Kalion nodded, Gia felt a sensation of shaking above her head.

“You tried to find Rey’s parents. I know you made efforts for that. You threw yourself into saving the members. You’re trying to take responsibility even for things you don’t have to. You’re doing it for Rey, who lost his parents. I know everything.”

Looking at Gia from the side, Kalion concluded firmly as he held her tightly once again.

“Even though you both carry the same virus, you and Morrison are completely different.” 

Gia crawled into Kalion’s arms, unable to shake her fear. A low sigh escaped Kalion’s lips as he held her close.

“I’m sure you’ve had a lot on your mind.” 

Kalion comforted, and Gia’s body trembled more than before at Kalion’s consoling voice.

“I didn’t try to deceive you.”

“I understand.”

“Just… I thought that when the time came, I could capture Morrison and return to the original world. So…”

“Yes.”

At Gia’s attempt to go back, Kalion’s body stiffened. It was difficult to accept the fact that the lovers who had just begun their relationship were about to go to a place where they could never see each other again. Kalion tried to conceal his emotions.

“That’s why I couldn’t say it.”

“Is there no way to return to the original human form?”

“Well… I don’t know. I thought I could find out when I captured Morrison. But when I did, it turned out he wasn’t in his right mind either.”

Having witnessed Morrison’s madness, Kalion easily accepted Gia’s decision.

“Do you want to go back to being human?”

“Y-yes, of course.”

“Are you willing to give up all the power you have now?”

She knew that when Kalion spoke of power, he referred to regenerative abilities and strength. It took less than a second for an answer to come from Gia’s lips.

“Ah. I’ve never desired such power.”

Not understanding the urgency, Gia, who tightly held Kalion’s hand, drew her body closer, as if frightened. 

“There are many mysterious things in this world that are not easily revealed. It is said that if you sail to the east, you can find many such things. People in distant lands use peculiar powers called magic.”

“Oh?”

When Kalion suddenly changed the subject, Gia lifted her head slightly.

“After dealing with Morrison.”

It was unclear what he was trying to say. Gia, with tear-filled eyes, only stared at Kalion’s lips.

“Shall we travel to the east? There might be a way to return to being human if we go there.”

“E-East.”

Following Kalion’s lead, Gia’s eyes sparkled even more than before. The tears she had been holding back eventually succumbed to gravity and fell from her cheeks.

“As long as you’re by my side, I’ll be fine.”

Noticing Gia’s sorrowful state, Kalion embraced her tightly, lips trembling. Hidden in a corner, the large Kalion obscured Gia from the view of others.

He felt like such a reliable support. It was an emotion she had never experienced before. Kalion’s strength seemed to promise that he would protect Gia until the end.

Knowing that Kalion was not one to make promises lightly, Gia nodded her head vigorously, finding solace in his embrace.

In Kalion’s strong embrace, as if it could block all the storms of the world, Gia let out the tears she had held back alone.

Kalion did not stop Gia; instead, he offered a broader embrace to allow Gia’s sadness, which she had kept deep in her heart, to burst forth. To hide Gia from the view of others, he twisted his body further into the corner.

Kalion carefully patted Gia’s back as he held her.

Just as Gia had done for him last time.