Chapter 6: Camping
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-Eve-

“Should it be Eve and Hollow or Hollow and Eve?”

“I don’t care.”

“Well, you gotta! It’s like our brand name now!”

Hollow marched forwards. Despite her agreeing to take me to Wails she hasn’t been too forthcoming about where and how to get there.

“Hmm…So, that exorcist did a number on that settlement, eh?”

“Yeah…”

“Well, I guess you kinda helped though Hollow.”

I slapped my knee. Sadly, it happened but I couldn’t help but admire how much of a mana powerhouse Hollow was.

“She brought in such a destructive creature to subdue me. It was inevitable...”

“Oh, help me Holy Ave Church! There’s a Ruiner on the roof!”

I mocked, thinking back to that pink-haired girl who slugged me in the face.

“I’ll give her a smack if I ever saw her again…”

Again, I laughed but Hollow didn’t share my amusement.

“Maybe we should set up camp, Eve…”

“Oh, hell yes! That’s what I was waiting to hear.”

“How about you gather wood and I’ll make the fire.”

Hollow proposed. I crossed my arms in question though.

“Yeah, but what are we eating tonight?”

“Eating?”

“Ah, yeah! I’m starving.”

Hollow groaned.

“I don’t have any reason to eat…”

“Hm?”

“I don’t get hungry. I rarely get tired…”

“Hm, I thought demons ate the marrow of humans. Guess I was wrong.”

She shook her head in protest.

“No…It’s because I’m a Ruiner. Wails blessings took away…any part of me that would linger to this world.”

Hollow’s eyes gazed off into the distance. That’s a little sad but it would make sense. Why would a person destined to end a world need to have resources from it? It seems with her great power behind her she’s lost all attachments to being a primal animal. She is the embodiment of a world ender after all.

“Hey, Hollow.”

“Hm?”

“Ahhh…I’m going to touch you, alright? Don’t cut me in half.”

Hollow’s eyes glared at me as her fingers touched her sword. Something told me to prepare for the inevitable pain of being mutilated as I drew closer to her.

“What are you doing?”

“Hold still…”

With that, I reached out my hand. Reluctantly, Hollow stayed firm as I set my fingers on her soft hair. Gently, I rubbed it back and forth patting her silky hair.

“There, there, Hollow.”

Surprisingly, she didn’t say a word. She just glared at me expressionlessly. Her eyes were wide though. So, I guess it had some reaction to her.

“You’re hungry…right?”

“Starving.”

She circled, flinging her sword from its holder. A shockwave of violet decimated a nearby brush. With a sharp cry, a boar lied about now toppled by the blast.

“Eh?”

“I saw it moving a while ago.”

She peered down at it like a bird watching from a tree.

“Now, go get the firewood Eve…”

“Ah…who’s cooking it?”

Hollow stared up at me without batting an eye. Dejected, I slumped my shoulders.

“Damn it all…”

I moaned before I raced off to the nearby collection of trees. As I searched around the desolate forest twilight filtered through the vines. It was complete silence, nothing else greeted me. Boars were a rarity and because there’s not enough of them to even mate anymore, that made them all the more treasured. I contemplated that while I picked up each branch I came across.

“Hm…I wonder how that would feel…not getting hungry.”

That’s insane. Food is the best thing ever created. But then for a person destined to destroy everything…what’s food?

“Wah!”

My feet slipped causing me to drop my wood and take hold onto the side of the small ledge. I don’t have the upper body strength to pull myself up. I looked below; it wasn’t high enough to kill me, but the pain would be unbearable. So, I took a deep breath…

“Hollow!”

I waited there for what felt like a half-minute before my arms started to get tired.

“C’mon Eve…”

I took another deep breath.

“Hollow!”

I cried out again, but nobody was coming. I tried my best to lift my upper body, but my weak arms weren’t made for lifting weights.

“…Maybe if I slam my head against the ledge on the way down…I won’t have to suffer the pain of having my legs busted? Probably I could knock myself out… But how long would it take me to die then…?”

“What are you doing?”

My shoulders wobbled as I looked back up. Hollow stood over me with her arms crossed.

“Just hangin’ around babe.”

Her face went from her usual stoic look to a slight smile. That almost made me lose my balance and fall.

“Shut up, idiot.”

She then continued to stare at me.

“So, you gonna help a girl out?”

“…Why was your first instinct you had was to kill yourself?”

My hands were growing tense now. What’s with the Q & A all of the sudden?

“Nnngg…”

“I won’t help you unless you answer me, Eve.”

“Nnn…Because…ah…”

Hollow coldly perched like a raven ready to eat at a carcass. Like I was an unlucky victim who found themselves in a desert about to kill over.

“Arrgg…Because that’s all I’m good at...Hehe?”

“…Perhaps.”

She insulted as she bent down and gripped my arms.

“Thanks”

She then tossed me to the side at tad aggressively.

“Aren’t you good for anything other than dying though?”

I rolled over, searching the tree cascading above us.

“Hehe, nope.”

That grin on her face faded now. She closed her eyes and turned back in the direction of the camp.

“I drained all the blood out of the boar. Just get your firewood and I’ll start the fire when you’re ready.”

“Yeah, thanks doll.”

“Oh, and Eve.”

“What’s up?”

She glared at me showing another minor smile.

“If you call me again…I won’t come this time.”

She warned before disappearing in the twilight brush. That sent chills down my spine. Well, it’s not like I have anything to fear. After more time collecting wood for the fire, I hauled it back to her. There she sat, perched like a bird as she watched the boar’s body now in pieces.

“I’m back.”

She didn’t reply but instead nodded as she continued to search the lifeless body.

“So, are you eating Hollow?”

“…No. It’ll be wasted on me.”

I set the wood by her and bent down to her level.

“Couldn’t you say the same for me though?”

“Hm?”

“Well, I can’t die. So, eating is pointless, right?”

She seemed to not follow what I meant as her head titled further.

“Have you died of starvation before, Eve?”

“Hm, haven’t tried it yet. But if I’ll come back anyway…does it even matter if I eat or not?”

“…Then why waste that vital resource on yourself?”

“Why not?”

“If you’re undeserving of it…shouldn’t it be for others who need it?”

“You know Hollow, for someone who’s supposed to destroy all of the humankind…you’re quite conscientious of others.”

I placed the sticks into the dirt that Hollow prebuilt for me. She cut up the boar into find steaks likely with her sword.

“No…that’s not true at all.”

She lit the fire with her mana. I could see the glare of the flames bounce off her pale eyes. After admiring that simple view for a moment, I placed the pieces of meat on a make-shift tray and turned back to her.

“What do you mean, Hollow?”

“I never think of others. No, I’m always thinking of myself. How I’ll kill anyone who affects me. That’s all I ever think about.”

It took me a minute to piece it together. Her words resonated through my chest. In other words, if someone, for example, stepped on the path she wanted to take she’d kill them. Just because they were in her way.

If someone moved in front of her destination…she’d kill them. Without rhyme or reason, anyone who affected what she deemed as her goal…she’d kill no matter how insignificant it was. Kind of like me touching her in the settlement. She only killed me because I affected her like that.

“You’re interesting, Hollow.”

“Hm?”

“Hehe, I like you.”

 

 

Hollow held her knees as she watched the food being cooked. We didn’t speak anymore as it simmered in the heat and before we knew it, the meat was finished. I’m no chef so it didn’t have any kind of seasoning on it. I lifted it and bit into it only to discover the meat was tough but…doable.

“It’s a’right.”

Hollow stared down at the meat. Her mouth opened a bit.

“You want some?”

“…No.”

She stated before standing up and walking to a tree. She then leaned on it and dropped her body to the ground.

“I’m going to sleep.

“I’ll be over in a minute to sleep on your lap, kay?”

I winked. Hollow didn’t seem to take that lightly as she put her sword across her legs.

“If you don’t mind bleeding all over your food then sure.”

She coldly stated before falling immediately to sleep.

“Hehe…one day I’ll have your lap to myself.”

I chuckled as I struggled to finish my lackluster meal.

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