Chapter 322 – Lament

With all that over, they started getting ready the next morning. 

“We’re already leaving?” Enira said, yawning. 

The two sisters had just woken up and were coming out of their rooms. 

“We can’t risk bringing this place down along with us,” Helio said. “Oh and, since you’re one of them-” He looked at Breya who was also sleepy and in her pajamas. Where did she get some? No one knew. “Can we use your DNA and travel to their world?”

“I’m only half and you need a special chip in order to travel there- so no. Besides, it takes at least two weeks even via the INterdimentinal Elevator. So, by the time we reach that place, this world will already have been destroyed by the commanders and their soldiers.” 

Something about the way she talked sounded a bit forceful to Helio.

‘Is she hiding something?’ He decided to not worry about it too much for now. Helio grinned. “Then we have to destroy them here first.”

“Btw are we really going to that wretched place again? Can’t we go to a volcano or something?” Enira pleaded. “Besides, what if they decide to just pop up all over the world or something?”

“They’re not really that interested in the weak, so they’ll surely come for you two first,” Breya said.  “Or, they could find the next strongest and go there, I guess? After all, there are a lot of strong people still in this world.”

“But if we go to that place we won’t know if those guys attacked other places-” Enira looked away. 

She did have a point but at this point, she was just making up whatever excuse she could think of to not go to Antarctica again. 

Though Helio himself wasn’t that concerned about hot or cold climates, even he wasn’t really keen on going back to that cold white hell. But he knew he had to. 

After all, that place was the perfect place to fight. There was excess radiation, virtually no people, and even if they destroyed the place, no one could fault them way too much. 

“Can I propose something?” Breya raised her hand. 

‘Well, they’re sisters alright.’ Helio rolled his eyes. “Yes?”

“Why not just teleport to wherever they pop up? If they are somewhere else, we could go there, and if they show up before you, we could then teleport to Antarctica and they should follow, right?”

“Teleport across the globe? Are you stupid or something?”

‘And wasn’t she a vampire? She even had teleportation powers apart from running into another dime- wait, teleportation worked just like that!’

She was proud- that was for sure. “But of course.” She winked. 

“I guess that saves us a lot of trouble.” Helio exhaled. “Let’s check out and then stay around the edges of this continent until they show up.”

Neither protested. 

But before leaving they had the continental breakfast. 

And they shared the same sentiment- dinner was definitely better. 

***

Helio and the two sisters moved to the edge of the continent, near the ocean. 

There they were, looking out the horizon. 

Waves crashing. Pelicans flying. 

Rocks and Sand. 

Enira and her sister were busy playing in the water while Helio just looked at the distance. 

It was midday- and kind of hot. 

But he didn’t care. The bamboo umbrella over his head was blocking half of the sunlight anyway. 

The bamboo mat though wasn’t doing a great job blocking the sand.

All his life- all his conscious life, he wanted freedom. For that freedom he was willing to do anything- even imprison his other-selves. 

And now he had that freedom. 

But- at what cost?

Was he accepted?

Was he loved?

Was he truly free?

‘Was there a point to all this at all?’

Exhale. 

He looked inside his mind. ‘You’re still not moving?’

There he saw Helio in a fetal position in the darkest corner of his mind, alone, unable to see, feel anything. He’d locked himself up. 

Meanwhile, the endless darkness just flowed and so did the monster within…

Exhale. 

He wanted freedom. He wanted to feel the world. And now he had it. 

‘So, why am I lamenting?’ He stood up; sand fell. He glared straight ahead. “I’ll just have to snatch that freedom!”

“The hell are you spouting? Hit your head?” Enira said, warping to his right. “And we’re finally here on a proper beach, and you can’t even be bothered to stare at my bikini and stuff? At least try to act your age a little! And I put so much attention to designing this thing too!” She pouted. 

Enira in fact made her own bikini. A blue and purple pair, emphasizing her large- 

Helio tilted his head. “Not interested.” He proceeded to stare. “Besides, if what you people claimed is true then you’re my immediate blood relatives, therefore we can’t get into a relationship in the first place.”

Enira sighed. “You’re such an idiot. If someone loves you, just love them back. Who cares if they’re related to you or not. Besides, I’m single, your sister’s single and so are the rest of the girls! And they love you!”

Helio just stared blankly. “I’d rather not.” With that said, he lay down on the sand, just staring at the blindingly bright sky. “We have approximately twelve hours, right?”

“Two, actually.” Breya warped right in front of Helio and sat down. She had a white bikini and though it wasn’t as flashy as Enira’s- Helio’s eyes were still being dragged on. 

Enira sat on his left, pouting ever so slightly. 

‘They’re just your grandmothers… stay sane… stay sane, body!’ 

Needless to say, though he had self-control, his body was reacting quite a lot. 

He closed his eyes. It was better to not get distracted by those large- large- ‘The hell are you thinking!’

Yeah, closing his eyes wasn’t working either. 

The world was about to end and he was thinking about that?

Coming to the beach was a very-very bad idea. 

At least he had Holo reception. 

It was the same complimentary one he got from the hotel. He stol- ahem, borrowed it.

So far, nothing happened to the world. 

“Are you sure though?” Breya began. “We can always just run to another world. With our blood, it’s easy to travel to other worlds.”

“I do eventually plan on destroying them in the past. But- but I don’t want to forsake this world.” Helio made a fist and just pointed it towards the sky.

“And if you should fail?” Enira murmured. 

“I won’t.”

Helio knew it was a rhetorical question. 

But he didn’t care.

He was going to destroy them. 

Failure just wasn’t an option.

“Even if let’s say you succeed on destroying them in this world- and you go to the past, destroy them again- nothing would change.”

“I know.”

“And you can’t be with your family there either- after all, there’d be two of you.”

Helio didn’t say anything. 

“Besides-” Enira began. “That’d be just running away and abandoning your wife and family here. And there are billions of worlds out there- you can’t possibly go around destroying them in every single one.”

And he understood that too. 

But-

But he wanted to change the past. 

‘But that’s just hypocrisy.’

His eyes were slightly heavy. 

He didn’t need as much sleep as before anymore. But even so, he’d been skipping sleep for quite a while. 

Even last night, instead of sleeping he was stalking his family’s social media feed and the news. 

So now that he finally relaxed a bit- he nodded off. 

He was in deep, deep sleep. 

But once he did- “If we want the best for him, it’s best we travel to another world,” Breya said. “If we stay here, he’ll die and we’ll also die.”

Enira remained quiet for a moment. He stared at the flowing water. The tide. It was tranquil. “Perhaps. But he’ll never forgive us. And he won’t stay put in another world either.”

“So that’s a no.”

“You’re leaving?” Enira didn’t look at her sister. 

“I’d love to save my skin and run away but,” She paused. “Can’t abandon you a third time, now, can I?”

“Well, they say, third time’s a charm.”

Breya giggled and tried to suppress it. Didn’t work. “Still holding a grudge?”

“Kind of?” Enira also giggled. 

The two sisters kept on talking and the sun just kept on moving. 

They hadn’t seen each other in a long-long time, yet it didn’t really feel that awkward. Apart from the fact that Breya occasionally tried to grab Enira’s chest….