Chapter 195 - The Descent Into His Wonderland (1/2)
If words could not do justice to what she had been presented with, it meant that she was going to be in a lot of trouble in the coming days. But more importantly, it indicated a lack of Isca's skill as a writer, and that concerned her far more.
But how I do even begin to describe this... this unbelievable location without making it sound like I'm writing a goddamned fantasy story?!
I'm a professional historian, not a halfwit amateur novelist, for the love of...!
Odd was the day when fantasy triumphed over reality, but Isca was beginning to believe that it was a common occurrence in Reed Evergreen's daily life. That much was for certain.
After all... who in their right minds made themselves a home at the bottom of the ocean?
Nevertheless, that was where she had found herself — stuck in Centlani Deep, where an enormous structure had been built for the sake of atonement. Or so she had been told by its weary architect and only caretaker.
”You built all of this?! How? Why? For what purpose would you want to be down here?” said Isca as she peered out into the inky blackness of the lifeless seabed.
There was being gloomy and then there was making a home in the Centlani Deep. Isca wasn't one to judge others on their tastes, but this was definitely an exception to the rule. Even she had her limits when it came to being overdramatic...
”You don't like it?” said Reed, genuinely confused as to why she was being so abrasive at the moment.
”Had you chosen a more dreary place for a home, we would have been in a godforsaken cemetery! Tell me, do you sleep in a coffin instead of a bed, too?” Isca shouted, throwing her old-fashioned paper notepad at Reed in a fit of violence.
”That really hurts, Instant Coffee. I am wounded, both physically and emotionally. Also, could you not make me out as some macabre demon? I have feelings too, I'll have you know,” said Reed as let out a prolonged yawn.
A week-long span of cordial discussion had broken down whatever barriers had once been erected between the two of them, to the delight of one and the dismay of the other.
He was nothing like she had imagined him to be.
Absolutely nothing matched the fantas— the noble expectations she once had of him.
Once upon a time, she had thought of him as a handsome dark sun, an enigmatic force of nature that had captivated the hearts of the continent with his unfaltering spirit and passion for justice, truth, and hope.
She, like many millions, had thought of Reed as a radiant light to follow in these dark times, but...
There he was, Virtue's Son, picking his nose with a stupid expression on his face as he lay sprawled out on a large sofa.
It genuinely hurt to look at him, for it made her contemplate that this was the person who had freed Mulia and even cast judgment on the gods.
When Reed noticed her contemptuous gaze, he let out an annoyed sigh and said, ”Am I not allowed to drop my guard in my own home? Or do you expect me to be your prince at all hours of the day? Do me a favor and don't get your p.a.n.t.i.e.s in a bunch, okay?”
In fact, she'd scarcely seen a single organic thing go down his throat, which begged the question — what kind of terrifying diet was this person on? What sort of debauched lifestyle was this person living?
”Have you, by chance, ever heard of fruit, Reed? You know, the stuff that grows on trees? Might I suggest you consider putting down the chocolate for a day and eat an orange instead?”
Reed did not take the suggestion kindly and coldly growled, ”Did I hire a dietician or a historian? And for your information, I'll be just fine without your damn concern. I'm an immortal monstrosity if you haven't f.u.c.k.i.n.g noticed.”
”No, well, I jus—”
”I could literally smoke a hundred cigarettes a day and never so much as develop a damn cough! It is impossible for me to get drunk! I can't get poisoned or drugged by anything! If I wanted to, I could eat a dozen cheeseburgers every day for a year and never gain a damn pound of fat!
Shit, I don't even need to f.u.c.k.i.n.g sleep! My body is so damn perfect that it has even eliminated the need for me to rest, for f.u.c.k's sake!
I cannot even escape into my dreams anymore!!
I HAVE LITERALLY BEEN BARRED FROM INDULGING IN ALL VICES KNOWN TO MAN BY MY OWN DAMNED PHYSIOLOGY!!”
By the time Reed realized that he had gone off the deep end, Isca had already backed herself away into a corner of the room, terrified out of her poor mind. To him, her horrified expression was one that made him feel like pond sc.u.m.
There was nothing worse than that in his mind — to be treated as an actual monster, like the Devil himself. It terrified him to no end; the thought that he might've actually become the very thing he had sworn to destroy.
To have followed in His footsteps, despite his laborious efforts...
Reed took a deep breath and then apologized in the lowest and calmest voice he could manage before he stood up and approached her cowering figure.
He offered Isca her notepad back to her and said, ”Why don't I show you something interesting as an apology? I'm sure you'll enjoy it far more than lounging around here.”
It took a lot of coddling and apologizing, but eventually, Reed managed to defuse the situation. For all he was capable of, it continued to baffle him how difficult it was for to not be a monumental f.u.c.k-up around women.
All he had accomplished seemed so trivial compared to getting a single girl to stop crying...