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“Loir, stop singing and fucking get out!” Eden screamed. “I said get out!”
“...De Luca, the missile is ten seconds away.”
“Ni le bien, qu’on m’a fait...”
“Loir!”
“Warlock, leave!”
“Ni le mal...”
“LOIR!”
“...Five seconds.”
“Tout ça m’est bien ég–”
The sound was suddenly cut off.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
A long, heavy silence ensued. She could only hear her loud and thundering heartbeat, and some chaos, coming from far away. But in there, time had stopped. Eden turned around, trying to find a window oriented southwest. She ran toward it, trying to see past the already dark sky filled with smoke. She squinted her eyes, forcing herself to see past the fog, past the first buildings, her eyes desperately looking for where she knew Dante’s building to be.
There was nothing there, though. Just another tall, thick column of dark smoke, and the tips of flames she could spot from time to time behind the tall wall splitting the Suburbs and the Core.
“...It can’t be,” she muttered. “...Loir?”
“Warlock?” Circé called behind her. “...Nebty, please tell me someone has...”
“I’m sorry, girls,” muttered Nebty’s voice.
Tears appeared in Eden’s eyes. She wiped them furiously, unable to believe it. It couldn’t be. There was no way Loir was gone just like that. Not so fast, not so easy. To think he had just been... blown up, in a second. It was just too much and too hard to endure.
“...Check again,” she cried out, her voice breaking. “Nebty, check again...”
“I’m really sorry, Ghost. There’s nothing to check, hun. Nothing to pick up there.”
Eden felt the tears pouring from her eyes. She covered her mouth so as not to shout, unable to stop it. She had never thought Loir could even die. He was always hidden, so careful, so secretive, and so enigmatic. She had never imagined he’d be gone, even for a second. There was always a way out for him. How could he be gone so easily? With... not even a real fight. Not chatting his way out with his craziness... Just a stupid song, and an apology? Eden was mad at him for dying like that. She felt... abandoned. Again.
Gentle arms came to hug her from behind. It wasn’t Dante, but Circé’s thin arms, the long sleeves of her kimono-like outfit covering Eden like a blanket.
“It’s alright, Eden. He left the way he wanted to... Free.”
Eden choked up even more. Was that really why he had left his position open so easily? She just couldn’t talk anymore. Everything was just too much of a shock.
“Come on,” Circé gently pulled her away. “Let’s... just keep going.”
Eden was having a hard time understanding how they could just keep going without Loir. She hadn’t even imagined his death would be possible, despite all this. She was sure he was the one who’d survive, even if everything went down. How could he be among those who wouldn’t make it? She was still expecting his stupid high-pitched laugh any second in her ears…
“Eden.”
This time, it was Dante’s voice that came to pull her out of her despair. She nodded weakly, and wiped her tears and snot, trying to repress her crying. She didn’t care at all about how ugly she must have looked right now, and that she was the only one crying. Circé had red eyes, but everyone else looked horribly indifferent. After all, Loir was the last one in an already long list of dead people... How many more would she lose?
Suddenly, it hit her. Jack. Jack was in the tower too with the pups. She felt like a second dagger had just pierced her heart. She couldn’t believe it. Had Jack died too? Or did he have the time to evacuate... Everything had happened so fast. She couldn’t even confirm anything right now. She was too far away, and there was too much left to be done. Eden took several deep breaths, letting Dante pull her in the right direction, and tried to bury her worries for now. She knew Circé was right. Loir had chosen how he wanted to die, and for one good reason. Amongst all of them, he was probably one of those who hated the Core the most.
“...I’ll be your Back Hacker for now, Ghost,” muttered Greed, sounding terribly sorry.
Eden nodded, before realizing he couldn’t see her right now.
