Chapter 252: This is what drives me to go on

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POV:???

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She was in pain, an unbearable pain that kept growing. What started as a subtle twinge had become something that consumed her from the inside.

She didn’t know what was happening to her body, and the time to ask for help had passed. Now she was suffering alone, in an agony that was slowly spreading through every corner of her being.

Every breath became an act of bravery; the burning emanating from her core spread inexorably, enveloping her arms and legs in an unrelenting fire.

The beating of his heart, which once set the rhythm of life, had become a steady drum of pain, repeating itself relentlessly in a cadence that seemed to drag on beyond imagining.

Instants blended together in an uninterrupted succession of sensations, making it difficult to discern where one began and another ended.

Suffering took possession of every thought, of every fiber of his being, and there was not even a breath in which the internal storm ceased; even the slightest movement unleashed a spark of pain, while the perception of the surroundings faded in the immensity of that agony.

His body vibrated with the intensity of an accumulated torment, transforming every second into a silent eternity.

The sensation was so penetrating that the identity of each moment was diluted in a continuum of suffering, where what seemed like a fleeting instant lengthened without pause, plunging her into a despair that became almost tangible.

In this prolonged onslaught of pain, she was gradually approaching her limit. She no longer even understood why she was still resisting;

The only thing she wanted was to stop feeling that torment, she still did not understand what she had done to deserve something so cruel.

Just to exist was reason enough for them not to leave her alone?

While silent tears ran down her cheeks, she felt the coldness of death invading her, and although she did not know if that destiny was something good or bad, she only longed to escape from that incessant suffering.

“…”

Then, in the middle of the darkness that enveloped her, she began to hear something, she could not understand what or who it was.

“….”

He seemed to be saying something, but she couldn’t understand it. She could hear it, but the meaning didn’t reach her.

“…….easy. Just hold on. I’m going to take that pain away.”

only at the end maybe, because it was what she wanted to hear, she finally began to understand.

“Stay conscious… If you do, you’ll never feel anything like this again.”

She didn’t know who that voice was, but in that instant she felt the weight of its words. It was like a faint promise in the midst of the chaos, a light that, though faint, suggested to her that maybe, just maybe, she could find respite in the midst of that endless pain.

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I felt warmth. A familiar warmth that enveloped me, comforting and safe. It was a feeling I had experienced before, but at the same time, I felt it was something I could never fully attain.

Something I had to treasure, something I could not lose… something I was not to turn away from under any circumstances.

I knew with certainty that I was where I belonged.

..

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“~Why did you have to go and hurt yourself so much, you dummy…”

I thought I heard something, but it could also be my imagination, but I opened my eyes slowly, blinking lazily. My blurred vision focused on the ceiling, but something was obstructing my vision.

I didn’t understand what it was but I didn’t care either. My body felt light, completely refreshed, and a familiar scent enveloped me. The warmth I felt at that moment was hard to describe, more than just majestic.

..

My mind became clearer and now that I thought about it the softness under my head, It felt different, too warm to be just a pillow, it was so comfortable I almost fell back to sleep.

“Mnhaaa~…”

An involuntary yawn escaped my mouth, and as it did, I felt a slight movement under my head, Did the pillow… move?

Still half dozing, I tried to analyze the situation, but the comfort was too tempting. It had been so long since I had felt anything like this… I just didn’t want to move.

“Phina… did you wake up?”

The voice that was unmistakably Elena came to me as a whisper, free of the usual formality.

My mind was still dull, but hearing it, I opened my eyes again. This time I tried to focus better on my surroundings.

To the right, I recognized my room in the academy dorms… but to the left, everything was black.

I didn’t understand what I was seeing.

For an instant, I debated between finding out what was going on or surrendering back to comfort.

In the end I opted for the latter, closing my eyes again, waiting for Elena to speak to me again in that sweet voice.

“My lady, if you are awake, please say something.”

This time her tone was more serious, almost like a warning.

I knew that if I kept ignoring her, she would completely switch to “maid” mode. I didn’t want that…I wanted to keep listening to her as warmly, sweetly and casually as before.

Finally, my mind cleared enough to understand, what situation I was in.

I was back.

After everything that had happened, after the battle, after the chase, after sacrificing my arm, after destroying the portal and Alice pulling that stake out of my chest….

I was finally back, Elena’s voice that I had missed all this week, finally made me feel at home, so I couldn’t let them take her away from me.

“Elena… it’s still early. Don’t go into work mode so fast.”

I understood that I was lying on Elena’s lap.

It wasn’t unusual. If she was in a good mood, she would sometimes allow me to use her lap as a pillow.

But the fact that this time she did it without me asking… it was something I really appreciated.

“So you were awake.” Gently, he began stroking my hair. “And, in case you forgot, before you passed out, you asked for this yourself to enhance your recovery.”

“Huh?”

Ah, right…

Before I fainted, I asked for a lap pillow because, according to my brilliant logic at the time, being on a beautiful girl’s thighs would stimulate my art and speed up my recovery.

Yeah…great plan. Too bad I wasn’t conscious to enjoy it and thus the art didn’t kick in.

’It was worth it, if I woke up in this intoxicating comfort.’

“humm~..”

I settled in better. Then, without thinking too much, I wrapped my arms around Elena’s waist, seeking even more of this comfort that elena was conveying to me.

’Hum… wait… there’s something weird.’

Something about my hand didn’t feel quite right.

My right hand… the one that had been cut off the day before, felt strange.

But it didn’t hurt. And right now it didn’t matter.

I just clung tighter to Elena and closed my eyes again.

“Haaa…it’s okay.” Her tone held a mixture of resignation and tenderness. “But later, you’ll have some explaining to do.”

I didn’t respond. I just sank deeper into his warmth.

Gently, he continued to stroke my hair, and I simply let myself be carried away by the sensation.

If there was such a thing as paradise… surely it felt like this.

“Hmnn~... Elena…”

My body relaxed even more. The exhaustion was completely fading away, not only the physical one, but also the tension in my mind.

It was a privilege to have someone like that, someone to be there for me after having difficult and exhausting times.

A place to lean on when you are tired was something that made everything I did worthwhile.

Sleep was catching up with me again.

Instinctively, I hugged her tighter, wanting to stay that way a little longer.

“Wait… Phina don’t do it so hard.”

Her faint complaint reached my ears, but I barely processed it. I just wanted to enjoy this moment… a little longer.

Plus Elena sweet-talking me again made me excited.

“Ehee~... Elena!”

Getting carried away, I put more weight on her, causing her to lean back slightly; but since we were on the bed, that didn’t matter. I held on and simply hugged her.

“Phina~…”

“Elena did well, didn’t I? It was hard, but I did it…”

“…yes you did well, you gave it your best effort.”

even though she didn’t know exactly what she did or why, she sweetly answered my question while caressing my head again, I couldn’t wish for anything better after what happened.

I decided to go a little higher and as I got closer to her, I leaned my head against her face and hugged her even tighter, sticking her to my body and even rolling her with my legs.

Elena didn’t resist and let me do what I wanted. now I felt complete.

’Yes, this is what drives me to go on,’

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After I was satisfied with the warmth of her embrace, I separated a little, now I was on top of her. Our gazes met.

I saw her beautiful red eyes and her slightly flushed face. I certainly can’t deny that I like the way she normally is, but I also love it when she is so shy and receptive towards me.

It was then that I brought out my true feelings.

“Elena, I really missed you. You know, it was hard for me.”

I looked at her as I said that and conveyed that I really missed her. She tried to answer me, somewhat hesitant and nervous as if she didn’t know how to answer me.

Honestly, Elena is too cute when she softens up, and sometimes it makes me want to tease her, which I do, but sometimes I go too far and she ends up with me beaten to a pulp by George.

“I missed you too…. Welcome home, Phina.”

Hearing her say that, I felt her words strike a chord in me; I really felt back where I belonged.

She almost never took the initiative, but now I watched her as she reached out to wrap her arms around my head and pull me to her.

I let myself be guided and moved closer to her, losing myself in her beautiful red eyes. Her pink lips drew closer and closer to mine; the slight warmth of our breaths mingled until, finally, they made contact.

Mmmmuaaah!….

I felt his warmth again as we embraced, and in that instant, everything told me that I was where I was supposed to be.

That feeling became the reason for my existence, something I will definitely fight for, to keep.

We both got lost in our own world, conveying feelings of love and longing after a long week.

Elena was now especially affectionate in expressing them; even without a resonance, I felt that she truly missed me as much as I missed her, which made me love her even more, wanting to convey a great deal of my love to her.

Muaw…. munnhnaa….

..

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“Haaaa… haaaa, haaaa.”

She and I finally caught our breath; I don’t know how long it took, but I felt like we could no longer contain what we were feeling.

The kiss and emotions were so intense that another desire began to emerge. Standing over her and looking into her eyes again, I saw her even more flushed than before.

Definitely, my desire was quickly emerging into the light.

“Elena~… can we…?”

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