Free Web NovelChapter 59: Rescuing My Fish (2)
Struggling against the wall in a narrow, dim alleyway, Ren attempted to rise slowly. His face remained calm, betraying no signs of discomfort, even as cold sweat trickled down his temples like a downpour. He hadn’t even managed to straighten up before he collapsed. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
He tumbled to the ground, pushing himself upwards with his arms and leaning against the wall, trying again to stand. This time, his hands and legs shook uncontrollably, and he fell once more, completely drained of strength before he could even get halfway up.
Kestrel reached out to assist him, her hand pulling away stained with his warm blood. Ren closed his eyes, lying still for a moment without opening them. "Just give me a moment," he muttered, "I’ll be okay soon."
His voice held a note of sadness. He understood better than Kestrel that he might not be able to rise again. His body was wracked with intense pain, feeling as if every bone had shattered; the torment was too overwhelming to be ignored by simple willpower.
"I actually have a plan," Ren heard Kestrel say hesitantly from the other side. His eyes snapped open immediately.
Kestrel had a plan, something she had pondered during their journey here. But now, when she needed to express it, she felt a surge of hesitation.
Kestrel was not one to procrastinate. She was always decisive, whether it involved taking risks, enduring pain, or risking her life. Once she made up her mind, she never faltered. But this time, what she was about to risk was an innocent life that wasn’t hers. Thus, she hesitated before finally voicing her thought.
"I have a plan. Maybe we could try it."
Ren opened his eyes, his gaze clear and focused, watching her intently.
"When I was very young, my father taught me a technique," Kestrel started, her fingers nervously fiddling with each other. "My father was a beta too. He taught me how to enter an alpha’s psychic landscape, dull their pain perception, and trigger adrenaline release... This way, they won’t feel the pain or exhaustion. They can keep going until they ultimately pass away."
Kestrel saw Ren’s eyes brighten. "That’s a good plan," he confirmed with determination.
Kestrel fell silent for a moment, not revealing to Ren in what circumstance her father had taught her this method–the alpha they had dulled the pain for was her mother, a formidable alpha who perished on a snowy night.
"That time, I survived. But the alpha died in the snow," Kestrel revealed, her tone even. She was confident her voice didn’t reveal any unusual emotions, but she saw Ren’s eyes reflecting sorrow.
Kestrel realized she had made a breakthrough–despite the distance and without any physical contact, merely by looking into someone’s eyes, she could now comprehend their feelings.
"It’s a good thing," she thought emotionlessly.
"That was a long time ago, we can try again," Ren said gently, "this time, maybe we both could make it out alive."
Even though he was wounded and seated amidst a jumble of items, Ren still radiated an aura of gentleness and strength. He reminded Kestrel of a charming and gentle prince from fairy tales, sitting elegantly on his throne.
Unconsciously, Kestrel sniffed the blood that stained her palm from Ren. The scent was the typical metallic odor of blood. She was puzzled as to where the hint of sweetness she liked had come from.
From her backpack, she fetched a small towel, carefully cleaning her hand until it was back to its original, clean state, free from any dirt. Only then did she reach out her hand towards Ren.
Her palm slowly covered Ren’s attractive face as she asked, "Are you sure?"
Before firmly placing her hand down, she asked one last time, "I’ll have to go deep within. I’ve only done this once before, a long time ago, and I don’t know what harm it might cause you."
With his beautiful eyes now hidden by Kestrel’s hand, all she could see was Ren’s pale jawline and bloodstained lips.
Separated by a palm, they couldn’t see each other’s eyes. It seemed to make many things easier to say.
His thin lips moved slightly, "I want to tell you that when I was caught by those creatures earlier, I was actually very scared. For people like us, the worst outcome is to fall into the hands of monsters. Not allowed to live, yet unable to die, tormented until we kneel and surrender, becoming a monster just like them. So, I... I’m glad you came back to rescue me. If I die while we’re escaping, it would be my own choice. This might not be a bad ending for an alpha, and you don’t have to feel guilty for me. Really."
Kestrel responded, "Okay."
"Wait, there’s one more thing." Ren paused, a beautiful smile forming on his lips, "I haven’t properly introduced myself to you yet."
Kestrel felt Ren’s eyelashes quiver against her hand, brushing against her palm like the touch of butterfly wings, causing a slight tickle.
"My name is Ren Sloan," Kestrel heard him say.
"I am Kestrel Adler." Kestrel’s hand pressed down, covering his eyes and brows.
Once more, she ventured into that vast sea. She stepped into Ren’s psychic landscape. The gentle acceptance of the blue waters was a stark contrast to the forceful intrusion of her last experience. The whispers of the waves echoed in her ears. Every bubble in the water, every shimmering sparkle, seemed to welcome her, dancing and twirling around her.
Kestrel swam downwards leisurely.
In the water, she flipped over, a beautiful skirt appearing on her body, floating in the deep blue sea. The large skirt bloomed like a graceful jellyfish in motion, her legs vanished, replaced by tendrils stretching out from beneath the skirt.
A mesmerizing and infinite underwater garden unfolded before her, and while swimming, Kestrel spotted the injured orca.
The half-human, half-whale creature was lying on the seabed’s rocks, his tail badly wounded, pathetically hanging on the edge of the reef. His face looked just like Ren’s.
Hearing Kestrel’s swimming, he lifted his face from the rock to look upwards. As Kestrel swam above his head, her tendrils fell down, gently caressing his injured tail.
This time, he wasn’t standing guard with weapons ready to confront her; instead, he obediently lowered its head.
Kestrel continued to swim deeper into the sea. She passed stunning coral seaweeds, descended along the layered reefs, towards the deeper regions from where a faint, beautiful glow emanated. There, to her surprise, was an underwater palace akin to a castle.
It was the kind of grand castle in which a mermaid princess would reside; agate and coral formed the beams and pillars, a roof that emitted a spectrum of rainbow lights, dazzling pearls and gorgeous shells strewn casually on the floor.
Starfish crawled slowly in the soft sand, colorful little fish darted about, opalescent stones cast peculiar lights, silken curtains shimmered in the light, confusing the eyes of the Kestrel, the intruder.
Kestrel gently pushed the palace doors open, swimming in carefully so as not to touch any of the delicate and beautiful objects in this place.
Tiny bubbles rose from opened shells. In them, she could see Ren’s faces.
This was the deepest part of Ren’s psychic landscape, connected to his most private spiritual world. If Kestrel were to recklessly destroy anything here at this moment, it would instantly cost Ren his life.
And Ren, at this moment, was entirely defenseless against Kestrel.
This is the place. Kestrel stopped. Her soft tendrils clung to the palace walls, snaking around the pillars, stretching out, reaching for the spot of dazzling light where secrets were kept.
In the real world, in that cluttered, narrow alley, Ren stood up. His legs were only recently reconnected, the fractured bones hadn’t been set with a splint yet, and the overall condition of his body was terrible, with unhealed wounds still bleeding.
Yet, miraculously, he didn’t feel any pain. Fatigue and weakness were gone, replaced by an inexplicable sense of excitement welling up from within.
Ren knew this was the result of the beta taking care of his psychic sea, taking control of his bodily conditions. This painless state, which came at the cost of draining his body, could only be maintained for a very short time. But it didn’t matter. As long as they could escape, as long as they could survive, he was willing to face any consequences.
"Let’s go," he said to Kestrel at his side.
A massive orca appeared out of nowhere. Half of the whale’s tail showed signs of decay down to the bone, but it seemed oblivious to that. Its eyes blazed with a violet flame, and as soon as it appeared, it rammed into several mutant guards with metallic heads, charging straight for the gate.
The palace gate was in disarray.
The boy looking for his cat shrank, multiplied like fireflies, continually rising from the flesh and blood scattered around. Guards brought nets, frantically trying to capture them. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
The giant orca rammed the gate open and rushed out first, followed by the scattered boys.
Ren lifted Kestrel, hoisted the lightweight beta onto his back, and with a few leaps, they were out of the gate, disappearing into the far end of the street.
Kestrel was lying on Ren’s back. She noticed that Ren’s speed was incredibly fast, even slightly faster than Birdie’s flying.
When he leapt high into the air, Kestrel saw the horde of tiny boys on the ground and also noticed the black cat that had slipped out in the commotion.
A fist-sized boy was clinging tightly to the back of the black cat, his head buried in the cat’s neck fur.
"He’s gotten so small?" Kestrel thought. "This must be the price he has to pay, but he must be happy, right?"
Ren was running across the uneven rooftops, the big fish swimming ahead of them, the night sky filled with fanciful stars above. The night wind on her face was cold, reminding her of the snowy night.
Kestrel hunched over Ren’s broad back, as the sprinting brought a sense of weightlessness. The surroundings blurred, but her childhood memories became clearer in her mind...
That night, a heavy snowfall had blanketed the whole world. Amid the pure white snow, a fierce fire had been ignited. When little Kestrel came to, her father was gone. Her mother was lying in the snow, holding her. Little Kestrel rose from her mother’s lifeless body, barefoot, standing alone in the vast white world.
Grey skies fluttered with snow, the earth was desolate, and her mother’s body lay at her feet. Her father, before his death, had shut off Kestrel’s emotions using all his ability. Standing alone in the snow, little Kestrel wanted to cry but felt no pain in her chest. She wanted to move but didn’t know where to go.
They dead couple left behind a lonely little ’weirdo,’ who, since then, did not know what sorrow or joy was.
While Ren was running through the night sky, Kestrel closed her eyes, allowing herself to focus on the spiritual world within.
"Quicker," she thought, "We should get quicker. He can’t hold on for much longer."
