Chapter 266: Humanities Only Hope

Slimo crossed his arm and looked up at Squabee and Sarah on Sheeby.

"Uh, what are you two doing?"

Sarah scratched her head.

"I’m... getting ready to take off?"

"Sheeby just flew for hours without a break, and you want her to take off already?! Let’s give her a rest before we start moving again."

"But do we really want to stay here surrounded by these fruits?"

"To be honest, I think we’re safer in these fruits than we are in the sky. These things can act as a natural wall for predators while we rest."

Sarah sighed and slid off Sheeby’s scales.

"Very well. I’ll try and get a fire started for us to keep us warm. By the way, how the hell dd Mr. Hungry over there break free from this fruit spell? I thought nothing was capable of satiating his appetite. Not even the throats of monsters filled his gut!"

Jacob raised his hands defensively.

"How am I supposed to know?! But you’re all lucky I did or I would be eating you for dessert!"

"You would do that without the mind hex anyway!"

"It’s not like I would enjoy it..."

However, Sarah was bringing up a very good point. How was he capable of breaking free from the hunger curse so easily compared to the others? Normally, his appetite was the one to take over and cause problems for the group. However, it was the complete opposite this time. Was it because he had lived with this hunger for so long, he was used to it? In his mind, there were too many reasons to simply choose one. He came to the conclusion that it was probably a mix of all possibilities. And to confirm his thoughts, Maria spoke out to the group.

"He wasn’t as affected because that’s probably how Jacob feels all the time."

Slimo raised an eyebrow.

"You’re telling me what we just experienced is something that Jacob constantly lives with?"

Maria shrugged her shoulders.

"It’s not like he’s ever not hungry, right Jacob?"

Jacob nodded his head in agreement.

"I’m not sure how hungry you all felt, but eating these fruits truly didn’t feel much different than eating a really tasty treat. However, that does not mean it was not difficult for me to stop myself. I truly considered killing you all to protect my sweets for a moment."

Slimo looked at Jacob dubiously.

"Don’t you think that’s a little overkill?"

"Do you really have room to judge me when you know what we were just eating?"

Slimo laughed.

"You got me there."

Sarah built a fire. They all huddled close to one another as they watched the embers dance around in the flames. The heat coming off it felt nice on Jacob’s face. Sheeby was already sound asleep behind them all snoring very gently. Strangely, it was one of the cutest things Jacob had ever seen. He never knew a killing machine could look so adorable before. Slimo stoked the fire a bit weakly before beginning a conversation.

"I don’t think it has really hit me yet."

Lidia looked at him.

"What hasn’t hit you yet?"

"The fact that we may be the only humans left alive. Doesn’t that seem like a crazy thing to say out loud? I just can’t help but feel there are more people out there somewhere. There has to be."

Slimo was right. For seemingly being the last people alive, no one really acted like it whatsoever. They were all secretly hoping that it wasn’t true, that whatever the Epigones did was reversable and they would be able to save the world. Jacob’s frown deepened.

"I find it hard to believe our friends could die so easily. Those events of pushing the Monlo Empire back, the expedition we all made together, and the thing that did most of us in was one of our own. It’s just crazy. This world is crazy."

Lidia shook slightly being reminded of the traumatic events.

"Orvo... that man was not normal. I can’t believe we didn’t see it coming. How were we so stupid?"

"He shared Maria and I’s mark."

Jacob clenched his fist.

"He said I looked familiar somehow. What I find strange is Doc’s reaction to the whole situation. He looked more shocked than everyone else to see the mark and he had hardly gotten to know who Orvo was. Do you think he is somehow connected to him?"

No one responded. A small silence hung in the air between them.

"There is really no way to tell. The only person who would know that is Orvo himself. Good luck getting him to tell you, assuming he hasn’t been killed by Zalo already."

"He’s alive."

Everyone looked at Jacob. Even Jacob himself was surprised to hear the words come out of his mouth. He hesitated before speaking.

"These marks are still connecting us somehow. I can’t really explain it, I just know he is alive."

"Then, does that really make us the last of humanity if other people like Orvo still exist?"

"Maybe the last of the good people left."

Squabee crossed her arms.

"Speaking of people being left, what do you think happened to that crazy time queen and her jester?"

Jacob’s mind wandered back to Pops and Queen Chronos. A small tang of guilt filled his gut. He had a conversation with someone after they escape who said they would have been more valuable as allies rather than enemies. After everything that has happened, they could not have been more correct. Jacob cursed under his breath.

"To be honest, I’m not sure if anything could get to them. If things do enter that time leviathan, it will only-..."

Jacob’s heart dropped upon realizing a possible issue with leaving the leviathan alive. Maria looked at him as he froze.

"Only what? What will happen if things enter the leviathan’s area? Wouldn’t the Queen and Pops just die to them?"

"No. They’ve been living long enough inside that thing to know how to survive it, I’m sure. Think about it, if the queen, Pops, and the leviathan have an infinite supply of monsters entering their area, what do you believe will occur?"

Slimo lifted his head.

"It will grow. They will all become more powerful."

He stood up and kicked up some dirt.

"Shit."

It turned out that making enemies of the people who live outside of time ended up posing a massive threat to them in their future. Not only that, but time worked differently inside the leviathan’s space, so there could be many more monsters they could have consumed without any of them knowing.

Sarah lifted her hand up and put a finger down.

"So that’s a no on the time people for people left alive. How about Paria Empire? Enki is still there. Surely he could have come up with something to help."

Lidia shook her head.

"He was getting far too old for being capable of something like that. I’m not going to deny his skill, but Enki was retired when we left him. There’s a very small chance he made it out of there with anyone else."

Another finger went down.

"What about Jacob’s Uncle? Shouldn’t he have been at Iron Kingdom with the General?"

"That’s true, but did you see what Zalo did to the place?"

"Do you honestly believe the man who was capable of going hand-to-hand with your father died to a monster coming out of the ground?"

"This isn’t just any monster though. This is the monster; a providence deity and devil incarnate. There is no way he could survive that, even someone like him."

Something small resonated in Jacob’s flawless memory.

"...but, for someone with a water power, I find it hard to believe he wouldn’t prepare more for such a large battle with an ocean being right on his back."

"Too late, I already put my finger down."

"That really only leaves the Sacred and Profane Trio. But can people like that really be considered human?"

"I don’t know. I’m out of fingers anyway, so what does it matter?"

"ENOUGH WITH THE FINGERS! AND YOU STILL HAVE TWO LEFT!!"

Sarah pouted and put her hand down.

"Jacob, I’ve always wondered this, but what happens when you look at someone with you eye who got their Zalo taken away? I’m sure it’s a different case for Lidia since she has another power, but what do you see when you look at Sarah?"

"All I see is Sarah. I don’t even see text appear next to her anymore. As for Lidia, I never actually thought to read her words in more detail. I wonder if anything changed now that her Zalo has been taken."

Jacob remembered hearing Lidia containing something called an awakened Zalo. He was curious if something like that was still active even with her Zalo being removed. He read the runes slowly.

Name: Lidia Rose, Queen of Lumos

Serpentine: Holy Illuminance

Description: The Queen is capable of curing any and all forms of corruption using a ray of her light or the touch of her hand. Only corruption of a much higher level can stave off its cleanse.

[Luminator]: One of the few remaining of a lost clan.

[Royal Blood]: The queen’s blood is special. It constantly cleanses her body of corruption slowly. There is something alive circulating through her blood.

[May Her Light Guide Us Home]: The Queen is capable of guiding her Luminator’s home from any distance.

Jacob nearly passed out reading the last line.

[Surrogate]: The Queen is pregnant, carrying humanities only hope inside of her.