I Will Die for You, My Darling! - Chapter 29

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Chapter 29

It was undeniable. Isaac was right. Here in the Downstream, it was a dog-eat-dog world. Arietta, raised preciously and sheltered by Seia, taught nothing of survival, was utterly incompetent. Her power had existed solely as Seia’s daughter. Now, with Seia gone, even her request to say a final goodbye was dismissed.

“Then… I can’t even see Mother’s body?” Arietta’s eyes welled with tears that mingled with the rain as they streamed down her face.

“That’s right.” Isaac’s voice was sharp and cold.

Arietta threw her umbrella to the ground and walked past Isaac into the rain. She’d follow his footprints before they washed away completely. If she tracked them, she could discover where he’d been. Then… perhaps she could at least have a final moment with her mother. ‘Maybe I can hold her stiff hand. Maybe I can cut a lock of her hair.’

Isaac grabbed Arietta’s wrist. She tried to wrench it free, but he yanked her toward him. Arietta stumbled, and Isaac caught her in his arms.

“I dumped her in the swamp.”

“Dumped… her?”

“She’d release toxins as she decomposed. A mutated corpse, you know. She’s probably sunk by now.”

Shock finally registered on Arietta’s face. She stared at Isaac, speechless. Death was so… fleeting. It didn’t wait for you to be ready. It just carved out a huge chunk of your life without a care for those left behind. Death in the Downstream was even crueler, denying the bereaved even the solace of mourning. Her mother was dead, and she had nothing left of her.

“I want to go to the swamp. I know where it is.” Arietta spoke stubbornly, pulling her hand free from Isaac’s grip. Her rain-soaked shoulders trembled. “I’m going to get something of hers.”

“Do what you want.” Isaac clicked his tongue at her defiance.

Arietta turned and headed north, walking relentlessly. It was a reckless journey. The swamp was far, a difficult trek for a rain-soaked, exhausted girl. Isaac followed five paces behind. The bio-core engine vehicle that had transported Seia was parked nearby. It would be a quick trip to the swamp, but Isaac kept that to himself.

They reached the swamp as dawn painted the sky a pale gray. Arietta gasped for breath, pushing her wet hair away from her face. A vast, desolate expanse stretched before her. The stench was overpowering. The ground sloped sharply down to a pool of viscous, black semi-solid that filled most of the basin.

This had once been the heart of the old capital, before the pollution disaster. The upper class had escaped the contamination by literally lifting the ground, their city ascending into the sky. A gaping void remained where the earth had been torn away. This low-lying area became a repository for the pollutants that flowed downwards, congealing into a sludge-like mire. It greedily swallowed everything thrown into it. It was common knowledge that the Sky City dumped its waste directly into this pit, accelerating the contamination and decay.

Arietta stared at the stagnant pollution, then began walking along the edge, as if expecting to see a strand of Seia’s hair. But no matter how hard she looked, there was no sign of her mother. Isaac had been right. Her mother had already sunk. To retrieve anything, Arietta would have to enter the mire. But if she stepped in, she’d never get out. ‘The swamp’s pollution is known to circulate very slowly. With luck, Seia’s body might resurface.’ But for now, there was nothing of her mother to be found. Her legs finally gave way, and she sank to the ground. ‘Mother is gone.’

“How are you going to survive now? No one’s going to protect you.” Isaac asked.

“I guess not.” Arietta blinked blankly.

“You’ll probably die. Within days.” Isaac’s brow twitched.

“What?”

“It’s true.” Arietta said lightly, rising to her feet. She stared blankly at the swamp that had swallowed Seia. “Maud won’t protect me anymore. It was Mother she found useful, not me. She only tolerated me to maintain a good relationship with her. But now she’s dead.” Arietta’s voice, usually melodic, was flat. Her self-assessment was brutally honest. “So, the people Mother betrayed will come.”

‘The people she betrayed?’ The question formed in Isaac’s mind just as the answer arrived. ‘Ah, Dale, the previous boss. The one Maud assassinated. Seia betrayed him and sided with Maud.’