Extra's POV: My Obsessive Villainous Fiancee Is The Game's Final Boss-Chapter 209: Welcome To Summerhold

It had been two long days since they'd left the settlement.

It wasn't that the trail to Summerhold had been harsh. It was the fact that there was a difference in pace when five people took the trip and when a small village came along with all their properties.

The caravan of survivors had made the trip in a slow, deliberate column, their footsteps fueled by nothing more than grit and hope. Children rode in the wagons beside the elderly, while those who could still fight kept to the flanks, watching for danger.

As for the infected, they never showed up on the journey. The people could only theorize that they were still sleeping.

At the very front, Ren and Lilith rode side by side. Lilith's white cloak fluttered behind her, dirt-smudged and worn but still bearing the sigil of the Chosen.

Ren's own clothing was simpler, but that only made him stand out more as he had the posture of a lord on his horse. The others followed his lead, not just because he was strong, but because he made them feel like they could survive anything as long as he was there.

As the city of Summerhold came into view, rising from the earth like a proud giant made of stone, murmurs ran through the crowd behind them.

"Finally…"

"Real walls again."

"I hope they let us in."

Ren stared at the massive gates ahead of them, arched steel braced by thick stone walls. High above, figures in white cloaks paced the battlements, their silhouettes outlined by the midday sun.

After thirty minutes, as they got closer to the gate, a loud voice rang out.

"Halt!"

Ren raised a hand, signaling the column behind him to stop. Dust drifted lazily in the air, and whispers filled the ranks of the weary survivors.

"What's happening?"

"Are we not allowed in?"

Then, with the grace only resonance could grant, two figures leapt from the top of the wall, floating downward like feathers caught in a breeze.

The male landed first, handsome, with wild, untamed blue hair streaked with white like lightning bolts. His white cloak swirled around him as he touched down lightly. A sword hung diagonally across his back.

Beside him landed a beautiful woman with cascading blonde hair that shimmered like spun gold. Her steps were light, her posture elegant, but her eyes sharp as daggers.

If the white cloak around their shoulder was not enough indication, the fact that they had survived the jump was enough for everyone to know that they were both unmistakably Chosen.

They stared at Ren and Lilith with a mixture of wariness and curiosity. Then the man stepped forward. "Who are you?"

Ren didn't hesitate.

"My name is Ren. This is Lilith." He gestured beside him. "We are a Chosen pair. Survivors of Rainhold."

The effect was instant.

Both of the newcomers froze, eyes wide.

"You're… coming from Rainhold?" The woman asked in shock.

Ren gave a slow nod. "Yes."

Their gazes snapped to Lilith's white cloak.

The man's voice dropped an octave. "And you carry the cloak of a Chosen… after Rainhold?"

The pair raised their hands in perfect unison. Energy sparked in the air around them, the invisible hum of a resonance loop forming.

Ren and Lilith's resonance responded before they could even try to stop it. Push and Pull, coiled around each other like a heartbeat.

The air vibrated for a few seconds as the pair of Chosen stared with narrow eyes, having confirmed that they were indeed Chosen with Resonance magic.

"Tell us the truth." The blue-haired man said, his voice filled with warning. "Or face the consequences."

Ren kept his voice calm. "We were newly inducted into the order, hours before the explosion. We took the trial. We placed our hands on the Shivering Tree. And after…"

He let the sentence hang.

The blonde woman narrowed her eyes. "No one survived that explosion. Not even a member of the Synod." freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

Ren's expression was neutral as he filed away that information. Father Francis was dead.

"When the infected breached the city, we were sent to the outer walls with an elder of the order, Chosen Florian, to fight the infected. When the explosion reached us, Florian used his resonance to shield us. He saved our lives at the cost of his own."

The man and woman exchanged glances.

"Florian…" The woman whispered. "That reckless bastard."

The man's voice softened slightly. "Still, to survive what not even the Synod could…"

"We don't expect you to believe it." Ren said. "Only to understand that we stand here today not by strength… but by sacrifice."

The two Chosen were quiet for a moment.

"I'm Kevin." The blue-haired man finally said.

"And I'm Jean." The woman added. "We are the gatekeepers of Summerhold."

Their expressions didn't fully relax, but they weren't hostile anymore.

Kevin turned his gaze to the crowd behind Ren.

"And them? More survivors from Rainhold?"

"No." Ren said. "We met them after Rainhold's fall. Their own village was overrun by the infected. So, we followed our duty to protect them and guided them here."

Jean's eyes widened. "You led a caravan here? Protected them across open land?"

"We did what we could."

Kevin's posture finally eased. "That's commendable."

Jean gave a small nod. "We'll open the gates."

Kevin turned toward the wall. "Open the gates!" He shouted.

The massive iron doors groaned as the inner mechanisms shifted. Then, slowly, they opened.

The people behind Ren cheered, some clapping, some crying, others just whispering thanks to the Creator.

Ren gave Lilith a glance. She returned it with a small smile.

They'd done it.

The column began to file into the large courtyard before the city. There was another gate between this one and the city, several soldiers coming out to guide the new arrivals.

Jean and Kevin waved for Ren and Lilith to follow them.

"Come." Kevin said. "As Chosen, your own procedure will be different."

Ren and Lilith exchanged glances before following the pair up the steps embedded into the city wall. They followed through a door high up. Into the corridors of the wall.

Eventually, they reached a thick iron door designed with an image of the Shivering Tree.

Inside, the room had just stone benches, a basin of water, and a small window overlooking the inner city.

"This is where you'll wait." Jean said. "The Bishop will want to speak with you himself."

"Don't worry, it's not a prison." Kevin smiled. "Just protocol."

Ren gave a polite nod. "We understand."

Kevin returned the nod. "You'll be safe here."

Then he and Jean turned, the door closing behind them.

As the bolt clicked into place, Ren turned to Lilith.

She was already pacing, her soul energy flickering within her.

"Well," she said dryly, "that could've gone worse."