NTR Rogue in the Apocalypse-Chapter 203: The Truth

"True, but we’ll keep an eye out and send out scout teams to survey the hotspots. If we can find even a single Luminar base, we’ll be one step closer to victory."

John quirked an eyebrow, "Shouldn’t we look for the mines on the ship?"

"Now that we have potential hotspots, we should send out scouts on foot. It’s possible they would detect us before we find the mining operations otherwise."

John nodded, his lips curling into a slight smile, "Let’s plan the missions."

They returned to the base and they went over a map of the city that was printed by the ship. The map contained monster hotspots and potential locations for the Luminar’s bases and mining operations were highlighted in green.

They assigned multiple groups of scouts to explore the hotspots and report back on any suspicious activities or strange sightings.

John knew the missions would be dangerous and he made sure to assign experienced fighters to each group.

By nightfall, the base had fallen into a peaceful quiet that had John basking in the calmness.

It was almost mesmerizing for him as he scanned the horizon from the roof of the base. The stars twinkled in the dark sky and John could feel his stress ebbing away, if only for a moment.

The peaceful night had taken him back to a few years back, to a simpler time when Robert was his second mentor, Charles was still alive, and Earth hadn’t been invaded by monsters and Luminars... a time when John wasn’t in control of his future, and he didn’t have to shoulder the responsibility of keeping the base and his friends alive.

Now, as the night turned darker, John couldn’t help but wonder if this was it for him and his companions. The odds were stacked against them, and it was becoming more apparent that their survival hinged on sheer luck and their sheer will to fight back and resist.

John’s mind flashed back to the days of his childhood when he and Dalia were best friends and her friends were trying to pull her away from John...

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"John!" Dalia called out, her cheeks flushed and her eyes glazed.

The younger John turned towards her, his heart beating rapidly. John was anxious, aware of what Dalia’s friends were plotting. They wanted her to stop hanging out with him as John’s family was poor and no one was expected to succeed in their poor neighbourhood in this dog-eat-dog world.

Dalia approached John as her friends pulled her towards a store and entered it, and John felt anger bubbling up within him as the door was locked right before his eyes, sealing him out of the store... away from Dalia... and away from any means of comfort or belonging in his otherwise wretched life.

Back then, John would wear his smile like armour. It was a shield against the cruelty of life, a buffer against the abuse and the ridicule, and it was something he would hold onto no matter what.

That’s why John’s anger never showed on his face and he always maintained his mask of neutrality to not lose Dalia as his friend and whatever little he had left.

Dalia’s friends broke him down and it crushed John and left him vulnerable to be ridiculed and treated like a lesser being. John had promised Dalia that he forgave her, but did he really forgive her or was he still unconsciously holding a grudge? John wasn’t one to dwell on the past and he moved on instinct, so this was a question he would never get an answer for.

As much as it infuriated him, there was a part of John that blamed Dalia and it had become a subconscious decision to keep his distance, but with all their new developments and his willingness to try, the gap was being bridged.

"John," Dalia called in a sweet tone, a tone one would use with a loved one.

John looked back at her as his mind wandered through memories, his eyes vacant and his lips drawn into a thin, pale line.

Dalia approached him, a smile curling her full lips, "There you are," she exclaimed, her blue eyes shining, her blonde hair shining. She had tied it into twin buns and the whole outfit screamed innocence.

"I couldn’t find you after we returned. What are you doing here?"

She climbed onto the roof with him, sitting next to him, their knees touching slightly, sending a shiver through their skin.

The wind played with her blonde hair and she closed her eyes, her mind relaxing, her body shivering.

"Dalia..."

Her eyes opened and she turned towards him, her cheeks flushed and her breath quivering, "Why, what is it?"

"What do you want most in the world right now?" John inquired as his hands took hers. He looked at her in the eyes as the words sank deep. She looked confused, yet the words seemed to spark in her eyes, "Right now, you’re all I want."

John looked up at the bright starry sky above him, its glimmering splendour illuminating their path. The galaxy was all-encompassing and its depths could not be fathomed by the mere mortal’s mind, just like John’s and Dalia’s inconsequential problems.

John chuckled, ’I must be growing old if I am having an existential crisis.’

"Are you laughing at me? I’m serious," Dalia protested, but her tone was sweet and lighthearted.

"Oh no, Dalia," John shook his head, his smile softening, "It’s nothing. Just my own weird mind."

"John, you’re not strange," Dalia said, her blue eyes shining as her lips twisted into a modest smile. "You’re you," she said.

The silence between the two of them lengthened as Dalia’s gaze pierced through his.

"What about you, John? What do you want?"

"The truth..." he began and stopped as he struggled to express himself, his frustration rising, "the truth is the most important thing right now."

"Truth about what?"

John sighed, his voice strained, "Everything."

"Everything... what?" she asked, her blue eyes widened and confused, "You mean everything in general?"