Abyss Descension: I Perform Rituals to Evolve In The Apocalyps

Chapter 43 - Group of surviors

As the two friends embraced tightly, reunited at last, a soft, curious voice rang out.

"Big sister, who is this man?"

A little girl peeked out from behind Lena's leg, wide-eyed and curious.

With porcelain skin, round cheeks, and delicate features, she was like a doll come to life, looking no older than six.

Her large, limpid eyes sparkled with the innocence of childhood as she stared at Kev with admiration.

Then, her round head tilted as she looked up at Lena with her deer-like eyes, waiting for an answer with a level of curiosity that could only come from a child.

"Cute," Kev said, noticing a doll-like child looking at him like he was some kind of superhero who had saved a lot of life—which, to be fair, he had.

Beside him, Agatha's heart melted the moment she saw the doll like child, indicating her hopelessness when it came to anything cute.

Indeed.

She had the terrible habit of spending all her money on cute things, and an even worse habit of gawking and feeling protective of young ones as she just found them so damn adorable.

Thus, the moment she saw the doll-like child, who radiated a cuteness that seemed out of this world, her eyes remained glued to her, and an intense, maternal desire to shield her from the dangers and horrors of the abyss arose within her heart.

"Uff, who's this little cutie patootie?" Unable to restrain herself, she blurted out.

"She's Wang Yuxin," Lena placed a comforting hand on the child's head as she introduced her to Kev and Agatha.

Then, she turned to the little girl, answering her earlier question while pointing at Kev, "Yuxin, this man you see here is my close friend. The one I talked about not too long ago."

Yuxin moved her gaze back to Kev.

"I see. You're the kind and dependable big brother with a harsh exterior but a soft interior that big sister regrets not confessing to when she had the chance."

Hearing the child's words, Kev blinked in suprise.

The very next moment, he narrowed his eyes and fixed Lena with a gaze so intense and piercing, her heart skipped a beat.

"Is that true?" He asked her.

Under his hawk-like gaze, Lena's skin tingled and her earlobes flushed a seductive shade of red.

It was true, although she didn't say it out loud. Her expression said it all.

She had developed a crush on him two months ago, but she never confessed to him because she was afraid it would ruin what little they had.

Her fears weren't unfound. After all, Kev had never shown interest in her. Even when she dropped obvious hints left and right, he never reacted, making her feel like he was not interested in progressing their platonic friendship to a more intense and intimate relationship.

Her fears held her back until it was too late, and not confessing when she had the chance became her greatest regret. In a moment of vulnerability, she had shared that regret with the people she'd come to know and depend upon after being pulled into the abyss.

At that time, she truly believed she was forever separated from Kev.

Who would've guessed they'd reunite so soon after fate had torn them apart, and that Wang Yuxin would innocently blurt out her secret right in front of him?

She didn't want him to find out about her feeling like this.

But the cat was already out of the bag.

There was no point pretending anymore.

She dropped her gaze and nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, redness suffusing her cheeks and spread down to her neck, turning her entire face beet red.

'Even she can make a face like that?

The rest of the group of survivors were stunned, seeing her face resemble a ripe tomato under the sun. They had never seen this side of her before. They found her bashful expression... oddly charming.

'How will he respond?' Lena felt a flicker of expectation in her heart as she stole a furtive glance at him.

"I am sorry but I can't accept your feelings," Kev said frankly.

Lena felt something inside her crack.

"Why?" She asked with a tremble in her voice.

"We are not exactly in a situation to fall in love and get together." Kev replied.

It made sense but Lena couldn't help but feel sad, her expression turning sullen. But she didn't act out or cry like a spoiled daddy princess because of being rejected. She took it like a champ.

+1 point for her.

Agatha gave her thumbs up in her heart, liking her for her strong personality.

Seeing that she had handled the rejection maturely, Kev felt at ease as he turned to the little girl and spoke calmly, "Little one, while you may believe what you've been told about me, don't take what you hear as fact. Believe only what you see for yourself."

Wang Yuxin tilted her head thoughtfully.

"Yuxin's daddy said the same thing before. With a very serious face, he told Yuxin, 'Don't let other people's opinions shape your view. See the world with your own eyes and judge it with your own heart.'"

Kev chuckled. "Your father seems like a wise and kind man who really cares for his daughter."

Kev was interested in meeting him. He felt like they would make great friends.

At his words, Yuxin nodded without hesitation.

"Daddy indeed cares for Yuxin the most. When Mama says no sweets, Daddy secretly gives Yuxin a little. Every night, he tells Yuxin a story to help Yuxin sleep. Yuxin loves Daddy the most! He's Yuxin hero... just like you and this beautiful big sister here. Thank you both for saving Yuxin and everyone else."

Despite her young age, she understood everything perfectly.

They were closed to getting killed. If Kev and Agatha hadn't arrived when they did, no one in this hall would still be alive!

Seeing the doll-like child act mature like a real adult, Agatha found her endlessly endearing.

'What a precious child,' she thought. 'Like a walking ball of sugar and sunshine.'

"You are welcome."

Kev said to Yuxin before he took a step back and scanned the faces around him. None of them looked East Asian like Yuxin. The people in the hall gazed at him with a mix of awe, curiosity, and quiet gratitude. When his eyes passed over them, a few waved timidly, and he returned their gestures with a slight nod.

"I don't see your parents here. You must miss them." He said to Yuxin.

Hearing his words, Wang Yuxin's gaze dropped for the first time.

"Yuxin misses them very much... but Yuxin knows there's not much Yuxin can do right now. All Yuxin can do is stay strong and hope that someday, Yuxin get to see them again."

Kev's expression softened.

"I hope that day comes soon."

Ahem!

A man wearing spectacles cleared his throat.

Kev and the others turned their gaze to him, just as he had intended.

"Hello, I'm Bell. Doctor Bell," he said with a polite smile. "It's good to know that one of our savior isn't a total stranger but someone one of us is already familiar with. I hope we can work together from here on out."

He extended a hand toward Kev.

"I'm Kev," Kev replied, shaking his hand without saying anything more.

"I want to extend the same invitation to you, beautiful young lady. Let's stick together from now. After all, strength is in numbers," Bell said as he turned to the tall woman beside Kev. "What should I call you?"

"Just Agatha is fine," Agatha replied.

"Doctor Bell is the reason we survived long enough to be saved by you two," Lena added.

Kev and Agatha's impression of Bell eased upon realizing he had been the voice of reason among the group they'd saved.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did the two of you deal with the monsters crowding the exit?" Doctor Bell asked politely.

"It was all him. I barely did any work," Agatha said, pointing at Kev.

"You dealt with them all alone?" Doctor Bell asked, baffled.

"Pretty much, yeah," Kev replied honestly.

"How?"

Kev pointed at the bridge behind him. "I pushed them off it."

Bell blinked in confusion. "You... pushed them off the bridge? That doesn't seem humanly possible."

"As you can see, I made it possible," Kev said.

"How?" He asked curiously.

"Unless you see it for yourself, you won't believe it. If there's an opportunity, I'll show you." Kev smiled faintly.

Everyone in the hall knew those monsters weren't something even a group of people could.handle, but he had dealt with them single handedly.

What did that make him?

It made him.

Unordinary.

This man was definitely special.

Thinking up to this point, they felt the need to know more about him.

If possible, they wanted to be included in his circle and get close to him.

After all, only by doing that would he feel some responsibility for them... and maybe, just maybe, carry them to safety when the time came.

A man with a gruff voice stepped forward first.

"Brother, I'm Sidhu. This is my son, Chandu, and my wife, Parwi. Thank you for saving our life. Our family of three feels extremely grateful for the help you have provided."

Kev nodded in acknowledgment.

Another person approached.

"I'm Lola. As you can probably tell from my appearance, I used to be a supermodel back on Earth." She winked at him after introducing herself.

Kev didn't seem eager to play along .

Instead, he turned his gaze toward the only two people in the hall who hadn't bothered to introduce themselves.

One of them looked away the moment their eyes met, like a man who was guilty of a crime.

The other remained seated with his head lowered. A cap sat snug over his head, its brim casting a shadow that cloaked most of his face.

Even so, Kev could see what he looked like clearly.

Though the man was alive, his eyes told a different story.

Empty.

Lifeless.

Like someone who had already died inside—eyes that no longer held dreams or hope, as if the fire within had long been extinguished.

"Who are they?" Kev asked, curiosity piqued.

"That one," Lola pointed at the tall burly man with tattoos all over his body, "is a bastard who nearly got us all killed."

She then gestured to the man with lifeless eyes. "And he's been silent since the beginning. Hasn't said a word. We don't even know his name."

"With introductions out of the way," Kev said, "let's have a real talk."

"What do you want to talk about?" Doctor Bell asked.

"We'll share everything we've experienced since arriving in this accursed place," Kev said. "Who wants to go first?"

*Me!"

"Me!"

Agatha and Lena spoke at the same time.

Kev glanced at them and smiled faintly. "Lena, you go first."

He already knew what Agatha had been through.

Listening to her recount her experience in the abyss wouldn't provide him with anything new.

Besides, he was curious to know whether this group of survivors had something worth hearing.

That was why he picked Lena.

"It all began a few days ago," Lena said.