Picking Up My Ex-Wife in the Apocalypse - Chapter 19

Si Qi gasped for breath, her chest heaving violently. The searing pain in her waist, the sensation of her internal organs being pulverized, and the primal hunger coursing through her blood tore at her consciousness. Her vision blurred into a chaotic haze.

The sound of Si Ruxu’s voice gradually faded. Darkness swallowed her sight, but her mind remained unnervingly awake. Within the gloom, a blood-red ribbon of energy materialized, shimmering and beckoning. Instinctively, she stood and moved toward it.

She felt a pair of arms wrap around her—soft, warm, and familiar. She reached up and slowly, inch by inch, pried the person away. But the embrace returned, tighter this time, and a frantic, sobbing whisper reached her ears: “Si Qi… no, don’t go there…”

Who is that? Si Ruxu? Go where?

With a sharp mental command, Si Qi tore through space, isolating Si Ruxu in a separate pocket. She lunged forward and grabbed the red ribbon. It burned her palms like molten lead, but she refused to let go. A surge of energy flowed from the ribbon into her veins; a feeling of absolute, intoxicating relief.

It felt like a power that had been stolen from her was finally returning to its source.

She tilted her head, and the world snapped back into focus. Her hand was buried deep in the Base Commander’s abdomen, right where his core should be. She didn’t pull back; instead, she began siphoning his energy.

Only then did she realize what she had done. She saw a faint, blood-red glow hovering above the Commander’s head; a familiar energy that triggered a flare of possessive rage within her. It was the anger of a victim seeing their stolen property in the hands of a thief.

The scent of ozone and fire filled the air. Si Qi lifted the man, his body now a husk, and hurled him away. A split second later, a fireball slammed into him as squads of Awakened surrounded the building.

They were trapped.

Si Qi turned. Si Ruxu was staring at her from the isolated spatial pocket, her expression a mix of shock and silent resentment. Si Qi avoided her gaze, feeling a pang of guilt. A barrage of elemental attacks such as fire, water, and pure energy, slammed into her perimeter, only to be neutralized instantly by her presence.

Reflected in the firelight, Si Qi’s face looked ethereal and calm. She stepped toward Si Ruxu, entered the small spatial pocket, and pulled the woman into a fierce embrace. She opened her mouth, but it took a long moment to find her voice.

“Don’t be afraid,” she whispered. “I’m here.”

She tapped into the raging, unstable power in her body. Using every ounce of her remaining sanity, she teleported herself and Si Ruxu hundreds of miles away.

*****

The roar of battle was replaced by the rustle of wind through grass. Si Qi collapsed onto the ground, unable to hold back the blood welling in her throat. The vibrant crimson stained the grass beneath her.

Her clothes were soaked with blood. It felt as if every vein in her body had been snapped. She curled into a ball, biting her lip to stay conscious as she drew a long, shuddering breath.

Beside her, Si Ruxu stood in her domestic sleep robe, her knuckles white. She remained silent, watching. She had seen it clearly: Si Qi had absorbed the Commander’s power.

The power the Commander had used wasn’t an elemental ability at all. No wonder Si Ruxu had never been able to gauge his rank; he was actually an ordinary human. But somehow, he had obtained a blood-red energy; an energy identical to Si Qi’s.

Si Ruxu could tell that Si Qi’s version was the “Mother” and the Commander’s was the “Seed.” Si Qi was suffering now because her physical form couldn’t contain the sudden surge of returned power, but her second ability was already working to stitch her back together.

Si Ruxu leaned against a tree, exhausted. A sliver of sunlight hit her bloodless lips, making her look incredibly fragile. On one side was her base; hollowed out and ruled by a tyrant—and on the other was Si Qi, fighting for her life.

Si Qi remained curled in a ball, refusing to make a sound despite the agony. She didn’t know where they were; she had just aimed for the furthest point possible.

She struggled to open her eyes, searching for Si Ruxu.

“So you can still open your eyes. You must be doing better,” Si Ruxu said. Her voice was cool and detached, like a mountain spring.

Si Qi’s heart finally found its anchor. She met those amber eyes—eyes that were currently cold, indifferent, and completely distant.

It hurt. Not just her body.

Hot tears mixed with blood as they rolled down her cheeks. It’s just the pain, she told herself. When she was loved, she used to show Si Ruxu every little bruise, wanting her to blow on them to make it better.

Si Ruxu knelt and gently wiped the tears away. Si Qi’s sobs only intensified. She tried to speak, and Si Ruxu leaned in close to listen.

The girl’s breath was ragged, carrying the scent of blood and raw power. Her voice trembled as she managed to choke out a few words.

“Si Ruxu… what do I have to do… to save you?”

Si Ruxu froze. Her heart felt as though it had been plunged into ice.

“You can… take my core,” Si Qi continued, her words slurring. “Take it with you…”

Si Ruxu realized with a jolt of horror that Si Qi was giving her a last will and testament. Even in this state, the girl was worried about how an injured Si Ruxu would survive the apocalypse without her.

A realization, almost absurd in its clarity, hit Si Ruxu: Si Qi loves me. She actually loves me.

Si Ruxu recoiled, her mind screaming in resistance. How could she love me? She should hate me. She should hate the betrayal, the abandonment, and the cold indifference. How can she still love me?

Watching the light fade from Si Qi’s eyes, Si Ruxu let out a sudden, hysterical laugh. She grabbed Si Qi’s hand, allowing the rampaging energy to flood into her own veins.

The sensation of her bones being crushed hit her like a tidal wave. She dropped to one knee, blood dripping from her lips to match Si Qi’s. She gripped Si Qi’s hand as the girl tried to pull away.

“Don’t move,” Si Ruxu gasped, a gentle smile playing on her lips even as she trembled. “Si Qi, I can’t live without you. For my sake… stay alive, okay?”

Si Qi nodded weakly. As the energy stabilized and her second ability began its work, she finally succumbed to the weight of her exhaustion and fell unconscious.

*****

Si Ruxu sat beside her, pale and drained. She had used her own body as a temporary vessel for Si Qi’s overflow. It was a suicidal gamble, but if Si Qi died, Si Ruxu wouldn’t survive more than a few days on the run anyway.

Fortunately, Si Qi’s instinct had protected her; the girl had subconsciously limited the amount of power she let through, sparing Si Ruxu the worst of the impact. Still, the shock had widened the existing cracks in Si Ruxu’s core.

Si Ruxu stared into the distance. What now? The first Purge was over, but four more were coming. The second would likely hit within three months. Where could they go?

When Si Qi finally woke, she saw Si Ruxu looking lost, like an abandoned kitten. Si Qi’s red patterns hadn’t faded, and every movement was a scream of pain, but she forced a smile.

“I’m okay. I’ll protect you. I’ll find a way to fix your core.”

Si Ruxu looked at her, her eyes filled with something Si Qi couldn’t read. “As long as you’re okay,” she said. Her tone was so cold it made Si Qi shiver.

Si Qi reached out and placed a hand on Si Ruxu’s abdomen, using the red energy to carefully bridge the cracks in the woman’s core. When she pulled her hand away, it left a bloody palm print on Si Ruxu’s robe.

Si Qi looked down, embarrassed.

“Why are your hands so chubby when you’re so thin?” Si Ruxu teased softly, catching Si Qi’s hand before she could hide it.

“They’re not chubby!” Si Qi protested. She was tall and lean, but her hands were soft and round, like a child’s. It was a matter of pride.

“Mm… they’re not,” Si Ruxu whispered. She laced her fingers with Si Qi’s.

In the silence, Si Qi heard her heart pounding like a drum. Then, she heard Si Ruxu’s voice.

“Si Qi, let’s just be partners. Okay?”

It was a gentle request, almost a plea.

Si Qi’s heart, which had just begun to warm, plummeted. Her eyes burned with unshed tears as she slowly, one by one, unlinked her fingers from Si Ruxu’s hand.

“Okay.”

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