Shrouded Seascape - Chapter 495: Hope

In Nene’s house, the bearded man continued his ransacking for food amidst the mess. Just then, Donna, wrapped in thick, dark cloth, crept silently into the place.

Her eyes widened in alarm as she locked eyes on the invader. Spotting a large rock nearby, she clenched her teeth and picked it up. She silently approached the bearded man, and with a surge of protective fury, she lifted the rock high above her head before crashing down onto his skull with all the strength she could muster.

The bearded man tumbled onto the ground, and crimson blood seeped out of his would and spread swiftly across the floor.

“Quick, Nene! We must leave now. It’s no longer safe here!” Donna exclaimed as she rushed forward and scooped up her daughter, wrapping her securely under her heavy coat.

Together, they dashed out into the sun. Fortunately, with the black cloth covering them, they were shielded from the direct assault of the lethal sun rays.

The island was now bathed in bright sunlight, its warmth touching every corner of the island. Without the spores from the large mushroom, the air felt remarkably fresh. If it hadn’t been for the decaying corpses giving off a foul stench and the shriveled, twisted mushrooms that lined the streets, World’s Crown would have passed off as a picturesque tourist destination.

“Mommy, Sparkle said she went to find food for us. If we leave our house, what if she can’t find us when she comes over?” Nene voiced her concern as she placed her small hand against her chest.

As they dashed around the street corner, Donna gently patted her daughter on the head. “Enough with that. The Crown has fallen. Sparkle and her parents must have surely perished if they had fallen from such a height.”

“But just earlier, she—” Nene began but was swiftly silenced by her mother’s hand firmly covering her mouth.

Donna had heard sounds. She pivoted on her heel and darted into a dilapidated house with a roof long gone. She moved carefully toward the dust-covered window and cast a cautious glance outside.

It didn’t take long before a convoy of trucks entered the village. They were the kind usually used at the docks for collecting grain.

The vehicles halted, and a band of men disembarked from the truck’s bed. Broadcloth bands were tied around their heads, and they wielded an assortment of weapons, their faces etched with threatening expressions.

“Search every house! Round up every single person! Men, women, the Governor wants all of them! Shoot anyone who resists!”

The men swiftly dispersed and spread out in all directions. It didn’t take long before the sounds of gunfire and piercing screams filled the air.

Donna quickly retreated further into the house and scrambled to hide under the bed. Clutching her daughter in her arms, she was visibly trembling.

“Mommy, why do they want to catch everyone?” Nene whispered, her voice shaking as badly as her physical self.

Donna shut her eyes tightly and shook her head vigorously. “Shhh. Don’t speak. Wait for them to be gone, and I’ll take you to a cellar on the east side. I have kept half a bag of black rye flour there. It should sustain us for about half a month.”

“Then… what happens after half a month?”

Donna’s lips quivered uncontrollably at Nene’s question. Tears then began to trail down her cheeks. She had no answer for her daughter. She had thought that their worst days had passed and their lives were getting better. But now, their lives were shadowed by despair.

All their hope had been snuffed out by that devastating light. With the collapse of the Crown, everything had fallen into ruins, and too many had perished.

Now, there was nothing else that she wished for; all she desired was her daughter’s desire.

Just then, the sound of a man’s black leather shoes echoed as the owner stepped into the abandoned house. Donna watched as the pair of shoes circled the room before advancing toward the bed under her watchful, hopeless gaze.

Accompanied by Donna and Nene’s piercing screams, the bed was suddenly flipped open.

“With the thick layer of dust on the ground, your footprints are so clear and obvious. You can’t hide,” the burly man with only one eye said in a gruff voice. As his gaze fell upon Nene, a hint of vile intent flickered across his face.

“I have never got to try someone like you. Let me take you for a ride,” the man’s voice was laced with lust as he began to unbuckle his belt.

Donna immediately placed herself protectively in front of her daughter. She glared at the man, her eyes wide with fury and determination, like a lioness defending her cub.

“What are you trying to do? Are you even human?1 She’s just a child!”

“It’s the end of the world? Who cares if she’s a child?! I’m tired of having my fill with the adults. Let me pop a fresh and young one! Who cares what’s going to happen tomorrow?! Let me satisfy myself first!”

The one-eyed brute lunged forward. He kicked Donna aside with a powerful sweep of his leg and made a grab for Nene.

But the moment he tried to slither his hand under Nene’s clothes, the vile smile on his face froze.

He trembling lifted up his hand only to discover his fingers and palm had vanished without a trace. The cut was so clean that there wasn’t even a visible drop of blood initially.

However, when the agony hit him, he clutched his wrist and let out a pained wail as blood spurted out violently.

“You bitch! How dare you trick me!” The one-eyed man’s face twisted in rage as he hastily grabbed his revolver and pulled the trigger repeatedly.

Swish swish swish!

Several tentacles adorned with green eyes emerged from within Nene’s clothes and caught the bullets mid-air.

Under the terrified gaze of the one-eyed brute, more and more tentacles slithered out from within Nene’s clothes, and they eventually coalesced into a writhing, monstrous entity of tentacles that hovered in mid-air.

“What… what the hell is this abomination!” The one-eyed brute was overwhelmed with fear. He turned and attempted to flee. However, Sparkle’s tentacle was faster. It shot out and dragged him into the mass of writhing tentacles amid his screams of despair.

A few seconds later, under the astonished gazes of Donna and Nene, the hovering tentacle monster swiftly shrank and assumed the form of a little girl. It was Sparkle, clutching a large bag in her hand.

Nene’s eyes widened in amazement as she reached into her bosom and fished out the portrait Sparkle had given her previously. She studied the drawing and realization dawned upon her.

“Sparkle, so the creature you drew was actually you!” Nene exclaimed in awe. There wasn’t a hint of fear in her voice.

“Yeah, I wanted to tell you, but Mommy told me not to,” Sparkle said and pulled out a partially eaten steak from the large bag. “Aren’t you hungry? I brought food for you.”

The sight of the delicious food made Nene’s stomach growl even louder. She moved to grab it, but Donna held her back.

Donna’s gaze was filled with extreme unease, and her voice was laced with panic as she urged, “Sparkle, please leave. Nene isn’t hungry.”

Sparkle tilted her head in confusion. She then stepped forward and extended the steak out to Nene directly. “Don’t humans get hungry without food?”

Nene reached out her hand to accept the steak. Her eyes glimmered with delight as she reassured Donna, “Mommy, it’s okay. She’s Sparkle, my friend.”

Biting into the steak smothered in a rich brown sauce, Nene’s eyes lit up. “Mmm~ This is so delicious! Mommy! Try it! It tastes even better than bananas!”

However, Donna was hesitant. She didn’t reach for the steak. With a terrified expression, she stared at Sparkle and asked, “Who… who exactly are you?”

“I’m Sparkle,” Sparkle replied. She then pushed a small bag of seeds into Donna’s hands. “These are banana seeds. They can grow under sunlight and can be harvested twice a year. Cultivation instructions are written on the paper inside.”

Donna could hardly believe her ears. Her face flushed red with emotions, and her breaths grew evidently labored.

“That’s… that’s food that can grow under the death light?” Donna reiterated Sparkle’s words. She had grasped the significance of Sparkle’s gift. This gift represented their survival! They didn’t have to die!

Tears streamed down Donna’s face uncontrollably. Any fear of Sparkle and her ability to turn into a monster evaporated instantly. Pulling her daughter next to her, she dropped to her knees and bowed toward Sparkle.

“Thank you! Though I still don’t know your true identity, you’re nothing short of a god to us!”