Webtoon: Tower of God

(Y/n)'s POV

Hands bound, vision blurred. Blood trickling down my neck, a headache stealing my consciousness away. Yet a stoic smirk plastered on my face, unwilling to give my capturers the satisfaction they wanted.

"You have precisely one minute to tell us the whereabouts of that girl or else we'll have your head," exclaimed Gado.
"Then take my life. My duty is finished. My life has no purpose anymore."
"You would really choose death over life?"
"You already have an answer. I don't see why I have to repeat myself."

Another blow to the stomach. My endurance persevered, as it was the only asset of mine keeping me alive. Gado's 'underling' indeed had the strength of a ranker, but a weak one at that.

"That blow should've knocked her out..." his underling said, completely puzzled.
"Well then, let me formerly introduce myself. My name is (Y/n) Ha, a former Jahad princess and a direct descendant of the Ha family head."
"The safe-keeper's an ex-princess? How...convenient," commented Gado.
"It is convenient, isn't it?"

The irritating shackles binding my arms fell to the ground with a clack. Scissoring my feet, the chains snapped with a sharply crisp sound. Shooting the pin towards the ranker, I managed to injure his left eye.

"You picked the lock on these explosive handcuffs?"
"Don't underestimate me, gentlemen."
"Then I'm sure you know very well that I can easily kill you. Tell me where your sister is."
"And like I've already made clear before...I do not mind if you do."

The canine man stood, furious and irritated, his patience pushed to its very limit. Summoning my shinsu control, I strengthened my body only after activating a flame wave explosion.

Gasping from the harsh impact of hitting the metal wall, my vision darkened, my consciousness fading. Yet an arrogant grin tugged at the corners of my lips upon seeing Gado's bleeding arm.

With the click of a finger, his ranker underling was before my immobile body, his stature towering over what little strength I had left. Raising his arm above his head, I slowly closed my eyes for the last time.

"No! (Y/n)!"

That sounded so very much like Eva's (made-up character) voice. Was I...hallucinating? Surprisingly enough, my body could not feel the ranker's final attack. Did I lose...my sense of touch?

"Wake up!"

Like a puppet being played around, I opened my eyes, and saw a blue-haired boy blocking the ranker from hurting me. He slid back a few metres as electricity flashed and surrounded his body.

Weakly raising my arm and touching his back, I transferred shinsu into his body and strengthened his stance. Throwing the ranker back, he summoned a large glowing spear before aiming it towards Gado.

A direct descendant from the Khun family...his power was beautiful... How very unlike my own...

Eva ran to my side, tears streaking down her soft cheeks. I couldn't muster the strength to move, much less talk yet she understood. She understood my questions.

"I went to grab help. I didn't want to let you die! You can call me an idiot, you can hate me all you want! But I'm not leaving you alone," she exclaimed.
"Eva, we've got to go," said a brown-haired boy.

The same boy who threw the spear gingerly lifted me up into his arms as Eva ran alongside him. Feeling light-headed and dizzy, I felt my consciousness slowly drift away until I fell into a deep slumber.

~Two hours later~

I woke up with a start. Heart drumming, head thumping, body aching. Gasping, I tightened my hands into fists. An ice pack slid from my forehead as I achingly sat up.

Only then realising that another was in this plainly-decorated room. The boy pushed me back down, putting the ice pack back on my head. Bandages covered my arms, my legs and my stomach.

"You're still recovering. Don't get up," was all he said.
"W-who are you?"
"Ran, an acquaintance of your sister's."
"What happened?"
"Do I really have to explain?"
"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to know."
"...your sister came to us saying that she was the girl carrying the forbidden gem, and that you were the safe-keeper. She asked us to save you and in exchange, she'd give us the treasure. My brother agreed, seeing as how it's priceless."
"That idiot...thank you for saving my life though."

I sat up again but this time, he made no attempt to do anything. Nimbly stepping onto the cold, hard ground, I put my weight into my legs, awkwardly stumbling forward.

Ran put an arm around my waist from behind, his warm breath tickling my skin was he sucked on his lollipop. My eyes widened once noticing the gorgeous view of the large city down below.

Feeling Ran lift me onto his shoulders, I gasped as he walked closer to the tall windows. I placed my hand on the cool, smooth glass and watched the bustling hubbub.

"It's beautiful..."
"'She was always looking after me. She never did anything for herself. She defied her responsibilities as one of Jahad's princesses because it restricted her too much. She gave up on her future when she decided to become the safe-keeper,' was what Eva told me. She wanted to do something for you for once. I guess that was why she chose this hotel," Ran explained.

Tears brimmed my eyes. My attempt to hold them back failed miserably. Ran slipped me off his shoulders, his arm still holding me upright as he offered me a lollipop, his innocent eyes staring into my tear-filled gaze.

"Thanks for helping me back there," he said.
"You're...very welcome."

I took the lollipop from his hand and ripped the packaging off before licking it. It was (f/f)...reminiscent memories flooded my mind, unforgettable flavours coating my lips, colourful sights stealing my vision.

"I forgot how happiness felt...thank you for giving it back to me..."
"I heard that your only purpose was to protect the forbidden gem. Now that...we have it, what will you do now?" he asked.
"I...don't know."
"I see..."
"Where's Eva? I want to see her."

He didn't answer.

"Where is she?"
"...I don't know-"
"Tell me, please."
"She's...gone."
"W-what do you mean?"
"Once she lost the gem, her life was starting to disappear. She...ceased to exist when you were unconscious...and told me to give you that lollipop. She asked me to look after you and to make sure you'd never cry again..."
"Ran, you're not lying, right? I..."
"...I'm not."

Scrunching my face up, I refused to believe what was undeniably the truth. His eyes searched mine, his innocence keeping me from bursting. Only when he nodded discreetly did I cry.

Hiding my face in his chest, his arms wrapped around me. I clutched his shirt as I cried, unsure and scared. It seemed that I had returned to being a little girl...

"(Y/n), she said that you've been hurt more than you've been happy. You treasure your happiness. I'll...make sure you'll experience more of that happiness."
"Why...are you helping me so much?..."
"Because you don't remember me at all, and I want you to remember...the life you had before you became a candidate for a princess...because I love you."