Chapter 185: Polar Day, Cellar 6

She hoped the two little ones could be a bit stronger, live a bit longer. After raising them for so long, Evelyn Ford had grown deeply attached. They were like family now, impossible to part with.

Mina lay in her arms, wagging its tail, as Ronan Kendrick reached out and poked its head.

"Where did you find these two?"

"On Broken Cloud Mountain. You included. I found all three of you on Broken Cloud Mountain."

Ronan Kendrick’s lips curved into a smile. He picked a peanut off the table and held it out to Mina, who gobbled it down without a second thought.

"So I’m the first person you found. And the last."

Evelyn Ford nodded. "Of course. If I thought I could win a fight against you, do you really think you’d still be alive?"

Ronan Kendrick had to agree. After all, Evelyn had wanted him dead when they first met.

"Evelyn, do you want to go back?"

"To Broken Cloud Mountain?"

Ronan Kendrick shook his head. "No, I mean Corinth. Your home."

Evelyn rested her chin in her hand, falling silent. ’Of course I want to go back, but will I ever be able to in this lifetime?’

’What would Corinth even look like now? That great fire probably burned the entire city to ash.’

"If I get the chance, I’d like to go back. But I probably never will."

’Unless... unless I die again and get another chance at rebirth, waking up back in my home in Prosperity Gardens.’

Evelyn looked at him. "What about you? Do you want to go back to Marris?"

Ronan Kendrick shook his head. "I have no attachment to that place."

That made sense. He had lived in a laboratory since birth. Although Evelyn didn’t know the details, she could imagine life in a lab couldn’t have held many happy days.

"Actually, I’ve been to Marris before."

Ronan Kendrick looked up at her, as if trying to determine if she was telling the truth.

"It’s true. Before the apocalypse, I went to Marris to stock up on supplies. I was only there for about two weeks, though. It’s a tourist city, surrounded by lots of beautiful mountains."

"I’ve never been."

Evelyn reached out and patted his head. "Don’t worry. We’ll see even more beautiful mountains in the future."

"Okay."

The days in the cellar were dull and tedious, but also quiet and peaceful.

Ronan had long since taken off his colored contacts. Now, only Evelyn could appreciate his beautiful, unusual eyes.

***

"Tomorrow is my birthday."

Evelyn handed her journal to Ronan. He stared, momentarily dazed, at the date circled on the page—October 5th. Then, he said softly, "It’s my birthday, too."

Evelyn smiled. "I know. I’m planning to make a cake. Oh, and longevity noodles, too. We can cook together this afternoon. What do you feel like eating?"

"Fish."

Evelyn snapped her fingers. "You got it. I’ve been craving fish, too. What else?"

"Red-braised pork belly."

"Okay."

"Spicy rabbit."

"Alright, added to the list."

...

Evelyn jotted down the dishes he requested in her notebook. ’Twenty-four years old, my zodiac birth year. It definitely calls for a proper celebration.’

In the blink of an eye, the polar day had dragged on for over half a year, and the extreme heat outside showed no signs of abating. But Evelyn was in a good state of mind. ’Every day I’m alive is a bonus,’ she thought. ’Just stay calm and enjoy the now.’

Evelyn wasn’t sure what to call her relationship with Ronan. They weren’t a couple, yet they seemed to have surpassed the boundaries of one. Before, she had been reluctant to pierce that final veil, but now, she found she wasn’t so resistant to the idea anymore.

This zodiac year was a dangerous one for Evelyn. After all, in her past life, she had died in her zodiac year.

She could still remember the feeling of starving to death. Her stomach had been completely empty. At first, she’d been able to catch rats, but later on, all she could find were cockroaches and ants.

The insect plague, as it was called, was actually a swarm of mutated mosquitos that sucked your blood and injected you with deadly pathogens.

Back then, survivors didn’t dare try to catch them. Everyone bundled up from head to toe, terrified of being bitten.

Perhaps, in her past life, she had ultimately become a meal for those insects. But that didn’t matter anymore. The important thing was that she was alive now.

’As long as I can make it past my birthday, I’ll live a longer, better life.’

This was why Evelyn hadn’t celebrated her birthday for the past few years. She had been saving up all her wishes for this one year. After saving them for five years, she really only had a single wish.

Before, her wish had been to survive on her own. But things were different now. Her wish now was to survive together with Ronan.

The next day, Evelyn began making the cake. She took out the oven, prepared all the ingredients, and got out the fruit. Today, she was making a fruit cake.

Ronan helped her as usual. He had a sweet tooth, so Evelyn added a little extra sugar and cream.

They didn’t have any thin birthday candles, but they did have a red one. Evelyn wrote a small card and stuck it in the cake.

Then she took out her phone and snapped a few pictures.

She switched to video mode and aimed it at Ronan’s face.

"Ronan Kendrick, happy birthday."

Ronan looked earnestly at the camera. "Thank you. And a happy birthday to you, too."

Evelyn moved closer to him and lowered the phone so they were both in the frame. Seeing them together on the screen, she broke into a small smile.

"It’s the fifth year. I’m a little nervous and worried. The fifth year of the apocalypse... I think the polar day should be ending soon. Today is October 5th. Ronan and I are in a cellar in the Wyrmrest Safe Zone. The temperature outside is 63°C, still scorching hot and bright. It’s impossible to go out. Come on, Ronan, say something."

Ronan didn’t look at the camera, turning his head to look at Evelyn instead.

"I hope Evelyn becomes even braver in the future. I hope she’ll always be safe and happy."

Evelyn felt as if a feather had brushed against her heart, leaving a ticklish, tingling sensation in its wake.

"What about your wish?" Ronan reminded her.

"My wish is in my heart. I can’t say it out loud."

"Alright, then don’t say it."

A red candle was burning on the table. Evelyn didn’t blow it out.

Ronan took the phone from her, cleared his throat, and continued, "I have another wish."

Evelyn looked at him. For some reason, she felt a little nervous.

"Evelyn, can I protect you forever?"

Although Evelyn looked calm, her heart was beating very fast.

She was silent for a long time before giving a small nod.

The corners of Ronan’s lips curved upward. "I will protect you forever, until I die," he continued. "If I die, and someone else wants to protect you... well, I wouldn’t like it, but I’d let them."

Evelyn... smacked him.

"Shut up."

"I wasn’t finished," Ronan said, looking aggrieved.

"It’s our birthday in our zodiac year! That’s already bad luck. Don’t say things like that! You’ll jinx it! Take it back!"

"Then what am I supposed to say? I wouldn’t be happy about it, but if I died..."

"Don’t worry, I’ll probably die long before you do. But if I die first, you’re not allowed to get involved with anyone else. If you do, I’ll rise from the grave."

With that, Evelyn snatched the phone back in a huff and shut it off.

"I won’t. If you die, I definitely won’t go on living alone."

Evelyn turned back to him. Although she was touched, she still really wanted to smack him on the back of the head.

"Stop. Don’t say the word ’die’ again."

"Alright." Ronan tactfully shut his mouth.