Solo Cultivation in The Apocalypse

Kakashi grabbed Hitori's arms and then jumped off the roof. Kyoryu followed them, they landed in the clouds laid at the bottom of the ground. Hitori felt as if the insides of his head were turned upside down.

He got out of the white cotton and sponge mattress, but he was feeling dizzy and found it hard to walk. Then suddenly, he felt someone grabbing his arms, them him in a tight embrace. She was crying on his shoulders, he recognized her that instant.

Hitori free his arms from her embrace, held her shoulders, and pushed her away. She lowered her head in an attempt to hide her tears. Hitori tried to look at her crying face, but all he saw was her hair and her torn clothes.

"Did he do anything to you?" Hitori asked.

Kakashi wrapped the clouds, Eya stood by Hitori and Eya's side, Akira was watching everything from the side, and Kyoryu was preparing to leave this place.

Reon sobbed and shook her head. A drop of tears left her cheek and landed on Hitori's forearm. He glanced at the drop melting into liquid. "No… just he… he just… punched me. Kicked me. He hurt me. Is he dead?" She raised her head.

Hitori could not say no to that face, or he thought he could not after seeing the tears, beating marks on her forearm and cheek, and those innocent eyes. "No… something horrible happened."

Eya's smile faded. She glanced at Kakashi and Kyoryu who were preparing to jump over the wall and walk back to the mage prefecture. Then she turned to Hitori and asked him what happened.

He glanced at her, then lowered his head. "Onogi's father… he appeared there all of a sudden and interrupted our fight. I thought he killed that man," he looked at Kyoryu who had tugged his wand by the side, and was looking out for the guards, "I tried, but I could not beat his father."

"So you ran?" Eya said, "you do know that we would not get a chance like this again, right?" Eya said, upset with Hitori because he lost the chance.

"He broke Onogi's arm." That hit her like an arrow. Reon gasped and took a step back. Kakashi and Kyoryu stopped their preparation and cared to give a glance.

Eya was terrified by what she heard. She glanced at Kakashi to verify the news. He sighed and went back to setting potions for everyone. That was enough for Eya to understand that it was true.

"Then he looked me into the eyes and said, 'Leave here.' So I did."

"He told you to leave? Are you serious? Why would he do something like that? Hitori-san, are you okay?"

Hitori was expecting that. "I do not know why he let me go. Either he believes I would not do much even if I come back, or he knows I can not do anything to him. He should have killed me, but, he broke his son's arm."

Hitori sighed and moved his hair back. He felt a slight sting in his shoulder and remembered Kamino had shot him.

"W-What is that blood?" Reon asked, pointing at Hitori's shoulder. Hitori glanced at the blood and shook his head

"Right, he shot me," Hitori said, "but it does not hurt surprisingly."

"That is cause I healed you," Kakashi said, "while we were falling." He threw his blade in the sheath and threw Hitori a glance.

Hitori stared open-mouthed at Kakashi. How could he do that in the middle of our free fall? He wondered.

"Wait, he shot you in the shoulder, but not in the brain? Why?" Eya asked.

Hitori shrugged. "I said I don't know. Maybe he has some policy of letting his son's enemies alive, but making sure his son can never protect himself."

Kyoryu glanced at them and said, "We should get moving. Follow us." He teleported and Kakashi followed him.

Hitori watched him reach the border, then he followed them with others. Eya and Reon went together as Hitori and Akira did. Reon was scared but had plenty of energy. Hitori knew one thing, she was going to sleep through the whole day.

While they navigated through the forest, Akira left Hitori for a moment and went near Kyoryu. Still running, he proposed, "Should we go to the lair? It is the only safe place now."

But Kyoryu frowned and shook his head. "I know that I said he should know about everything, but not this. The moment he knows about his friend, he will break down and lose the motivation to achieve his goal."

Akira thought that was cruel, it was like playing with Hitori's emotions to use them for his good. What if Kamiya and—

"And…" Kyoryu said, "I can not guarantee the resurrection will be a success. If he knows about his friend and the resurrection fails afterward– he will blame me for that. He will pull himself away from the world and stay closed for days."

Kyoryu paused and stabbed a goblin in the distance with a stick. Kakashi went ahead and punched another goblin. "We should change tracks. Goblins never come in a pair or trio." A swarm of goblins was heading their way.

Kyoryu turned and took the other path. Akira directed Hitori and Hitori directed the ladies behind him.

Suddenly Hitori felt like he should be behind them. What if someone takes them? He will not even know. So he slowed his pace and let them take the lead. Now he was running alone.

p Kyoryu said this path was clear, but it was a detour. "A detour is always better than facing a goblin king and its goblins," he added. He looked at Akira, still waiting for his reply. "He will do what your father used to do– isolate themselves and live in solitude for weeks."

Akira remembered that one time when Hiro's third commander in charge was killed. Hiro did not come out of his room for almost a month. He had to because the real danger was closing in, and his men were losing their lives to the danger.

"So not the lair."

"Then where?" Akira asked.