After Surviving the Apocalypse, I Built a City in Another World

While Althea and the others were deep in thought, Yao continued to tell them what happened during the war. He looked heartbroken as he said it, but he pushed himself to say the words in case they could be of help.

”We were a bit surprised when the war declaration came, but not too much because we knew that it was inevitable. Vismont might be relatively unattractive to others, but we still knew it’d get attacked someday.

”We did not expect the enemy to launch such a desperate attack, however.

”Many of them weren’t even slaves, but they attacked our walls like there was no tomorrow. There were so many of them and their equipment and levels were superior to ours, and we soon lost when they entered the walls.

”A lot of people were still outside at the time, so I can only assume the other people didn’t take the array or were already nearby when they declared war.

”They fought as if they had nothing to lose—and I reckoned that was how we lost.”

No one spoke as they absorbed the news. After a while, Althea looked at Yao with a hesitant expression on her face. ”How’s… Matthew?”

This made Yao choke on his own tears and everyone’s stomachs dropped, knowing what it meant.

”I… so many people died in that war,” he said. ”The lord…”

Yao wiped his tears. ”He gave them his lord token when they threatened to kill the people. He really had no choice—these people were desperate to get the token. They’d have done anything—” he added, afraid they’d think the lord as foolish for falling for giving the token away.

”Still, they killed him anyway—”

Silence reigned and everyone felt heavy, especially his former citizens.

Matthew had a lot of shortcomings and he made a lot of mistakes, but he was sincere in remedying everything. He was willing to dedicate his life to service.

He was young and had so much potential, how could they—as humans—not be a little heartbroken?

”I’m sorry for your loss.”

Yao held back his tears, obviously remembering the tragedies that had occurred not too long ago. He lifted his head and looked around, looking for a particular face.

”Is Miss Melissa…?”

They paused and looked at Eugene. Eugene’s expression had turned dark the moment he heard Matthew was dead. His heart broke for his lover, wondering what he could do to ease her pain.

”Melissa fainted before, I suppose she felt her brother’s loss,” was all he said.

They sighed, patting Eugene’s shoulder.

”Comfort her well. She lost the only blood relative she had left, after all.”

…

Eugene went to visit Melissa’s ward after the meeting, heart extremely heavy. He just sat there for a while, holding her hand, wondering how he could break the news to her.

Various thoughts ran in his head and he truly wondered whether or not just to hide it from her, at least until she recovered.

She had been asleep for hours and Eugene patiently waited beside her. However, some time later she suddenly flinched as if having a nightmare.

Eugene stood up, though it was abrupt that his artificial stick-leg lost balance a bit.

Fortunately, he managed to catch himself on time. He saw her sweaty and scared and he shook her awake.

”Melissa,” he uttered, repeatedly, and she abruptly sat up as if in shock.

”Brother!” She gasped and looked around. When she saw Eugene, she grabbed onto him as if grabbing for air. ”My brother… where’s my brother?”

Eugene pursed his lips and he could not meet her eyes. Melissa’s eyes widened a bit and she gripped his arm tighter.

”WHERE’S MY BROTHER?!” she asked, tone cracking, pleading for him to answer her.

Eugene shook his head and Melissa’s eyes glazed, before she broke into sobs. ”Noooooo…. Nonono…”

She wailed, and Eugene took her in his arms. ”My poor baby brother… wuu…” she cried, holding on to him as if he was the last straw she could grasp. ”My brother…”

Eugene’s heart broke, and his arms around her tightened unconsciously, as if desperately trying to keep her tethered to him.

She cried for a long time until she lost consciousness from the tiredness, falling asleep in his arms.

Eugene didn’t know how long he sat like that. His daze was only interrupted when there was a knock on the door.

He opened his mouth to answer, though his voice cracked a bit. He cleared his throat as he patted his lover’s shoulders. ”Come in.”

The door opened to reveal an old nurse. It was Liana, the hospital dean’s wife.

She entered to get the usual data and Eugene laid her down properly. However, he never let go of her hands, and she—even unconscious—similarly held on to him as if he was her lifeline.

Liana looked at the poor woman’s face and sighed. ”She shouldn’t be stressed right now,” she said. ”Please make this her last venting. Avoid stress from here on out. It is imperative.”

”I know. Her poor health must’ve resurfaced—”

The nurse raised her hand, cutting him off.

”Actually, there’s more,” she said and Eugene tensely waited for her to continue.

”We tested her blood with Miss Althea’s Tori equipment. I can also confirm it based on my own experience,” she paused, looking at the unconscious woman. ”She’s pregnant. It should be a week or two since it was conceived.”

”What?” he gasped, but he forced his voice to lower. ”C-Can you repeat that, please?”

”Melissa is around one to two weeks pregnant,” she said. ”And stressors could be dangerous to both her and the baby, considering the state of her health.”

Eugene gaped. It felt like he lost all the blood in his body and yet he was floating in the clouds at the same time.

A week or two old fetus… was his.

Liana said her goodbyes and left to give them space.

As soon as the door shut, he felt his fake-leg buckle, and he sat down on the chair. His heart clenched and his other hand held on to Melissa’s soft and cold ones.

He leaned down as if in prayer, resting his forehead on their intertwined hands.

And then he cried.