Free and Unfettered 109 Distance

Almost no one was left idle. Or rather, no one was willing to be left idle. They didn't know if it was because of the voice echoing in their minds, but the people of Cosmos City felt protected and motivated. Though they were tired, they worked without cutting corners.

Nine breathed out in a rare show of impatience. Though the city was still able to hold on, the waves of low-ranking undead seemed endless. Right now, they were still able to maintain the barrier on the city, so it wasn't anything too strenuous.

She had spread out missions in the city, allowing the Undyings for a chance to shine as they worked tirelessly. Nine handed out missions like they were unlimited (they were, really) since the System gave her no upper limit, she was exploiting it for all its worth.

Besides those who she had picked up over during the 'test', all the other Undyings also flocked here because of the news that Cosmos City was rather friendly to Undyings, unlike other cities or countries that still didn't know what to make of their presence.

Right now, Nine was still waiting for the other shoe to drop. She was still waiting for the tracking spell on Helce to finish locking down, but progress was slow. The 24/7 assault upon their city was draining resources quicker than they had estimated, and everyone was running themselves ragged.

Luckily, though the people were determined and motivated, they weren't far gone enough yet to sacrifice themselves needlessly, stepping back when they felt like they could not continue any longer.

Nine could feel her temper fraying the longer this dragged on, mainly because her darling Nox was running himself into the ground. She couldn't hold back the frown on her face when she thought about how Nox was acting as if he had something to prove to the people in the city, or her students. It didn't matter that he didn't *need* to sleep, but clearly, he was secretly running around to handle more work when he should have been resting instead. His brain was not getting a chance to rest and revitalize itself.

This could not go on.

When Nine stepped into her residence, she could already tell that he was not here. The lights were off, and more importantly, she could not sense him anywhere in the vicinity. Nine silently pressed on her temples. Just yesterday, he told her 'I'll definitely rest tomorrow, so don't worry so much, okay?'. She was so angry that she let out a laugh.

Nine finally had enough after coming back to their residence for the nth time and finding him elsewhere than their bed. Taking a steadying breath, Nine shoved down her anger. She compartmentalized her feelings to deal with later, after she placed him where he should be.

Really, was Nox going to lie to her like this now?

The faintest pangs of hurt started sprouting itself in her heart without her consent. Nine buried it deep down but couldn't help but feel as if Nox didn't think that she was trustworthy anymore. Though she knew with her brain that this wasn't the case, her heart couldn't help but whisper her lies.

Her heart throbbed at the familiar feeling. Years ago, she had also felt like this, hadn't she? Quietly, Nine placed a hang over her heart, as if telling it to calm down. This time, it was different. With *him* their relationship had been built on a foundation of lies, but hadn't she tried to be completely transparent with Nox?

Breathing harshly, Nine once again shoved away her feelings, but the feelings of unease lingered with her. Upset, Nine did her best to force the feelings out, but they latched on, like a festering wound.

Slowly, without her realizing it, her posture untensed, and her face gradually descended into a state of calm indifference. Moving slowly, calmly, Nine headed towards the east wall, where Nocturne had said he would be today.

Instead of teleporting, Nine took the chance to walk along the streets, nodding gently to those who passed her. Nine smiled faintly at a little girl who waved at her, gently waving back.

It wasn't until she was long gone that the little girl tugged on her mother's hand. "Mama, why was that handsome big brother so sad?" she said, frowning softly.

The girl's mother frowned but didn't remember seeing anything out of place. "What do you mean, darling?"

The little girl pursed her lips, clutching her doll tighter. "I don't know. It felt like that big brother wasn't really happy."

"I'm sure it was nothing, sweetheart," soothed her mother.

The girl nodded reluctantly.

By the time Nine reached the east wall, she already knew that he wasn't here. Nine struggled with the unknown feelings inside of her, but dutifully scanned with her magic anyway. She could not feel Nocturne here.

Her heart aching, but not knowing why, Nine concentrated on her half of the twin necklace hanging on her neck.

She followed the trail where the necklace led her, finding Nocturne at the backlines, where the wounded were to be treated. Nine moved silently but paused before going into the tent. Nine had no idea what kind of face she was making now, so she tried to rearrange her expression into an impassive mask.

She ignored the various looks she was getting as she stood in front of the tent, since there were no malicious intentions.

"Crown Prince, are you here for the Crown Princess?" someone hesitantly asked.

Nine looked at them and nodded silently. The woman's face changed minutely, but Nine could not put it into words what she was seeing right now. She felt rather detached and hollow.

Nine quietly moved aside the flap of the tent, and was greeted with the sight of Nocturne's cheerful but tired face. There were faint smudges under his eyes, and he looked like he had lost a bit of weight. Nine had tried so hard to keep him for at least a night to recuperate, but sometimes, it felt like he was fighting against her every step of the way.

In a way, Nine felt distantly pleased that at least he wasn't suffering in silence. There was an ache in a distant part of her that she could not name. She felt like she had not seen that smile on Nocturne's face for a while now.

She watched as he chatted animatedly with a female medic, who leaned in, too close, too close. Her brown hair brushed against his arm as she gently swept it behind her ear, smiling at him.

The medic looked at Nocturne with a coy smile before she looked up, meeting eyes with Nine's blank face. Shocked, she jerked back so fast that she fell onto the floor.

Nocturne stared at the medic with a baffled face, before turning around to see what had set her off. Immediately, his face changed as he spotted Nine. Her face was expressionless, and her eyes were blank.

In a split second, Nocturne suddenly felt that he couldn't read his husband. The thought shocked him so much that he reflexively blurted out, "Husband, why are you here?"

Nine's eyes shuttered, and he knew that he made a mistake.

Chapter end