When Blood and Death Embrace
First of all, we want to apologize for being so late in publishing this chapter! We know we are totally way off schedule, but things have gotten a little crazy, and it has been impossible for us to publish it.
The good news is weâre almost there! The new chapter is coming very soon (hopefully within the next few days), and we seriously canât wait for you to read it. Thank you all for being so patient!
For now, here's a snippet that we hope you guys enjoy as much as we did writing it!
It was early afternoon, and a light breeze rolled lazily in the garden, carrying with it the intense, almost dizzying scent of blooming flowers. Max still hadnât gotten used to it; his enhanced senses made it feel like he was being punched in the nose by a rosebush. Every time the wind shifted, it was a different assault: jasmine, lavender, something citrusy he couldnât place. It wasnât unpleasant, just⊠a lot.
Max lay sprawled on a lounge chair, the Nintendo Switch resting on his stomach, his face twisted in an expression of pure existential pain.
âThis game is idiotic,â he declared, mashing a button with theatrical frustration. âWhy am I rearranging furniture and catching butterflies for a raccoon?â
From the lounge chair beside him, Charles didnât even look up from his book. âItâs called Animal Crossing, Max.â
âItâs called psychological torture,â Max muttered. âI owe a mortgage to a tanuki in a Hawaiian shirt, and Iâve spent ten minutes fishing for a sea bass that turned out to be a boot.â
Charles turned a page with infuriating calm. âItâs good for patience. Discipline.â
âItâs good for lobotomies,â was Maxâs reply.
A faint smirk ghosted across Charlesâ lips, but he didnât take the bait. Max sighed and let the Switch fall onto his chest with a soft thud.
Tilting his head, he squinted at the book in Charlesâs hands.
âWhat are you even reading?â he asked. âThat book looks like itâs been through a war.â
Charles paused, thumb grazing the frayed spine like it held a secret. For a moment, he didnât answer, his gaze fixed somewhere far behind the words on the page.
âLa NausĂ©e, Sartre,â he said at last. âYou wouldnât like it.â
Max frowned. âAnd you are reading it for fun or just to impress the trees?â
âOh, I read it for fun. Much like I tolerate your commentary. But unlike you, I donât need a raccoon in a Hawaiian shirt to feel existential despair.â
Max made a face and returned to the Switch. âI liked you better when you were naked.â
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