Overlord: When Human Meets Inhuman

Chapter 64: An end, a beginning

And here we are, with the last chapter. Sorry for not posting recently, I've been busy as hell with school having started. Anyway, if you think the story ends with a little bit of a cliffhanger, don't fret, since as I've said multiple times I already have a sequel written. It'll come soon, don't worry! I really hope y'all enjoyed this story of mine: I know it's not written perfectly, and that it might be a bit confusing at times, but bear with me, things are gonna get better and better are you keep reading. Now, I'll leave you to the chapter. Enjoy!

Quite a few things happened yesterday. Well, actually, that's not true at all. Carne received a little visit from some humans who were stronger than normal, and unfortunately Mark was keeping watch that day. I would have preferred Lupusregina to be in his place, honestly…but everything turned out to be more or less alright. I could have resurrected Mark with my powers, but I chose to use the last wish on the magic candle. It felt more appropriate. Either way, the blood curse has been broken, and I'm a little confused. But the important thing is Mark's well-being right now. And right now, I'm about to make sure that he is actually doing well and didn't suffer from any side effects of being resuscitated. He should have woken up by now…

I let out a hum and gently push the door to Mark's room open. There's not a single noise to be heard, but he's already awake. He's standing in the middle of the room. He's staring dead ahead of him, with an empty look in his eyes. 

"Mark?" 

He suddenly turns his eyes in my direction. I can see that dying and being resuscitated must have not been a pleasant experience for him. He looks…empty. His eyes look like they lost color. No, they definitely did. Before, they were a dark and intense red…now they're grey. His hair too…it's still brown, but the color looks spent and old. 

These are just side effects…I hope. 

Mark takes a step forward. He pauses for a moment, then takes a few more. He stops right in front of me and places both hands on my shoulders, just for a moment. Then, he wraps his arms around my back and hugs me. 

"How did it feel?" I ask, as I return his hug. 

There's nobody in the world who could understand him better than me. I died once too.

"It was dark. Cold." 

He sounds like he's been emptied of any feelings. Which, to be honest, could be not too far from the truth.

"How are you feeling right now?"

I'd love to help him, but I don't think there's much I can do. I can only give him some moral support, and I don't really think much else. 

"I'll…I'll be fine." he says, taking a very deep breath. He places a shaky hand behind my head and starts gently stroking my hair, settling down a little.

I'm glad that I'm able to make him feel better just with my presence. But I should forget about everything that happened before…the curse has been broken, so there's no point in continuing this. Even though it felt good. And right now there is no time to think about that.

After a little while, Mark breaks away on his own, making eye contact with me. He nods and smiles, trying to hide the fact that he's feeling terrible.

"Thanks. I really needed some help." 

Seeing him like this almost scares me. His eyes were always so expressive. Now, they don't show the slightest sign of…anything. 

"You're welcome. I know how it feels like" I answer, trying my best not to look away.