Keeping Him Loved

Chapter 16

        It had not been the easiest task, but Add had managed to keep his still unknown enemy at bay for another month. The number of nasods that snuck past the barrier at night never went past two, and he got more efficient at taking them down the more times he fought them. They were still far too accurate, and he himself was changing for the better.

        Dynamo was still unaware of the danger that he posed to them, and Add wanted to keep it that way. There were only so many times he could lie to the nasod servant.

        To prevent the situation from getting any worse, Add decided that it would be best for them to move on from Bethma. Elrios was a vast place. There had to be other places where they could venture and eventually put an end to this chase. Leaving would also keep Add from fighting his urge to get to the floating island in the sky. He had immersed himself in his medical studies to keep his mind off the topic, but constantly feeling the beckoning call from that island made it hard to completely put it aside.

        "Add, where did you put my cloak?"

        "Here." Add picked up the cloak and draped it over her shoulders himself. He used it to pull (y/n) closer to him, but stopped himself from doing anything more. "Make sure you keep this on until the morning passes. It's still going to be cold until then." He pulled the hood up to cover her ears but stopped halfway through the action.

        "What?" She kept still and watched him. He loved that innocent stare. He wondered if she had any idea of what sort of thought went through his head just then.

        "It's nothing. If you start feeling sick, let me know immediately." He finished pulling the hood over her features and pet the top of her covered head before going to grab his bag. "Dynamo, how are you holding up?" he talked to the box that he'd placed Dynamo back into. It served to keep him hidden from any strangers whether they were enemies or not.

        "System functioning under regular standards. No abnormalities detected," Dynamo replied.

        "Good." Add ran his hand across the surface of the box. "Go into sleep mode. I'll wake you when we get to where we're going." He put his bag onto his shoulder and picked up the box. "Ready to go?" he asked (y/n).

        "Mhm, that should be everything. Stella already knows that we're leaving. No one else in Bethma is sick thanks to you. I'd say we did well for the short time that we were here." (Y/n) took one last look around the room. "I won't miss this place, but I did make a good memory here."

        They left under the cover of the night. Most residents of Bethma were asleep and the ones that weren't paid them no mind. Their destination was the kingdom of Velder. Stella had suggested they go there since she trusted that they would fare well. Add saw no reason for her to lie to them.

        For a while, they traveled across the seemingly unending plain with nothing but the sounds of their footsteps keeping silence away. In order to get to Velder, they had to pass by the island that called out to him. The closer they got, the stronger the feeling was.

        "Add." (Y/n)'s voice produced a tone of authority.

        "What?" he snapped at her. He blinked when he realized how far away she was. Just like that, he had completely zoned out. Their paths clearly differed with his steps vastly straying off to the side slowly taking him towards the floating island even if he could not actually reach it from so far below. "I didn't..." Add's words trailed off, and he took his place by (y/n)'s side again. She grabbed his hand when he was close enough.

        "It's so you don't go so far next time." He merely nodded. "It really is different traveling at night," (y/n) continued to speak as they continued onward. "It's peaceful. Reminds me of when I used to go outside the village and practice alone so that I'd make my father proud of my progress. He liked to see how quickly I improved."