Upon leaving, he took a detour to the Central Hospital and threw some of Maria's belongings in a bag.
He checked the clock in the main lobby of the hospital and hurried out.
He jogged down towards Valentino's house.
Valentino was unlocking his door when he turned to see Leo.
The bald man looked up at him with confusion.
"Leo? What's up? What are you doing out of uniform?"
Leo gave a small smile and avoided eye contact.
"Ah, well… I thought if I absolutely had to go to war, I'd at least start spending some time with old friends. Care to join me for drinks?"
Valentino's confused expression slowly grew into a wide smile.
"That's the spirit, my boy. Let me throw something on and I'll be right out."
Leo nodded and leaned against a nearby wall.
After a while, Valentino emerged.
He had some simple old man overalls on.
Leo chuckled.
"God, you're old."
Valentino barked out a laugh and slapped him on the back.
"You ain't too young yourself!"
Leo led Valentino to any bar that happened to be open. Unsurprisingly, this was pretty difficult. Most places were closed out of fear, due to the Cryptid attack.
Luckily, they managed to find a humble bar in the Southeast end of Section Three.
The owner was surprised to see people enter, then quickly stammered to attention as he recognized the two Reveurs.
Leo and Valentino ordered their preferred drinks.
Leo didn't drink too much himself. He continuously ordered drinks for Valentino, though.
After a few rounds, Valentino was stumbling over his words and struggling to keep his head up as he blabbered out old stories.
Leo's fingers tapped unevenly on the table as he nodded along.
"Yes, yes. I was thinking the same thing."
Eventually, Valentino's bombardment of tales came to an end. That's when Leo took the opportunity.
"So, I've been meaning to ask… Would you maybe agree to being Maria's godfather?"
Valentino appeared to somewhat sober up upon hearing this.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Leo exhaled as he moved his eyes back to his hands.
"I just mean… if something happens to me out there, would you take care of her for me? Even if that included her medical bills?"
After a few moments of silence, Valentino smiled.
"I make more than enough to take care of that. I promise you, Leo. You'd never have to worry about her as long as I'm around."
Leo gave a tired smile.
Internally, he felt as though his heart was eating itself.
He gave a simple nod.
"That's good to know. I'm… I'm going to call it a night now, Valentino."
He stood up and turned to him.
"Thank you for everything."
Valentino just smiled and raised his glass.
"Any time, brother. I'll see you tomorrow!"
Leo walked out of the establishment after that.
Standing in the street for a moment, he thought about his plan.
He pushed any sort of doubt down. This was the only way he could get out of this.
The only way he saw that he could choose both.
He started walking towards the gates and made his way into Section Two, via the tunnels.
He arrived at the hospital for the second time that day.
It was much less crowded now that most patients had been settled in.
He slipped into Maria's room. She was fast asleep.
He put the bag down by her bed side, reaching his hand in to grab a random book.
He pulled out Charlotte's book.
The Prince of Axiom.
Laying it on her nightstand, he planted a kiss on her head.
His eyes softened as he looked at his little girl.
"I love you so much, Maria. You'll be in better hands soon."
He left the hospital and continued down towards Section One.
Upon entering, he looked around to see barrels of burning wood to keep bystanders warm.
The mess from the Druid still hadn't been cleaned up. Several buildings sprawled out across the roads as nothing more than hills of brick and splintered wood.
He received the occasional curious look. His coat was far too clean to be from this area.
Eventually, he reached the tunnel that led to the outside world.
It was a simple manhole cover. Even the weakest Cryptid's could break through here.
Quietly, he pulled the cover off and slipped through the hole.
A small walk through sewer-like tunnels led him outside.
He forced the cover out of the way and pulled himself out, dusting himself as he stood up.
Leo's eyes glimmered a certain way as he looked out.
An old, large bridge built for a train. It overlooked a large river.
He walked over the bridge and looked off the side of its middle point.
The waters ran dangerously. He didn't know how to swim, so the sight looked a bit more scary to him than most.
He lifted himself to the ledge of the bridge, standing over the running currents.
He looked back to the walls, then back to the water.
A feeling of trepidation grew within him.
His heart started to pound fast. He felt fear. Lots of it.
` Don't get scared now. It's for her. For them. `
He took his sword out with shaky hands
` I'm… `
He grew dizzy as his breathing grew rapid and uneven. It took all of his effort to maintain his composure.
With a deep breath, he straightened himself one last time.
` I'm saving her! I'm saving everyone! `
With clenched teeth and furious eyes, he turned the sword on himself and plunged it deep into himself.
"Agh!"
Blood rushed from his mouth, coating his neck and coat in crimson stains.
With great effort, he took hold of the blade once more and dragged it across his stomach.
He let out a painful scream as the wound widened. Something warm and heavy spilled out from within.
Blood was rushing from his nostrils like a faucet.
His breathing slowed.
"I… I'm coming, Char–"
The words ran dry on his tongue as his lungs stopped asking for air.
He finished the name in thought.
` Charlotte. `
His vision grew dizzy as the world seemed to melt together. With a step, he plummeted into the ice-cold waters.
Crimson seeped out from him and mixed with the currents.
` Cold. So… cold. `
His eyes flickered shut as he sank deeper and deeper.
In the depths of the water, he saw Maria. Sleeping soundly in her bed.
A small, involuntary smile grew on his pale face.
Darkness consumed him. He heard nothing, felt nothing, and thought of nothing.
Rays of light emerged from above.
A golden light just above the surface of the water.
The wooden hand of a doll reached down towards him.
The ethereal whisper of a woman's voice rang from all directions.
"Come back to me, Iram."
End of Volume 1: The Selfish