Release That Succubus

"How long are you going to be accompanying me for? Why not say goodbye here?" Just as the two of them reached the trucks waiting for Christina outside the residence, she asked Zach so he wouldn't trouble himself further. 

She knew how busy he usually was and didn't want to increase his burden even more.

"Just a bit further. I don't want to see you go just yet. Maybe till the edge of the city." Zach seemed really reluctant to see her leave and Christina could feel the sincerity in his words.

She was happy at being able to elicit such a reaction from him at her departure. 

"Stay here. There is no need to accompany me anymore. I might not be able to leave if you continue to stay by my side any longer. Let's part here or I might change my mind."

Christina had built up her courage and was determined not to show her tears to him. She was only afraid that if Zach accompanied her any further, he would be able to see her tears leaking despite her efforts to contain them.

Before Zach could say anything else, a burdened and creaky voice sounded from behind them.

"It's time to go. You should have been on the truck sooner. If you delay any longer, it would only be counterproductive. You might even have to spend an extra night in the wilderness before you make it to Rome. It's better to leave now."

The voice belonged to George who was out to see his daughter off as she headed out to see the wider world. Since she was going to Rome, it would undoubtedly widen her vision a lot.

"It's time. I need to go now."

Christina ignored her father's words as she kept all her attention on Zach.

"It's time. I should go."

Zach nodded his head in understanding as he strongly held her soft hands in his own. He wanted to let go of them, but it wasn't exactly easy for him. Christina had long since become an integral part of his heart. Watching her go was like tearing off a piece of his heart.

"Take care of yourself. Let Bruce and the others help you. Don't do everything alone. And most important of all, think of me from time to time. Don't make me wait for your call for months."

Christina fired off a few pieces of advice in succession, making Zach feel as if he was the one leaving, and Christina had come out to see him off.

"I will." Zach's reply was curt and precise, but he was only trying to hold back the flood of emotions that was threatening to drown his being.

Just as Christina was about to board the truck, she remembered that there was no way for Zach to call her when the satellite phone she had been relying on so far to contact Zach had been broken by the old guard following that Princess Candice around.

"How will we contact each other? The satellite phone you gave me, and the headphones are already broken."

Zach hurriedly pulled out a few drones from the Weapons Arsenal and handed them to her. These were similar drones to the ones he had used to communicate with Hogan Hunter when he had invaded Greenland.

Video feeds could be transmitted across the empire through the satellite using such drones and Zach intended to use them for video chatting with Christina.

"We can use these for the time being. Keep them safe and contact me immediately if you have any problem settling over there." 

"Mm"

Christina didn't ask him the purpose of the drones as she had seen their use in that forest when they went to exchange hostages. This was an even better means of communication than the satellite phone she had.

The fact that she would still be able to look at his face despite being in the capital made her heart bounce in jubilation.

Unable to restrain herself any longer, she surged towards Zach, crashing into his chest like a rocket, and clung to him with a fierce embrace, as if attempting to absorb a piece of him to carry with her. 

It was a desperate effort to hold onto the warmth of his presence amidst the impending storm that was about to ravage their lives, tearing them apart like a tempest wreaking havoc on a fragile garden.

The hug was akin to their last sanctuary of love and reassurance, a bubble of comfort in a world about to be engulfed in uncertainty. 

Like a climber clinging to a sturdy rope on a steep cliff, she clung to Zach, her grip firm and unyielding, as if trying to grasp onto the familiar when staring at the unknown in the face.

Zach, too, held her close as if he could shield her from the incoming storm, his arms providing a cocoon of safety for her fragile build. 

His grip was tender yet steadfast, like the roots of a tree embracing the soil, unshaken by the storm above. 

It was a moment frozen in time, a capsule of love and longing, captured before the inevitable separation. Their hearts beat in sync as if following the rhythm of a timeless love song. 

The world outside seemed to blur and fade, leaving only the two of them in that warm, loving embrace. It was a beautiful, fleeting eternity, a fragile reality in the vast garden of life, about to be plucked by the hands of destiny.

George, torn between a father's concern and a man's understanding of the situation, refrained from intruding on the tender moment shared by Zach and Christina. 

He felt an urge to nudge his daughter to start her journey to ensure her safety while keeping in view the royal family's impatience. He was afraid that any delay on their part might provoke the princess into dispatching her own personnel to escort Christina to the capital.

He watched, his heart heavy with helplessness, as they clung to each other. 

It was a battle between his desire to keep her close, to shield her from the storm that brewed on the horizon, and the harsh reality that demanded she tread her path alone for the time being. 

It was a painful dichotomy for him, a clash between paternal instincts and the necessities of the world they lived in.

She reluctantly let go of him. She wiped her tears stealthily using her sleeve and managed to put on a faint smile that trembled at the edges from time to time. 

Christina climbed into the truck, her each step heavier than the last, as if the universe conspired to turn the act of departing into an arduous task. 

Her luggage, neatly arranged at the back of the truck, carried the scent of her past life, a life she had to leave behind for the time being. 

The engine of the truck started, and the vehicle began to move slowly as it drove out of the mansion.

As she looked out the passenger side window, her gaze traveled back to Zach. She was extremely reluctant to turn her gaze away from Zach. She craned her neck outside the window in order to keep her eyes on Zach until she couldn't anymore.

As the landscape shifted outside her window, Christina grappled with the weight of the upcoming journey. The vanishing silhouette of Zach was a visual reminder of the love they shared, a love that would sustain her through the trials that lay ahead.

Only after Zach completely disappeared from the view did she turn her head back and looked out through the windshield of the truck to focus on the path that would eventually take her to her destination. 

There was heaviness in her heart, but it would still be some time until she reached the capital. 

With the passing miles, she began to embrace her present. Freedom, though temporarily constrained, still remained. The wind that whispered through the open window seemed to carry hints of adventure and excitement that was yet to come. 

For now, she chose to revel in the fleeting moments of solitude as the path ahead would eventually intertwine with the chaos of the capital.

At least until then, while she was still enroute, she could enjoy freedom she had.

The road seemed to stretch infinitely before her, a metaphor for the journey that was now an inseparable part of her destiny.