Chapter 252: Anna in Withdrawal?

The match began, and both characters sprinted forward.

Gromda immediately punched another player into a wall, while Echidna’s character pulled out a ridiculous oversized weapon.

"Too slow."

"You picked that weapon last round!"

"It’s efficient."

"It’s overpowered!"

"It’s called intelligence."

"It’s called cheating!"

"It’s called winning."

Anna watched for another five seconds. Then she quietly pulled out her phone and took a picture- not because she wanted evidence, and definitely not because she planned to expose them.

She only wanted proof that this day had actually happened, because nobody was going to believe her otherwise.

She turned toward the door. Behind her, Gromda screamed.

"ECHIDNA!"

"YES?"

"WHY IS YOUR CHARACTER FLYING?!"

"Skill."

"YOU ARE LITERALLY FLYING!"

"Skill."

Anna closed her eyes.

’Silas is going to come home to the strangest estate in human history.’

She opened the door, stopped, and glanced back. The scoreboard had changed.

[GROMDA: 18]

[ECHIDNA: 17]

One round behind.

Gromda’s eyes were burning with determination, while Echidna’s smile had become terrifying. Neither woman looked like they intended to stop anytime soon.

Anna quietly whispered to herself.

"I should probably warn Silas."

But then she reconsidered.

"No." She smiled. "I want to see his face."

And with that, Anna left the two most dangerous women in the estate, and probably in City A, to continue their completely ridiculous war.

Neither of them noticed that she had gone, because at that exact moment, the next round began. And the fate of Silas’s next week was apparently being decided by two primordial-level women playing a blocky video game.

***

Anna walked back through the estate alone.

The laughter and shouting from the gaming room gradually faded behind her, replaced by the quiet hum of the estate.

Normally, she would have found the silence peaceful, but today, she hated it, because the silence reminded her of one thing.

Silas wasn’t here.

She reached the large bedroom she shared with the other women and pushed the door open. The room was enormous. Silas’s belongings were scattered around in the usual careless way that somehow made the entire room feel lived in.

Anna stood there for a moment. Then she sighed.

"You’re really gone..."

She had known that. Of course she had. Silas had left with Chloe and Alpha for the tournament. She had watched him leave. She had even told herself she would be fine.

But now that the estate was quiet, the truth was becoming impossible to ignore.

She missed him, and by an awful lot- far more than she wanted to admit. She slowly walked toward his side of the room and opened one of the drawers.

But she found nothing. She opened another, and still nothing, causing her to frown. Then her eyes landed on a shirt lying carelessly over the back of a chair.

Silas’s shirt, dirty- probably something he had worn recently and abandoned without a second thought.

Anna stared at it, her fingers slowly reaching out. The moment she picked it up, she froze. His scent was still there, strong and familiar. The warmth of it hit her harder than expected, causing her breathing to become shallow.

She brought the shirt closer, closing her eyes.

For a moment, she could almost imagine that he was standing right beside her. That ridiculous voice. That mischievous smile. Those pink eyes looking at her as if he knew exactly what she was thinking.

Anna hugged the shirt against herself.

"Silas."

Her voice was barely audible.

She sat on the edge of the bed. The shirt remained pressed against her face. Her body relaxed almost immediately. That was the frightening part. She hadn’t realized just how tense she had become until now.

’This is bad.’

She knew exactly what was happening.

Withdrawal.

This was not physical in the ordinary sense. This was something deeper. Silas had become a source of comfort, stability, and emotional grounding for her.

Being away from him for too long was beginning to hurt.

Anna opened her eyes, and a faint glow appeared around her hands. Her healing ability activated as soft energy flowed through her body.

She wasn’t healing an injury. She was healing herself. Her breathing steadied, her heartbeat slowed, and the uncomfortable pressure in her chest diminished.

"Better."

She lowered her hands. The effect lasted for now.

Anna looked down at the shirt in her arms and gave a small, almost embarrassed laugh.

"I’m actually using my healing ability to deal with missing someone."

She shook her head.

"If anyone finds out..." She imagined Echidna’s reaction, and the rest, and her face immediately became warmer.

"No." She hugged the shirt tighter. "Nobody needs to know."

The room became silent again.

Anna stared toward the empty side of the room where Silas usually slept. She could still remember countless mornings- him waking up half-asleep, complaining about being hungry, randomly annoying someone, falling asleep in places he wasn’t supposed to- all the little things.

She missed all of them.

Her healing ability activated again. This time, Anna didn’t even consciously command it. The glow spread across her body.

She frowned.

’I’m already doing it automatically.’

That scared her.

She knew healing wasn’t fixing the problem. It was only suppressing the symptoms. If Silas stayed away long enough, the emotions would continue building. Eventually, healing wouldn’t be enough.

Anna knew herself.

She knew exactly where her limit was. And if she crossed it... She didn’t know what would happen.

She looked down at the shirt again. Her fingers tightened around the fabric.

"Come back soon."

She whispered it so quietly that even the room barely heard her. Then she smiled faintly.

"Before I become one of those two idiots."

From somewhere far away, a muffled scream echoed through the estate.

"YOU CHEATED!"

Anna sighed.

"Too late."

She lay down, pulled the shirt against her chest, and closed her eyes. Her healing ability continued glowing softly keeping her calm and sane for now.

But deep down, Anna knew one simple truth.

If Silas stayed away much longer, she might not be able to heal herself out of missing him.