I Woke Up 120 Years After The Apocalypse-Chapter 21: Pardon

The silence was heavy in the main hall. No one dared to speak. Akram, however, was thinking nonstop.

"Hmm, what are our current money reserves in Vulkania?" he asked Elliot, the logistician.

"None. Completely empty. The bandits who occupied the place looted everything. We don’t have a single coin left," he answered honestly.

Another pause settled in the room. Akram thought for several long seconds, rubbing his chin.

Then he wore the same look he always had when an idea came to mind.

"The bandits did this... right?"

Elliot and Baron looked at him, not really sure they understood.

"Then they’ll give back what they owe us," he said, determined.

"Yashyn?" he called, turning toward the bounty hunter.

"ZzzzZZzz... Huh?" he replied, half asleep.

"Would you like to help us?" Akram asked, a wide smile forming on his face.

Akram’s plan was actually quite simple. He had defeated Zarod on a psychological level by taking his title of Devil’s Dealer. Zarod, realizing the potential of his opponent, didn’t push the conflict any further and even proposed a truce, followed by a possible trade relationship.

That was exactly what Akram intended to use to refill Vulkania’s coffers.

Without wasting any time, he prepared a short trip to the Sand Bandits’ HQ, accompanied by Baron, Elliot, and Yashyn.

During the preparations, Akram took the opportunity to visit Leyla, who was staying by Runa’s bedside, still badly injured.

When he entered the infirmary, Leyla didn’t acknowledge him, nor did she turn around. She was there, gently stroking her friend’s head, her gaze filled with worried tenderness.

Akram cleared his throat softly, announcing his presence.

Leyla didn’t move.

He tried again, naively thinking she hadn’t heard him.

"I know, Akram. I know you’re here," she said sharply.

"Mmm... how are you doing, Leyla?" he asked timidly.

"Better than her. Why is she like this? Who did this to her?" she said coldly.

"From what I understand, Zarod of the Dunes is responsible."

"So the Sand Bandits?" she replied, turning toward him.

Leyla’s eyes had lost all the warmth they once held. All the gentle energy she used to radiate was completely gone.

Akram saw it, and even though it hurt him, he couldn’t blame her.

"You’re going to trade with the enemy? The ones who put your friend Runa in this state?" she added, her tone rising.

"It’s not an easy choice, Leyla. I don’t—" he began, before being cut off.

"I don’t care what you want, Akram. That’s not how Vulkania works, and it never has."

"Barid would never have allowed this. Even if we were starving to death, he wouldn’t have let us be humiliated like this."

Leyla turned away again, her brows even more furrowed, seething.

"I understand, Leyla. But I’m not Barid," he said.

Her eyes softened slightly, and she began to listen more closely.

"I’m not Barid. I don’t have his abilities, or his strength. I’m just Akram—Akram they call the Cursed."

"Even so, I’m still Vulkania’s new leader."

"From that position, I want to be worthy of it. I want to prove that I deserve it."

"And to do that, I have to make sacrifices. I’ll put all our egos aside, trample on our pride if I have to—but only so we can reclaim it someday."

Leyla didn’t interrupt him. She kept listening in silence.

"Listen... forgive me. Forgive me for not being able to save Kra when it mattered. Forgive me for being the only one who survived that day."

"I blame myself, believe me. I would’ve rather died in their place, in his place. I swear."

"But I’m alive. Because of them. And for that one reason, I’ll do everything in my power to stay alive and rebuild this place they fought for until the end."

"I can’t do it without you, Leyla. Never."

Akram paused, looking at her with tenderness and guilt.

A guilt that had never left him since that cursed day he survived.

He added only one sentence:

"Leyla, please... forgive me."

Leyla didn’t answer right away. Her head was lowered, her lips bitten. She simply couldn’t respond.

She was torn apart—between her guilt for acting this way toward Akram, who had saved her, and her anger, her hatred for Varog, which she unconsciously associated with him.

Akram sighed, disappointed but understanding.

Suddenly, a distant voice broke the moment. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"Akram! The preparations are done! We’re just waiting for you!" Elliot shouted from afar.

"I’m coming right now!" Akram shouted back.

"See you later, Leyla," he said before turning and leaving the infirmary.

Leyla didn’t move or answer. She struggled to hold back her tears as they spilled from her eyes.

I... I want to forgive you... Akram... she thought.

In the end, the tears won, and she broke down, crying openly, releasing all her frustration, anger, and sorrow.

Meanwhile, Akram rejoined his group, and they began the expedition.

Akram was accompanied by Baron, his scout, Elliot, the logistician, and Yashyn, the bounty hunter, who would escort them until they reached the Sand Bandits’ HQ.

Lerius stayed behind to ensure Runa’s and Leyla’s safety.

Akram and Elliot pulled a cart together, covered with a tarp. Something massive seemed to be hidden underneath.

The journey went smoothly. Yashyn’s presence was barely needed—almost—until they finally reached the HQ gates.

They arrived at noon, the sun beating down on their faces, already soaked with sweat.

The two guards at the main gate had spotted them long ago. They waited for them with a clearly hostile tone.

"What the hell are you doing here? How did you even find this place?!" one bandit guard growled, spitting on the ground.

"You better have a damn good reason, or else..." the other added.

"We’re here to propose a deal. Call your leader, Zarod. He’s the one I want to talk to," Akram said calmly.

"Huh?! We’ll call him only if WE decide it’s necessary, got it? Until then, you stay right there and—" the bandit replied, before being cut off by Yashyn.

"Blah-blah-blah. Shut up and bring your boss already, we told you," he snapped.

The guard’s forehead vein bulged. That was enough for him to draw his blade and step toward the Vulkans, ready to fight.

"Hey, hey! Calm down," a voice shouted from the walls.

Everyone turned toward the source, surprised.

Zarod was there, clinging to a post on the wall, a biscuit in his mouth.

He then sat on the edge of the wall and spoke:

"What are you doing here, Cursed One?"

It was time for negotiations.It was time for the bandits to pay for their defeat—properly.