*
1 year 1 month after The Great Disaster, Harald woke up from his nap. His body felt much better than before, he was able to lift his arm up but he still did not have enough strength to carry anything.
"You're up..." (?)
It wasn't the characteristic scratchy voice of the nurse tending to his ward with bodyguards, rather it was the familiar calm tone of his friend, Willen. Entering the room, he could see Willen walk towards the bed that he laid upon. He musters a light nod at Willen, expending all of his energy to do so. She in turn gave a light wave as she stopped at a distance away.
It was strange. Was he carrying some sort of disease that even magical girls cannot fend off? The miniscule sense of unease that seeped into his heart was now much larger expanding into a small chunk in his chest. His heart felt way heavier than usual, as if a foreign object was lodged into his flesh. A sense of unidentifiable panic slips through the cracks in his mental fortitude, seizing his breath for a moment. His eyes widened in protest of his discomfort.
But he regains his breath and returns his focus to Willen. Meanwhile, Willen had been observing his behaviour the entire time. Something tells him that there was more to this, something that he cannot step into without a plan. For now, he needs to be wary if he wants to survive.
"... Where were you a month ago?" (Willen)
"H..... Ome..." (Harald)
"What were you doing?" (Willen)
"W... Ork..." (Harald)
It was exhausting enough to respond, but with Willen pressing on with her questions, he has no room to breath. He wanted to clear up anything that was wrong... As it was clear that she suspects him of having done something... He was a suspect. Something must have happened before he encountered the rogue magical girl.... But it made no sense to question him... Shouldn't they be going after the rogue magical girl?
Though, no matter what he did now, things wouldn't change if he did not make a move. But no such chance was given to him. Willen came, baring her fangs. No need for any pretense.
"Are you really Harald?" (Willen)
"Is there.... Some possibility... That I'm not...?" (Harald)
His chest heaves heavily between words, his throat and medulla desperately gasp for air as hid body tries it's best to stabilise. He hadn't talked so much in such a long time, it felt like the insides of his throat muscles are burning and tearing itself apart. He could throw up blood at any time, or at least that was what the squirming and convulsing of his throat muscles was telling him.
"Kuhagh!" (Harald)
As expected, blood shot out of his mouth, the remaining residue leaked from his lips and stained his teeth. From the days of starvation, he gained a new appreciation for life... Not the preservation of it, but the act of living in itself. He smiles at Willen, unwilling to back down.
"I am Harald, blacksmith. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Willen." (Harald)
"... Put him under further observation"
(Willen)
'So we're playing the long game.' (Harald)
For the next few days, there was nothing much that happened other than some medical tests. Half a week had passed and he regained some mobility and strength in his arms. Whatever the hospital facilities fed him was thousands of times better than eating nothing, he could feel his strength slowly returning.
On the other hand, now that he could sit on his bed and look at himself, his body seemed very impoverish. During the starvation, his body had broken down some of his muscles to survive. If not for Willen finding him on the 8th day, he was sure that he would have been done for. His existing scrawny physique was proof of that, that everything was real. He missed his forging muscles, but he reasoned that he could look forward to rebuilding them again.
1 year 1 month and 1 week after The Great Disaster. Willen initiated a second dialogue with Harald. His skin had gained slightly more vibrancy, as well as his complexion. He seemed completely different from the time he was first sent there around a month ago. Staying unconscious for around 3 weeks and resting for 1 week.
"Are you able to remember what happened?" (Willen)
"I was in the middle of work... When someone knocked on my door screaming. Looking outside, there were many other similar individuals. They... They were sacrificing themselves as messengers, to warn as many people as possible about a rogue magical girl commuting a genocide. That's when I attempted to pack up and escape...
I was too late, the culprit had gotten to the messenger and I had to hide inside my shop until they left. So I hid right outside my house, near the rubbish area... " (Harald)
"..." (Willen)
Her expression was indecipherable as always. If one were to blink, they would miss out any movements that her expressions made, they could even start to believe that she was a statue. Her blank stare bore a hole through the floor as her thoughts delve deeper and deeper into her own analysis. What Harald had said would indeed line up with what she knew, but it was not enough
The enemy had a skill that messed with people's perceptions. In particular, they could take on the form of someone that the target knew. Harald said that the messenger he met was someone he didn't knew, so he guessed that the messenger had travelled a long distance since he knew everyone who lived nearby. That would eliminate the possibility that the messenger was the rogue magical.
It was getting more and more difficult to question Harald. The more she did so, the more convincing claims that Harald returned. Harald also seemed to have a vivid memory of the events that took place that day, evidence suggests that he was innocent. But it wouldn't end until she said it did. How could she be sure that it wasn't the rogue magical girl in disguise...
There was no end to her worry. How much is really enough? No clear conclusion that she could attain.
"What did I regularly purchase from your shop." (Willen)
"Utensils and weapons." (Harald)
"How many days did we meet... Before the entire incident..." (Willen)
"I have no idea. Do you have the answer to that yourself?" (Harald)
".... What do you gain from lying to us, is it some sick satisfaction?" (Willen)
"I get some freedom and then rid myself of worries, knowing that I was innocent in this entire ordeal...
Hey... Cut to the chase already. Why do you suspect me?" (Harald)
Willen had some sort of stinging suspicion, in fact it was plastered all over her face. More specifically, it was her anger filled voice. She sounded calmed and composed to the average stranger, but having known her for a while Harald understood, she was infuriated. She skillfully manages to restrict her emotions and interrogate with some tact, but at the same time, Harald knew how drastic it must be if his accounts cannot sway her.
There was something unknown, something hidden from Harald. It held the key to everything, but at the same time he understood that he may not like what Willen says next. He braced himself.
" You're asking that now? We saw Harald's corpse next to yours!!!" (Willen)
She raised her voice uncharacteristically. It was the first time that he heard her voice this loud. If anything... She was quiet before but not too quiet. Rather she simply didn't talk much. If they had conversed more, would he have observed more of these normal emotions?
"Didn't you say... That I spent a month here already? If I was the rogue, why would I have been rehabilitated here? Why would I have needed the medical equipment and weaken myself for an entire month?" (Harald)
There was way more to this, more layers that he has to dig up and analyse himself. If they had really suspected him to be the rogue, then they should have killed him at the start. Seeing 'his' corpse should have convinced them... But none of it made sense. Why did they keep him alive? Why did they...
"Willen... I want you to be truthful. What happened to the other residents? Did they all survive?" (Harald)
Judging by the wording, Harald had already pieced everything together. The furrow in her brows burrowed deeper as her frustration stacked up. Under her lips, her teeth clenched as tightly as possible, nearly gnashing with ferocity, a single slip could send a cut down her tongue leading to profuse bleeding.
"You should know." (Willen)
"... I can guess. Am I... The only survivor?" (Harald)
"There are others... But no one who lived near you. Your neighbours, your customers, the forging street..." (Willen)
"I see." (Harald)
Was her goal to ascertain his identity or to hide the deaths of his acquaintances? He could no longer tell, it felt like everything was muddy and dim, his vision obscured by the fact that he was the sole survivor. There were... There were entire families that lived near him... He was not sure if he would have the courage to go back home now... If he was innocent and released from the hospital, sooner or later he would learn the truth. Then, was her only goal to identify his true self?
His throat felt clogged, a swelling lump stuck in his oesophagus. He wanted to cry out and scream at the world, but he was feeling trapped. Like his regrets were constricting his decisions, they inform him of the futility if he so wished to grief. Would screaming and kicking bring back the community that accepted him? Usually, no one would think about it this far before doing such actions. But he wasn't fueled by the irrationality of anger, he felt defeated.
Being a mere human, he didn't have any magic power. He couldn't make magic infused weapons even if he wanted to. He had no way of combating the assailant or drawing revenge. What options are left if his body... If the world itself forces this position of powerlessness?
His thoughts stopped revolving in meaningless circles. His face and his voice almost froze for a second, it was as if he had been asleep the entire time, he woke up.
"... I saw it. I was there, so I saw it. I know what the rogue magical girls wants.
... Judging from what you said... you guys still have no idea about what her objective is,... right?" (Harald)
He had to space out his words and regulate his breath. He was falling short of energy. He was still recovering from nearly starving himself. In other words, he needed bargaining chips. In truth, he didn't know anything. But he wasn't going to bother about the details for now. He will take the leap, or he will never move forward. He will be constricted here for the foreseeable future if he doesn't make a move.
'I don't want to become stagnant. I know I'll regret it... I can't do anything about the past now, so I'll look toward the future.' (Harald)
"... It seems you're starting to have some trouble speaking. Let's continue this on another day." (Willen)
She turned around with a swift motion, her white coat flew against her body, smacking the air around her. Her blue tank top peeks out under her clean looking coat, matching with her ruffled dark blue hair that bounced with each step. Her steps seemed to take on a more intense stride as the air kicks up everytime she puts her leg down, her expression and breathing on the other hand stayed cool as per usual.
They didn't need words, a conflict was born. They firmly believe in their own truths, as such, for Willen her thoughts screamed and bellow at her. 'Do not trust him, at least not yet'. Until she is sure, until she finds a way to verify... Her nagging insecurity will continue drilling into her psyche. They seize her heart, suspending it over the valley of disbelief and anxiety.
As for Harald, he stared at his weakened body in disappointment. He knew that waking up the next day, his muscles would never come back unless he began to rebuild them. But he still wanted to believe... That it was all just a dream. A sick joke that should never have occurred, he overestimated himself and nearly died of starvation. Hunger was the body's way to call for nutrients and food, but he didn't heed its cries.
'I need more help, more support. Maybe there will be some people out there with similar thoughts, they could help me out...' (Harald)
He didn't know if the hospital was deliberately restricting his diet to slow down his recovery, but the food given was indeed bland. It feels like they didn't even season his food with a sprinkle of salt, it had been simply unsavory. But due to the experience that he went through to end up in the hospital in the first place... He would take anything that was warm.
'This will be a long game. I'll have to save up every bit of strength I can right now.' (Harald)