It was bright and sunny outside, the birds chirping all around the time making the atmosphere much more lively. Orion, still lying on the bed, moved a little. Bandage wrapped around his body, leaving his legs, arms, and head untouched. Before long, his eyes opened. The bright light that coming from the windows makes his eyes squint a little.
On the side of the windows, there's a girl, sitting on a stool reading a book with contempt. Her back was facing the windows, and she was using natural light to brighten the book she was holding. Orion tried to move his body, trying to take a sit position. Noticing that, Latina helps him, holding him with her hand on his back, trying to support him.
When he's comfortable enough with the position, Latina steps back, pulling her stool so she can get closers to him, and then says, "Good morning, Orion,"
"Yeah, morning,"
"Hows you feel, Orion?"
"Can't move my body, also my back feels itchy,"
She's giggling, and says, "...Want me to scratch it?"
"You don't mind?"
"Well, of course, I'm your master after all,"
"This kind of thing is nothing, it's like a kid asking a favor of their mother," said Latina.
"How many times I said that you are-"
"Ah, never mind, your practice helped me after all. Barely alive though,"
He stopped his talk, at first Orion wanted to say what he usually says but he realize that the practice that Latina pushed on him saved his life. Orion can't deny how useful that piece of paper with scribble on it was, so he kept his mouth shut.
On the other hand, Latina, hearing those words comes out of Orion's mouth makes a smug smile.
"Hmmm...?"
"Say again?" Said Latina.
"You know it already, so why should I?"
"Wha-!"
"Come on~ Said it again! Praise me more!"
She's demanding praise from Orion, and he makes an annoying look but in his heart, this kind of thing is really pleasant.
"You're annoying, but well, thanks,"
"Maybe I'll ask you to teach me one or two later in the future,"
Small talk another after another, lighten the mood between them. They're bantering with each other like they always do. Until Orion mentioned something.
Orion asks, ".....what happen to her?"
For some reason, Latina's attitude becomes softened. She turns her eyes downwards, and said, "She's died,....."
"Before you passed out, she was using a forbidden spell on herself. She sacrificed her body to gain a temporarily healthy body for a short time. She does that to help me save you,"
"In the end, after she does her best, her body disappears leaving no trace behind,....."
The atmosphere feels heavy, but before she continues her sentence, someone opens the door. A small figure can be seen, holding a tray with both of her hands slowly entering the room.
She frowned, and said, "Can you please not kill me as you please?"
A small click can be heard from Orion's side.
"Tch...."
Latina was clicking her tongue, and said, "I forgot that she's here,"
"Can you not do that, as if I was a bother here,"
"You're a bother, this is Orion and mine house, to begin with,"
"Huh?! Said someone who destroyed my house!"
"Ugh...."
She's walking, slowly approaching Orion that still on his bed. When she was close enough, she put the tray on the table beside the bed.
She says, "As I thought, you were already gaining consciousness,"
"I heard Latina talking with someone so I make this porridge,"
"Can you eat?"
A warm smile carved on her face, she ask it without showing a hint of worried. In her heart, she believes that Orion will survive and reality did not betray her expectation.
"I think I can eat but, seems my hands still can't muster any strength,"
Without saying anything, she pulls a chair in that room closer to Orion. She takes a seat and lifts the bowl of porridge with one hand. Her other hand, holding a spoon and moves it closer to Orion's face.
"Here, ahhn~"
Orion didn't mind it at all, he took a bite of it with ease. On the other side, Latina that on his other side startled.
"Wha-!"
"Not fair, Alicia!"
"I'm his master, I should be the one feeding him!" Shout Latina.
"What? I'm the one that cooked it and bring it here so it should've been me,"
"Moreover, can you even cook Latina?"
"Uggh...."
Her face's distorted, she can't deny Alicia's. All this time, before she met Orion, she's only made something simple as frying and boiling things and eating them.
"Alicia?"
"So your name's Alicia," said Orion.
"Ah, yes, I think I've never mentioned it before, right?"
"It's kind of sad that you're knowing my name through another mouth,"
Many things already happen but this is the first time he knows the girl's name.
'Come to think of it, what exactly happen back then?'
Before he passed out, he knows that Latina and Alicia, those two girls treats him with magic. But, he saw Latina shooter magic to Alicia. He didn't have time to be shocked but for some reason, Alicia ran to him without all of the injuries.
"By the way, I'm certain that Alicia should be died at that moment but, why she's not?"
The room turn silent, and the two girls in front of him didn't know how they should explain it to him. In reasonable for him to ask after looking at someone that dying comes back healthier after being killed. The problem was, the two of them didn't want him to know yet about their conditions. About the fact that Latina and Alicia were cursed as a price that they pay for certain things that happen in the past.
"And earlier Latina also said that Alicia using some forbidden spell, sacrificing herself to gain temporary health,"
"So I'm certain that she should've been dead at the moment,"
Latina's back feels cold, she realized that her blunder made her in this situation. Alicia still holding the bowl and spoon in her hands shoot a glance toward Latina. Latina turns away, her sweat pouring more than before.
"Haaah,...."
Alicia sighed, exhaling her breath to regain control of her emotions. With a side glance, she says, "Isn't it better to tell him, Latina?"
"But,..."
"It's your fault to joke about it in the first place,"
"Ugh,..."
The room went silent, and before long, Latina braved herself and says, "We can't die, Orion,"
A pause happen, no one in the room said anything after Latina's remark. Alicia hung her head, looking at the bowl that she hold while stirring the inside with a spoon. Latina, the one that said it turns her head. Looking outside the windows. A smile carved on her face, and then says, "It's not just Alicia and me, there are still others but it's the same, We can't die,"
"It's a price that we shoulder for eternity," said Latina.
When Latina didn't continue her talk, Alicia substitute her and continue instead.
"When we died, we will revive instantly with the body before we got any injuries,"
In Orion's head, he still has many questions about it. The man that almost kill him said that he want to hunt the witch and the monster. Before that, when he asks Latina to go to the village. She's trembling while walking through the woods. It's strange for him that strong people like Latina are afraid of something when she has so much power to kill that man.
But, for some reason. He can't bring that up, he's afraid that bringing that up will make things awkward so he remains silent.
"I see,"
With that, the case was closed. Alicia and Latina change subjects and the atmosphere somewhat gloomy turns lively again. They're laughing with each other, forgetting the past, and enjoying the present to the fullest. Alicia decided to live there with Orion and Latina. Even if Latina was objecting, somehow she didn't take extreme measures to chase Alicia away.
The days passed by, and the wound that Orion received was healed within a month. It's not perfect but he needs to move his body. At the table, Orion sat down with Latina waiting for Alice to put the food on the table.
"Orion, are you really okay to move a lot like that?"
"Yeah, I can't stay cooped up after all,"
"Also it's been a month already, I want to go to the village and buy some necessities," said Orion.
As a regular want to sell and buy something from Sarah's shop. He believes that Sarah will be worried if he didn't show up his face for a long time. He also wants to gain some information about that man. The only thing that he know was, the job of that man is hunting a witch. The closest thing that he can think of is that man was a witch hunter. He wants to know, for what reason there's a person or organization that hunts witches. The lack of information makes Orion restless, he wants to protect the ordinary life he has.