"Woah," Li Zemin rubbed his eyes in disbelief as the notifications continued to pop up. "What's all of this?"
Liam echoed his disbelief, the young boy looking both excited and stunned. Roscoe chittered, the fat raccoon snug in Liam's arms as his bushy tail swung side to side.
Bak Soomin looked pleased as she scrolled through her rewards.
The Red Queen held an indecipherable expression on her face as the group's excitement radiated visibly. "Outlanders, I shall spare you from execution."
Everyone, "..."
The mood quickly died down.
"Although you have killed my beloved crystal heart, it is only with your presence that the Cheshire Cat could interfere." Her expression became notably displeased as she continued, "However, if you come back here I will personally see to it that your heads are chopped off and given to that dreary monk to tinker with."
She ended her sentence with a pointed glare.
"The least she could say is a thank you," Li Zemin mumbled to Nox. He turned to look at his friend's dazed expression. "Nox?"
"Huh?"
"Are you okay?"
"...What?"
Li Zemin frowned in concern, stepping closer. "You're looking a little off."
Nox's response came a beat too late. "Fine," was all he managed to say.
Of course, that was a lie.
'Is this an effect of the vision or the fight?'
His limbs felt like they were submerged in water; even Li Zemin's voice sounded distant despite his friend being right next to him. He squinted at the holographic screen in front of him, his vision blurring as he tried to make out the text.
A familiar tug swept the group away, disrupting Li Zemin's worried questioning as they were teleported back to the real world.
[...
...
Error.
Redirecting...
Redirecting successful.]
***
As the group disappeared from the trial world, a tall, black haired man appeared in the chaotic skies of the Underground.
Red eyes scanned the ground below, faintly glowing with mirth and confidence. He was in a rather good mood today. The presence of his seed nearby, but there was no sign of it so far.
He had felt it activate a few hours ago, signaling that it was ready to be absorbed.
His red and black jacket flapped behind him, like a cape or a pair of giant bat wings.
Crerk.
A sharp sting, and then he felt the connection break off. "What?" He looked at his wrist in disbelief, where one of the three black stripes circling his arm slowly faded away. "No… No! Damn it!"
His furious exclamation echoed in the silent night even as he was forced out of the Underground.
[■ has been disconnected]
***
It was nighttime when they appeared onto an empty street.
A salty breeze drifted through the air; there was an ocean was nearby.
Nox staggered unsteadily, vision swimming as he stared at the unfamiliar surroundings with a frown. "I don't think... this is where I left Roxanne."
A pause, then he collapsed towards the ground.
"Nox!"
"Mister!"
Bak Soomin, who was standing closest, caught onto Nox's arm with a firm grip as his body slumped over. Her arm tensed at the unexpected weight. 'He's unconscious.' She frowned, checking his pulse. "He lost too much blood using his ability."
The three of them fell silent.
Nox's arms were littered with new scars barely healed over, crisscrossing all along his forearm from where the black haired man drew blood from. His bangs covered his eyes, emphasizing the paleness of his face.
The displeased twist of Bak Soomin's expression had Li Zemin growing more anxious. "There is a hospital nearby, we can take him-"
Bak Soomin shook her head. "You forgot," she pinned him with a look- there was a trace of pity there. "This isn't the world we left anymore. We don't know anything about what happened here during our trial."
Li Zemin's shoulders slumped, "But he needs a transfusion."
Liam pushed up the sleeve of his sweater and offered it up. "Mister can use my blood."
Bak Soomin pushed Liam's arm back down gently. "With our current physique, he should be able to recover quickly. Do you mind using your ability to scout our surroundings for now?"
Liam nodded eagerly. "I can do that. Come on Roscoe."
"Krek."
The young boy and the fat raccoon quickly disappeared out of sight.
"You're letting them go on their own?" Li Zemin raised his eyebrows at the casual parting. He shivered as a cool wind blew past him, more from surprise than the slight chill.
Bak Soomin glanced down at the unconscious man she was still supporting. "... I just think that Nox might have had a point."
"A point? He's pretty blunt when he wants to be." Li Zemin glanced at Nox's face, noting the dark circles under his eyes.
Bak Soomin let out a laugh, her lips curled in amusement. "I suppose that's what you call it. Blunt. He's not used to interacting with people, is he?"
Li Zemin snorted, "You don't know half of it."
"Dr. Bak!" Liam's shout brought their attention to him, the two tensing as they noticed two strangers next to the young boy. "I brought help!"
'He was right after all.' Bak Soomin sighed.
"You are...?"
_____________________
"Uncle?"
Nox grunted, turning over to avoid the loud sound above him. The motion jolted his side, causing his eyes to snap open with a curse threatening to escape. An unexpected face came into view, causing Nox to sit up in a panic.
"Shit!"
"Ow!"
Nox raised a hand to his forehead, all of his sleepiness instantly evaporating from the unexpected impact. He rubbed the stinging area tiredly.
His eyes focused on the scrunched up face of the purple haired girl in front of him. Her facial features looked a bit familiar.
An awkward beat passed.
Rubbing the slightly red area on her forehead, the girl broke the silence by scolding him. "Uncle, you shouldn't hurt yourself any more. Healing items aren't a dime a dozen."
... There was only one person he knew that spoke like that. He relaxed marginally, finally recognizing the girl. She had been in the restaurant with him during his first trial.
Nox was about to retort when he paused, doing a double take when he saw his exposed arms. Someone had taken off his coat and gave him a clean shirt. It was a bit big.
But what drew his attention was the lack of scars on his arms. His skin was unmarred- there was no sign of the cuts he made to use his ability.
But the dull throbbing in his shoulder and his leg were still there, the heavier wounds inflicted by the Seed of Catastrophe. He raised a hand, gingerly feeling around the neatly wrapped bandages.
"Did you do this?"
She shook her head. "The doctor woman did it. Brother gave you one of his healing items for your arms."
That would explain the lack of scarring. Nox ran his hand over an arm, slightly stunned at the power of the healing prop.
The girl rubbed the back of her neck, "Well, it's good that you woke up. Your other friends were all worried. Ah!"
Her sudden exclamation startled Nox. "What?"
The girl didn't respond to him, rushing to the doorway. "Guys, he's awake!" she yelled, causing a distinctive crashing sound somewhere.
Still slightly muddle-headed, Nox took this time to look around. He was in a clean bedroom, with a dresser across from him and a nightstand next to the comfortable full sized bed.
The sunlight streamed through the window, highlighting the white walls of the room. If he squinted, he could see the sea in the distance.
It was an odd scene to wake up to.
"I bet you were expecting screaming people and dead bodies," the girl piped up from behind him, having returned to the flimsy plastic chair placed next to the bed.
It was as if she could read his mind.
Huffing out a breath, Nox offered her a smile that probably looked more like a grimace if her startled expression was anything to go by. "Something like that."
She absentmindedly played with the end of her ponytail, twirling a strand of hair between her fingers as she hummed thoughtfully. "That was about four days ago."
Before Nox could question what she met, the footsteps drew closer. He watched with some trepidation as two people and one raccoon burst into the room.
"Nox! You're finally up!" Li Zemin was the first one to greet him, hovering over him like a worried mother hen. "You have no idea how freaked out I was when you fainted out of nowhere."
Liam's fluffy hair appeared from behind Li Zemin, holding onto Roscoe. "Mister, are you feeling better?" he asked, green eyes wide with concern.
Nox nodded, the corner of his mouth lifted in amusement at Roscoe's identical wide-eyed expression.
The fat raccoon chittered, hefting his round body onto the bed. He rolled around cutely, making a show out of it before standing up on his two hind legs. With a proud 'kek,' Roscoe pulled out an object from thin air, presenting it to him.
"Is this for me?" Nox took the offered object, thanking the raccoon.
Roscoe made a few chattering sounds before crawling back into Liam's arms.
".... Isn't this-" Eyes wide in surprise, Nox rolled the iridescent crystal around in his hand. As his finger touched the surface, a holographic screen popped up.
[Item: A Piece of the Crystal Antler
Function: A shiny crystal… Perhaps it has an unknown function yet to be discovered.
Note: When the Red Queen noticed yet another piece of her crystal heart missing, she swore to behead all future Outlanders.]
All eyes in the room turned to the innocent raccoon currently rubbing his chubby face with a paw.
"... Krek?" Roscoe looked up.
"I think I need to keep an eye out for my belongings in the future," Li Zemin coughed.
"Uh huh." Nox stifled his laughter, putting the chunk of crystal into his inventory. "Thank you, Roscoe."
The raccoon grabbed his round ears shyly, turning away.
A knock at the doorway drew Nox's attention away from the round creature. As he looked up, his smile froze on his face.
Dark blue eyes met black, a familiar face staring back at him.
A subtle smile was on his face as he tilted his head casually. "Awake?"
Nox stared slack-jawed at the person at the doorway. A strangled sound emerged from his throat.
Then he glanced down at the pillow, still perfectly shaped just the way he liked it. 'Is it too late to sleep for another three days...?'
It was too early to deal with reality.
He glanced up again.
The bastard was still there.
Narrowing his eyes, Nox fumbled for the blankets cocooning him, yanking them away with some difficulty due to his shoulder wound.
He reached the taller man in three strides. "You son of a bitch." His tone was glacial and filled with hidden bullets even as his expression remained neutral. No going back now. "You still have the nerve to show up in front of me?"
The room was plunged into a frigid silence.