I've never held someone this tightly before. I've never cried this loudly before. And I've never had this much blood stained onto my skin before.
Xylvia was still screaming in pain. I had torn off every piece of clothing that I could use for a tourniquet, but all I really did was soak everything in blood. I didn't know what else to do.
Please…I don't want you to die… No…fuck…please…
I could feel Xylvia's one arm loose it's grip on me. I kept it up, keeping her hand rested on my shoulder. However, I suddenly felt it begin to move on its own. She struggled, so I guided her hand to where she wanted it to go…
She lay it firmly on my cheek. It was only then when I realized she had stopped screaming. What I saw in Xylvia's eyes wasn't pain…but heartbreak. Tears stained her eyes into a bloodshot red. But even through all that pain, she did her very best to give me a smile.
It was all I could see before she closed her eyes; her one arm that touched my cheek fell to the ground. She was still breathing, but I knew that wouldn't last for very long. And that fact alone made me want to scream.
I didn't even get to know her better.
I couldn't keep myself composed. My head was swarmed with so many thoughts that I couldn't keep up with. Scenarios played inside my head. Xylvia and I on our first adventure. Hiking up a mountain covered in flames. Escaping from some fiery monster with some rare treasure or artifact. We laughed. Shared some pain. Met some more nice people. Maybe made up some kind of weird handshake along the way.
Guilt started to swell up inside my chest. Here I was having all these dumb scenarios going on inside my head, yet Xylvia was right here dying in front of me. At some point, I even started to question my own feelings. Was I really even sad…?
No. These tears. My arms wrapped tightly around her. The ripped clothes I used to stop the bleeding even if it's by only a little bit. This is genuine. I will never question that ever again.
"Xyl…hey…is there something I can do…" I choked on my words. "Please… This world…there's magic right…? Surely…there's something…please…please…ple…a…s…e…"
Was there really nothing in this world I could use? Is she really going to die like this? Is she going to die? Is she? Will she die? Die…
I tightened the cloth on Xylvia's stump, then picked myself up off the ground and did my best to shake these obscured thoughts out of my head. I found myself stumbling, but I did everything I could to keep myself from falling.
*CLANG!* … *CLANG!* … *clang…* *clang…*
The man went back to banging the pipe in the same pattern as before, except this time against the wall as he continued to remain crouched down. I stumbled closer to him, but I suddenly found myself growing incredibly dizzy. I quickly took a few deep breaths and closed my eyes. I don't know why I did this, but it always calmed me down. Shutting the world out by embracing myself in my own darkness always calmed me down.
When I opened my eyes, the man was right in my face again.
I wasn't startled by him however. Instead I only muttered a few words.
"Save her…" I begged.
The man continued his silence. Instead, he reached his arm out to me. I could see his hand laying flat out for me to grab. That urge to grab him was no longer with me, but I had my own reason.
Xylvia grabbed this man by the shoulder earlier, so that must be what this man is after. It was a vague answer, but it was all I had to go off of.
Without any hesitation, I grabbed the man's hand with my own, staring him dead in his void. He said nothing. He didn't move a muscle either. Suddenly, Xylvia's detached arm started moving backwards. All the blood splattered onto the ground, even on my face, circulated back into Xylvia. The cloth tied around her was removed and the blood along with her arm went back into place. I watched in awe as her bones, flesh, blood, and skin merged back into place, her arm completely healed like nothing had happened.
I felt like falling downs to my knees, but instead I just sighed and let some tears fall from my eyes. But I knew that this wasn't over yet. I turned my focus right back to the man. I knew that I was currently at risk for a death sentence, but I wanted answers.
"Who the hell are you?" I asked him sternly.
However, the second I asked that question, he disappeared. Along with the entire world around me. There was nothing. Only a faint, grey mist that surrounded me in a black void.
"Who the hell are you?"
That was my own voice. It echoed across the void I stood in as the mist began to grow thicker. I staggered around, looking to see where that came from.
"I HOPE YOU DIE IN A FUCKING TRENCH!"
…what?
*DMMM!*
A sudden shockwave sent me flying backwards and straight through…something.
*CRASH!*
It sounded like glass.
I don't think I've ever talked like that before to anyone, but for some reason I can vaguely remember saying that. 'Die in a trench…' Why a trench specifically?
All I did was blink, but I suddenly found myself in some sort of garden. It was a huge and lustrous garden, brimming with life. The temperature was at just the right number, the air smelled so sweet like honey, and the sky was a colorful pink and purple with stars twinkling beautifully. I found myself surrounded by various fruits growing on strangely shaped bushes.
I didn't know where I was. I felt my legs growing weaker, so I sat myself underneath a tree and tried to wrap my head around this.
"He's not watching…"
Huh?
There was no one there. I was all alone. I was convinced that I was alone. My eyes convinced me of that very fact. And yet for some reason…
"Hesnotwatchinghesnotwatchinghesnotwatchinghesnktwatchinghesnotwatching…"
…the voices around me continued to grow louder. No matter how tightly I covered my ears, no matter how hard I pressed my palms that they started to go numb, that same voice wouldn't stop.
I couldn't take it anymore.
"SHUT UP!!"
I screamed at nothing, but suddenly found myself back in the real world, face to face with…myself?
I quickly shook my head and blinked a few times, but there still stood another me. I waved my hand left in right in front of his face, but he didn't repeat it like he did with Xylvia a few moments ago. His eyes just followed my hand around.
He then grabbed my hand with his own, feeling the various places and bones all over it. He then held out his own hand and pressed it against mine.
I didn't know what to think. None of this made any sense. One minute, this guy is a stalker who blew off and repaired Xylvia's arm, then the next he's suddenly me?!
I suddenly heard a gasp. I quickly did a 180 and saw Xylvia sitting up with her eyes open and a little groggy. She definitely looked tired and weak.
"H-Hiro," Xylvia said weakly. "Uh…two Hiros?"
Her voice was definitely shot. Probably from all that screaming earlier. I didn't know what to do, but I felt like I needed to do something. What I ended up doing in the end was making my clone, or whatever he was, follow me while I carried Xylvia back to the hotel. I was going to leave Xylvia behind to rest while I went to look for answers.