Lucien looked to his side, and there, right at the door, was the nun, expressionless, but her eyes were unnervingly creepy. She was like a statue. Not twitching but her eyes are blinking.
On Lucien's left is little Aiden. Peacefully sleeping. His cute face did not have any trace of the happenings the other night. It's like waking up to see your adorable child tucking himself in a blanket, wandering in the world of his dreams.
Lucien narrowed his eyes. He had just woken up. Why is this single scene so familiar to him? Aiden sleeping is something he certainly did not see on the screen.
[Congratulations, dear host, on completing your task.]
At once, Lucien felt a shiver run down his spine.
[You have received one point. Please rest for the next forty-eight hours to prepare for the next task.]
Lucien's head is still aching. Otherwise, he was feeling okay. He did not notice the bandages wrapping around his palm or on his wrist earlier.
Who treated him?
And why does the voice in his head sound so unfamiliar? He definitely heard these words uttered to him before.
[After twenty-four hours, the agenda of your task will be announced. Please wait and recuperate by then.]
Then the voice disappeared. He could not say anything to it. Or ask what was wrong with him. For half an hour, Lucien stayed still while sitting on the bed. His eyes are hazy and distant. The coldness and stiffness of his facial muscles did not make his expression any better.
People may assume he was thinking deeply or staring blankly based on his blank, unreadable expression. Lucien is gazing at Aiden's face without blinking. The contact was only interrupted when Aiden woke up.
"Lucien?" Two perfectly formed innocent eyes blink at him. Lucien's worries instantly disappear.
"How are you feeling?" Lucien can't resist Aiden's soft hair. He tangled his fingers with it. The smooth brush of hair sent his sensations comfortably across his fingertips.
"Mm, I'm okay." Aiden lowered his head. Lucien continued to absentmindedly brush Aiden's hair, not noticing the soft tears trickling down his cheeks.
"Lucien, I'm sorry."
"What?!" Lucien cupped Aiden's face to look at him.
"What's wrong? Why are you crying? Where does it hurt?" Lucien bit his lip in guilt. Did the protagonist get hurt because of him? Damn. He should have been careful last night. The protagonist is only ten years old, but he appears to be six or seven years old. He's extremely delicate!
Rolling down the hill last night is basically child abuse! God, what to do? Lucien check Aiden's arms and legs for injuries. Then he caught sight of bandages on Aiden's chest.
"I'm sorry… That must have been painful. It's because I wasn't careful last night. I should have –" Lucien's voice cracked in worry. What does a twenty one year old shut in otaku know about treating wounds? Fuck. It's because he seldomly comes outside that this happened.
Look at how he died. He failed to protect the boy back then and off himself first.
Aiden vigorously shook his head. And the tears rolled down his cheek faster.
"No. It's because of me. I'm a good for nothing. I was a burden. You almost died because of me. You carried me all night and I wasn't able to help you -"
Lucien was alarmed at the ugly tear stricken face little Aiden was making. He jumped up and got ready to ask the nun to give him a towel or tissue but Aiden stopped him.
Little Aiden's arms wrap around his waist, clinging tightly. The sobbing turned to bawling.
"Ahh..eehhh…uhhmm" The hopeless shut in twenty one year old otaku who hasn't been with anyone since twenty years old is lost. How was he going to comfort a crying child?
Patting the head?
He patted little Aiden's head, but it only made the crying worse. Little Aiden's small arms tighten around Lucien's waist, making him wince.
Coaxing?
"Shhh, it's okay. Don't cry.. Everything is alright. You'll be fine." Damn. A memory jug on Lucien's head. Making his stiff face crack a little.
Somehow, the word 'You'll be fine' reminded him of his mother. He can't remember her face, or what she looked like. What was drilled into his mind was that she straightened her back, filled with determination to never look back and leave him permanently.
He gritted his teeth.
In forty-eight hours, this little one trembling in his arms, will experience the same pain of being left alone, seeing the people he once loved, whom he once regarded as home, die in front of him.
Lucien steeled his heart, the conflicted emotions he felt inside never showed on his face. He was still wearing that blank, detached expression. That stone stiff face that never bothered to stretch through all these years.
But maybe he can stretch them once again for the sake of this little boy.
Lucien slowly separates himself from Aiden's arms. He bends his knee to look at him.
"Aiden, it's okay. You don't need to cry." Lucien said as gently as possible. The ghost smile was present in his eyes, in his gentle face. With the sunrays gently shining down on Lucien's face, it was like watching a sunrise in the depths of the sea. It's darkness slowly receding because of the incoming light.
And that's what Aiden is feeling right now. The haunting feeling of abandonment, of being left alone, of crying and suffering alone in the darkness, it all melt away because of this gentle smile.
"You're safe now."
Just three words made Aiden's tears stop falling. Safe? Was there such a thing? When he was chased by monsters, no cave nor the tall trees he hid in were safe. He was not safe in any of the cabins or houses he visited.
No one offered him a place to stay. A place of comfort. A place where he can call safe. But why…
Why with this young man…
Can he feel such comfort in his heart?
It was like being in his arms can Aiden found the solace he desperately seek?
Lucien gently pulls little Aiden's nape closer to his chest. Letting him lean comfortably.
For the first time ever, Aiden finally laughed.
"How warm."