A bullet flew past the space between two people who were running deeper into the forest. In spite of their anxious expressions, neither of them seemed to slow down their pace as they briefly looked back.
"Somebody help!" screamed the 5.9-foot-tall man who was running alongside the girl with the height of his neck.
"Shut up, Nicho! Who do you think will help us in such a place?!" the shoulder-length straight-haired girl protested, glancing at him in annoyance.
To avoid being shot by the group of people wearing black robes, the two of them weaved their way between the big trees in a zigzag pattern. However, no matter how agile they ran, the mysterious troop seemed determined to chase them to their death.
"If only we weren't suddenly in this middle of nowhere—"
"If only you hadn't challenged Mrs. Olivia back then…!" the man snapped, looking both exasperated and annoyed at the words of the girl next to him. "At this rate, we could be killed, Ji!"
Thud!
They both turned their heads as they heard something heavy fall. When they discovered their pursuers lying on the ground and looking in pain, their steps came to a halt.
A man stood straight, his jet-black hair standing out against the foliage around him and his deep blue eyes reflecting the sunlight.
He looked at both of them who, in his opinion, didn't dress normally; the woman was wearing trousers, a T-shirt under a light blue blazer, and red shoes, while the man was donning trousers, a brown jacket over his white shirt, and black lace-up shoes.
"H-hello, sir? Can you help us?"
With a sigh and a flat look, he approached them. But suddenly, footsteps echoed from a distance.
"Tsk! Let's go and keep quiet," he said, grabbing their shoulders and urging them to run with him.
"M-my name is Gierra!" Gierra exclaimed pantingly. "And this friend of mine… is Nicholas!"
"Save it for later! Can't you see those assassins are after us?"
"That's why… we wanted to send a friend a farewell message in case we've got caught."
The blue-eyed man looked at Gierra and Nicholas in bewilderment, who seemed to be holding back their tears. A glimpse of someone's cry as he laid on the cold asphalt flashed before his eyes. It made him clenched his jaw.
"I swear… I won't let them get close to you," the man mumbled while stopping his steps, letting go of Gierra and Nicholas's shoulders.
He walked sternly toward the group of black-robed people wielding handguns. When the wind blew, his foot was in the face of one of their pursuers and his hand was clutching his gun. Once the wind stopped, the people were unable to move their fingers and had fallen to the ground.
"Come with me."
His footsteps snapped them out of their daze. They followed him closely after briefly turning to look at the group of black-robed people sprawled out on the ground.
Gierra and Nicholas's arrival in a house on the hill astounded the two people who lived there. As the blue-eyed man walked to the single sofa, a little girl approached them with sparkling eyes, and a woman with copper hair watched them from the kitchen doorway silently.
"New brother and sister!"
"You threw them away so quickly, Ashley."
The man chuckled while massaging his forehead on the sofa when he heard the copper-haired woman's words. It confused Gierra and Nicholas because he looked tickled and tired at the same time.
"The name is Veron. So, how did the two of you end up stranded here?"
When they noticed that the two youths were simply looking down with perplexed expressions, Veron and Alessia fell silent. He sighed and looked at his wife who was approaching them carrying a tray with two teacups on it.
Gierra and Nicholas looked up as Alessia knelt in front of them, handing them two cups of tea. Then they heard the woman say with a gentle smile, "You're shivering. Drink it so you feel better."
For a moment, they glanced at each other. But then, they brought their cups to their lips slowly.
"Cough…!"
"Ji!"
As Nicholas rose from his seat abruptly, Veron stood up and Alesia motioned for Ashley to step back.
"What have you put in her drink?"
"You should be grateful enough."
Nicholas narrowed his eyes in distaste when Veron stepped toward him while giving him the answer. "For your heroic act earlier? We had been wandering through the forest for days when you finally appeared to save us today."
"Perhaps it would've be easier for us if you had remained still."
His gaze turned to Alessia, who said so expressionlessly. Her empathy for them seemed to fade after she served them tea, which it froze him.
"Nicho…"
Nicholas turned to Gierra who looked at him hesitantly. As soon as he sat beside her and heard her whisper, his eyes widened in bewilderment.
"Hear me out, kid."
His gaze turned to Veron who was crossing his arms in front of him.
"We had no ill intentions when we saved you earlier. My wife is a former medical volunteer for post-war therapy and I was a soldier who has encountered poisonous plants frequently."
Veron took the cup of tea in Gierra's hand then placed it on the table next to them. "I suppose neither of you were aware that the defense mechanisms of the wild plants around here are deadly. So that's why Alessia prepared you herbal antidote tea."
Nicholas flinched, glancing quickly at his cup of tea. The calendula flowers submerged in it left him speechless. He heard Gierra whispering to him that the hot sensation on her skin had lessened.
"Your friend may not be used to the bitter taste of it. If you can rest easy, we won't give you another medicine. The poison will only spread faster if you move excessively," said Alessia.
Gierra and Nicholas froze while sitting on the sofa. However, something crossed Gierra's head and made her stare at Alessia in wonder.
"Can we go back to where we came from?"
"To answer your question, miss, we have to know first how you ended up in this island," said Veron.
Nicholas nodded. "We're ready to tell you our story as an apology."
"What apology?" Veron asked, snorting sarcastically. "That's something you should tell us from the start."
While Nicholas and Gierra recounted what happened from the moment they set foot in Mrs. Olivia's room, Veron sat on the sofa, rubbing his chin. Alessia occasionally glanced at Ashley in her lap who also seemed to be listening carefully to Nicholas and Gierra's story as they sat on the sofa opposite the two of them.
"She…"
Nicholas placed his hands on his lap and stared intricately at the carpet beneath his feet.
"…She also told us to act as if we were unaware that strange things were happening to our friends due to the will of time. But how could we possibly be unconcerned?"
Veron and Alessia glanced at each other quietly. As if realizing the tension that arose, Nicholas and Gierra began to question what their lecturer had to do with the reluctant expressions that showed up on their faces.
"I'm sorry, but is there any chance we can return?" Gierra asked.
***
"Bou… ville. Sounds like a French name."
Nicholas glanced at Gierra who was sitting on the edge of the bed while looking up at the ceiling of the room.
"But this is not in France," Nicholas said. "Or 'maybe' not," he corrected, glancing the other way.
They drifted into silence. Even though they were in the same room, their minds were wandering, especially after hearing the host couldn't help them return.
"You've never been chased like that while in exchange to France?"
Nicholas chuckled at Gierra's question. "I was the one chasing the thieves who approached me."
Gierra laughed heartily, making Nicholas smile a little. Soon, however, his expression changed.
"Ah... but why does it have to be my favorite wallet the one they took that time?" he grumbled.
"If it's not a wallet they're after, they're not thieves."
Nicholas pursed his lips seeing Gierra chuckled softly. He muttered, "There was nothing there except a photo of my favorite person."
Gierra's laughter stopped. The atmosphere in the room quickly changed. She stared at Nicholas who turned his head away.
"A-ahem, speaking of which..."
Gierra looked out the window. "…Do you think there's a way we can go to Archtier?"
Nicholas looked at Gierra with a frown on his forehead. "Why must we go there?"
"You heard it yourself, right, they say the person who got us lost here is most likely in Arcthier," said Gierra.
"Yeah, but I think they won't even take us there. Maybe the reason they say 'Arcthier is where we come from, but it's not our haven' is because there's a bigger threat than just hordes of armed troops?" said Nicholas.
"Then we'll go alone. This era does seem to be older than the year our campus was founded, but we should not dwell on the past."
Nicholas was about to refute Gierra's words again when he saw the girl looking at him with a bitter smile. That smile made her realize Gierra's longing for her home and her best friend, Brissia.
Where are you now, Brissia?
Even he himself couldn't keep his worries from plaguing his mind. Thus, he approached Gierra, sat next to her.
"Well, that's it, then. But promise me that you won't go anywhere and stay by my side during the journey."
Gierra replied with a firm nod, entwining her pinky finger with Nicholas's.
"I promise. Even if something bad happens later…"
She held Nicholas's hand, causing him to look at her who smiled broadly at him.
"... I'll be there so you don't have to feel the worst, Nicho."
Nicholas smiled faintly at Gierra, who didn't seem to think about what he was thinking.
One day, he lost a wallet containing a photo of someone he admired. He felt as if his zest for life had disappeared with that photo.
Until they made a pinky promise, the fear of losing her still lingered in him. Their closeness seemed to summon an inevitable time bomb. Just like when he couldn't stop the thief from stealing his wallet, it felt the same way about time.
Don't take my beloved from me, O time.
He held Gierra's hand back while closing his eyes tightly.
At least for a while, don't take them away from me.