"Liam!"
The sound of Hailey's scream reverberated across the hallway, the medical team to act immediately ran towards the room quickly. Doctors and nurses hurriedly converged on his room; they witnessed Liam's uneasiness, his blood pressure spiked, causing him to lose his self-control.
The doctors and nurses quickly tried to calm Liam down, fearing that he might hurt himself or others. It took them a while to soothe him and bring him back to a stable state. After some medications and treatment, Liam finally caught his calm and relaxed. He looked at the ceiling with his sleepy eyes as his mind was numb and empty at this point.
Days turned into weeks as Liam recovered physically, but emotionally his memories couldn't be retained.
The woman who had rescued him, named Hailey Southwark, looked behind from the window while biting her nails. She wanted to read his mysterious past as she thought of his condition.
Hailey entered the room where Liam seated on the bed, his hands firmly clutching his head in silent distress. He was dressed in a well pressed white shirt and black pants, the wind slowly swayed his black hair. Hailey caught a glimpse of his extraordinary lean muscular body, his wounds seemed to heal up fast.
"Are you alright now?"
She asked as she took the support of the table and folded her arms firmly.
"Yes..."
His response startled but was straightforward. He got up from the bed, retrieved his dagger and made his way outside. As he walked, he murmured.
"Thanks to you, my injuries are undoubtedly healed. The clothes you provided were a perfect fit. Now, I shall continue on my way."
"Where do you think you're going?"
Hailey murmured from behind.
Liam came to a halt, he slowly tilted his head.
"Obviously, to the forest. I have nothing left to sort out with you. I'm already thankful for your care, and if our paths were to cross again, I may find a way to repay you."
Hailey let out a small laugh, a subtle smirk playing on her lips.
"What refuge do you think you'll find in that forest? The fastest helicopter took eighteen hours to reach here. That's why I said you were lucky to even survive with those injuries because there's a limit to what the human body can handle."
She twirled to face him fully, and her face turned to a much more serious expression.
"Storms, heavy snowfall, lack of proper clothing, and no sustainable resources. Your injuries aren't in good condition either. It's a gift for disaster."
She emphasized and tried to imply a common logic to Liam.
"You'll die."
"I know your scheme."
Liam countered a moment after her.
"I'm well aware of the laws of Ahornbaum. Wisdom and Peace, my ass. During my travels, I've heard the wordings from fellow wanderers. According to ITL 28, 'Murderers should repay through their lifespan, even if it means passing on their debt to younger generations.' That's what they say."
He continued as he gulped down his saliva.
"It disgusts me..."
Since he also committed one of the gruesome actions mentioned in it, he basically anticipated his future punishment in a short time.
"Regarding those three heads?"
Hailey jested.
"Those three heads... oh yeah, I severed them from their bodies. If I stayed here one more second, I would definitely be imprisoned. I would rather die a calm death than suffer the unbearable torture that this place is infamous for."
"You're smarter than I initially gave you credit for. But that's not my plan. I'm questioning a scenario here—can you really escape from this place?"
She inquired, maintaining her cold expression towards Liam, sensed an enigmatic anger coming from him. A grudge, perhaps.
"Ma'am, if you're not entirely clueless, leaving my dagger beside me was a rather foolish move on your part. Even a child could have seen through it. So, consider this a reminder."
Continuing, he moved a little closer to her in a swish, slowly pointing his dagger in her neck.
"I can end you in a heartbeat and vanish without a trace, you surely wouldn't want that."
"Wow, that sounds rather villainous to me."
Her smirk widened, she placed her neck almost touching the point of his dagger.
"But can you actually beat me, timber boy?"
Liam wasn't affected by this, but he took a straight challenge; his face contorted with a cold expression, looking to the ground. Swiftly, he swayed his dagger back and tried to slash through Hailey's neck.
She effortlessly dodged her attack by tilting her head, swiftly descended at an astonishing speed. In a single, twirling motion, she delivered a powerful kick to both of Liam's legs, sending him sprawling. As the dagger went serial and clattered to the ground, she wasted no time. With an incredible speed, she kicked his hand, causing the weapon to skid across the surface. Finally, executing a swift and controlled movement, she used her boot heels to secure Liam's right hand and thrust him towards the wall. Simultaneously, she folded his left arm, asserted it with her strength.
Immobolized, Liam felt the excruciating pain coursing through his legs. Seized by Hailey's strength, he knew he fucked up.
"Ahh!"
...No way! Her strength is too great for me...
Liam let out a low roar, his mind became eminent of Hailey's action.
"You don't seem much of a strong person yourself, yet your will to defend and fight is quite a talent."
Hailey observed him for a moment, acknowledging his personality more than his skills.
"Well, I've seen many with potential, but your situation is unique. Your determination is prominent and resolute, it course through your actions. Definitely, if someone other than me was here, you could've easily beheaded them in a swift with a incredible speed."
She spoke calmly, her lime green hair gently swayed with the cold breeze.
"Liam, I suggest you abandon the idea of escaping to the forest. There are forces beyond your grasp at play here."
Liam, still catching his breath, struggled to sit up on floor as Hailey released her.
"What are you talking about, forces beyond my comprehension?"
"More skilled than me. You might be the best specimen amongst the 'Nodes' themselves."
Hailey hightlighted, she took on the term "Nodes" while looking at her calmly. He was panting while grabbing his hand until this word caught his attention.
"What are Nodes?"
"We'll address that later, but for now, come with me. I'll take you somewhere, whether you want to or not, you're coming with me!"
Hailey replied, grabbing Liam's collar from behind and leading him out of the room. He slid through the floor with a baffled expression, the attention of other patients was caught as they saw them moving out.
Liam remained silent as they continued, waiting for Hailey to strike a conversation.
"You're too quiet now. What are you thinking?"
"Ninety-nine ways to escape a prison."
Hailey sighed, exhaustion was evident on her face as she grabbed her head.
"Why do you assume I'm taking you to prison? I've already cleared your name from the datalist, and erased any trace of your alleged crimes."
"What?"
Liam's eyes widened in shock as he questioned and looked at her with confusion.
"But why? Then?"
"A place that might help you puzzle out your past, perhaps?"
She gave an ethereal and lively smile to Liam. He turned his gaze away as he blushed.
She's not a bad person after all. I might be overthinking this. If I can maintain this prosperity, perhaps I can uncover what actually happened. Maybe someone like... no, but should I trust her?
He folded his arms, trying to grasp the next possibility.
"I'm not a bad person, quit daydreaming."
"How did you know what I was thinking?"
"Instincts."
"Hah..."
...Maybe it won't be too bad...
He sighed and expressed his thoughts while maintaining a calm smile on his face. Liam shrugged and stood up, maintaining his posture.
"Well, I don't care much about this. So, where are you gonna take me?"
Hailey halted.
"Well, I'll tell you more about our destination along the way."
He wasn't able to completely trust her and a little suspicion did hinted him, Liam tightened his grip on his dagger, as he walked with Hailey.
As they stepped outside, Liam was immediately struck by the breathtaking beauty of the crimson city. The snow-covered landscape sparkled under the gentle touch of maple leaves danced in the air and a dim light glanced from the clouds. However, Hailey's attention was drawn to a mysterious road nearby. It appeared to be abandoned, but upon closer look, he realized it was a bar street.
The street was filled with beggars, middle-aged drunken men, and women engaged in various intimate activities. He moved forward, seemingly oblivious to their surroundings. Hailey took a moment to gather her thoughts before speaking again.
"Well, we found that around twenty thousand years ago, a meteor collided with Earth, altering the landscape t and transforming the entire planet into a snowy region. This cataclysmic event changed the entire shape of this world.
"A meteorite?"
Liam looked at her in shock.
"Yes, we still don't know the cause, but... We are trying to find a suitable cause."
Suddenly, a lady with blatant make-up approached Liam in between, her drunken appearance suggested her motive.
"Looks like you're in a hurry, kid. Want some fun before you go?"
She made an approach, wearing a cunning smile. Hailey instinctively grabbed Liam's hand, her voice polite yet firm.
"Sorry, miss. We are getting a little late."
That lady looked at them in shock as they ran.
"Tsk, shit."
Hailey and Liam, both arrived at a quaint bar with an aged appearance. Hailey made her move towards the gate. Entering, they found it surprisingly quiet amidst the hustle and bustle of the street. The bar had a modest crowd, and various activities, including casinos, alcohol consumption, and other less perverse situations, were underway even in broad daylight. Liam, feeling embarrassed, instinctively covered his eyes with his hands.
The bartender, dressed in a black skirt, a blue folded-sleeve shirt, and a waistcoat, greeted Hailey with familiarity as she cleaned a wine glass with a white cloth.
"Good evening, Hailey."
"Good evening, Lily. Is the LP still open?"
Hailey inquired her. Liam looked at her being completely flustered out.
Lily immediately observed Liam's reaction, noting the evident blush on his face. Despite Hailey and Liam sharing the same height, Lily, being slightly short, seemed to captivate Liam with her persistent beauty. The ambience around them carried a subtle infatuated tension, accentuated by Liam's aura. Hailey immediately noticed this tension and grabbed him.
"Thanks. Let's go, Liam."
Hailey said, taking the lead as they proceed further inside the bar. As they moved forward, Liam cast a glance back at Lily. To his surprise, she winked at him, causing a sudden flush of warmth and blush to spread across his cheeks. Finally, after walking for several minutes and taking several different routes, walking through multiple doors, they arrived at a particular spot, having ventured deeper into the bar and stood before a massive white gate.
"What's this?"
Liam queried, he never looked something as massive as this and that too being inside of a bar.
"Well, let's go inside."
Hailey gently pushed the massive door. Slowly, the radiating inside was coming to an imagery for Liam. After the gates were opened, the image he had foreseen left him in shock, a huge laboratory where scientists were working out different experiments. Liam was astounded by the varied machinery, chemistry, and research going on that was much ahead of his time. He never imagined that this would be possible during this Victorian era.