Mana sat on the edge of an unknown bed in a room she had never seen before. She had on a long, flowing, blue summer dress, with her abdomen tightly wrapped underneath. She stood up slowly, and as her bare feet touched the cold, wooden floors, it immediately sent a shiver up her spine.
Gairma was quiet inside her head, perhaps tired from helping her; though, she wasn't sure what had happened. She had felt an extreme amount of rage that she had never felt in her life moments before she blacked out.
Then she realized. The rage she had been feeling wasn't her own, but Gairma's power that was pushing Mana beyond her limits. The more she used the power, the angrier she became.
But now that she was gone, she felt more at ease. She could feel emotions other than hate; she felt sorrow. She had to see Viktor.
She cautiously opened the door, poking her head out slightly to look around. There was no one. As she snuck out of the room, she closed the door behind her as quietly as possible before making her way down a hall towards some haphazardly put together stairs. There were random paintings sprawled out amongst the walls; some made by professionals, and others by a child, or perhaps a couple of children?
As her steps tapped lightly against the stairs going down, she heard Yuri and Lita call out to her. She felt a rush of relief overcome her as she then began to run down the stairs to the sound of their voices.
It hadn't been a dream seeing them.
"Careful," Lita warned, pointing to her abdomen. Mana immediately slowed back to a walk.
"How did you know?" She questioned the twins as she followed their lead to the dining room where they had her weapons and backpack lying on their table. As she grabbed them, she peered out the small window at the moon. The only light was what it emitted and where the front entrance of the village was.
She was unconscious for no less than 5 hours. It was midday when she made it back to the village with Viktor on her back dying.
Viktor....
"The guards had rushed Viktor passed our store, and seeing him like that, we knew you were in more danger..." Yuri started.
"So, we made our way to the entrance, and when we got close, we saw that... pig, take you exactly where he took us at one point in time." Lita continued. "We heard you yell, and we ran. We didn't know what we were going to do; we aren't fighters. But when we got there, well...."
"You had already killed him," Yuri finished, her voice full of excitement.
Mana gave them a slight smile. She had only gotten 40,000 XP out of the 100k she needed, but at least he was dead. "Where's Viktor?" She asked them.
"The infirmary still; but he's stable and awake," they winked. "Out the door, turn right, then follow it all the way down. It's near the back wall and its one of the very few, nicer looking brick buildings around here." Yuri informed her with a hint of jealousy.
The twins watched as Mana sheathed her weapons and threw her backpack on. "Not all the guards here are corrupt; some are just dragged into it for fear of their own life, but nonetheless, be careful." Lita said. She then pointed at her abdomen again, "it's not fully healed, but we know a thing or two about stitching," she giggled. "The doctors at the infirmary are good people, they will get you better, but be quick about it. The ones that are bad, they're going to be hunting you," she then warned.
"We couldn't exactly make you not stick out," Yuri looked at Mana's hair, "and we didn't want anything tight against your wound, but the darkness should help a bit."
Mana nodded at them as Yuri gave her an extra pair of sandals to wear. "Thank you."
She then snuck out of the house, quickly making her way to the infirmary. She hid between homes and shops when she thought she heard or seen someone, and, despite her hair, still made it there undetected.
She slipped in through the doors, before finally being noticed by one of the guards that protected the entrance. She held her breath, hoping he wasn't a monster as well.
"Are you alright, miss?" he asked softly, noticing her strange behavior. She exhaled in a sigh of relief as she straightened herself out.
"I'm here to see someone," she informed him. "Viktor Klora."
"Ah, yes, he was asking about you," he smiled at her. His face was welcoming and sincere, and she had a feeling he was one of the good ones the twins had mentioned. "Follow me, please." He then led her down a short maze of hallways before reaching a dimly lit room. "Here we are," the kind guard informed Mana as he stopped just outside it. As Mana thanked him and made her way into the small room, the guard excused himself to go back to the front.
The room was tiny, yet big enough for a bed, a bathroom, and a small area for some staff to attend to Viktor.
He was thankfully awake, staring out the window at the moon while lying in his bed wearing a light blue hospital gown. His black hair was messy like he had a rough slumber, and his face had been clean shaven to make the doctor's job a bit easier apparently.
When he heard Mana's soft footsteps enter the room, he immediately turned his head to see her, the moon illuminating her like an angel.
"Beautiful..." he whispered to himself.
"I'm sorry?" She asked, as she waited in the doorway looking at him. She was trying to ignore his baby-like face.
"Nothing," he smiled at her. "I'm happy to see you're okay."
"I should be the one saying that," her heart skipped a beat. "How are you feeling?" She walked over to his bed and sat at the foot of it, avoiding his feet as she sat. She looked at him, his face was flushed, but he was getting stronger by the minute.
"Had it not been for Fluffy healing me or you somehow carrying me on your back," he forced himself up into a sitting position, and reached down to grab her hand, "I would not be alive." Mana blushed. "The doctors said I'll have to be transferred back to the city for more intensive care; my organs are fixed but I still have a gaping hole you can see through," he half-heartedly laughed.
"I understand," she replied, looking away from him to stare aimlessly at the floor. He wasn't going to be able to join her for the rest of the trip, and her brief moment of happiness had changed to sadness once more.
"Once I'm better, I'll find you again," he reassured her. "I want to rid the world of this awful disease with you." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, causing her to look at him again. "They think I'm ignorant to what they've done," he began, referencing the guards attempt at her life. "Though I'm not sure why they did this to you?"
"One of the first guards that greeted us, he..."
Viktor caught on immediately, "did you kill him?" His face had turned straight-faced and serious as he awaited her answer.
"Yes," she admitted, looking away once more prepared for the consequences of killing an official guild member. It was almost always the death penalty.
"Good, because if you hadn't, I would have," he snapped, emotion filling his voice.
As Mana quickly looked at him in shock, he pulled her towards him. Midway through his gentle pull, he cupped her chin in one of his hands and brought her lips up to his and kissed her softly. His sudden movements sent a painful shockwave throughout his body, but he didn't care. He didn't want to lose her, but he knew there wasn't any other option other than to part ways for now.
Mana didn't fight back. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck, closing her eyes as she embraced him just the same.
I have the best, worst luck lately, she thought to herself as she felt the warmth of his breath against her lips.
She yearned so badly for a normal life, but she knew there was a reason she lived that day....