Character : Jonah Calfman, A Legend
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It took me a while until I finally calmed down.
My throat felt like it was burning, and I could feel my face really hot. It felt like I wanted to just take off my academy uniform, but I realize I can't do that since it's improper. Another thing I realized was just how patient Nathan was as he listened to my cries and screams.
Now that I'm aware of him, I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down.
"I'm sorry… I--"
"No. Don't apologize." Nathan coldly stopped me, and I turned my confused teary eyes at him.
It seems like Nathan is beating himself up from my father's death, and I can tell why. If Nathan really went to the mission together with him and came back alive, that simply meant that he could not protect him. I don't know the situation enough, but I understand that it was definitely something out of his control.
"It's not your fault." I said firmly, but he only grinned with his head down.
"But, it is."
"It's not. Father… wouldn't agree with you if he was here." I said while holding back my own tears, and Nathan looked like he was holding back his tears as well.
He is holding himself back to respect me. Even though he wanted to cry more, he is stopping himself from doing so because of me. I can't let my best friend beat himself up for my father's death. That is not something I can allow.
"It's not your fault. End of discussion." I said firmly while strengthening myself, but it looks like Nathan is still certain about it.
"And what if it is?"
"Damn it! Stop trying to blame yourself--"
"Hate me. Jonah." Nathan spoke coldly again with his hoarse and pained voice. And this time, he turned his cold red eyes to me.
"I'm the one who got your father killed. So, hate me."
Hearing him saying that, I can feel myself burning inside out. I wanted to stop him from feeling this way, but I can't even stop myself from wishing the opposite.
Deep down… I wanted to blame someone. And seeing him asking for me to do it like this, it makes all the wrong thoughts in my head to gain power.
But, I'm not going to let those thoughts win.
"You're my best friend." I said with a soft tone, and Nathan turned his shocked gaze at me. "I can never come to hate you. No matter what happened."
I made sure to say that as genuine as possible, and Nathan has finally shown the face he has been trying to keep hidden. His emotions had been released, and tears began to flow out endlessly from his face.
Seeing him crying, I got up from the chair and hugged his bandaged body. My right hand is still holding his, and I patted him on the left shoulder with my left hand as we hugged.
"I'm sorry…! I can't protect him…!!!!" Nathan said with all his might, trying to speak out the truth. "I can't protect anyone… I'm far too weak!!"
"That's not true. You did your best. I know for sure." I said while patting him on the shoulder, and he lifted his left hand to hold me above his back. Our position is a bit awkward, but there's nothing we can do about it since he was so wounded.
After Nathan calmed down, I pulled away from the hug. I realized that our right hands are still locked with each other, and I started to let go, only to realize just how hard I was crushing his hand.
And seeing the twisted fingers, I realized that I had mercilessly broken his hand.
"Y-Your hand!!" I pointed at his broken fingers and hand shape, and Nathan only lifted his right hand and stared at it.
"I can't even feel it. The anesthesia is working so well." He said, and I just believed him.
From the looks of it, that broken hand was the least damage done to his body. The wound on his forehead looked deep as hell. And then the wound on his chest and right abdomen. Those three parts looked like they were covered in blood the most, and we haven't even looked at his feet.
"Jonah. Listen well." Nathan called out to me, and it looks like light has already returned to his eyes. "About the man who killed your father."
Hearing him starting this topic, I sat back down quietly and listened. Nathan then told me everything that happened, starting from how they were ambushed by civilians to fighting two elite knights from the dark republic.
Nathan mentioned that he was facing one of the elite knights, while Father faced the other. He said he was winning against the elite knight with water origin, but Father lost against the elite knight with light origin. And hearing that Father's killer survived, I became certain of what my goal is now going to be.
"He is a light origin. You can't face him alone, ever." Nathan warned me, and I understand why he was so worried. After all, even Father, who is the best earth origin master in the world, was defeated by this elite knight.
"I know. Next time, I made sure to face him with you." I said to him with confidence, and he smiled softly hearing that. He lifted his hand for a manly handshake, and I grabbed it firmly, not realizing what hand I just grabbed.
"Wait, your hand--"
"Oops."
Yeah, his hand is just flailing around so weirdly. It really looked like he had jellyfish for hands. It's so weird.
"Once the anesthetic disappears, you're going to scream out of pain." I said to him, but he only chuckled from that possibility.
"It will take a while until then. The nurse can heal me before then."
… is what he said.
…
"WHERE THE HELL IS THE NURSEAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!---" Nathan screamed with his life after only five minutes later, and I managed to arrive just in time with the nurse next to me.
The nurse quickly examined the broken hand and injected more anesthetic, but that will only remove the pain temporarily. He will need healers on the spot to heal him.
"Sorry! But the healers are currently busy with worse wounded soldiers…" The nurse apologized to me, and I just turned to Nathan who looked so extremely pissed.
"… Sorry…"
" **** you and your dad."
"Bro..."
Afterwards, the group came back from talking to Lily's sister. Actually, Lily's sister even came along with them to check out on Nathan.
"What happened to his hand…?" Miss Hilda asked after seeing it, and I just laughed awkwardly at them.
"So, did Nathan tell you everything?" Appearing from the side, Princess Frisena asked me with concerned eyes. I just nodded at her without saying a word, and I turned to Nathan.
"I'm sorry for interrupting, but are any of you capable of healing wounds?" Nathan asked from his bed, and everyone turned to him annoyed. It looks like everyone has heard of what happened to my father, and they all got angry at him for being insensitive.
PANK!!!
Out of nowhere, Lily slapped his head with a plastic plate, and I was wondering where she even got that thing from.
"Stop being insensitive to your damn friend!" She then placed her hand on Nathan's broken hand, and she channeled her water origin to cure the broken bones.
Water origins have the ability to heal open wounds and internal wounds. They can revert broken bones back to its original position, but heavy wounds like Nathan's forehead and stomach will require both light origin and water origin to work.
Anyway, it took a while for the hand to be fixed, and Princess Frisena just chuckled from seeing this weird scene of the two holding hands.
"Man, you two need the room or something?" The older sister joked after seeing the obscene act of handholding, and the younger sister only stared angrily.
"Then, how about you heal this!?"
"Oh? You want me to hold his hand? Wouldn't that make him cheating? Are you sure you want that?"
"I…" Lily looked so defeated that she couldn't mutter a word. Meanwhile, Nathan seems to be enjoying this very much.
"Lily, you don't have to be so honest..."
"You, shut up." Lily then crushed the hand she was holding, and Nathan's eyes looked like it was about to pop out.
After that, I decided to leave the others to go meet my family. If my father has truly passed, then certainly everyone is going to look for me. My friends and the vice headmaster understood, and I left the left wing to search for my family.
I did not find anyone in the castle, so I asked for a carriage from one of the king's aides and went to my home. It's not too far, and I could've just run there and it might be quicker. But, I wanted to make my arrival noticeable so that everyone saw me coming.
"Jonah…? Is that you?" From the door, my mother came at me running, and I also jumped out of the carriage to her embrace.
"I'm sorry… I couldn't be here when it happened." I said to her, but my mom seemed to be busy with my current appearance.
"My Jonah… you look so tall! And thin, and handsome!! And you're very muscular!! My goodness!" She said while studying my arm and muscles, but I kept my serious face on.
"Where is he…?" I asked while staring at her face, and judging from her black clothes, it seemed like they just had a funeral ceremony.
Beforelong, the carriage that I came with brought me to the graveyard where he was laid down. As every man came from the earth, we will naturally be sent back down to the earth as well. It was a saying that was very popular within the earth nation, especially during funeral sessions.
And standing at the place where he is laid down, all I can feel was regret.
"I couldn't even show you my results in time… I knew you always wanted the best out of me." I said to the lump of dirt in front of me that looked freshly dug and the tombstone that says my father's name.
Kayden Calfman. The legendary holy knight who protected the earth nation.