95 YEARS AGO
"BANG!"
"Now go!" She ordered.
I immediately ran to where she was pointing. I didn't know where I should be going or what she meant, but I felt like I had to follow.
Was it the ache in my heart?
Or fate?
Something doesn't feel right.
I ran and ran before I stumbled upon the training ground.
It was covered in trees, isolated from the road.
It's grass felt good to rest on, though.
I know that because I usually sit here as I watch my brother spar with his teacher.
In the distance, I could just about make out two figures.
It was a little girl, probably around the same age as me. She was wearing some sort of green armor that covered her entire body, except for her head. Which was exposed.
In front of her was a man in black. He was lying down, bleeding from his injuries and frightened.
She's holding a metal device in her hands, pointing it toward the injured man.
I ran towards her, yelling,
"Stop!"
She jolted. She stopped to turn around and looked at me.
She was… pretty…
The wind flew across her golden blonde hair.
But aside from her hair, she was colorless, so I figured she was from the Cynthus Familia.
Is she… the miracle?
Though her face was devoid of any emotion, her eyes cried.
She's like a lost, dim star waiting to be discovered.
This girl... she's not good news.
But still, I had to help.
Not the person on the ground,
But her.
At the time, I did not know...
That it would be the best decision…
I've ever made in my life.
15 MINUTES AGO…
Damn it all! She found us!
She stood there, idle. Never moving a muscle.
But I knew for sure…
We'd be dead if we did.
"Run…" I whispered to both of them.
"What?!" Mitro yelled.
"Just run! I'll distract her!" I said as I charged at Beal with my sword.
Mitro carried Mika and began to run to the forest.
Beal pointed her weapon at both of them, ready to fire.
"I'm right here!" I yelled.
"BAM!"
My blade hit the side of her helmet, causing it to fall off.
Mitro and Mika were able to get out. Now I need to escape this situation… somehow.
For minutes, we fought.
I tried to dodge her pellets but to futile. Soon enough, my entire body was covered in holes.
Her movements began to slow down as time passed.
She's just a child! How can she fight for this long?!
It won't be long till she finally slowed down…
For me to take a hit. I swung my sword at her. She gritted her teeth.
But I didn't know that…
It was an act.
Her weapon changed again. It went back to its double-barrel shape.
"Ch-Chkt."
It's gonna hit…
It was aimed straight at my abdomen…
"SHIT!!!"
"BANG!"
The light blinded me before I opened my eyes and looked down.
My intestines were out in the open.
I lay on the ground, battered and dying. I cried.
I want a second chance…
I looked at Beal, standing before me.
I regret it all…
I didn't know what she was thinking… But if I did, I'd probably want to forget.
Her face said it all.
…
…
…
Should I kill him…?
I can, right? He's probably killed a lot of… a lot of people!
No no no…! I shouldn't… right? He's dying!
But it's justified… He's an assassin...
A killer…
He's done deeds beyond forgiveness, right?!
I should kill him… I need to kill him...!
HE NEEDS TO DIE
I NEED TO PULL THE TRIGGER!!!
HE DESERVES TO DIE!!! HE DESERVES TO FUCKING DIE!!!
I NEED-
"Stop!" Out of nowhere, I heard a child's voice.
I turned around and saw a boy, panting and out of breath.
"You're… crying?" He told me.
What…?
I gently placed my hand on my cheek, and I realized that tears were streaming down my face.
Suddenly, a sound came from the man's earpiece.
"Bzzt…"
Shit! I should've shot those two when I had the chance!
"Let's go!" He yelled.
The boy then grabbed my hand and started running, dragging me along with him.
As we ran through the forest, we could hear voices behind us coming from the flat area. It wasn't following us, however.
They didn't pursue us? Thank god.
However, I saw a figure behind the trees. It was a tall figure. But before I could make out what it was, it was blocked by another tree.
Damn it. Why's there gotta be a tree in front of me?! What was that anyway?
I ignored it and took my time to look at the boy. He looked somewhere around my age. His hair was a bright teal color. His skin was… really saturated. Like he had a saturation filter on up to 20%.
"Name?" I asked.
"Huh?"
"Your name, stupid."
"Noah. Noah Excendi!"
Ahhhh…. Why is he here though? Earlier he looked like he ran over here as fast as he could.
But why? Did he hear the gunshots I fired?
A while later, we stumbled upon the venue. No one was outside.
He stopped as he took a look at the park.
"Huh? Where is…" He wondered.
"What is it?"
"Umm… Nothing."
"Okay then."
I went to a nearby bench and sat there. He sat right next to me afterward.
I exhaled deeply, tired from all the fight.
"Mute." I said, prompting Game Zone to mute anything I say here.
I put my hand over my face and took off my headset.
"Remember what I told you earlier?"
"Never to tell anyone, madam." Saira answered.
"Good."
I turned around to look at Saira. Her… disfigured scar from her injury earlier still disgusts me.
"U-Uh…. Put this… on." I told Saira as I handed her her blindfold that I had taken earlier while at the same time, trying not to look.
"All ready, madam." She said. I turned around again and saw her stand up, wearing the blindfold.
You might be wondering, how did we get here? Here's a recap:
Finished Demise (Game) > Hid in the trees > Got spotted > Ran > Looked for Saira > who was on the floor > Put her in Game Zone > Told me the enemies had healing agents > Fought the idiots > Shot the mf who had it > Caught a few that was intact > healed her face and injuries > Looked for the idiots > Fought an idiot > went insane > present.
Did that summarize it enough for ya?
I hugged Saira, feeling a little guilty.
"Well… You'd probably be uhh… fired now… right?"
"Hm?"
"You're blind now."
"Always has been, madam?"
"…"
"…"
What?
"Then… How did you two see the food earlier in the venue?"
"We didn't."
"... huh?"
"Since we gorgons coexisted with humans, we trained ourselves in darkness by wearing blindfolds. We rely on our other senses."
"So it's fine if you're missing your eyes?"
"Yes, madam. It's actually a tradition for gorgons to have their eyes removed. But the Cynthus familia let us keep our eyes for emergencies and to defend ourselves."
"Ahhh… ok."
This is awkward.
"Unmute." I said as I put my headset back on.
"Noah, you can go back in now."
"But…"
"I'm fine." I said with a reassuring smile. A smile he can't refuse.
"Alright." He stood up and before he could walk back to the venue, I grabbed his hand and stopped him from his tracks. He turned around to look at me.
"Wha-"
"Thank you." I said.
Noah's eyes glistened with glee.
"You're welcome! I'll see you later inside!"
He left and returned to the venue. I felt so relieved.
Really… Thank you. Hadn't you been there I would've…
Tears start to form in my eyes again. I took off my headset and let it all out.
"AAAGHH!!! DAMN IT!!!" I cried out.
"I promised… I PROMISED MYSELF!!! I'm not…!"
Before I could finish, Saira wrapped her hands around my eyes.
She kneeled down and hugged me as I cried.
In the end… I couldn't change…!
For minutes, I whimpered in Saira's embrace.