Chapter Text
The wound was painful. He could feel the cold wind and dust hit a part of his body that was always covered by skin, making his whole body feel sore. Usually Mr.Mole took out a healing magi provided by the elves or treated his wound in Dyer’s Clinic in the middle of town to prevent infection. But Norton prefers to drop himself on a nearby rock in the middle of forest, letting his weapon and claws stuck inside a freshly killed monster beside him. His knees felt throbbing, tired after supporting his weight the whole day.
Hahaha.. If Emma saw him now, surely the girl screamed in panic in a high-pitched note (so annoying that Norton couldn't close his eyes) and ran as fast as she could to call Emily. Tracy, even with a calm posture, would immediately have her robot to carry him to the laboratory and try to sew his wound- maybe with nails and bolts... arkh nope nope, Norton didn't want to be treated like a machine.
But now, there was no one there except himself. The rare peace and quiet night allowed him to hear his own heartbeat that was still racing along with this rough breath. His body felt the heat of the stone below him from daytime and the cold night weather around him. Strangely, the two contrast temperatures made Norton feel comfortable. His onyx eyes, that used to stare wildly like a bloodthirsty predator, were now closed to enjoy the darkness of the night. But he never stopped running in his life, so calming down felt so difficult. Not the darkness that he saw when he closed his eyes, but a vision of him running through the trees, jumping here and there while drawing his claw and sword, slashing enemies along the way.
Especially when the forest sky was bright red some time ago. His rival organization tried to seize the Stone of Life, which was sealed inside an elf body (what's his name? Cleary tea? Clarity?) who had been unconscious for hundreds of years in order to secure the stone with his magic. Meanwhile Mr.Mole, his fellow comrade, and the elves working together as they continued to race against time to protect the stone. As if when they’re late for one second, the Stone Of Life will fall into the wrong hand and destruction would befall everyone. But fortunately, they managed to prevent that from happening. The elves now carried Clarity's body and Stone of Life inside it to a safer place, deep inside the wood. The sky returned to blue like before.
His organization was busy restoring casualties from the battle while helping to repair the destroyed elf village, so there was no mission for Norton. Emily had told him to take a break to recover from his injury, but he couldn’t stay calm without holding a weapon for a day.
"Ukh--!!" Norton tried to shift his position, but his arm felt very painful when he moved. Damn it- this was the result for going against Emily's orders. If he returned now and explained why his wound was open, that doctor would murder him. Norton took a deep breath and finally chose to lie back down.
This world is not much different from the past. In this era he won many battles, thinking it would be the last time he would hold a weapon, but it wasn’t. In the past, he had to play a deadly game over and over again. His victory in each game was meaningless because when he opened his eyes, he was back inside the manor, trapped. But in the past, he had someone who accompanied him through that difficult time. That person always greeted him every time he finished the match, then led him to sit in the garden while watching the stars together. Not exchanging words, just enjoying the silence of the night to lower their adrenaline. The brunette would always make the same wish when he saw a shooting star. He hoped for everyone’s safety until the last game and they can get out of the manor together.
At first, Norton thought the brunette was stupid. Why would you make a wish to a glowing stone that happened to pass through the space above the earth? Instead of making a wish, everyone should just practice more to increase the success rate of escaping. But as the last game approaches, he can do nothing but convince Naib (and himself) that everything will be okay. For the first time, Norton felt fear and uncertainty. He even started to make a wish to the star while sitting next to Naib. Although he was not sure if his plea would be heard, he hoped that at least everyone (that Naib cherished so much until now) could survive.
'I'm Naib Subedar, a mercenary. I will make sure to rescue you successfully."
‘Campbell! Hey Campbell- what's wrong?! Get a grip on yourself!’
‘Stupid brat-- just do as I say for once! Just... Please.. I'm worried.. we’re all worried about you.’
‘What are you talking about? Your face is handsome even with the burn-- wait. Forget it.’
‘Call me short one more time and I won't rescue you next match.’
‘Norton.. stay? Please?’
His lips drew a small smile remembering the soft voice rolling in his memory, but regretted the next second because it makes him remember something painful. It was a memory of his past, when he sat alone in the garden, just like now, staring at the night sky while waiting for Naib to finish his last match. Actually he could have volunteered to accompany the brunette, but Naib told him to rest because he was injured when playing in the afternoon. So Norton let Naib play alone, confident that the mercenary would come out safely as usual. But when he returned to the main hall, everyone was crying. No one dared to look into his eyes.
No matter how strong the mercenary, he also has a limit. And today, in the last match that determines their life and death, Naib can't hold on anymore.
He gave up on his wounds.
He left them.
He left Norton. Alone.
Norton was really stupid. Naib was always by his side when he needed him. But he did nothing to repay him, not even protecting him nor stayed by his side at the last moment of his life.
"Hey Naib," Norton whispered to the sparkling star above him. "If I die now, does that mean I can meet you again...?"
After saying that, Norton closed his eyes again. His body relaxed as if there was no more energy, but he felt calm and relaxed. His heartbeat is now back to normal and breathing is regular.
Was dying really the best decision?
"Akh-!" Norton groaned as a shot of pain stinging his whole body. He just wanted to shift his head to a more relaxing position, but he completely forgot about a wound in his neck. The open wound rubbed against the sharp stone below him, forced him to sit upright, successfully destroying the calm atmosphere minutes ago.
“Damn it - it hurts so much ... Emily was really going to murder me ...," His eyes wandered around, staring at the corpse of the monster with a sword still stuck in the skull.
Norton took a deep breath. He can’t give up on life this easily. "Looks like I've been here too long ... it's time to go back," he cautiously got up, walked limping before falling again. But this time, a pair of hands caught his back.
Norton looked at the figure who suddenly supported him from behind, an elf with a hoodie covered his blue hair. His yellow eyes glowed in the middle of the dark night of the forest. Butterflies and fireflies gently flying, illuminating the area around them. Norton fixed his position to look at the elf more clearly, his eyes widened at how similar this person is to someone.
The figure looked at him with satisfaction. "You must be Mr.Mole. Let's go home, everybody is searching for you."
"Wh-- wha--”
"Don't worry. I'm on your side. My elf name is Clarity, but you can call me Naib."