Chapter Text
"Hhngh.... Um.... Where..." I could only see darkness for a few hours. Probably days, even. But suddenly, colours reappeared, and they were blurred. "Where... Am I?..."
Cold. Even though I was so lost, I could sense powerful mana. I could hear very strong storms, even unconscious.
It was somehow a state of tranquility... Now I remember. I have died. And that made me cry. I would never see my friends again. I would never make it to the dinner table with everyone else in the team again. Never hear David's jokes, Letoile's smart stuff, would never see Mimosa smiling and caring for everyone, Alecdora blushing every time the Captain would praise him, Klaus scolding Yuno, Siren playing chess with me while having tea with biscotti...
So that's heaven... I don't like it! It's lonely, cold and dark in here! Maybe that's not heaven, but hell. What did I do to deserve hell?!
All I could feel was despair! A faint sense of everything familiar. Confusion. Until...
"Look, he's almost awake!"
"His eyes are soaked with tears! Is he dreaming?!" A Dream? The voices that started emerging in the field of my hearing said that I was dreaming! So am I dead or not?! The hope made me struggle to escape that horrible dimension I was imprisoned in. I tried to feel and move my body, open my eyes...
-
*What is that?!* I was in a cage! No, a coffin! Cold sweat run on my skin, panic filled my heart, yet the rest of my body could move properly. Had I lost my senses?! I should remember what had happened before!
Right! The Spade Kingdom attacked our base! I remember being quickly knocked out! But I lived?! A miracle! I should know if the others are alright, but where am I?! Where is our base? What's going on?!
"Boss! He's awake! We did it!"
"Amazing! Elpis-sama's powers are really something else! She saved two dead people!"
*What did I just hear?!* The enthusiastic woman said that someone saved two dead people. The one is probably meant to be me. The other?! I glanced next to me, still confused, and saw... "Siren!"
"Oh, you talk! That's incredible! Please, chubby guy, tell me, what did you see when you were away, we need to know!" She had her face too close to the transparent coffin I was in, and her smile was a bit creepy. I still had to many questions myself, and most importantly, was Siren alright?!
He was unconscious next to me in the coffin like thing, and I could distinguish his peaceful features from there. I needed to know if he was alright as soon as possible.
"Hey, you! I'm talking to you! Are you fully conscious yet?!"
"Cass, leave him! He just woke up from death! Is he really supposed to answer you?!They both need rest until they fully recover!" The more I was hearing that I woke up from the dead, the more I couldn't believe it... But I needed answers for Siren!
"Please... Tell me... Is he alright?!..." I still couldn't control my physical skills very well, and it seemed I was still injured.
"Awe, come on! Tell me about what you saw now! Your friend is alright! Just a bit knocked out, that's all! He'll live! Now tell me about your journey to death!"
"Cass, you're freaking him out..." The other girl tried to stop the crazy one insisting on me telling her about... My supposed journey to death?! What was that even?! Did I really die, but got resurrected? That's beyond humans!
"Cassandra, Elaine, please step aside, I want to check on the patients." Then a man appeared. "Wind Magic: Anatomic Scan."
He used wind Magic on me and I felt a light breeze all over my body. It stung on several areas. Probably where I had been injured.
"There is significant amount of progress in both of them. At this rate, they will be able to heal fully way earlier than we had anticipated! Congratulations on both of you for your invention!"
"Thanks, doc! Elaine and I have a great magic combination! The key of our quick constructions!"
"Indeed, Cass is right. Her Metal Magic and my Fire Magic did 90% of the work!"
I listened to their conversation closely, but no one had explained what had happened to me. "Xcuse me... But... Can I ask what's happening here?..." My voice was very tired already.
"Oh, yeah, Indeed. My name is Doctor Thomas Frost, and here are my colleagues, Cassandra Stein and Elaine Diaz." At the time, I remember that the invaders from the Spade Kingdom were wearing uniforms like theirs.
"You are from the Spade Kingdom?! You have abducted us?!" I yelled with all the power remaining in me.
"No. Actually, yes, we are from the Spade Kingdom, but we are defects. We want to finish the Dark Triad once and for all, and save as many human lives as possible. That's our work, and we are devoted to it. The reason we are still using these uniforms is because we don't want to seem suspicious. Here is our base, the Frostbite's Paradise. I don't know if you have sensed it when you wer unconscious, but the mana is raging here. That's because we are hiding in the strong magic region, the border of the Clover Kingdom and the Spade Kingdom. The mountains, snowstorms and mist, plus that almost no one would want to come here makes it a perfect hiding place."
"I get it..." I wasn't sure if I could trust them, but they saved Siren and me, so that's a huge reason to do so.
"You two were lucky that we attended the Golden Dawn base's invasion. We made it on time to get your bodies to Lady Elpis. You were brought back to life from the early stages of death."
"But how?!" I asked with wide open eyes to Mr. Thomas' statement.
"Elpis-sama is the strongest time mage existing. She can do the impossible with just a spell."
A time mage? Just like the Wizard King?! So there are more of them?! This means that it's just very rare, not that there is only one in our world!
I'm sure my face looked so confused at the time, and the three of them smiled. "Well, when she wakes up from her nap, you'll better thank her properly!"
I smiled and nodded. Thanking her for saving Siren is more important though. But the fact that I'm also alive and can live with him and the others again is a blessing...
"But, what are your plans?" I raised an eyebrow.
"We already told you. But I assume you mean why save you. Well, we want an alliance with the members of your squad. We tried to recover some others too, but sadly not everyone."
"Where are they now?"
"In different rooms with facilities just like these. My mechanics, Cassandra and Elaine with their helping hands did all the work. The chambers are enhanced with healing magic, to help you recover from the damage you took. You see, Elpis-sama was not able to do it herself, even though she's one of the most powerful mages. She helped with at least the 80% of it all."
"Impressive..." Saved several people from death and managed to recover 80% of their physical damage... That's beyond human powers...
"You got to stay there for a few days more. I know, it's quite restraining, but I promise that you'll be as good as new after it." Doctor Thomas reassured me and walked away.
Then, I remembered something and blushed. "Wh- what about our clothes though?!" I just noticed that I was naked, and on top of that in the same *coffin* as naked Siren!
"Oh, don't worry about it, you'll have them back clean and fixed as soon as you're out of there! My best taylor's got you!" I took a glimpse of him waving at me with that easy-going statement. Then, he vanished from my vision...
I tried to process everything in my head, but everything that happened by the time I woke up was surreal. That lead me to decide just one thing. Stop thinking so much. That wouldn't lead anywhere. I just glanced over Siren that was still peacefully sleeping next to me. My hand made a weak movement towards his, and gently gripped it. I sighed to its warmth and a relieved tear fell from my eye.
Then, I just felt weak and my eyes betrayed me. I fell asleep with Siren's hand in mine.