Hale arrived back at the tavern with Fault on his back.
He was more or less in shock, and on the verge of breaking into tears.
Trinity had told him about 90% of the population of Tenna was already gone, nothing left but infusions that were within a cellar in the center of town.
Trinity had also told him that the only ones left are kids without infusions and people who hadn't consumed any mithril for their entire lives.
In other words, everyone was dead.
He carries Fault's unconscious body into the tavern and takes him further upstairs and into his room.
The most cramped room on the second floor, given to the eldest one.
Hale didn't think it was all that fair, but he wasn't thinking about that right now.
Fault was barely alive, Trinity had also told Hale about what the Devourer did to him…
'Why not just kill him instantly…? Why was he tortured…?'
It made Hale's stomach turn.
But the worst was yet to come…
…the game.
He had to survive and make it out of town after Trinity begins with a certain signal.
Though he didn't share what the signal was gonna be, he only said that Hale "would know" when it had begun.
It made him shudder
If Hale makes it out with Fault, then Fault gets to live and becomes stronger, though he also didn't exactly know what that meant.
'So many unknown variables…'
He swallowed as his thoughts cut off, suddenly interrupted by another, more horrid thought.
'What about the rest of the kids in the tavern?'
"...oh, gods…"
That made Hale crumble.
He set down Fault on his bed, and sat in the chair at his friend's desk, and wept.
He cried, not knowing what to do in this hopeless situation.
He was lost.
*****
Here I was again. A grey plain of nothingness.
But this time around… it felt a bit more 'at home', I guess.
I didn't feel any pain, but I still couldn't see from my left side.
It was just blank.
Gone.
I only had my right eye's vision now.
"Ugh…"
I turn over on the grass, feeling my weight shift uncomfortably.
The black points in the sky loom above, as usual.
Or did they seem closer?
■■■■■
The static sounds again, and I felt myself waking up.
So… I braced myself for a world of pain.
…
…
Sear!
"...!"
I opened my one good eye and tried not to vomit.
'Urgh..! This fucking hurts!'
I tried my best to lean up, and found myself in my room.
On my bed.
Home.
"Hah… haah…"
I breathed the best I could as I leaned up from my pillow.
I saw Hale at my desk, though I couldn't tell how close or far he was.
I'm crippled.
I feel like shit.
I look down at myself, my clothes are basically ruined, and soaked in dried blood.
I slowly, carefully move to the side of my bed and plant my feet on the wooden floor, reaching for the mirror on my desk next to Hale's sleeping head.
I pick it up and look at myself in it.
A mess is what greets me.
A sweaty look like I had just run a marathon, unkempt hair, a strip of black cloth over my left eye, and the dried blood… there's so much.
Losing an eye must have made me bleed, a lot.
'Go figure.'
Yet, somehow, the most alarming part was none of that.
I tap my free fingers along the side of my face, scratching off the dried bits of blood.
'My infusion…'
It's gone.
I couldn't even sigh, I was so tired.
I couldn't even begin to think about it, so I didn't.
'I need a shower…'
I stand up, struggling to hold myself up on my feet, so I used the objects around me for support.
I limp, step by step. Heading outside into the hallway, and it's quiet.
Really quiet… It's peaceful.
So, I continue taking one step at a time to the bathroom, opening the door slowly.
I can't think straight, it's like I'm on autopilot.
…
I look at the mirror hoisted up on the wall in the bathroom, and my hands move by themselves, slowly coming up to undo the tie around my head.
The cloth falls slowly and rather elegantly, landing just down across my neck.
A hole greeted my sight.
An empty eye socket was where my left eye once was, and my infusion was gone too. My black and white hair cascaded down my forehead, and fell down my eye as well.
The sight made me think a bit more clearly, the fog hazing my brain slowly disappearing.
'So… was my infusion connected to my left eye…? Is that why I couldn't figure out how to use it?'
I move again, still not entirely sure how I am.
My hand taps the water under the shower head, a little blue light sparkles with a few specks, and water begins to flow from it.
I slowly take off my bad clothes and step into the shower.
…
Time passes a decent bit, enough to where I can't really tell how much.
A couple of hours?
I had gotten out of the shower a while ago, wearing baggy, but clean clothes. A majority of my clothes were black, since most of the others didn't like wearing them, and it matched my hair the most.
It felt like I was still moving, but not feeling, or really doing anything else but moving.
I can't tell.
I couldn't hope to tell.
I blink, and I'm still in the hallway, having just stepped out of the bathroom. I feel the dark cloth in my hands, and I lift it up to apply it around my left eye and head.
"Look who's up."
I hear a voice call to me, looking over my shoulder, it's Hale.
He looks weary.
"Yeah, woke up… a bit ago."
I wasn't sure how long ago it was.
"How's… the eye?"
I look at him, "Gone."
He begins to hold a bit more grim expression as he looks down, "I see."
"Though, I'm thankful I can see at all, now…"
He looks back up at me, "What do you mean…?"
"I was blinded. When that thing appeared."
Hale stops, his eyes turning a bit more stern, their dark blue color reflecting the candlelight to our sides.
"That thing was… the Devourer."
I tensed, my arms freezing.
"The Devourer?"
He nods.
"Son of a…"
It makes sense now.
A dark rank stray beast. A beast that was almost a monster. It had wiped out an entire civilization to the east, and went into a state of hiding for a long time… or maybe it was just hibernating.
"What was it doing here? In Tenna?"
Hale shook his head, "No clue, but… it's gone."
"...?"
…
Hale explained to me the situation after we moved downstairs to the couches.
A possible god called Trinity.
'Must've been why the Devourer didn't kill me…'
And worst of all… the game we had to play.
"So, we need to make it out of Tenna after the signal?"
Hale nods, his short, golden hair casting a shadow on his blue eyes.
I swallow and ask the question that's been eating at me, "Nearly everyone's dead… aren't they?"
He flinches.
…
I was right.
I sigh and bury my face in my hands, careful about the left side, still.
I let out a shaky breath, memories of Kain, Grant… nearly everyone in town.
Tenna's already dead, its heartbeat is just slowing to a stop, and I figured that the signal is when Tenna is-
"M-my grandfather…" Hale wipes his eyes and sniffles.
I look up, seeing his face red as tears streak down his cheeks.
I could only feel bad. I didn't have any family here, so I couldn't begin to imagine…
"I'm sorry."
The only words I could say to him.
"You, too." He wipes his nose with the back of his hand.
It causes me to raise my eyebrow, "Me, too…? What do you mean?"
Hale gulps audibly and opens his mouth, "Trinity… said you're basically dead. Or, on the brink of death. The only way for you to live is if we complete the game, too…"
I stared at him silently.
"Oh."
Looking down at my chest, I could see the inside of my baggy, black shirt. I slowly reach my hand up and clutch at it…
"I'm…"
Though, my heart is still pounding.
I grit my teeth as I stand up and look at Hale.
"So…? Let's win."
He looks up at me, "Huh,,,?"
"Let's win this fucking game. We'll shove our tenacity in that dumbass's face and I'll get stronger, right?"
'More importantly than being strong, I just want to live, though…'
"It's all we can hope to do. It's all me and you could bother to try."
I smile a bit, clutching my shirt tighter.
"The only reason he would propose that game is if we had a chance of winning, no matter how small, so…"
I begin to grin, "...let's beat that fucker at his own game. Yeah?"
I offer my free hand to Hale, my fake confidence exuding from me.
He stares at me, and lets out an exasperated sigh.
Clap!
He takes my hand and pulls himself up, a bit of a cocky grin forming on his face as well.
"Let's do this."