Trinity lay across a velvet red couch.
The third floor of the Main Hall.
A grotesque mess lay to his side, Cronus.
It looked… mauled, to say the least.
Its maw was bent and broken, the horns that spiraled from its head are broken and stabbed in its shoulders. The black mess on one of its claws had spread thin across its body, a contortion of eyes where eyes shouldn't be. Its hooves were more or less destroyed, forcing it to crawl on all fours.
That it did, and it limps across the floor, munching on what was once an infusion.
Trinity makes a disgusted grunt and stands up.
"Hey, ugly, no munching on the TOYS!"
BAM
He kicks Cronus's stomach, adding a new dent to its torso that can't be repaired.
"Gross…"
Two days had passed since he gave the game idea to Hale, and he accepted.
And boy, he was bored out of his mind, horribly so.
What was his head and his hundreds of eyes lay across the arm of the couch, lazily spectating other places across the continent as he waited.
"Mmm… should I start the game?"
47 hours and 58 minutes have passed.
The infusions that Cronus had stored were ready to detonate.
He laughs a bit to himself as he opens a book upside-down, pretending to read it.
The infusions were turned into bombs through a bit of corruption and essence, so they're ready to explode at any point in time.
He brings one of his hands to where his mouth should be and giggles.
"What a spectacle these two should put on for me, they seem pretty hyped."
One of his eyes was watching Fault and Hale. They had geared up a bit in preparation for the game.
Since Tenna was mostly empty now, they ran through town and picked up whatever bits of gear they could find.
Fault was wearing his regular black clothes with a few light armor plates on his shoulders, elbows, and knees.
Hale was a bit more geared out with more medium-weight looking armor, plates on his back and some heavier boots as well.
Both had a couple of daggers hoisted on the belts on their waists.
It was a cute little display, but Trinity wasn't too positive that would be enough.
Or maybe it would be, that's the fun of it!
It's why he loves games between humans, they usually bounce back and forth between unwinnable and hopeful situations.
Truly, it was the pinnacle of entertainment!
*****
I check my gloves around my wrists, adjusting them to fit my hand a bit better.
The past couple of days have been nightmarish.
Hale's had to help me a lot with my missing eye, and it sucks.
Standing up, I check the time on the ticking clock on the wall. It's a little after 8 pm.
I hear some rain starting outside again, slowly picking up.
Most of the others in the tavern are asleep, and all me and Hale have to do is make it out of town when the game begins, then we can come right back and take everyone with us…
Though, I have an overwhelming feeling of dread creeping in, but I can't let it get to me.
Shaking my head, I check my shoes and tap them against the floor.
Badump… badump…
I could feel my heart beating in my chest. I've been able to feel it a lot more consciously since I woke up after… that.
I shuddered at remembering what losing an eye felt like.
It still aches a lot, but I've gotten used to it… a bit.
I sigh and turn around, glancing over Hale and his own bits of protection.
He's wearing dark clothes, a black blouse with some brown trousers, just like me. Some plates are lined across his arms and a bigger one on his back. We look like we're about to go into a battle.
"Heh." The thought made me laugh a bit.
Not entirely sure how I could laugh at this situation, but I did.
Hale looked at me and a smile crept on his face, "So… when do you think it's gonna start?"
I look back up at him and think for a moment, "...probably tonight."
He nods slowly, "I see."
After another moment of silence, Hale looks at me, a warmer look in his eyes.
"Happy early birthday, by the way."
I blink, tilting my head, "Birthday…?"
He laughs a bit and nods, "Yeah? A few days after autumn starts, right…? Twenty-seventh of the ninth month…? It's the twenty-fifth, so… happy early birthday."
I pause, and exhale with a little smile, "Yeah, guess so…"
"Fourteen, hm?"
I nod again, "I think."
"When's yours again…?" I ask him.
"Uh… a few days before summer starts, the middle of the year or so. The seventeenth of the sixth month."
I nod, committing it to memory.
He's helped me a lot more than I could hope to help him, so I might as well at least remember his birthday.
"Say, Hale?"
He looks at me as I continue, "Do you think we're gonna make it? Like, go somewhere after… this. Or just survive this in general."
He steps over and stands next to me, his face expressionless as he stares at the wall.
"Being honest…? Probably not. We don't know what the Devourer's gonna do after that god starts his game… and we don't even know the signal of how it's gonna begin. We're just kids without infusions, and with no idea what we're up against…"
He labels more and more truth about our situation, making it sound more and more grim for us.
"...but maybe we'll make it. It's not impossible."
I close my eyes and tilt my head to the ceiling, "Yeah."
My hand slowly reaches up.
I gently felt along the left side of my face, stopping at where the cloth that covered my missing eye was.
'What happened to my infusion, anyway…? Did the Devourer take it…? Or was it my eye and it was ripped out with it?'
That seemed to be the most plausible explanation, not that I would ever know without it now, anyway.
I just wish I could've seen what it was, or managed to understand and use it.
I sigh and plant my hands in my lap, just resting.
It feels like I'm waiting for death, but I won't die easily.
Even if I'm one-eyed right now.
"Huu… alright."
I quickly stood up.
I check my gear one more time over, feeling the small daggers at my waist, my smaller armor plates along my shoulders and wrists.
"I'll head outside and get a glance around town for a bit. Wanna come with…?"
I offer my hand to Hale.
He looks back up at me and takes a deep breath.
"Yeah. Sure."
He nods and takes my hand, to which I pull him up with me and smile.
"Okay, let's go."
I laugh a bit to help him ease up. I let go of him and head outside the front entrance of the tavern.
It's late evening, the sky turning pink at the edges where the sun's beginning to set for the night. A dark blue is cascading overhead and some stars are beginning to peak through.
I take a deep breath, the cool air entering my lungs. I hear Hale doing the same to my left, though I can't see him.
"Hey." Hale spoke first.
"Hm?"
"If… if something happens to me when it starts, leave me behind."
"...!?"
I turn so that I could see his face.
"What? No, I won't."
He looks back at me, a bit of a shadow covering his eyes.
"N-no, please do… because if something happens to you, I'll…"
He swallows, and I could guess the rest of what he meant to say.
"So… as long as one of us makes it…?"
"It'll be our win."
It was my turn to gulp, and I shakily nod.
"Y-yeah, alright…"
He offers his hand in a fist.
I stare at it for a bit, then slowly bump it with my own.
"We'll win this game, and if only one of us makes it…"
I pause briefly, and stare at him.
"...no. We'll both make it."
Hale nods, I see a couple of tears drop from his eyes as his head bends down to an angle that I couldn't see his face.
"Yeah… w-we'll both make it."
I grin brightly and bring him into a one-armed, light hug.
"Cheer up, kid. I'm your senior, it might be a little over a year, but I'm still your senior here… and we'll both make it, so."
I pat his back as he cries under his breath.
"Cheer up."