Elarion
A soft smile found its way to Elarion's face the moment he saw Ayase. It felt like receiving a long-awaited reward after enduring an endless, bitter battle.
"You look like a goofball with that smile of yours," Ayase teased, her tone light.
But Elarion didn't take offense—if anything, his smile deepened. In the future, Ayase was dead… just one more victim of Jo's vile trafficking ring. Yet here she was—alive, breathing, and so very real. His heart overflowed, and before he could stop himself, he pulled her into a hug.
"H-Hey! Wait—what are you doing, idiot?" Ayase stammered, her cheeks tinged with pink.
Realizing what he'd done, Elarion stepped back, just as flustered. "S-Sorry. It's just... I hadn't seen you in days, and I got a little emotional," he murmured, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
Ayase arched a brow and reached out, placing a hand on his forehead.
"W-What are you doing?" Elarion asked, caught between embarrassment and confusion.
Ayase rolled her eyes. "You don't have a fever, so why are you spouting nonsense?" she said, her hand now resting on her chin as she eyed him thoughtfully.
"Huh? What do you mean?" he asked, still puzzled.
"I guess you hit your head on a wall or something," she sighed. "We just saw each other yesterday. Did you already forget that?"
"H-Huh? W-What... yesterday?" Elarion's eyes widened in disbelief. He had spent nearly three weeks in the future—surviving chaos, losing friends, fighting for his life. Yet here, in this timeline, only a day had passed? How was that possible?
Before he could unravel his thoughts, Ayase snapped her fingers in front of his face.
"Are you sure you're alright? You look like you've seen a ghost," she said—half joking, half genuinely concerned.
"W-Well, no, um... I just didn't sleep last night. I was up all night playing games," Elarion laughed nervously, the sound hollow and unconvincing. He lied, and Ayase didn't seem entirely convinced—but she let it slide.
"Yeah, let's go now. I don't want to be late for school like yesterday and end up running through the hallways, only to get punished again," Ayase said, walking ahead.
Elarion stood still for a moment, still tangled in his thoughts.
"Are you coming?" she called over her shoulder.
Snapping out of his daze, Elarion quickly followed.
They walked in a comfortable silence, reaching the school gates just in time. The hallways buzzed with students chatting and laughing. As they changed into their indoor shoes at the lockers, Ayase glanced over. Elarion was staring into space again.
She gently tapped his shoulder. "I have math class now. Take care of yourself, okay?" she said, her voice tinged with a softness that made him look up.
And then she was gone.
Elarion stared after her and let out a quiet sigh.
He wanted to stay here—in 2025. He didn't want to return to the dark, cruel future where life in the corporate machine crushed souls. Maybe he'd already lost his job anyway, now that Jo had seen him escaping with Carlos and the others. Maybe they managed to secure the evidence file… but he had no way of knowing. He had been unconscious.
One moment, a bullet tore through him—and the next, he was here, back in the past.
The buildings, the air, the people... it all felt warmer somehow. More alive.
And Ayase—his friend—was alive too.
Carlos pov:-
We had all regrouped at Alexia's house. Elarion lay unconscious on a bed, pale and motionless—he had lost a significant amount of blood. Mahiru was tending to him with all the precision her medical knowledge could offer. Still... I couldn't shake the feeling that this was my fault. Perhaps I wasn't a good team leader. Perhaps he was injured because of my failure to plan better. But there's no time for 'perhaps'—it's not like I can travel back in time to change what happened. No one can, right?
"Stop blaming yourself."
A hand tapped my shoulder, and a figure slumped beside me with his usual bored expression—it was Triyon. He had endured a hard day as well. I sighed. He always seemed to know what I was thinking.
"Look, casualties happen. It's not like this is the first time we've nearly lost someone. You can't stay stuck in the past, Carlos. The only thing you can control is the present," Triyon said in a tone that was strangely motivational coming from him. I knew he was right. I couldn't change what had already occurred, but it always hurt—especially when someone trusted you, and you failed them. Besides, this was Elarion's first mission.
"He's not dead yet, idiots,"
Near chimed in from across the room, polishing one of his blades. He looked utterly exhausted. He had been the key to today's success. Triyon's eyes narrowed at Near's bluntness.
"Oh? But look at Mahiru's face. Have you ever seen her struggle like this before? She's desperate. It's clearly a lost cause. He's just clinging to the edge. Why prolong the inevitable and make his death more painful? He's wasting our time—and Mahiru's, too," Triyon muttered in a frustrated, dismissive tone.
I rose, anger bubbling in my chest, ready to lash out, but Near interrupted again:
"Even if there's only a 1% chance, you need to have 99% faith. I've been through missions where I should've died... but I'm still here, aren't I?"
"Oh, how philosophical," Triyon scoffed. "The weak are devoured by the strong. You survived because you had the skills—or maybe it was just fate. I still don't know why Alexia even let Elarion join us. What was he thinking, trying to stop a bullet like some hero? Pathetic."
"Take that back, now."
I stepped forward and grabbed Triyon by the collar.
"I respect every member of my team. I won't let anyone disrespect them."
I lifted him off his feet slightly. He didn't flinch.
"Oh, what now? Playing Captain America? I'm surrounded by fools. Face the truth—only the strong survive, and he was—sorry, is—weak."
That was it. I hurled him against the wall. He hit the floor but sprang up quickly, drew his gun, and fired—but Near was faster. He blocked the bullet with his blade. The three of us were ready to escalate when the door suddenly burst open.
"What the hell is going on? Why are you idiots fighting like children?"
Alexia stormed in, running a hand through her silver-blonde hair, her expression thunderous. Triyon opened his mouth to explain, but she shut him down with a glare and moved into the chamber where Mahiru continued working on Elarion.
I could only observe through the glass. I had no idea what they were discussing, but Alexia's irritation visibly increased after Mahiru said something. Then, she removed Elarion's watch—the same standard device all of us wore. Only she had the authority to remove it. She glanced over at us, then exited the chamber.
"You need to bring someone named Joo-hee here. You'll receive her information through your watches."
Her tone left no room for argument, but of course, Triyon couldn't help himself.
"Why go through so much trouble for a weakling? Sure, Joo-hee's a top-tier medic—rumored to bring people back from the dead—but Elarion isn't an asset, just a liability."
Without a word, Alexia pulled out a remote and shocked him through his watch.
"Listen here, you lazy bastard. You'll do what I say—if I tell you to jump off a wall, you do it. If I tell you to drown yourself, you do it. Don't you ever speak to me like that again."
Her eyes burned with authority. Triyon groaned on the floor from the shock. I raised my hand, hesitating.
"Yes, Carlos?" Alexia said, not even looking at me.
"Boss... why did you remove Elarion's watch?"
Her gaze darkened slightly at my question, but she answered steadily:
"It was showing a different location. He's lying here unconscious, but the watch showed him near the ruins—where the country's top high school used to be a few years ago. I'm taking it to the tech team to get it checked."
Something in her voice hinted at unease. Then she added:
"Now go find Joo-hee. I know you just returned from a mission, but I don't care. Rin and Shim are on leave. You're on your own."
With that, she left, and the room fell into an uneasy silence once again.
Here's the revised and polished version of your scene from Carlos's POV. I've improved the grammar, clarity, and flow while preserving the tone, emotion, and original structure:
Carlos' POV:
We had all regrouped at Alexia's house. Elarion was unconscious, lying in bed. He'd lost a lot of blood. Mahiru was treating him with all her medical knowledge, carefully and desperately.
Maybe… I'm not a good team leader.
Maybe he got injured because of me…
Maybe if I had planned better—
But there's no time for maybes. It's not like I can go back in time to change things. Nobody can, right?
"Stop blaming yourself."
A hand tapped my shoulder. I looked up to see a familiar figure slumping down beside me—Triyon. He'd had a hard day too. I sighed. He seemed to read exactly what I was thinking.
"Look, casualties happen. It's not like we've never lost someone before," Triyon said, voice calm but steady. "You can't keep sticking to what already happened. The past is out of your control. You can only shape the present, Carlos."
I knew he was right. I couldn't change the past. But it still hurts—
Especially when someone trusts you, and you fail them.
And this was Elarion's first mission…
"He's not dead yet, idiots," said Near from across the room. He was polishing his blades, looking exhausted. He was the key reason our mission hadn't ended in disaster today.
Triyon's eyes narrowed at Near's comment.
"Oh yeah? Then look at Mahiru's face. Have you ever seen her struggle this much?" Triyon muttered, frustration and bitterness in his voice. "It's a lost cause. He's hanging on by a thread. Why prolong the suffering when there's no hope? He's wasting our time… and Mahiru's too."
That hit a nerve.
I stood up, fists clenched, ready to say something—but Near interrupted me.
"Even if you have 1% chance," he said calmly, "you have 99% faith. There were missions I should've died on. But here I am, still breathing."
"Oh wow, what a philosopher you are now," Triyon snapped. "Faith alone won't win wars. The weak get eaten by the strong. You survived because you had it in you—or maybe you were just lucky. And don't forget, I never agreed with Alexia bringing Elarion into this team anyway. He thought he could be a hero by what? Jumping in front of a bullet? How foolish."
"Take that back," I growled, stepping forward and grabbing Triyon by the collar.
"I respect every one of my teammates. I won't tolerate anyone disrespecting them."
I lifted him slightly, but he didn't back down.
"Oh, what are you now—Captain America?" Triyon mocked. "Surrounded by fools. Accept it. Only the strong survive, and he was—sorry, is—weak."
That was it. I threw him across the room. He hit the wall hard, then got up fast, pulling out his gun—
But Near was faster, blocking the shot with his blade.
We were ready to clash again, when—
SLAM. The door swung open.
"What the hell is going on here?" Alexia stormed in, running a hand through her silver-blonde hair. She looked pissed.
Triyon opened his mouth to say something, but she shut him down with a glare and walked straight into the chamber where Mahiru was still treating Elarion.
I couldn't hear what they were saying, so I just stared through the glass. Alexia looked even more annoyed after Mahiru said something. Then… she removed Elarion's wristwatch. The one all of us wore. Only she had the authority to remove it.
Moments later, she returned.
"You need to bring a woman named Joo-Hee here. I'll send the info to your watches," she said flatly, leaving no room for argument.
Of course, Triyon had to open his mouth again.
"Why go through all this for someone so weak? I know Joo-Hee's a top medic—rumored to bring people back from the brink of death—but Elarion isn't an asset. He's a liability."
Alexia didn't respond.
She just pulled out a remote and shocked him through his wristwatch. He dropped to one knee, groaning in pain.
"Listen here, you lazy ass," she said coldly. "You'll do what I say. If I say jump off a building, you'll jump. If I say drown in the sea, you'll dive. Don't ever speak to me in that tone again."
Triyon struggled to his feet, groaning.
I raised my hand.
"Yes, Carlos?" Alexia asked without looking at me.
"I was just wondering… why did you remove Elarion's watch?" I asked.
Her eyes darkened, but she answered calmly.
"It's showing a different location," she said. "He's lying here, unconscious—but the signal says he's near the ruins of the old high school, the one that used to be the best in the country."
She paused, clearly bothered by something.
"I'm taking it to the tech team to figure it out. Something's not right."
Then she added, voice firm again: "Now go find Joo-Hee. I know you just came back from a mission, but I don't care. I've given Rin and Shim a break—they need it. You guys are on your own."
And with that, she walked away.