◆ A Wounded Animal (Julius)
AS Chloe lay in a white bed, she seemed smaller than usual. She always had a small and petite frame, but she looked so frail that a single touch would cause her to shatter into a million little pieces. Her pale face was as white as a sheet, and her long eyelashes cast a shadow over her cheeks.
“She’s covered in bruises and scratches, but her bones and organs seem fine,” said Natalia, who claimed to be Chloe’s alchemy master. She crossed her arms beside the bed. “She has no major bleeding either.”
We were currently in a room in the Puerta Research Center. Moments ago, sorcerers who specialized in healing within the research center had been tending to Chloe’s wounds. Once she was healed, they quickly left.
“She must be out of mana, or magical energy,” Natalia continued. “She used anti-evil magic while using the real name of the angels of Seraphim. What’s more, she did so several times. It’s only natural that she’s completely depleted of her energy after using power that could rival God.”
I sat beside the bed where Chloe was sleeping and barely lent an ear to Natalia’s rambling. The massive fireball that resembled a planet that Oswald Dystiana had summoned had likely badly burned my back. Both of my hands were also badly burnt, the skin red and puckered. Yet, the pain didn’t quite register—it felt as though I was gazing upon another person’s wounds.
“Anti-evil magic doesn’t really use your own magic, though. Your body is sort of used as a vessel to have an angel’s magic flow through you. Still, using their power saps your stamina away. Using Michael’s power just once is already exhausting enough. Since magical energy is close to one’s vitality, I’m sure her stamina was completely depleted,” Natalia rambled on, providing an explanation I never asked for.
Chloe was also a bit of a chatterbox. She never really expected my response as she continued to prattle away, but I never found her voice to be unpleasant. She reminded me of a chirping bird in the grassy plain on a sunny spring day. Her voice was bright, calm, and comforting.
I currently found everything else to be utterly annoying and unpleasant. I want to hear your voice.
“You’re like a wounded animal,” Natalia said wearily with a deep sigh. “No one’s gonna take Chloe away from you, Julius. Just calm down. If you continue to glare at everyone like you’re gonna tear them apart, no one can approach you out of fear. I’ll say it again: Chloe’s just out of magical energy. What she needs is a few days of rest like a bear in hibernation. After a good rest, she’ll wake up.”
“Out of magic…” I repeated.
“That’s right. Her condition is stable, and she’ll be fine. So, we’ll treat you, who’s more badly wounded than Chloe, all right? You’re closer to death’s door than she is. Be good and sit still.”
“Don’t do anything unnecessary,” I hissed.
“You really don’t listen, do you? If you’re not in peak condition, how can you nurse her back to health? Stop thinking that this world is filled with just you, Chloe, and enemies. Everyone’s worried about you.”
I directed my gaze to the ground as she admonished me. During the fight with Samael, it was my fault that Chloe had been abducted by Mephisto. It was right after I promised to protect her, and I’d even confidently claimed that I could keep my word.
But in reality, she was kidnapped right in front of my eyes. I didn’t want to remember that feeling. My entire vision turned red.
I became so vengefully unmerciful toward Samael, making both friend and foe cower in fear as I defeated him before using Helios’s hearing and sense of smell to scour the desert from the sky, in search of Chloe.
She’d stated that she was afraid of war, but wanted to do what she could. She was good-natured to a fault, consistently kind to others, and awfully naïve. She’d put on a strong front despite being so fragile and would never choose the option to flee. She never thought about how precious her life was to others and would always try to protect those around her.
She always stated that I never seemed to value my own life, but I believed that the same could be said for her.
When Helios and I finally found her, she was covered in cuts and bruises. If Natalia wasn’t there, I was certain that Chloe would’ve lost her life before I found her, as Mephisto had claimed. The mere thought made my mind blank like my brain had been completely fried.
I had a very simple reason to fight and live. If that reason was stolen away from me, I felt like a man wandering around in darkness with my light snuffed out—I’d completely lose myself and my purpose.
“Will Chloe…wake up?” I asked.
Natalia’s magic healed my burned back and arms. Thanks to that, my dimming vision had become clearer, the white room, bed, and sheets a bit too bright for my eyes.
“She will eventually,” Natalia replied. “So, don’t do anything weird, all right? Don’t try to flee and take her away. Nothing good will come from doing that. The safest place in the world is by the great Natalia Báthory’s side, I’ll have you know.” With that, she headed for the door, but stopped in front before she left. “I don’t mind if you stay by her side, but you should wash up and eat something. I’ll have food delivered to this room. And I’ll tell your black dragon that the both of you are all right. He seemed awfully worried.”
For the first time, I looked up at her. She seemed a touch exasperated, but there was a delighted twinkle in her eyes as she gazed at Chloe and me.
“Natalia,” I said. “Thank you for protecting Chloe.”
“Oh, I didn’t think you could express your gratitude,” she replied.
“I’m always being nagged about the importance of thanking someone.”
“That sounds just like my apprentice. It truly has been a while since I last met her, but I’m so glad that she has you.”
Natalia looked like she was taking it all in before she gave a nonchalant wave and left. Chloe and I were left behind in the quiet room. I angled my head down, my forehead in my hand.
Chloe’s fine. She’s just sleeping. I repeated these words several times to calm myself down. I gave a deep sigh, feeling my muddled emotions and panic subside like a receding wave.
Her existence felt so fleeting, as though she would break and crumble away at any moment. But Chloe’s sleeping face looked calm to me.
“Wake up soon, Chloe,” I whispered while touching her smooth cheek.
She was soft and warm to the touch. Any moment now, I wondered if she’d wake up and I’d see myself reflected in her large eyes as she chirped, “Good morning, Mr. Julius! I’m so glad that you’re safe!” No doubt she’d give me a huge, peaceful smile.
“Wake up and call my name.”
It took me only a moment to have a terrifying thought. What if she never woke up? What if I’d never be reflected in her eyes again? I struggled to breathe, and I felt suffocated, like I was drowning at the bottom of an ocean.
I took her lifeless hand and placed mine on top. I knocked my forehead against her hand in a prayer. My mind was filled with inexplicable impatience—I was tempted to whisk her away with Helios and fly far away from here.
“Can I…really protect you?”
The demon that had fled and Oswald Dystiana crossed my mind. If it was fated for us to cross paths and fight against them… I hated the word “fate” to the point where I felt repulsed, but if Chloe was shouldering such a destiny…
Should I return to the Dystiana Empire right this instant? Is that the best course of action? Oswald had ruined my parents, but that didn’t matter now. I threw away my feelings of hatred and vengeance long ago, finding them to be meaningless. I was probably deathly afraid of Chloe getting hurt once more.
If she were to disappear from this world, I’d likely lose my reason to live. I wasn’t sure I’d be overcome with a sense of revenge and retaliation, or simply give up and choose death. Either course of action was the same to me. Whichever path I chose, it was meaningless and worthless.
Do I need to worry? Is there any meaning in staying here? If defeating them allowed me to protect Chloe, I’d depart right this instant.
“I’ll protect you, Mr. Julius! So, I’ll be by your side,” a voice echoed in my head. I thought I heard her talk and gave a strained smile.
She was still sleeping peacefully, and I was sure that my mind was playing tricks on me. Still, I knew that Chloe would say those words to me. She was straightforward and would gaze at me with desperation flickering in her beautiful eyes.
We should still be together…for now.