Katana 76 - Chapter 2. The impact

I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I wish there was any other option... I'm sorry for making you go through this

Exalted, the wounded young man awoke from his nightmare and gave himself a few seconds to assess reality. A thick blanket separated his body from the floor, and a thin one separated it from the rest of the world. Bandages tangled and intertwined harmoniously around his body, and under them, he could feel his wounds regenerate. It looked like he was safe.

He turned his attention toward his surroundings, a small room with a warm carpet and a short round table with a teapot sitting in the middle.

To the right of where his head rested just a few moments ago laid the ragged clothes he was wearing before losing his consciousness, despite their current state someone took the trouble of cleaning and folding them. On top of them were his bag and... his Katana...

He wasn't alone in that room, beyond his belongings a girl a couple of years younger than him meditated on the floor in front of the table holding a steaming glass, resting against the wall with a thick blanket protecting her back.

"Oh, so you're finally awake, you were trying to cross the border, right?"

"... What?"

"Sorry, I was thinking about stuff... you've awakened fast, light hasn't even born yet."

"And don't you want to sleep?"

"I'm tired, but not sleepy..."

The girl's words he had heard as he fought to maintain consciousness flood his mind. he wasn't sure if he should trust his memory of that moment, but he couldn't ignore it either. This girl wanted to kill someone, and she was probably thinking about it right now.

"... You saved me, right? Thank you..."

"... You remember what happened, then?"

"Yeah, up to the point where you left my head hit the floor."

"Hey! That happened because I was in a hurry to save you! How can you talk to your saviour like that!?

The girl's spirits rose after complaining, but not for long. The girl put her hand on her stretched leg, the young man correctly guessed that, under her thick pants, bandages not unlike his covered her leg, and couldn't help but feel responsible for making her carry him in that state.

"Thanks for saving me."

"Again? Look, it's not like I could let you there to die... How are you feeling?"

"I've been through worse, how's your leg?"

"Wait, you've been through worse? What are you, a soldier?"

"No, I' don't side with any faction."

"Ok, ok... no need to be so dry... My leg's fine by the way, it only needs a day or two of resting"

"I'm sorry, it's my fault..."

"Come on, stop that! I already told you I couldn't leave you there with a foot on the other side! Buut~ If you insist on awarding my efforts you can satisfy my needs by answering a few questions~."

The young man brought his palms to his face as an involuntary reaction to whatever that was the girl had done.

"I don't promise any answers, but go on, ask to your heart's content."

"First: Why are there so many locks on your katana? I get don't wanting it to slip off its sheath, but aren't they a pain in the ass when you have to fight?"

"Aaah, right where it hurts... you see, the locks are not there for safety, they are sealing the power of the katana and were up there by my enemy on my last fight... But maybe that's for the better..."

The girl tilted her head as a sign of curiosity, but the look of the young man towards his blade made it clear that he wasn't going to elaborate on the intense comment he just made.

"Ok, second question: How did you get here? I didn't see you on the way there, and I doubt no one without a good reason would cross the path at night... Did you enter through the battlefield?"

"And what was your reason to cross the path at night?"

"Sorry, but I'm the one asking the questions here."

"... Yes, I impacted on the battlefield and entered the path from there."

the girl shrugged her shoulders with an irritating smirk drew on her face.

"Go figure, that's what you get for not using the portals, you should be thankful you only ended up in that state after impacting on a battlefield."

"Oh, these wounds are from before the impact."

The girl stood there, waiting for the young man to start laughing at the foolish sentence he just let out on the world, after all, what kind of idiot would navigate through the Kosmos in that condition?

"Yeah, as if I was gonna believe that. Look, if you don't wanna answer something just don't do it"

for some reason outside of her understanding, her bewilderment left the young man bewildered himself.

"What!? Did you really expect me to just nod that story off!?"

"Well, yeah."

The girl let out a sigh before resuming the interrogation.

"Ok, third question: What's in the bag?"

"Really expensive gems. If you were so curious why didn't you check it yourself?"

"Maybe because I'm not a thieve"

There was a question she had been avoiding because she didn't think she would get an answer, but after a streak of three, she decided to test her luck.

"Ok, fourth quest-"

"Excuse me, mind if I serve myself a glass of that first?" Said the young man pointing at the teapot over the table.

"Oh, this? It's for the wound on my mouth, you can have my glass if you want, it tastes like shit."

"Watch that mouth."

"Don't forget you are in my debt! Don't you dare lecture me!"

"Sorry, force of habit..."

The girl left her glass on the table and stood up supporting herself on it.

"Oh yeah, she told me you had to drink a lot once you woke up, wait here"

"Wait, you should rest your leg, I'll go"

The girl, brushing aside the young man's words, kept her march towards the door.

"Yeah right, at least I only need to rest one leg and not my entire body." The girl turned her face towards him and charmingly let out her irritating tongue.

Feliziel told me to make sure he hydrated himself when he recovered consciousness, I'll bring him a full water cristal so he doesn't have to stand up in a while.

"I'm back! Did you miss me? Here you have a glass of water and a... Hey hey, what do you think you're doing standing up!?"

Right as the girl entered the room she saw her patient being impatient and adjusting his dragged clothes.

"I'm in a hurry. Oh, thanks for the water."

"'Thanks for the water' my ass! Sit down and rest!"

"I don't need-" The young man stopped mid-sentence as if he had bitten his tongue, but before the girl could take advantage of this he resumed.

"Look, thanks for worrying about me, thanks for saving me, thanks for taking care of me and~" -With a swift move he grabbed the glass full of water from the distracted girl's tray- "Hey!" -and drank it all in just one gulp- "Thanks for the water, but I have to go".

"W-Well okay... But at least answer one last question..."

The young man knew the girl was trying to make him feel sorry for her, but his guilt made him give in.

"You win, ask anything..."

"If those wounds were from before the battlefield, who caused them?"

"..."

"... Well?"

"These wounds were made by my friends..."

"What kind of-" The sound of 3 golden glowing gems clashing against the tray the girl was holding stopped her sentence.

"Think of it as a payment for taking care of me."

"Huh? What? Oh, no no, there's no need to- Wow, this really is expensive! I'm sorry, but I can't accept this much."

"Take all your loved ones and take off to one without warzones, the closest demon friendly world is at 3 portals from the one on your village, ask for directions in each world and follow the paths and you should arrive without trouble"

"W-Wait wai-"

"Take only the essentials, with those three gems you should be able to cover all the travelling expenses and get a new life from start without problems, hide them well but in different places each, and remember to change them for more manageable ones, preferably in different worlds eve-"

"Shut the fuck up!"

The girl took a few seconds before starting to talk, the young man, noticing the stress he had caused her, decided to keep the silence alive.

"What are you even talking about? I don't get it..."

The young man lowered the speed of his speech to avoid stressing the girl more than necessary.

"In a matter of days the safe zones from the paths and portals from worlds with warzones, just like this one, won't be safe anymore, you need to-"

"That's impossible, no faction can break the pact of non-aggression in safe zones."

"The danger doesn't come from any faction, a group of elite soldiers from all factions deserted yesterday and plan to take control of all the portals from every world at war and force a peace treaty, each one would be able to destroy a village like this in a matter of second."

"... Damn. That hit to your head from when I slipped must have been worse than I thought..."

The girl shrugged at him with an expression that was midways between one of tedium and a smile.

"I don't get it, why would I be in danger if all they want is peace?"

"Because them not being a faction allows the actual factions to persecute them as criminals in safe zones without breaking the pact, and if things go wrong your life is a price they are willing to pay for peace."

the expression on the girl's face took a serious turn, but it didn't take long until her usual temperament took control once again.

"Are you from that group?"

"No."

The young man impactfully answered the girl's question.

"Are they the ones that hurt you then?"

"... Yeah."

"And why the fuck did you pick a fight with a group of elite soldiers if they were your friends!?"

The eyes of the young man irradiated his feelings after hearing that question, in a way so intense that you could have seen it from his back.

"Vengeance"

The girl closed her eyes and sighed as a faint smile grew on her face.

"Even if all of that was true we can't just leave, but thanks for the warning, if you want to leave then take your gems and leave, and if you ever need a roof to sleep under don't think twice about coming here."

when her eyes connected with the ones of the young man she could see how disappointing those words were for him.

"... Keep those gems in case you change your mind, or you can use them as paperweights, whatever you want."

"Thanks..."

After waiting a few seconds, as if hoping for the girl to change his mind, the young man turned his back to her and resumed his path towards the door.

"Hey..."

The girl said as he put his hand on the doorknob.

"That's the bathroom..."

After a few seconds of silence, and maybe because of the unexpectedness of the situation, the young man's hand landed on his face and he started laughing out loud in a way the girl would have never expected.

"I should have asked... Maybe the exit isn't through this door, but my chances of acting cool definitely left through it..."

"Come on, I'll lead you there..."

The girl left the tray with the empty glass and the water cristal on the table and left from where she came while she signaled the young man to follow her with her hands.

"Oh, one last question, what's your name?"

The young man started to look for an answer within his white hairs with his fingers.

"You can call me Kiran or Kilan, whatever you like."

"Curious, I thought all white dragon's names started with 'Shi' or something like that"

"That's just the first last name... Wait, how did you?"

"Feliziel told me after she was done treating your wounds, she's a really smart angel. hey, you should thank her later when she wakes up, she lives next door. Don't you dare leave this village without thanking her! Understand!?"

After hearing the angel's name his eyes widened as his steps shortened.

"...What's your name"

"it's similar to yours, My name is Rikan, but you can't call me Likan tho, it doesn't sound as good..."

"Damn..."

Rikan turned towards him as she realised he had come to a full stop.

"Something wrong? If you need to use the bathroom you know where it is."

the suspicions he tried to avoid answering turned out to be true. Kilan damned to his insides the fate that had brought him in front of the person he was looking for without giving him the chance to ready himself, even if he knew he would never be ready no matter how much time he was given. the feelings he had drawn until now for the sake of his survival flourished, and every wound on his body started to burn, accompanied by memories of the ones that caused them.

"Rikan I... I'm sorry but... I don't know how to say this..."

"What, are you sad we have to say goodby?"

Kilan gulped.

"Rikan... Your brother is dead."