Nagi POV
Poke.
Poke.
Poke…
"…Hah."
"Seriously, how long are you going to keep sleeping?"
It had been five days since Tasora and Waffel woke up.
Without Waffel's leadership, things fell into disarray almost immediately. Still, thanks to everything Matt left behind, we managed to get by without too many problems.
At night, it was now Cwal's job to hand out the wet tissues and pots.
Strangely enough, Solaris ended up taking charge most of the time. She wasn't as capable as Waffel, not even close, though she made up for it with effort.
People listened to her. That was enough for now.
"Hey. How is he?"
Finster walked over and crouched beside me.
I let out a small sigh.
"…Same as always. Still asleep."
I glanced at him.
"What about you? How was today's foraging?"
Finster scratched the back of his head.
"…Not great. We're out of coconuts."
He exhaled.
"Hyrating twelve people isn't easy. Especially when they'd rather drink coconut water than the water you guys make."
I gave a dry laugh.
"I can't blame them. Most of them are nobles. Living like this is probably something they've never even imagined."
"Yeah," Finster nodded. "I was only recently adopted into the Blume family, so I've seen both sides. Their normal life is… way too comfortable compared to how I used to live."
He paused, then shook his head.
"Anyway, I hate talking like this. It just drags everything down, you know? Morale's already bad enough."
"…Yeah. Sorry," I muttered.
He frowned.
"Why are you apologizing? I'm the one bringing bad news."
....
He gave a brief silence before talking again.
"…Speaking of bad news," Finster continued, more hesitant this time,
"Fanna said she still doesn't know what's going on with Matt."
My hand stopped.
"…What do you mean?"
"It's just... weird? He never woke up after passing out from the Blightcap. He's not even showing signs of the usual delirium phase."
I understood that. After all, he requested to be tied up as well.
"She also said… the cure isn't working properly on him."
…
I looked back at Matt.
Why is it that whenever something goes wrong, you're always at the center of it?
His breathing was steady. Calm.
He looked like he was just enjoying a peaceful sleep.
I stood up and placed my hand on his forehead.
"Flick!"
"Urgh…" he groaned faintly.
"That's for always making me worry, idiot."
Finster let out a small chuckle.
"Don't worry. I don't know him that well, yet he doesn't seem like the type to lose to something like this."
I paused.
…He was right.
A small smile slipped through.
"Alright, let's head back. Solaris might need us."
I nodded, agreeing.
"Oh, before that—"
I turned toward the shore.
"Hey, Solace! I'm leaving Matt with you. Take care of him, okay?"
He didn't look back.
Instead, he simply traced something into the sand with his thrum faintly outlining the letters.
O . K .
"…Uh. Alright."
I glanced at Finster.
"You sure he'll be fine with him? He looks too busy with whatever he's doing."
"I think so," I said.
"He was the first person Matt called out to before he fainted. There has to be some level of trust there."
Finster stared at me for a moment.
Then grinned.
"You're jealous."
"POW!"
I smacked the back of his head.
"Ow! That hurt! What was that for?!"
"For saying nonsense. Let's go."
"You know, the harder you deny it, the more true it sounds—"
I pulled my arm back, thrum gathering around it.
"Want me to hit you again?"
"…Nope. I will gladly lead the way."
.
..
...
We arrived shortly after.
Solaris was already waiting, along with Azalea, Maku, and Emma.
"Good, you're here," Solaris said.
"Since Waffel is still recovering and not fully herself yet, she suggested I take charge for now."
She glanced at everyone.
"No objections?"
"I don't mind," I said. "Though… where is everyone else?" Finster asked.
Maku answered.
"Tasora's locked herself in her room. Probably still embarrassed about what happened. Fanna's running experiments on the Blightcap samples, trying to fix whatever's wrong with Matt. As for Khent…"
He hesitated.
"I tried talking to him. He didn't respond."
Azalea let out a small laugh.
"That sounds about right. Don't worry, I'll relay everything to him later. He usually goes along with whatever we decide anyway, as long as it doesn't restrict him."
Solaris nodded.
"Alright. Then let's—"
"Wait."
Emma raised a hand.
"Aren't we forgetting someone? Like we always do?"
Everyone looked at her.
She sighed.
"Don't give me that look. I'm talking about Cwal."
Solaris exhaled.
"You think I haven't tried? He's glued to the shore, completely focused on his training after what happened with Matt."
"He's also guarding Matt," I added.
"Yep, I was with her," Finster said. "Though the guarding part is still questionable."
"That's fine, still within the—"
"Stop. I need everyone's attention."
"Kyaa!" Emma yelped.
Cwal appeared behind us out of nowhere, carrying Matt in a princess hold.
It looked ridiculous and cute at the same time.
We had just brought Matt up for some fresh air. Why bring him back down—
Unless…
"Can you stop doing that?" Emma snapped.
Solaris stiffened for a second when she saw him, then quickly composed herself. She coughed lightly, a faint blush on her face.
"…If you're acting this serious, then it must be something important."
"You can tell?" Finster tilted his head. "He looks the same as always to me."
Cwal didn't respond. His eyes moved across the room, scanning, as if he was looking for someone.
Then he walked straight toward me.
"Take him to Fanna. We need him awake as soon as possible."
"Oh. Alright."
"No. That can wait," Solaris cut in.
"Let her listen first. She can relay it to the medical team after."
Cwal turned toward her.
Then....
A thick wave of bloodlust flooded the room.
Everyone felt it instantly.
The air grew heavy, extremely cold, and suffocating
Some stepped back. Others froze. A few reached for their weapons without thinking.
Solaris didn't move.
She simply flicked her hair back, crossed her arms, and met his gaze head-on.
"Finster," she said calmly, without breaking eye contact,
"Call Tasora. If she refuses, tell her it's mandatory."
I have to step in before this tension snaps.
I walked over to the makeshift chair and gently laid Matt down.
"Wait for a bit," I said quietly, brushing his hair back.
Then I stood and walked over to Cwal, tapping him on the back lightly.
"Calm down. I know what you're thinking. Rushing won't help him wake up. Fanna's doing what she can."
Across from us, Solaris gave a small, confident smile.
"I don't know what kind of life you lived to carry that much bloodlust, though that won't work on me. How many assassination attempts do you think I've survived growing up?"
"…."
Cwal stayed silent for a moment.
Then he closed his eyes.
The pressure in the room eased, its weight finally lifting.
The temperature settled.
"Hah…"
I let out a quiet breath.
What's up with Matt's circle…
First was Tasora, then this psycho. I guess weirdos really do attract each other.
....I'm not gonna turn weird later on as well, am I?
I brushed the thought aside and went beside Cwal.
"Now that you've calmed down, why are you in such a rush?"
He opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Then opened it again, this time clearly saying it out loud.
"…An Aberrent is coming toward us."
…
A short silence.
"Hahahaha- nice one!" Fister laughed.
"Didn't know you had that in you."
No one else laughed.
The room stayed still.
"Just go fetch Tasora, Finster," Solaris said.
"What?" Seeing everyone's reactions in their faces, Finster blinked.
"They're extinct. Driven out of this world by the combined efforts of your ancestors and Excellia."
"Just do it."
"…Alright, alright."
He scratched his head, turning toward the dorm hallway, muttering under his breath as he left.
"Man, what did I even do…"
The moment he was gone, the room shifted.
Everyone's attention moved toward Solaris.
Azalea spoke first, her voice lower than usual.
"…Is it really fine to talk about this here? There are still other people around."
Solaris didn't answer immediately.
Her eyes moved across the room.
Then back to us.
"…No," she said quietly.
"It's not."
.....
"But it's already too late for that."
She turned to Cwal.
"…I need you to be precise. Is this information reliable?"
"It is."
"Your source?"
"…I can't say."
Her eyes narrowed.
"…It's not that you can't. You just won't."
He stayed silent.
She exhaled lightly.
"…What about the portal? The one the professors prepared for us-"
"Aberrant prince candidate," Cwal cut in.
"There was never a portal. And there will never be one."
Solaris froze for a moment.
A bead of sweat slid down her cheek.
She swallowed, then bit lightly on her thumb.
"…So it's true."
She lowered her hand, forcing herself back into composure.
"…This may come as a weakness to the sovereignty of the Celestine family," She said, voice steady again and looking towards Maku, who was sneering.
"We built our name on the idea that we saved the world. That we banished the Aberrants beyond the Horizon with the help of Excellia's progenitors."
"…That was never the full truth."
She looked away briefly.
"'Banishment' was a convenient term. Easier for people to accept. It kept panic down."
"…And yes. It was useful politically."
Her voice dropped just slightly.
"It gave us influence. Stability. Control."
She paused, choosing her words more carefully this time.
"With that narrative, other nations rallied under us instead of against us. Conflicts were easier to suppress when there was a common enemy everyone believed was already dealt with."
"But..."
"There was no true banishment."
"Excellia's ancestor sacrificed himself. He became the anchor that holds the boundary at the Horizon's End."
She glanced up again.
"It's not a literal wall. But it functions like one."
Her expression tightened.
"And it's been holding ever since…But not perfectly anymore."
Her gaze softened with guilt
"It's weakening... and things are starting to slip through."