The bloodstain on the carpet expanded outward, spreading, reaching toward me like crimson rot.
Tanin's eyes were wide as they stared at me, and empty, except for my own reflections in them.
Filthy. So utterly filthy.
“W…” I wanted to ask him something. About what happened to him. About how he got hurt. But I could hardly speak.
“I just graduated college,” Tanin said, slurring and panting. “I just started my job, in a web-dev team. There were eight of us, all new graduates. We used to eat lunch together. Three of us were sent here.”
Tanin tightened the bands of cloth wrapped around his leg, until the flow of blood slowed and became imperceptible. Saber’s footsteps came up the stairs. She reached me, and looked toward Tanin, and gasped.
“One was a graphic designer,” Tanin said. “He was in Bronze, and he got caught up in a rebellion. An ice mage froze him, froze his heart. And he was in my arms, and he told me, Tanin, please, I don’t wanna die. Please Tanin. He begged me. But there was nothing I could do. And the other, the programmer, she said we had to live on. We need to fight and survive, she said. That meant more than anything else.”
He grunted and propped himself up on an elbow. Gritting his teeth, he managed to sit up, on the ground, soaked in blood. He leaned against the frame of the bed for strength and caught his breath.
"The two of us made it to Silver," he said. "And we joined the Combat Institute. She was a prodigy, always has been. She made a small fortune at the Institute. Then she moved to a small farm at the edge of town. And when you look at her smile, you could tell she was happy."
He closed his eyes. In the half-light of the bedroom, his brows looked dark and heavy.
"I thought we'd make it back together," Tanin said. "That's what I thought."
"It…it's OK," I said. I knew it wasn't, but I had to say something. Anything. "We'll find a way, Tanin. You'll recover. We'll make it out of here, together."
Tanin looked at his severed leg, then at me.
"You know I won't," he said.
"We'll carry you," I argued back, shaking my head, clenching my fists. "I'll roll you into Bottom Lane on a wheelchair if I have to. And we're gonna win, dang it! Please, Tanin. We'll make it work."
"Sophia," Tanin said, cracking a wry smile. "Do you know my abilities?"
"No…"
"Of course not. No one's needed to know. I'm a 1v1 mode specialist, Sophia. That's all I've played in the past year. And my speciality was sprinting."
"We'll help you," I promised. "We'll figure out how to fight 3v3 together."
Behind me, Saber gave an empathetic nod. But even now, I already doubted if things would work out at all.
"I'll be honest with you," Tanin said. "I still like you, Sophia. I used to root for you. I might be disappointed, but I don't hate you. If I dragged you down, I'll hate myself until the minute I die."
With a heavy sigh, he crawled his way back on to the bed. He looked down at his stained sheets and closed his eyes.
"Please don't talk back," he said. "I want some time alone."
I stood dumbly in the room, until Saber took my hand to lead me away. She took me down the stairs and outside Tanin's house. She closed the door behind us.
Sylvia, the armored lady, approached to meet us.
"Hey, uh…" she trailed off as she looked at our faces. The corners of her lips dropped.
"...Well, let me know if there's anything I can help with," she finished, and backed away gingerly, leaving us to ourselves. Her two companions waited for her to join them in the distance.
Saber and I went back to our house. Minutes passed as I sat on the couch, trying to collect my thoughts, trying to make sense of everything that had happened. Yet at the same time, all I wanted was to sleep, to forget, to stop thinking.
It must've been at least half an hour before a red glow shone from our team notebooks, interrupting our silent thoughts.
"What was that?" I asked.
Saber flipped through her notebook.
"I think an announcement," she said.
I checked page 50 of my notebook, where all the announcements were made. Sure enough, I found something.
CHALLENGE BEGINS IN 14 DAYS
PLEASE FORM A TEAM OF VALID SIZE
My blood chilled. I knew Spring Challenge would be coming. But this soon?
"Saber," I said in a low voice. "Should we…"
I cut myself off. She simply looked at me, inviting me to finish.
"...Would you be upset if you'll never make it back?" I asked, my voice shaking. I hated the sound of those words. What a horrible question to ask my friend.
But Saber only returned an easy, understanding smile. She folded her hands gently upon her lap and looked out the window.
"I have nothing to go back to," she said.
"Don't say things like that," I scolded her.
"But it's true." Saber placed a palm on the side of her waist. "My kidney has already failed. My passive HP regeneration, here in this world, is what's keeping me alive. This world is my only home."
She never mentioned that to me. Not one bit. The whole time, had she been fighting, pressing forward, without the desire to even make it back alive?
"Saber…tell me you're kidding."
She gave her head a shake. "I'm dead serious. Sophia, I know you're thinking about a pacifist match. About staying peacefully in the arena, with Tanin, and those three. As long as you're sure that's what you want, I'll gladly spend the rest of my days with you."
The bloodstain on the carpet expanded outward, spreading, reaching toward me like crimson rot.
Tanin's eyes were wide as they stared at me, and empty, except for my own reflections in them.
Filthy. So utterly filthy.
“W…” I wanted to ask him something. About what happened to him. About how he got hurt. But I could hardly speak.
“I just graduated college,” Tanin said, slurring and panting. “I just started my job, in a web-dev team. There were eight of us, all new graduates. We used to eat lunch together. Three of us were sent here.”
Tanin tightened the bands of cloth wrapped around his leg, until the flow of blood slowed and became imperceptible. Saber’s footsteps came up the stairs. She reached me, and looked toward Tanin, and gasped.
“One was a graphic designer,” Tanin said. “He was in Bronze, and he got caught up in a rebellion. An ice mage froze him, froze his heart. And he was in my arms, and he told me, Tanin, please, I don’t wanna die. Please Tanin. He begged me. But there was nothing I could do. And the other, the programmer, she said we had to live on. We need to fight and survive, she said. That meant more than anything else.”
He grunted and propped himself up on an elbow. Gritting his teeth, he managed to sit up, on the ground, soaked in blood. He leaned against the frame of the bed for strength and caught his breath.
"The two of us made it to Silver," he said. "And we joined the Combat Institute. She was a prodigy, always has been. She made a small fortune at the Institute. Then she moved to a small farm at the edge of town. And when you look at her smile, you could tell she was happy."
He closed his eyes. In the half-light of the bedroom, his brows looked dark and heavy.
"I thought we'd make it back together," Tanin said. "That's what I thought."
"It…it's OK," I said. I knew it wasn't, but I had to say something. Anything. "We'll find a way, Tanin. You'll recover. We'll make it out of here, together."
Tanin looked at his severed leg, then at me.
"You know I won't," he said.
"We'll carry you," I argued back, shaking my head, clenching my fists. "I'll roll you into Bottom Lane on a wheelchair if I have to. And we're gonna win, dang it! Please, Tanin. We'll make it work."
"Sophia," Tanin said, cracking a wry smile. "Do you know my abilities?"
"No…"
"Of course not. No one's needed to know. I'm a 1v1 mode specialist, Sophia. That's all I've played in the past year. And my speciality was sprinting."
"We'll help you," I promised. "We'll figure out how to fight 3v3 together."
Behind me, Saber gave an empathetic nod. But even now, I already doubted if things would work out at all.
"I'll be honest with you," Tanin said. "I still like you, Sophia. I used to root for you. I might be disappointed, but I don't hate you. If I dragged you down, I'll hate myself until the minute I die."
With a heavy sigh, he crawled his way back on to the bed. He looked down at his stained sheets and closed his eyes.
"Please don't talk back," he said. "I want some time alone."
I stood dumbly in the room, until Saber took my hand to lead me away. She took me down the stairs and outside Tanin's house. She closed the door behind us.
Sylvia, the armored lady, approached to meet us.
"Hey, uh…" she trailed off as she looked at our faces. The corners of her lips dropped.
"...Well, let me know if there's anything I can help with," she finished, and backed away gingerly, leaving us to ourselves. Her two companions waited for her to join them in the distance.
Saber and I went back to our house. Minutes passed as I sat on the couch, trying to collect my thoughts, trying to make sense of everything that had happened. Yet at the same time, all I wanted was to sleep, to forget, to stop thinking.
It must've been at least half an hour before a red glow shone from our team notebooks, interrupting our silent thoughts.
"What was that?" I asked.
Saber flipped through her notebook.
"I think an announcement," she said.
I checked page 50 of my notebook, where all the announcements were made. Sure enough, I found something.
CHALLENGE BEGINS IN 14 DAYS
PLEASE FORM A TEAM OF VALID SIZE
My blood chilled. I knew Spring Challenge would be coming. But this soon?
"Saber," I said in a low voice. "Should we…"
I cut myself off. She simply looked at me, inviting me to finish.
"...Would you be upset if you'll never make it back?" I asked, my voice shaking. I hated the sound of those words. What a horrible question to ask my friend.
But Saber only returned an easy, understanding smile. She folded her hands gently upon her lap and looked out the window.
"I have nothing to go back to," she said.
"Don't say things like that," I scolded her.
"But it's true." Saber placed a palm on the side of her waist. "My kidney has already failed. My passive HP regeneration, here in this world, is what's keeping me alive. This world is my only home."
She never mentioned that to me. Not one bit. The whole time, had she been fighting, pressing forward, without the desire to even make it back alive?
"Saber…tell me you're kidding."
She gave her head a shake. "I'm dead serious. Sophia, I know you're thinking about a pacifist match. About staying peacefully in the arena, with Tanin, and those three. As long as you're sure that's what you want, I'll gladly spend the rest of my days with you."
