Chapter 79 - Shadow (2)

I gently touched Trisha's shoulder. She only squirmed slightly as if it was a sleep habit.

Though bandages were wrapped around her fingers and wrist, no other injuries were visible. Very fortunately, it seemed she wasn't badly hurt.

Through the window came light breezes and bird songs.

The peaceful situation around me now made the desperate battle in the labyrinth feel like a fleeting dream.

I hadn't expected to survive. And I especially hadn't expected to wake up under warm sunlight in a soft bed.

How did I survive that situation?

I reached inside my robe and felt my abdomen. Though a large scar remained making the skin uneven, the penetrating wound had completely healed.

I felt no pain, and there was no discomfort in moving.

And when the bed shifted slightly, Trisha finally woke up, turned over, and slowly raised her upper body.

"Ah, mmm..."

Only after pushing aside her disheveled hair that covered her face did she see me.

And when our eyes met, she was greatly startled.

"Eh, eh?"

"..."

"You, you're really awake?"

When Trisha suddenly stood up and tried to climb onto the bed in a daze, I immediately grabbed her wrist and said, "Yes, just sit down first."

After checking my condition, Trisha tried to calm her excitement and sat down.

"Ah, okay...!"

"What are... you doing here?"

"Me? I had nowhere to go so I was just resting here!"

She had nowhere to go so she was in my hospital room? This couldn't be such a casual space.

"How long... have I been lying here?"

Between completely losing sense of time and my wounds being cleanly healed, I felt anxious that a long time might have passed while I was unconscious.

She hesitated briefly, closing her mouth.

That reaction made me more anxious.

"What's wrong?"

"..."

When Trisha hesitated, I pressed her.

"It's okay, just tell me."

"...Well, you were unconscious for half a year."

"...What?"

My heart sank. 

Had it really been that long?

"Half a year...?"

"Yes."

Everything went dark before my eyes. The first thing I thought of was Silveryn. Missing a semester wasn't the issue. I had broken my promise to her, and I would have to pay the price.

A chill ran up my cheeks and spine.

I squeezed my eyes shut and wracked my brain. Since there was still sunlight, I had time to explain.

The corners of Trisha's eyes twitched as she watched me.

Soon her eyes curved into crescents with joy, and she burst into laughter, deep dimples forming in her cheeks.

"Pfft!"

She laid face down on the bed again and slapped my thigh with her palm while laughing heartily.

"Hahaha! Look at your face!"

Ah, the “six months” comment must have been one of Trisha's mischievous pranks.

Only then did I understand the situation and breathe a sigh of relief.

The release of tension made me need to lie back down on the bed.

"Fine, if you're having fun."

She probably didn't understand why I was being so serious.

Trisha sat up and tried to force herself to stop laughing, taking deep breaths, but it didn't help much.

The corners of her eyes were still full of laughter and though her mouth was tightly closed, her dimples remained deep.

"Aren't you enjoying this too much?"

"Do you know how long I've been waiting to do this while you were lying here?"

You can still think of pranks even seeing my condition.

But her expression was so pure and refreshing that I couldn't bring myself to say anything harsh.

"So how long has it really been?"

"A week."

"..."

"Don't worry. It's still the adjustment period, so you haven't missed any classes."

That's fortunate... no, it's not. Even a week is long. Either way, it means I didn't send the promised letters and just lay here the whole time.

I was a bit lost on how to make up for this.

"But you need to choose your electives and special activities. They say if you don't decide by next week, you'll be randomly assigned, so you should hurry."

"Special activities..."

I think Silveryn had explained this before. She said I needed to complete one course in the arts field.

That wasn’t important. Right now, I wanted to know how Eternia had carried on after I lost consciousness.

"More importantly..."

Trisha cut in and continued, "Do you have anything picked out already? Oh right, I joined the Drama Club! I was just walking when a senior came up and specifically picked me, saying I had a face that must do theater, so they convinced me and I joined."

I briefly went along with Trisha's rhythm.

"Is it a proper place?"

"Yes, there's even a small theater and lots of seniors there. If you don't like it, you can change during the adjustment period, so there's nothing to lose."

Right, since she deceived me, she probably did have a talent for acting.

"But what does having a face for theater mean...?"

Trisha slightly avoided my gaze and tucked her hair behind her ear as she casually said, "Well... I'm kind of... um, they meant I'm 'pretty’."

"They weren't saying that about your real appearance though."

"It doesn't matter. Though my real form is better, even my disguise feels like part of me now."

"Well, that worked out well then."

Theater. It seemed like a good choice for Trisha. Active things suit her better than passive ones.

Mixing with people might help alleviate some of the loneliness built up in the labyrinth.

I changed the topic of conversation. That wasn't what I was curious about.

"Then, about the labyrinth..."

Trisha suddenly leaned toward me and said, "I'll show you around the Drama Club! And the week after next there's a common class for first years. It's like group activities. Seems pretty important. You should recover quickly and not miss it."

"...Right."

And I felt a strange sense of dissonance from Trisha's bright demeanor.

Now that I'd confirmed Trisha was fine, I wanted to know what had happened with the labyrinth and the Dark Mage.

After experiencing such a major event, these were things I naturally needed to know.

But Trisha didn't give me a chance to ask. It felt like she was subtly avoiding any talk related to that.

Just then, someone walked toward my hospital room and knocked on the door.

Before I could say come in, a woman opened the door and entered.

It was Professor Ella.

She let out a big sigh of relief when she saw I was awake from the doorway.

"Ah, you're finally awake."

"Ah, Professor."

Trisha stood up and spoke as if suddenly remembering something urgent, "I have Drama Club business so I'll go first. See you later!"

Trisha gave a quick greeting to Ella and immediately left the room.

Ella glanced once at Trisha's departing figure, then approached and sat cross-legged in the chair where she had been.

"That's a relief, you both look good. Both you and Trisha."

"I'm fine. But... did something happen to Trisha too?"

"Trisha wasn't hurt. Thanks to you fighting with your life on the line. Instead, she suffered emotionally."

"..."

"Trisha probably cried the most seeing you like this. Hasn't she been coming to the hospital room all week to change your blankets, wash your body, and nurse you?"

"Trisha did...?"

She treated me so brightly as if she knew nothing, so I hadn't noticed at all.

I was grateful, but we didn't have the kind of deep bond that would warrant such devoted care. Perhaps some kind of sense of responsibility was at work.

"Yes, Trisha thinks what happened to you is her fault."

My thoughts were correct.

"And she's afraid you'll resent her and that it will create distance between you."

So that was why she seemed to be avoiding talk regarding the labyrinth.

"If I was going to resent Trisha, I would have just focused on running away instead of fighting."

Though I fought thinking I needed to protect Trisha, that wasn't all.

Not running away was also for myself as well.

"We can't guarantee similar things won't happen again. If this repeats, it will be hard for both you and Trisha to endure."

"..."

"And this incident was serious enough that there's talk of temporarily closing Eternia. This could lead to Trisha leaving Eternia and returning to where she was originally."

"Because of guilt?"

"For complex reasons. Guilt might break her will to stay here."

"..."

As the atmosphere grew heavy, Ella changed the subject.

"We'll talk about your and Trisha's treatment later. How's your body feeling?"

"Surprisingly good."

"...I see. You must have many questions about the labyrinth and the Dark Mage, but let's talk about that later and focus on resting for now. When you're completely recovered, come find me then. I'll answer all your questions."

"Understood."

As Ella stood up, something occurred to me and I asked her.

"Professor."

"Yes?"

"Where are my belongings?"

Ella reached under the bed frame and pulled out a wooden box to hand to me.

"They're in here."

"...Thank you."

I opened the box and checked the items inside.

The bracelet, necklace, ring, and most things were there, but one thing was missing.

"Professor, have you seen my stitch?"

Ella furrowed her brow briefly, searching her memory as she spoke, "...Hmm, there was something that seemed to be a Stitch."

"...Yes?"

"Something that was lying beside you when you were found... ah, it should be in that leather pouch."

There was an unfamiliar leather pouch in the box. Is this what she meant?

I hurriedly picked up the leather pouch and untied it. Then I checked its contents.

"..."

Inside were metal parts shattered beyond recognition. Traces of dark initials could be seen on the surface of the debris.

It was indeed the Stitch Silveryn had given me. 

How did it end up like this?

"Ah..."

All thought stopped completely.

Ella noticed my expression and questioned.

"What's wrong?"

"Um... does Teacher know I was attacked by a Dark Mage?"

"Not yet, but she'll receive word when she reaches the Holy City, so she'll know soon."

I'm so fucked.

***

The carriage entered the outskirts of the Holy City. The paved roads meant no more bumpy riding. Rain was drizzling, making the carriage prone to sliding, so it moved more slowly and smoothly than usual.

Silveryn leaned her head against the glass window and absently watched the raindrops flowing down.

Her mind was filled only with thoughts of Damian.

"That brat..."

It had been over a week with no word from her disciple's letters.

Was he so caught up in the new environment and new friends that he had no thought for his distant teacher, or had something bad happened? Her mind was tangled with chaotic thoughts.

As a teacher, she could overlook three days with generosity. But there were limits to patience, and taking more than a week was absolutely unforgivable.

While his teacher thought of and cherished him so much, was it really so difficult for him to fulfill his duty as a disciple and send one letter?

After he himself promised to write every day...

After all her feeding him, taking care of him, cherishing him, and pouring out affection, what she got in return was indifference toward his teacher.

Her hurt feelings had piled up like snow and frozen to the point where no amount of "sorry" could melt them.

He better have prepared a proper reason. If he made poor excuses, he would pay a heavy price.

Silveryn muttered to herself while suppressing her anger.

"When I get back... I'm really going to kill him."