Awakening, Part 3: Sirien Ilensia
Dark memories clawed their way to the surface. Memories I never wanted to forget, yet never wished to relive. The sight of my bleeding brother. His breath, so shallow and faint it seemed poised to snap at any moment. His motionless hands. His limp, lifeless body. The ghosts of that day kept overlaying themselves onto Rajen.
A pitch-black hand reached up from the depths of the earth. It was a hand called dread. It wrapped around my ankles and legs, trying to drag me down into the abyss. No. Get your hands off me. You are only in the way. Not yet. With a desperate effort, I shook off the rising panic.
"Rajen. Please, wake up, Rajen."
"..."
Rajen had lost consciousness. My heart plummeted. But when I leaned in close, I could hear him breathing steadily. The situation was far better than when my brother had passed. I could still save him. As long as I kept my composure, I wouldn't have to lose Rajen too.
Straining and gasping, I dragged Rajen into the cave. I couldn't leave him outside to get drenched if it rained. And with so many monsters still roaming these woods, the cave was infinitely safer. Rajen was much taller and broader than me; lifting him or carrying him on my back was utterly out of the question. By the time I finally hauled him inside, I was drenched in sweat. But that didn't matter. What mattered was that Rajen was safe.
"I'm going to clean your wounds first. I'm sorry. Please bear with me, even if it hurts."
If there was any saving grace, it was that I had learned a thing or two from watching Rajen tend to his own injuries. When a wound opened, the first step was always to clean the surrounding skin with a damp cloth. Fortunately, I had a clean towel I had washed recently. For water, I used my own drinking supply. I carefully cut away his torn clothing and began to wipe the blood away. Every time the cloth brushed against his flesh, Rajen groaned. He always claimed he felt fine whenever he got hurt. He was just putting on a brave face. My heart ached at the realization.
"Bandages... We don't have any bandages left. What do I do?"
The bandages we had brought from the cabin were long gone. We had resorted to shifting the used ones around to keep the clean sections over his wounds, but even those had finally been discarded recently. Suddenly, a memory of Hena flashed through my mind. She had torn her own clothes to bind his injuries. This time, I needed the cleanest fabric possible. I didn't understand the science behind it, but Rajen was always obsessive about keeping dirt away from open wounds. He had once said he would rather cauterize a wound with fire than let a dirty rag touch it. I couldn't bring myself to press hot iron to his flesh. Instead, I drew the dagger from Rajen's vest and began to tear my own clothes. I had to cut away a significant portion to find sections that weren't soiled. By the time I was finished, my dress was reduced to complete rags. Rajen would probably tease me when he woke up. I desperately wanted to hear his mischievous voice again.
"Thank goodness. The bleeding is finally slowing down."
Aside from the deep gash on his shoulder, his other injuries weren't as severe. Once I wrapped them tightly with my makeshift bandages, the bleeding stopped completely. The real problem was the fever raging through his body. His face was flushed crimson, burning hot as if he had contracted a terrible flu, and cold sweat poured down his brow. His expression grew increasingly strained with pain. Yet, there was nothing more I could do. A suffocating sense of helplessness and dread washed over me. My lips felt bone-dry. The realization that I was utterly powerless to help him crushed down on my chest.
"Ah, right. Water. I need to get some water. Just wait here, Rajen. I'll be right back."
Maybe he was just dehydrated. Whenever I ran a fever that high, I always craved water. There was a spring nearby where we usually fetched our water; I could get some from there. I gathered every container we had, along with the blood-soaked clothes, towels, and soiled blades to wash. I barely remembered the trek to the spring. I ran there in a blind panic and flew back just as frantically. Kneeling beside him, I slowly trickled water past Rajen's dry lips. Drop by drop. Exceedingly slow. To my immense relief, Rajen's throat bobbed as he swallowed.
"My knight... my treasure. I will never let anyone take you from me. I won't let you die."
I spent the entire day wiping away his sweat and coaxing him to drink. Unsure of which herbs were safe, I only applied the ones I had seen him use before. Yet, even after a full day, Rajen's condition showed no signs of improvement. If anything, he seemed to be slipping further away. I hadn't slept a wink, but sleep was the furthest thing from my mind. I buried my face in my knees, then forced myself to look up before the tears could fall. I gave Rajen water once more, pouring a little extra this time. I knew I would have to leave him alone for a while. There was nothing left for me to do for him within the confines of this cave. But that didn't mean I was completely out of options.
"Don't worry, Rajen. I'll save you, no matter what. I'll fix everything. When you wake up from your sleep, you'll be perfectly fine. I promise I'll make it so."
There was only one way left to pull us out of this nightmare.
Night had already fallen by the time I stepped out of the cave. Rajen always avoided traveling after dark, but this was an emergency. Fortunately, there was no danger of me getting lost. Though the path ahead would be treacherous, I knew exactly which direction to take. I only had to follow the scent that had been drifting through the forest for some time now—a fragrance Rajen couldn't perceive, but one that was crystal clear to me.
To follow the scent, I had to retrace the path we had traveled. Even though the forest seemed like an endless, identical maze, certain landmarks stood out in my memory. Over there was where Rajen had battled the giant. The massive depression where the beast had collapsed was still clearly visible, though the corpse itself had vanished without a trace. When I had believed Rajen died in that spot, it felt as though my entire world had crumbled. I would rather die than ever experience that crushing despair again.
With every step I took, the peculiar fragrance grew stronger. My only fears had been the treacherous terrain and the threat of monsters, but surprisingly, neither proved to be a major obstacle. Perhaps because the pitch-black darkness blinded me, my other senses—my hearing and my sense of smell—felt sharper than ever. Still, that didn't mean the journey was easy.
— Roaaar! Urgh. Gurgle...
"These damn beasts just keep coming. Fuck's sake, how many days has it been? What a pain in the ass."
"Hey, you think those brats are already dead? I heard their trail went cold days ago."
"How should I know? The captain told us to keep searching, so we search. At this rate, we're gonna get killed before we even see a copper of our pay."
"Sigh, let's drop it. If we get caught slacking off, the boss'll have our heads."
There were strangers in the forest. It had been the right decision not to blindly run toward them just because they were human. Judging by their overheard conversation, they were undoubtedly the search party sent by Count Roxen.
I knew they were close, but...
I never expected them to have closed the distance so quickly. Despite how hard we had pushed ourselves to stay ahead, the blade was already at our throats.
If they find the cave, Rajen is dead.
I had to hurry. I waited until the men moved off, then quickened my pace. With my clothes torn to shreds, the sharp underbrush scraped against my bare skin. Shallow cuts bloomed across my arms and legs. I stumbled into a patch of briars, and a thorn tore deep into my thigh. It stung terribly. If Rajen were here, I would have whined to him just to be comforted. No, this is nothing. Rajen is hurting a thousand times more than this.
The scent grew heavier with every step. Then, it happened. *Rustle.* A faint sound echoed from somewhere behind me. Having spent so much time surviving among wild beasts and monsters, I immediately sensed something off about the noise. It wasn't the natural rustle of an animal. It was the sound of someone trying to move silently and making a mistake. The brief noise vanished almost instantly.
I've been spotted...!
Panic seized me. I bolted forward, never daring to look back. Sprinting up the steep incline, my lungs burned almost instantly. *Gasp. Gasp.* My feet slipped on the wet stones, nearly sending me sprawling. Then, a few paces later, my foot caught and I crashed hard onto the ground, scraping my knees. I pictured my knees, surely skinned raw and bleeding just like when I used to trip in the castle. I wanted to collapse right there and sob. The thought of the men closing in terrified me. It would have been less frightening if they were shouting commands, but the absolute silence of their pursuit made it infinitely worse. It felt as though an invisible shadow was creeping up behind me.
"Haa, ha! Ah...! Haa."
I forced myself back up and kept running. I slipped and fell, sliced my palms on thorny vines as I tried to steady myself, and desperately wiped away the tears threatening to spill. I ran harder than I ever had in my entire life. My lungs screamed for air. My chest and throat felt as though they were about to burst. I wanted to rest, even if only for a single second. But I can't. Get a grip, Sirien Ilensia. Rajen's life is on the line. He has endured far worse pain than this to protect you. Don't you dare cry over a few scratches.
Was my desperate, breathless sprint finally paying off? Through the canopy of the pitch-black forest, a warm orange glow flickered in the distance.
There's something there. A light!
If I could just make it to the top of that hill, would the man who killed the giant be there? He had carried the exact same fragrance. I had studied theology back at the castle. When I first saw the man in black, I hadn't made the connection, but now... I recalled a certain religious order that would have established itself in a place like this. It was an ancient name, one I had been taught was long extinct, which was why it hadn't crossed my mind until now.
Why had that man spared Rajen's life, despite his obvious reluctance? What was the presence that had trailed us from the very edge of the forest, watching our every move? And most importantly, what was this scent I kept smelling? A fragrance that so blatantly evoked death and repose.
The Order of Hibras... Just a little further. Just a little more!
A cold shiver ran down my spine. Footsteps crunched on the leaves directly behind me. The pursuers were right on my heels. But at that exact moment, a voice cut through the dark—the very voice I had been praying to hear.
"I believe I made it clear there would be no second mercy. Did your companion fail to pass along my warning?"
"Haa, ha. *Gasp*..."
"I will give you exactly one chance. Give me a reason why I shouldn't hand you over to those rude guests."