I'm Scared

He stood against a wall of rough limestones and sandstones, mild yellow in color, slightly hidden by the shadow.

In front of him, a ball of blood, smooth and round, like a pearl of pure red ruby, the size of an avocado seed. Glazing the light off the candle chandelier hanging from the ceiling as it floated in the air. 

"Blood…" he muttered as his bright red eyes lusted at the sight, its sweet fragrance hitting his nose. It was all his, Gunther.

The ball traveled through the air and nearing him.

"Gunther?" Aadish greeted as he entered the room, his quarter.

—

"Aww!" Hubert screamed as Ivanna poked around the wound on his cheek with her gloved finger.

"..." Ivanna did so, her duty, in silence and with eyes focused.

"Be gentle, please," Hubert said half jokingly, a forced smile etched on his face.

"Tch, Minor Sana Hoc Domine," Ivanna cast, a small healing light of green came from her hand.

"..." Hubert sat quietly as the treatment was ongoing. 

The pharmacy was one of the familiar sights to him. Its air circulated and scented with a zesty lemon fragrance around. Though the evening sun was setting and the night was beginning to take over, the place felt warm and always cozy as spring.

"It's done, please return if there is any complaint," Ivanna said as she turned around and took off her gloves, then set them aside on the table.

"Thank you, Ivanna…" Hubert spoke, his words soft and weak, hoping.

"It is my duty. There are other patients around here, I will attend to them if that is all of your complaints done," Ivanna mentioned, a voice half irritated and a glance half sinister.

"There is one," Hubert wanted to bring the issue up. But the words in his throat were imprisoned and his heart ached every time he thought so.

Ivanna waited for his complaint. But it never came.

"Nevermind…" 

Then he stood up and left, turning his back against the young nurse, once brightful, while clenching his fist.

The night had come then, with a cold wind from the east while the owls began flying on the sky high above him as he made his way to his abode. The scenery of the waterfall soon came into view, accompanied by its loud and vibrating sound waves.

Hubert looked on the water, a small fish, colorful, a mix of red and white and black, hid near one of the rocks. And soon, the fish fled as Hubert, barefooted, dropped down onto the stream of water and dipped his feet.

"Ha…" he sighed as he sat beside the bank for a while, contemplating.

The moon was dim. His companion was only himself and the water there, perhaps the scenery of the night's forest too. One that creeped himself when he was a child, but now, like a static scene on the opposite bank.

"Ivanna," he called, once again, hoping. A hopeless hope.

"Hubert," his peace was disturbed as Dareon came from behind him.

"Dar…" he greeted, not bothering to rotate his head around, even by a bit.

"Do you mind if I join you?" Dareon asked as he approached Hubert's side, ready to open his boots as well.

"I don't, come," Hubert allowed.

Soon, splashes of water came flying up, its tension broken by Dareon's dip into the water.

"Cold," Dareon commented, his words almost shivering.

Hubert smiled as he glanced at Dareon.

"So, what is it that you came here for?" he asked. His smile dissipated, a remnant of it remained as nothing more than a small curve from his lips.

"Ivanna," Dareon answered, quick and sharp, though he dared not continue what he meant.

"You came here for Ivanna? Take her, I've had no hope for her since the start," Hubert answered, misunderstanding Dareon's purpose.

"What? No, I didn't come here to take her!" Dareon raised his voice a bit.

"Then for what?" Hubert asked with a chuckle.

"I came for you… and Ivanna," Dareon continued, his voice shrouded by doubt.

"Dareon. I've never known you liked the shaft too. But playing both sides of the game is grave danger here," Hubert joked.

"What? No, I'm not weird!" Dareon raised his voice again.

"Sounds exactly like a guy that is weird," Hubert retorted.

"Oh yeah? Sounds like the guy who got beat up, not once, but twice, by what he considers his right hand," Dareon replied.

Hubert swiveled his head toward Dareon and stared.

Dareon shrugged.

Hubert sighed as he returned his head, facing the dark night sky.

"I know what you mean, Dar," Hubert continued.

"Then perhaps, you can-" Dareon was about to plead.

"No. Let what's done be done. I've no desire for her, not now, not ever," Hubert answered, his eyes like a sharp dagger as he examined the stars, yet his voice was soft but stern, almost shaky too.

"Bu-but," Dareon opened his mouth, his face turning toward Hubert, his red bright hair glinting off the dim moon, wanting to argue.

"What more is there to say? We have too many problems at hand, too many risks for ourselves, our own lifes and throats. I know you're smart enough, Dareon, to think this through. But one mistake may end our journey, before it even begins," Hubert strengthened his point.

Dareon turned to the water, almost giving up.

"But… ha… I could never understand your thoughts," Dareon said.

"I'm the same here," Hubert said, remembering all his struggles.

"What do you mean by that?" Dareon asked, as his gaze too joined in the star watching, his Adam apple showing up from neck.

Hubert's silence responded for a few seconds.

Then he answered.

"What are you? Dareon?" he asked.

"Me? A student of the academy, surely," Dareon answered.

"No, before that," Hubert pressed.

"Before that? An occupation that caused me this, the mark of battle, across my right eye. Merc," Dareon answered again as his finger ran through, softly against the scar.

"Mercenary. But do you know about my life?" Hubert asked.

"N… no," Dareon hesitated.

"And do you know what my thoughts were when I got this power? Void, they call it," Hubert asked again.

"Void?" confusion clouded him.

"Yes. Void, my element, that day of the test," Hubert nodded.

"And what were your thoughts…?" Dareon asked, his tone was calm, almost in guilt.

"When they've imprisoned me. I feared, I shivered, I panicked… I was scared, it's like a plague, a curse, and then, I lost my memories," Hubert said.

"..." Dareon listened in silence.

"I appreciated you hiding the truth from me that day, if not, I'm worried if now, you'll be able to converse with me or not," Hubert told, his hand grabbing the grass beside him, clenching it hard, almost plucking it out of the ground.

"..." Dareon listened.

"I know not of myself, it's as if I'm not myself. You think this power, void, sounds cool and so on, but until now, I've no idea what I can do with it. Thus, why, I need power, I need more power, I need all the power I could get, from you, from Ron, from the headmaster. Not just for the safety of my own, but for all those around me, my mother, Ivanna, or others that I've abandoned once," Hubert vented.

"..." Dareon was speechless, knowing what not to respond with.

"And I will not disappoint them again,"

Then Hubert faced Dareon, and placed his left hand on Dareon's shoulder.

"You understand what kind of path we will be taking now? One that is filled with revenge for us, and doom for the others. Asking on others to join us both will be the same as throwing themselves into their demise, just like what we're doing here,"

"Ivanna wouldn't mind," Dareon answered.

"Ha. She will, what kind of girl like her will do in our path filled with blood?" Hubert chuckled as he stood up and raised his feet from the water.

"We're the one that are in debt with her, Hubert. Not the other way around," Dareon argued.

"Precisely, that's why I wouldn't want to be in a relationship with her, either as a friend or more, it will be only a threat to her existence," Hubert shook the water off his feet.

"But let her join us, give her a chance, and then you'll know how valuable she is to you," Dareon said as Hubert got up from the water and began drying himself off with the grasses.

Until he stopped.

"What did you say? Let her join us?" Hubert asked, his eyes widening and his brows curving, and steam began building up in his ear.

"Yes, let her join us," Dareon stood up, his red eyes glinting with hope.

"Is this her idea? That you came here, this far from your dormitory room, only to persuade me to let her join us? Do you hear what you are saying now, or are you disregarding what I've told you about our future? Or both?" Hubert pressed.

"Both. I've talked to her, Hubert. She hadn't forgiven you yet for the thing you did to me and her. But once she heard of what we were going to do, I know, I sensed it from her, that she was worried about you," Dareon pleaded his case.

"Worry huh? Then she can worry all she wants," Hubert turned around and left, giving his back to Hubert.