Something to Think About

"You alright, kid?" Kael looked at the shocked Dave, wondering if he was that well-known. 

"Eh, yeah. Yeah, sorry about that." Dave snapped out of his reverie, this time taking a keen look at Kael and noticing his features. "You... you're really Kael Neren."

"Listen up, kid." Kael sighed, closing his eyes. "I appreciate you helping me to my place. You don't have to bother anymore. I can take care of myself."

"Come on, Mr. Neren." Dave's tone shifted abruptly as a slight smile spread across his handsome features. "I'm here now. Let me help you."

The detective went back to wiping the blood off Kael's face, making sure to get all the spots. Despite Kael's words, he made no moves to stop Dave; he wasn't in the mood.

After several minutes of silence, Dave lowered the towel, taking another look at the 'sleeping' Kael. His expression was one of gentle admiration and respect.

"You know, I took this path because of you, Mr. Neren," Dave said and then looked behind, where a small round table with three chairs lay. 

He moved to grab one of the chairs and brought it closer to the bedside. The detective sat down and leaned forward, a reminiscing smile on his face.

"Back then, I was still finding my way around." The young detective continued. "But then, I heard of a private investigator who single-handedly solved a rather challenging case that got the authorities scratching their heads."

He chuckled at this point, glancing at Kael to gauge his reaction. Kael wasn't interested in listening to a story. Then again, he didn't particularly care what the young detective did. 

Still, he had to ask.

"Why are you telling me this?" Kael threw his left arm over his forehead. 

"Because I chose the path of the detective when I heard of your feat," Dave replied, glad Kael was engaging him. "A year later, I heard you had become a hunter. That was the last I heard of you... until now."

Looking at the broken man lying on the worn-out bed, Dave genuinely wondered. "What happened to you, Mr. Neren?"

"..."

Kael did not reply, appearing to be asleep. The young detective knew this much. He also knew that Kael was not obligated to tell his story. He was the one intruding when he had already done his part.

After several moments of silence, Kael released a tired sigh. Perhaps it was out of gratitude for what Dave had done for him, but Kael decided to entertain the young detective.

"I nearly died." He answered softly, drawing Dave's attention. "I'm not interested in sharing the details, but just know that I was stabbed in the back and lost everything."

"I see..."

Dave's curious expression changed at those words. Another hard look at the current state of Kael and his room pretty much told him the rest. 

Kael had turned to hunting when he stopped his private investigation job. It was an occupation that required teamwork, as only a few could go in alone.

'That explains the scars on his body,' Dave realised, his gaze shifting to the slightly unbuttoned shirt Kael was wearing.

'Accidents like these happen in a dungeon all the time. Most don't make it out alive, and because it's out of the public eye, there isn't much to be done in the name of justice.'

It was a sad reality, but that was the world they now lived in.

"Why aren't you fighting back?" Dave questioned after several seconds of mulling over Kael's words. "Dungeon hunting might be out of the picture, but you're still a great detective."

"To what end, kid?" Kael replied. "What's the fucking point? Why bother busting my ass off for total strangers? This world fucked me up enough. I don't have it in me to fight again."

"..."

Dave was left speechless, unable to answer that question. 'Indeed... For someone like Kael, asking him to get back to work won't work. His wounds are more than physical... He needs something to hold on, something to drive him forward.'

"So, are you going to suffer like this?" Dave refocused his attention on Kael. "From what I can tell, you don't look like someone who wants to take extreme measures despite your words."

Kael couldn't help but open his eyes to glance at the young detective. His words didn't match someone in his field of work; it was strange.

"Instead of suffering like this..." Dave continued, ignoring the look he was receiving. "Why don't you make those who left you to die pay for their crimes? You've suffered enough; it's only fair that they suffer too."

"Are you sure you're a detective?" Kael looked at Dave strangely, noticing the young man chuckling at his question.

"I can assure you, Mr. Neren, I am a detective," Dave smirked and then added. "And a very good one at that. But we're not talking about me."

Dave let out a turbid breath and continued, "I don't know what you did, but no one deserves to be left behind in a place like that. If I were you, I'd use my years of experience to get back at them."

Reaching into his jacket pocket, Dave took out a small card that had his details. He placed it beside Kael's head, nodded and then got to his feet.

"I'll be getting pretty busy in the days to come," The young detective added, returning the chair to its place and the towel to the bathroom. "I'm sure you've heard about the recent deaths of the future chosen heroes."

Kael shifted his gaze from the card beside him to the young detective, who came to stand in the spot where the chair had just been vacated. 

"I may be a good detective, but I'll be glad to have the person I looked up to help me with this." He glanced at the card and then at Kael. "You can see I'm no ordinary detective, Mr. Neren. I have the resources, and you have expertise that might be helpful to the case.

"We can help each other. Come find me when you change your mind." With a respectful nod, he walked towards the door, shortly disappearing behind it. 

'For a law enforcement officer to say something like this...' He picked up the card beside him and gave it a proper look. 'Ah... I see.'

Kael put the card back down and closed his eyes. The young detective had given him something to think about. Although he had considered something like this before, he didn't have it in him.

'I'll think about it later...'