The Silence of a Somber Day

Roll Cloud

Niki lowered Tommy onto the floor when she noticed how bad the blood loss was getting. Niki twisted her hand so the water dripping on the floor floated to the wound at her call. The water wrapped the wound to keep away germs that could cause an infection. Niki focused on balancing some of the water that way she could dart out of the room to find a towel. Niki threw open every door she saw, making a small mess as she grabbed a dark colored towel. At another date, she would recognize that all of Tommy's towels and rags were dark enough so blood couldn't cause a stain. Instead, Niki raced back to Tommy's room. She slid on her knees to where Tommy was, the water soaking into the towel before she completely concentrated. Niki tied the towel as best she could to make a temporary makeshift bandage.

        Niki stood from where she was, trying to understand what to do next. She had cleaned the wound and set Tommy down to prevent him from getting a head wound if he passed out from dizziness. Niki could look for bandages immediately, but she decided against that in favor of putting pressure on the wound. Niki sent one quick message on Tommy's communicator, and settled back down by his side. She pressed lightly against the towel, progressively putting more weight on the towel. Niki kept a close watch on Tommy's face. He seemed aware, more than he should have been, honestly. Niki expected him to pass out or become delirious. Yet, his eyes weren't clouding over. The pure blue stared back at Niki like any second she would become one of the Egg's victims again. Under other circumstances, Niki wouldn't have blamed him, but he was bleeding out. How was he conscious enough to understand what had happened and comprehend it enough to make a look like that?

        "Niki!" Someone yelled as they ran through the apartment. Tommy's eyes went wide. He struggled underneath Niki's hold like he was trying to get up. That would explain the defensive gleam in his eyes. Tommy believed an intruder was there, and even though he was potentially dying, he wanted to help fight against the break-in. This would have been cute to Niki if, again, Tommy wasn't bleeding profusely. Well, he should have been. Niki hated to admit that the wound was already clotting when it shouldn't have yet.

        "Shh, Tommy, friend, not foe," Niki whispered to him to calm him down. Tommy glanced at her warily before settling back on the ground, muscles tense despite the fact that he wouldn't be fighting. Niki was satisfied with that so she looked towards the door, giving a brief call about where they were  as loud as she dared to be with Tommy's sickly state and the paper thin walls. Luckily, it was enough to communicate with the person. Puffy rushed through the door, looking like she ran all the way there from Cogchamp. Niki laughed quietly, knowing that Puffy would. Cogchamp was a desert region that was the most southward country, the farthest away from L'Manberg technically. Right above Cogchamp and a little westward was El Rapids, or where it used to be before 2b2t overran the lands with raiders. To run all the way from Cogchamp and through 2b2t was something that no sane person would do. If it was for Niki, though, Puffy wouldn't call herself  'sane'.

        "My love," Puffy said in a whisper as she drew closer. Niki wrinkled her nose as the smell of salty sweat, but she remained locked in Puffy's tight embrace for as long as the sheep hybrid needed. They would have stayed there all day if Tommy didn't sneeze. He gave them an apologetic smile when they looked towards him. Puffy tilted her head to the side as she spoke, "Bless you."

        Puffy opened her mouth to speak again before she realized that Tommy was face down on the ground with a towel pressed against his back with a small puddle of water and blood forming beneath him. Puffy wretched the towel upwards to see a clotting stab wound in Tommy's lower back. She hesitantly trailed the skin around the wound, feeling for certain muscles and bones before she looked at Niki. "He was stabbed in the latissimus dorsi. The wound is healing up nicely though. In fact, he may not need to wear a bandage for too long."

        "Which is weird, right?" Niki whispered, not noticing Tommy's dark look. It wasn't really a glare, but it was a look that meant 'you think you know my secret' kind of look that not-friends but not enemies would give each other when one is about to say something insincere. It was a strange look that only ever worked in certain situations. Puffy saw the look, but didn't comprehend it as Tommy looked away.

        "Not entirely. He could be a hybrid, could have latent abilities, or just incredible platelets," Puffy laughed quietly as she brought Tommy closer to her in a pseudo hug that was uncomfortable for her but made Tommy feel better. Niki gave a look that meant 'fair' as she pulled out the first aid kit in Puffy's bag. She applied a cream to Tommy's wound that would keep it clean and give the platelets a boost in energy. After that, Niki wrapped the dressing around the wound, keeping it secure in the front. Tommy didn't flinch through the entire thing, acting like he was more sore than in pain.

    Tommy sat up with a stretch, pulling at his muscles to straighten them out. Niki was tempted to tell him to stop, but Tommy didn't show that the stretches were hurting him. Tommy breathed out before looking between Niki and Puffy with cynical eyes. He fidgeted with his hands like he was solving some advanced puzzle made of air. Tommy shook his head several times before sighing in defeat. "I can't figure it out. None of this. Why does the Cult want me dead, and what are Jack's Mystic Eyes? He'll most likely be given the same mission as you, eliminate Tommy Innit, but we can't fight him if he has unidentified Mystic Eyes."

        "What are Mystic Eyes?" Puffy questioned quietly as she glanced between Niki and Tommy who were silently agreeing with one another. Niki looked over in disbelief, but Tommy was already explaining before Puffy finished the question.

        "A term coined by this anime. See, powers are a blessing from the gods, given to humans when humans unearthed the secrets of the Nether and the End. Not all humans manifest their powers, but everyone has the potential to have one. Heroes are just people trained by the government to harness their powers. Mystic Eyes are a type of power. Normal abilities take a toll on the body, require a recharge, and have a set limit. Mystic Eyes take a toll on the body, but are limitless and infinite as long as they meet the conditions of activation and the eyes aren't damaged," Tommy said. "Heroes like Time Deo and Unfound have Mystic Eyes. They're rare but the government prioritizes them. The public doesn't know about them because that would cause bounties to extract the eyes. They work regardless of who wears them."

        "Awful," Puffy muttered. While she didn't know either of the heroes mentioned, she knew of their actions. They were proper heroes that did their work efficiently. Time Deo sometimes used unsavory methods, and Unfound had a very poor social status, but Puffy knew that they had saved countless lives. To have their powers forcibly removed, to lose their sight forever, was unthinkable to Puffy. She had more questions, like how Tommy knew what they were, but she didn't get a chance to answer when one of Tommy's shirts burst into flames on the floor a few inches from Puffy.

Niki's hands snapped up, the water from the towel rising up to put out the flames. They had all jumped to their feet, searching for what sparked the fire. Instead, the one who sparked the fire found them. Someone wearing a blue shirt with baby hairs on their head came through the window. Jack smiled at them, his eyes glimmering from behind his glasses.

Jack closed his eyes as he took his glasses off. When his eyes snapped open, Tommy witnessed what they looked like. A ring of blue fire around a magma red that seemed to spark and bubble like their description. Jack's eyes focused on the towel on the ground, and it immediately caught fire.

"Mystic Eyes of Ignition," Niki whispered worriedly.